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__label__wiki | 0.6217 | 0.6217 | Africa Witnessing Impressive Economic Growth
By Jaya Ramachandran | IDN-InDepth NewsReport
GENEVA (IDN) - There is good news from Africa. The continent is witnessing the second fastest economic growth, and according to knowledgeable sources it may grow even faster in 2013. What is more, currently Africa accounts for 14 sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) with a total amount of USD114 billion in 2009, representing 3% of global SWFs, and that share is expected to increase in future with the establishment of new SWFs.
After expanding 5% a year in the past two years, well above the global average, Africa’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is on track to grow by 5.3% this year. This was the upshot od from a televised debate with the presidents of Nigeria and South Africa and business leaders at the 43rd World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
“If certain bottlenecks were taken out, I can easily see that doubling,” said Graham Mackay, Chairman of the British SABMiller. The global brewer was established in South Africa more than a century ago and has extensive investments across the continent. Mackay singled out infrastructure development as probably the key driver to Africa’s continued economic progress.
South African President Jacob G. Zuma stressed that the countries that comprise Africa are determined to consolidate their gains. “We realize that intra-trade is not enough and are working hard on that,” he said. Africa is not consumed with conflict, he added. “We are also dealing with the economic issues. We’ve just discussed and agreed to integrate three of the five economic regions, creating a free trade area of more than half a billion people.”
There are risks for investors wherever you invest in the world, said Nigerian President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. But in Africa, political instability is no longer one of them. “Presently, about three African states have conducted successful elections two times,” he said. “Most African states have stable political systems.”
Africa’s leaders recognize that there are risks, but they said they are dealing with them. Nigeria, for example, is diversifying beyond oil into commercial agriculture to avert economic damage from volatile commodity prices. On recent labour unrest in South Africa, Zuma said solutions are being discussed by all sectors, including the government, labour unions, businesses and civil society.
Louise Arbour, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG), warned about the risk of the current armed unrest in Mali destabilizing West Africa, but said that the fight against terrorism should not obscure equally important underlying issues that Africa must address, which are governance, political and economic exclusion and very weak institutions.
“The narrative in Africa is changing and changing very fast,” said Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman and Group Chief Executive Officer, Bharti Enterprises of India. “There is no question that you are seeing more and more countries moving on to the democratic process and moving up the growth curve.” Bharti has been very successful in setting up telecommunications companies on the continent.
“From the standpoint of investors and people coming into Africa, I think what is important to see is commitment from the political leadership to secure investments, ensure there are no major fallouts of any terror activities which have recently developed, and, importantly, manage foreign exchange in a manner which does not deliver shocks,” he added. Mittal also called for repatriation of business profits becoming the norm and development of Africa’s financial system.
The 43rd World Economic Forum Annual Meeting is taking place from January 23 to 27 under the theme Resilient Dynamism. More than 2,500 participants from over 100 countries are taking part in the Meeting. They include nearly 50 heads of state or government and more than 1,500 business leaders from the Forum’s 1,000 Member companies, as well as Social Entrepreneurs, Global Shapers, Young Global Leaders and representatives from civil society, media, academia and the arts.
Sovereign wealth funds (SWFs)
In run-up to the World Economic Forum, the African Development Bank reported that in recent years, with the sustained rise in commodity prices, significant revenues from commodity exports have led to the establishment of SWF in a number of African countries, especially by oil/gas exporters. Currently, 58% of SWF assets worldwide are derived from oil and gas revenues. Major global players of SWFs include China, Middle East and Norway which cumulate more than two-third of global SWFs’ assets.
Africa accounts for 14 SWFs with a total amount of USD114 billion in 2009, representing 3% of global SWFs. The largest sovereign funds are the Libyan Investment Authority and Algeria’s Revenue Regulation Fund. However, in comparative terms, this is disproportionately lower than the Norwegian Government Pension Fund’s USD656 billion and USD627 billion managed by Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, the world’s two largest sovereign funds.
Africa’s contribution could increase in future with the establishment of new SWFs, the African Development Bank reported. It said that in 2012, three SWFs have been launched in Angola, Ghana, and Nigeria while the Tanzanian government has announced plans to create its sovereign fund to manage the country’s revenues from new gas and oil discoveries.
In addition, recent major oil and gas discoveries in East and West Africa are likely to give new opportunities for more African SWFs in the mid-term to foster management of revenues from these new resource discoveries.
The main purpose of a SWF is to ensure that resources of a country are preserved for future generations. Yet, there is controversy about the merits of such funds. On the one hand, advocates for SWFs argue that these funds can help boost economic growth and prosperity for current and future generations. Conversely, critics posit that these funds could give too much power to governments and could switch the global economy away from liberalism and therefore hamper market competitiveness.
Moreover, SWFs could be a source of threat of national security in recipient countries if they are used by investors for political rather than economic purposes.
A SWF is also set in order to stabilize government fiscal and/or foreign exchange revenues and macroeconomic aggregates by smoothing out fluctuations in prices of export commodities.
A majority of Africa’s SWFs are established for the purpose of price and revenue stabilization. Over the past years, resource-rich African countries have accumulated significant excess reserves from exports of natural resources. In the short term, because of commodity price fluctuations observed during the past years, countries have put in mechanisms to smooth their revenues/expenditures in order to ensure a better control of government expenditure planning. By creating SWFs, policymakers try to smooth the volatility of resource-driven revenues by lowering the effect of boom and bust cycles resulting from volatility in commodity prices. In this way, SWFs could be used to absorb large foreign exchange surpluses.
Furthermore, wealth diversification is another motivation for the widespread use of SWFs around the world. Prudent diversification of the natural resource generated wealth reflects a responsible approach for management of the country’s assets.
In some countries, the decision to create SWFs may be triggered by other factors such as supporting sustainable spending by the government, and reducing political temptation for malfeasance and corruption in the use of natural resource revenues. Thus, investing in SWFs rather than in traditional central bank’s reserve assets could reduce opportunity costs of reserves holdings and could shift the focus on return generation by the fund.
Role of SWFs in Africa?
Promoting intra-African investments and enhancing productivity: African SWFs can enhance productivity and spur intra-African investment through allocating part of their assets to growing sectors in Africa. For instance, the newly launched Angolan SWF is designed to target investments in Sub-Saharan Africa primarily in infrastructure and hospitality sectors. Other Sub-Saharan African sectors targeted by the Angolan Fund include agriculture, water, power generation and transport. Thus, African SWFs may benefit from the growth potential of African countries which offer significant wealth creation opportunities.
Fostering the role of the private sector: The SWFs are generally oriented towards investments in global financial markets rather than in emerging or developing countries, says the African Development Bank. However, African countries can use their own SWF assets to invest in domestic companies to boost growth and to create jobs through spurring private sector’s role. The SWFs in Africa may position themselves beyond the objective of macroeconomic stabilization and focus on maximization of investments and returns especially in domestic assets. Moreover, SWFs can indirectly foster the private sector by supporting sound fiscal and monetary policies. This can prompt a fiscal-friendly environment for private sector companies.
The Bank points out that African SWFs are encountering many challenges that slow their expansion. Governance, especially lack of transparency and accountability are the most important issues facing SWFs in Africa. Recent evidence indicates that African SWFs have low levels of transparency as measured by the Linaburg-Maduell Transparency Index.
In Nigeria for instance, lack of transparency has led to constant political wrangling between federal governments and states. Over the long term, lack of transparency and accountability, and weak institutions could lead to risk of expropriation and corruption. According to the African Development Bank, African SWFs are also facing internal risk management issues including operational and financial risks which tend to be high for new organizations in developing countries. [IDN-InDepthNews – January 23, 2013]
Image credit: polity.org.za | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line551 |
__label__wiki | 0.837858 | 0.837858 | China Lays Claim to Leadership of the Buddhist World
By Kalinga Seneviratne* | IDN-InDepth NewsAnalysis
BAOJI, China (I DN) - With an impressive display of Chinese Buddhist culture and hospitality, China laid claims to giving leadership to the Buddhist world, by hosting over 600 international delegates for the 27th General Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB) at this historic city in northwestern China from October 16 to 18.
Though not officially acknowledged, China is today home to between 200-300 million Buddhists thus making it the country with the world’s largest Buddhist population. The restored grand Buddhist temples in Baoji and in close by Xian, and the impressive Buddhist cultural display at the opening ceremony of the WFB meeting is anything to go by, it indicates that Chinese Buddhism has undergone a remarkable revival, after Buddhist temples were destroyed and Buddhist practices disrupted during the Cultural Revolution of the late 1960s.
Lou Qinjian, Governor of Shaanxi Provice (where Baoji and Xian are located) in a speech opening the conference told delegates from over 40 countries that Buddhism has become an important part of Chinese civilization for over 1800 years and his province has been the gateway for the flow of Buddhism from India to China. He added that over this period Buddhism has spread the ideas of equality, benevolence and harmony that have become important parts of Chinese civilization.
Qinjian pointed out that the Chinese government has been renovating many historic Buddhist monuments in recent years and has also been encouraging the development of Buddhist cultural practices. He noted that the Buddhist community in the province has been practicing Buddhist charity and carried out many charitable activities outside China. Thus, he expressed the hope that with the new project of the Chinese government to revitalize the Silk Route that originates from here, the conference would help to “carry forward the virtues of Buddhism to contribute to social harmony and peace (in Asia)”.
The WFB was founded by the renowned Sri Lankan Buddhist scholar Dr Gunapala Malalesekare in 1950 and its intial headquarters was in Colombo. But, today, its secretariat is in Bangkok and its secretary general Phallop Thaiarry comes from Thailand. The organization brings together Buddhists of all denominations such as Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana (Tibetan) and it has “regional centres” (meaning member organistaions) in 39 countries.
Sixty-four years after it was founded, WFB General Conference came to the very place where Buddhism started its eastwards journey. It was a Shaanxi native, the great Buddhist monk Xuanzang, who took the Silk Route to India around 605 AD spent some 12 years at Nalanda University and brought back the Tripitaka and other Buddhist scriptures to China. Over 20 years he translated these into Chinese and other languages, which helped to spread Buddhism to other parts of China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam.
The magnificent new Famen Monastery, where the opening ceremony of the WFB conference took place, has been built next to the ancient seven-story pagoda under which the finger bone of Sakyamuni Buddha was discovered in 1987, after lying buried in a tunnel underneath for over 1,100 years. Today, in addition to the new monastery, they also have a modern Buddhist museum and Buddhist Academy to train monks and nuns.
According to the Buddhist Association of China (BAC) – the local host – there are over 240,000 Buddhist monks and nuns in China, more than 28,000 monasteries, with over 3,000 of these in Tibet, and 38 Buddhist Academies. Its president venerable Chuanyin told delegates that the conference in China is a milestone for Chinese Buddhism. “It will allow China to play a greater role in the Buddhist world and the Chinese Buddhist community is always committed to public charity endeavors to help society,” he declared.
“We hope to work with Dhamma brothers (and sisters) in other countries” venerable Chuanyin added, “this conference would open a new chapter with Chinese characteristics in the future of WFB”.
Dalai Lama ‘no’ – Pancen Lama ‘yes’
While the Chinese government is believed to have refused visas to followers of the Dalai Lama to attend the WFB meeting, there were still Tibetan Buddhist representatives from overseas and the keynote speech at the opening ceremony was given by a youthful and confident looking Panchen Lama Baingen Erdini Qoigyijabu, who was recognized in 1995 by the Chinese government as the reincarnation of the 10th Panchen Lama.
Though his appointment is disputed by followers of the exiled Dalai Lama, the Panchen Lama told the international gathering that the Chinese government’s support for this event is proof religious freedom exists in the country. “Buddhism has already integrated into the Chinese culture and it is recognized by the Chinese government,” he said. “For over thousand years Tibetan Buddhism has become the precious gem of the Chinese nation,” he added.
“We can see that as China’s economy grows there is growing religious freedom here,” noted venerable Medagama Dhammananda, a Vice-President of WFB. He is delighted with China’s hosting of the WFB conference and pointed out that after fleeing Tibet, the Dalai Lama has unfortunately joined forces with the West to create a bad image of China to the world.
“We think the lead China has taken to develop cultural links with the world is a good step,” said Ven. Dhammananda in an interview with IDN. “We are very happy about China giving leadership to the Buddhist world.”
The conference theme of ‘Buddhism and Public-Benefit Charity’ laid the path of Buddhist collaboration, especially in mobilizing financial and spiritual resources to advance the development of Buddhist communities across the world in a compassionate and socially harmonious manner.
Thus, the leadership China would provide could steer the WFB and the international Buddhist community towards a path where Buddhist charity will be practiced in a more organized fashion applying Buddhist compassion towards eradicating suffering. Many rich Buddhist monasteries in China and Taiwan have been doing this for years, with Taiwan’s Tzu Chi Foundation leading the way.
Delegates from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar made impassionate pleas during a plenary session for WFB conference to mobilise international Buddhist support to address socio-economic problems in grassroots Buddhist communities in their countries. They argued that lack of financial resources have made their communities vulnerable to proselyting activities by Christian and Islamic groups leading to sometimes violent conflicts.
Global voice for Buddhists?
A resolution pushed by Sri Lanka to amend the WFB constitution to make it possible for WFB to give a Buddhist voice to the international media was adopted unanimously. It was argued that when WFB was first set up the mission was to unite the different sects of Buddhism by bringing them under one platform. The conference in China has stunningly shown that this unity has been achieved. The next step would be to develop a global voice for Buddhists, like what the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) does for Muslims.
“We face great hardships in protecting our Buddhist monuments and heritage, especially from Muslim incursions into our communities,” explained Ven. Dhammananda. “There is a feeling that (WFB) need to be pro-active in empowering Buddhist communities and protecting them from unethical conversions (in Asia).”
Bikiran Prasad Barua from Bangladesh, the chairperson of the Publications, Education and Culture Standing Committee of WFB agrees that Buddhist communities in South Asia in particular, are in dire need of international support.
“Bangladesh has a rich Buddhist heritage and we have been ruled by Buddhist kings for 450 years” he told IDN. “(Two years ago) some miscreants came and destroyed 12 of our monasteries (in Chittagong hill tribe areas). Many of them came from across the border in Myanmar, Rohingya people, they were very ferocious.”
“Media coverage in the U.S. gives the impression that the Buddhists are aggressors, when in fact they have been the victims of much violence (in Asia),” noted Bob Isaacson, President of the Dhamma Voices for Animals, a U.S.-based Buddhist organization that was approved as a ‘regional centre’ of the WFB at the meeting here. He supported a Sri Lankan resolution to set up a select committee on conflict resolution within the WFB.
Baoji Declaration
One of the major components of the Baoji Declaration adopted at the end of the WFB meeting here was to strengthen networking between Buddhist organisations in order to play a greater role in social and welfare development to reduce inequalities and poverty, applying Buddhist principles of peaceful co-existence.
In an impassioned closing address to the conference, venerable Hsin Ting, a newly elected Vice-President of WFB from Taiwan praised the Chinese government for the support given to the conference. He indicated that Taiwan and China can work together in Buddhist charitable work in Asia and beyond, and hinted that this could be a path for reconciliation between seemingly feuding neighbours (if the international media is to be believed).
“China will become a great Buddhist country, I’m excited about it,” he told the audience predicting that a great future lies ahead for Buddhism in Asia. As he stepped down from the podium, venerable Hsin was warmly greeted by venerable Chuanyin, the President of BAC. Taiwan has offered to hold the next General Conference of the WFB.
* Dr Kalinga Seneviratne attended the WFB General Conference in China as an observer with a delegation from Sri Lanka. The writer is IDN Special Correspondent for Asia-Pacific. He teaches international communications in Singapore. [IDN-InDepthNews – October 21, 2014]
http://www.indepthnews.info/index.php/search?searchword=Kalinga%20Seneviratne&ordering=newest&searchphrase=all
Image credit: Asian Broadcasting Union, Malaysia | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line552 |
__label__cc | 0.702431 | 0.297569 | 60th Battalion, C.E.F. (Victoria Rifles of Canada)
60th Battalion, Victoria Rifles of Canada : 700 days
PPCLI Fonds 12 file 5
The file consists of a typewritten and photocopied book-length history of the 60th Battalion, C.E.F., the Victoria Rifles of Canada, which existed from June 1915 to April 1917.
PPCLI Fonds 12-F-12-5
[ca. 1960s]
Part of James Arthur de Lalanne fonds
The typescript consists of a detailed history of the 60th Battalion, C.E.F. (Victoria Rifles of Canada) which existed from 1 June 1915 to 30 Apr 1917. De Lalanne served in this unit and was wounded. The Battalion is perpetuated by the Victoria Rif... | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line553 |
__label__wiki | 0.810245 | 0.810245 | AMN Reviews: Gordon Mumma – Cybersonic Arts: Adventures in New American Music [University of Illinois Press, 2016]
July 11, 2016 ~ dbarbiero
Quite often, technological revolutions engender revolutions in aesthetics. Such was the case in the 1960s, when the widespread adoption of transistors facilitated the creation and diffusion of smaller, more affordable and more versatile electronic devices for recording, amplifying and modifying sound. One of those who saw and exploited the new technology’s potential applications to music was Gordon Mumma, a new collection of whose writings from 1960-2013 provides a contemporary history of a particularly fertile and disruptive time in the advanced arts.
The 1960s revolution in electronic technologies gave rise to a new way of conceiving of the arts and their relations not only to the technologies, but to creators and audiences as well. As art critic Jack Burnham observed in an important article in 1968, much of the period’s avant-garde art appeared to embody an aesthetic based on the emulation or representation of systems. Or their embodiment: It was during this same period Mumma that described his exploratory work with real-time sound processing as “cybersonics.” A variety of a systems approach to sound, cybersonics applied cybernetics, a concept introduced by mathematician Norbert Wiener in the 1940s, to music. Based on probability theory, cybernetics looked at closed systems and the changes within them produced by feedback mechanisms; hence, as Mumma succinctly defined it in his note to the release Electronic Music for Theater and Public Activity, cybersonics “is a situation in which the electronic processing of sound activities is determined (or influenced) by the interactions of the sounds with themselves.”
As the book documents in detail, Mumma’s interest in sonic feedback systems led him to develop his own innovative performance practices and sound manipulating devices. These technologies of practice and equipment informed a series of works that he created for himself on French horn, with and without other voices, and electronics. Two of these—Horn (1965) and Hornpipe (1967)—were characteristic pieces that he performed widely and recorded. Both took acoustic sounds and fed them into what Mumma called “cybersonic consoles”—analogue signal processing devices that he designed and built—which then modified the input through ring modulation or feedback loops, and sent the results out to stereo speakers. Although off-the-shelf digital devices have largely supplanted the kinds of hand-built, analogue systems that Mumma devised for these and other early pieces, the general pattern the two works set and the possibilities they opened up continue to be influential in contemporary electroacoustic music.
Horn was written during a period when Mumma was living and working in Ann Arbor, often on the periphery of the University of Michigan, which he withdrew from in 1954 after having studied there for two years. While in Ann Arbor he helped organize the ONCE Festivals of new music, six of which were held between 1960 and 1965. His account of how it all happened is a highlight of the book and offers insights into the organizational mechanics of staging a regularly occurring, interdisciplinary event outside of a major institution.
ONCE began as a way to stage performances of works by Ann Arbor’s more experimental composers. Although their initial focus was on music, the programs became increasingly varied, including not only electroacoustic music experiments but also film, dance, lectures, theater, and fluxus-like performance pieces. Despite, or because of, the exploratory and provocative nature of the programs, the festivals attracted growing audiences; the inevitable controversy surrounding the nature and quality of the performances certainly helped to generate interest.
The relationship of the festival to the University of Michigan’s School of Music was predictably contentious. ONCE was conceived at least in part as a counterbalance to what many felt was UMI’s general neglect of modern and new music. Although the faculty seem largely to have been unsupportive, some of the performers were students at UMI’s music school. This seems only to have increased tensions, since the students’ participation had what Mumma describes as an alienating effect vis-à-vis their regular studies and the faculty.
In addition to succeeding as a means for under-exposed music and performance art to reach an audience, ONCE showed how necessarily DIY operations could, through commitment and substantive offerings, establish themselves as effective rivals to more established and better-funded institutions. In this respect, ONCE has continuing relevance as a potential template for contemporary new and experimental music festivals and curatorial endeavors. Despite consistently operating at a loss, over the course of its lifetime ONCE grew in scope and reach and consequently moved into ever bigger, if still unconventional, performance spaces. By the time of the final festival, 1965’s ONCE AGAIN, ONCE had expanded from its origin as a more-or-less one-off platform for a small group of artists’ self-presented works to a counter-institution of its own, eventually offering a series of year-round performances of new music and providing the impetus behind the formation of a touring new music ensemble.
The group effort that was the ONCE Festivals illustrate an important side of Mumma’s engagement with music—the collaborative side. Consequently, much of the book is given over to his contemporary accounts, reminiscences and portraits of the various artists and groups he worked and toured with over the years. Mumma’s long account of his time with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, aptly titled “From Where the Circus Went,” is a detailed narrative of the years he spent touring with the Cunningham group as the third of three musical collaborators–John Cage and David Tudor were the other two—providing discrete compositions or elastic soundscapes for the dancers. Mumma gives a good sense of the daily realities of transporting, setting up and working with sometimes balky technologies whose output could puzzle and at times annoy audiences, not to mention the dancers themselves. The music the Cunningham group used could be wildly controversial; a work like Canfield (1969), its score by Pauline Oliveros, could win a prestigious award in one country while provoking riots in another. Mumma relates all of it in a detail-attentive, dispassionate voice.
Cage was, of course, the most famous—or notorious, depending on whose judgment was concerned—of the Cunningham group’s sound collaborators. Mumma, who knew Cage for decades and last saw him only three months before Cage’s death, devotes a set of three pieces to a consideration of Cage as a performer, particularly of electronic music. While lacking the intimacy of, say, Carolyn Brown’s portrait of Cage in her Chance and Circumstance, Mumma’s anecdotes and impressions provide a discerning picture of a side of Cage that has often been eclipsed by his reputation as a composer and disseminator of ideas.
Mumma tells a revealing story about Cage’s performance on Mumma’s Swarmer, a duet for concertina and saw presented at a concert hastily arranged at Cornell University during a 1968 tour by the Cunningham group. The work consisted in an unnotated, orally-transmitted set of instructions for playing one- or two-pitched, semi-improvised events. Mumma was to play saw and Cage the concertina; not knowing the instrument, Cage had to learn it during the one and only rehearsal the day of the concert. Despite some mistakes during rehearsal, Cage gave a flawless and sophisticated performance that Mumma offers as evidence that despite Cage’s frequent claims to the contrary, he did have an ear for pitch and harmony as well as a high level of confidence and comfort as a performer generally.
The electroacoustic works Mumma developed and performed embodied an aesthetic based on a systems concept. But the system was never more than an outgrowth of a sensibility. And that sensibility is one open to the vicissitudes and contingencies of the performing situation as they influence the performance, sometimes pulling it in unpredictable directions. Pieces like Horn or Swarmer, with their semi-improvised features and embrace of in-the-moment risk, were premised on such openness. As composer Roger Reynolds noted of him, Mumma possessed an “extraordinarily responsive pragmatism” that, through close observation, could take the measure of the external and accidental factors at play in a performance—what might be called the facticity of the situation—and turn them from more or less obstinate roadblocks into the occasion for free action.
Mumma’s pragmatism may be the proof of the robustness of his systems aesthetic. For it may be that it’s at the limits of the system—that boundary territory where it breaks down and becomes permeable to external pressures and the influences of something other—that, through assimilation and conversion, the system evolves and moves forward. Which is one way to describe the feedback loop of an open system, which the performance situation of a piece like Horn or Swarmer would inevitably seem to be. As Mumma himself puts it, “systems can provide a flexible sort of discipline.” Mumma’s book bears articulate witness to how this flexible discipline played itself out in concrete situations over the decades.
http://www.press.uillinois.edu
Posted in AMN Reviews 1960s avant gardeelectroacousticGordon Mumma
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Truck driver involved in deadly NH motorcycle crash charged with 7 homicides
Michael Casey, The Associated Press • June 24, 2019 12:32 pm
Updated: June 26, 2019 12:56 pm
The New Hampshire attorney general's office said 23-year-old Volodoymyr Zhukovskyy was arrested Monday morning at his home in Massachusetts.
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CONCORD, N.H. — The driver of a pickup truck in a fiery collision on a rural New Hampshire highway that killed seven motorcyclists was charged Monday with seven counts of negligent homicide, and records show he was stopped on suspicion of drunken driving last month and in 2013.
Volodymyr Zhukovskyy, 23, was arrested Monday morning at his home in West Springfield, Massachusetts, the New Hampshire attorney general’s office said. He will be arraigned Tuesday in Lancaster, New Hampshire, authorities said.
He was handed over to New Hampshire authorities after a brief court appearance Monday in Springfield, Massachusetts. Zhukovskyy looked down at his feet as he was led into the courtroom with his hands cuffed behind his back.
Connecticut prosecutors say he was arrested May 11 in an East Windsor Walmart parking lot after failing a sobriety test. Officers had responded to a complaint about a man who was revving his truck engine and jumping up and down outside the vehicle.
[Police identify the 7 bikers killed in collision with truck in rural NH]
Zhukovskyy’s lawyer in that case, John O’Brien, said he denies being intoxicated and will fight the charge. Zhukovskyy refused to submit to a blood test, prosecutors said.
Additionally, Zhukovskyy was arrested on a drunken driving charge in 2013 in Westfield, Massachusetts, state motor vehicle records show. He was placed on probation for one year and had his license suspended for 210 days, The Westfield News reported.
Records from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration indicate that the company Zhukovskyy was driving for, Westfield Transport, has been cited for various violations in the last two years, MassLive.com reported .
There were two instances where drivers were in possession of narcotic drugs. Other violations including a driver without a commercial driver’s license, one for speeding and another for defective brakes.
The company did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
A man who answered the phone at the home of Zhukovskyy’s family and would identify himself only as his brother-in-law said Monday that the family is in shock and feeling the same pain as everyone else but couldn’t say whether the driver was right or wrong.
Since the accident, the brother-in-law said, Zhukovskyy had remained in his room, not eaten and talked to no one.
Defense attorney Donald Frank called Friday’s crash a “tragedy” but said it’s important to let the criminal justice system play out.
Zhukovskyy’s pickup truck, towing a flatbed trailer, collided with a group of 10 motorcycles Friday on a two-lane highway in the northern New Hampshire community of Randolph, investigators said. The truck was traveling west when it struck the eastbound group of motorcycles.
The victims were members or supporters of the Marine JarHeads, a New England motorcycle club that includes Marines and their spouses, and ranged in age from 42 to 62. Four were from New Hampshire, two from Massachusetts and one from Rhode Island.
George Loring, a JarHeads member who lives in Hingham, Massachusetts, and was a few hundred yards from the crash, said Zhukovskyy has “got to live with it for the rest of his life.”
“Everyone’s suffering so much,” Loring said. “It’s so sad for the brothers and sisters who died. You can be angry at him, you can be whatever. I don’t know. I’m glad he’s been arrested.”
[7 dead, 3 hurt in New Hampshire crash between truck, motorcycles]
Joseph Mazza, whose nephew Albert Mazza Jr. was killed in the crash, welcomed the arrest but called it a poor consolation for the loss of a loved one.
“As long as he pays a price. He has caused lot of harm to a lot of families,” Mazza said from his Haverhill home. “If he has a problem, he shouldn’t be on the road. If he is a bad actor, he doesn’t belong on the street. He caused enough of a tragedy. Enough is enough.”
Authorities have only said they are investigating the cause of the collision.
JarHeads president Manny Ribeiro, who survived the crash, said the group had just finished dinner and was heading to a fundraiser at an American Legion post in nearby Gorham. A total of 21 riders and 15 motorcycles were in the group. Mazza, who was riding next to Ribeiro, was among those hit by the truck.
“It was just an explosion … with parts and Al and everything flying through the air,” he said. “He turned hard left into us and took out pretty much everyone behind me. The truck and trailer stayed attached and that is why it was so devastating … because the trailer was attached and it was such a big trailer, it was like a whip. It just cleaned us out.”
After the crash, Ribeiro recalled seeing Zhukovskyy “screaming and running around” in the middle of the road before he was taken away by authorities. Motorcycles and bodies were everywhere, he said, and several people were yelling at Zhukovskyy, demanding to know what he had just done.
“It was very surreal,” he said, adding that he had put a tourniquet on the leg of one rider who remains hospitalized in Maine.
“I saw Al. I knew he was gone right away,” he continued. “At that point, we just tried to figure out who needed help and got to work. There was debris everywhere and the truck was on fire. I was just looking for survivors, familiar faces and trying to find out who I had lost and … trying to help the living.”
Zhukovskyy was questioned at the scene of Friday’s crash and allowed to return to Massachusetts, the National Transportation Safety Board has said.
Authorities identified the dead as Michael Ferazzi, 62, of Contoocook, New Hampshire; Mazza, 59, of Lee, New Hampshire; Desma Oakes, 42, of Concord, New Hampshire; Aaron Perry, 45, of Farmington, New Hampshire; Daniel Pereira, 58, of Riverside, Rhode Island; and Jo-Ann and Edward Corr, both 58, of Lakeville, Massachusetts.
Associated Press writers Patrick Whittle in Portland, Maine; Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut; and Alanna Durkin Richer in Boston contributed to this report.
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__label__cc | 0.721798 | 0.278202 | Letzte Beiträge zum Thema Automatic Exchange of Information
UPDATE – VDP II BRA
Spanish tax evaders under attack: request for assistance by the Spanish tax administration with the Swiss tax administration
Turkey: Tax amnesty for Turkish residents entered into force
Argentine voluntary disclosure program/tax amnesty running
Panama intends the accession to the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters
Voluntary Disclosure India – New Circular of the Indian Ministry of Finance
Indonesia launches a temporary Voluntary Disclosure Program
Voluntary Disclosures Argentina: Approval of the “Plan”
April 25, 2017 Andreas Solter AEOI, Automatic Exchange of Information, Brazil, Voluntary Disclosure Program
The law 13.428 regulating the second Voluntary Disclosure Program (RERCT) was enacted on March 30, 2017. As a result of the law the Federal Tax Authority of Brazil published the Normative Instruction 1.704 on April 3, 2017.
Leaning on the first RERCT it reopened the VDP at the date of the publishing of the Normative Instruction 1.704 and applications can be made until July 31, 2017. The total costs of the regularization are around 35% of the assets value on June 30, 2016.
December 19, 2016 Andreas Solter AEOI, Automatic Exchange of Information, Brazil, Voluntary Disclosure Program
October 7, 2016 Andreas Solter AEOI, Automatic Exchange of Information, group request, Spain, Switzerland, tax evasion
According to a message on the website of a leading Swiss universal bank the Spanish tax administration has requested administrative assistance with the Swiss Federal Tax Administration (SFTA). Presumably, the Spanish tax administration issued a so called group request. That is, the tax administration wants information about clients who can be identified by other means than the indication of the name and the address of the client.
September 5, 2016 Andreas Solter AEOI, Automatic Exchange of Information, CRS, Repatriation, Tax Amnesty, Turkey, Voluntary Disclosure
With the promulgation of the Law No. 6736 in the Official Gazette of Turkey on August, 19, 2016 expected Turkish tax amnesty/Voluntary Disclosure Program has entered into force.
The program provides amnesty from various tax and other penalties for persons whom did not report their assets located outside Turkey (cash, gold, securities, other capital market instruments), if the conditions of the program are met. To benefit from the amnesty, taxpayers have to repatriate their assets into Turkey following to the declaration. The program closes on Dezember 31, 2016.
For further information to the program please refer to our VDP Country Fact Sheet for Turkey.
August 5, 2016 Andreas Solter AEOI, Argentina, Automatic Exchange of Information, Tax Amnesty, Tax evasion VDP, Voluntary Disclosure, Voluntary Disclosure Program
With the promulgation of the Law 27.260 (Ley 27.260) in the Official Gazette of Argentina a temporary voluntary disclosure program/tax amnesty has been launched.
Applications have to be submitted to the Argentine tax administration Administración Federal de Ingresos Públicos(AFIP) by March 31, 2017. The program takes on its significance against the background of the introduction of the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) which has already started for 54 of the 101 participating jurisdictions. The Argentine tax administration will receive in 2017 automatically tax relevant data about financial accounts collected in 2016. Therefore, the participation in the voluntary disclosure program/tax amnesty could be the last chance for non-compliant taxable persons to come forward and to regularize the past.
As regards the details of the program please refer to our updated VDP Country Fact Sheet for Argentina.
July 22, 2016 Andreas Solter AEOI, Automatic Exchange of Information, MCAA, Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters, Panama
Last Friday, in a press release issued by the foreign ministry of Panama the Central American state expressed the interest to join the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters of the OECD as well as of the Council of Europe. Based on that convention, tax-relevant information can be exchanged with other states. However, Panama does not intend to sign the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA) which constitutes a basis of the Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information (AEOI). Instead, Panama follows the bilateral approach. That is, Panama will conclude agreements with other jurisdictions taking part in the AEOI. The AEOI has already started for 55 of the 101 jurisdictions committed to the AEOI, the remaining 46 jurisdictions, including Panama, will collect tax-relevant data as from January 1, 2017. Panama will supply data concerning the year 2017 in 2018 . The time for non-tax compliant persons is running.
July 20, 2016 Andreas Solter AEOI, Automatic Exchange of Information, Common Reporting Standard, CRS, India, Voluntary Disclosure
On July 14, 2016, the Indian Ministry of Finance, Department of Revenue, Central Board of Direct Taxes (TPL Division) has issued Circular No. 27 of 2016. The Circular contains clarifications on the Income Declaration Scheme, 2016 (IDS, also called “Scheme”). The Scheme allows Indian taxable persons to come forward and to regularize income not declared correctly in the past. The voluntary disclosure program has started on June 1, 2016 and runs by September 30, 2016. You find more information about the program and the legal basis in our VDP Country Fact Sheet section.
India has committed to the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEoI)/Common Reporting Standard (CRS) and is an Early Adopter state. That is, in 2017 India will exchange tax relevant account information collected in 2016 with other participating countries. Therefore, the Scheme could be the last chance for the taxable person to become tax-compliant before the tax administration will receive automatically the data.
July 15, 2016 Andreas Solter AEOI, Automatic Exchange of Information, Indonesia, Tax Amnesty, VDP, Voluntary Disclosure Program
On June 28, the Indonesian House of Representatives has approved a Bill on Tax Amnesty. Tax evaders have the opportunity to become tax compliant.
July 6, 2016 Andreas Solter AEOI, Argentina, Automatic Exchange of Information, declaracion, sinceramiento fiscal, sistema voluntario, Voluntary Disclosure
As a member of the Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes, Argentina is participating in the Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI), which will enter into force in 2017. To regularize unreported assets, Argentina is launching a voluntary disclosure program of unreported assets located within Argentina and abroad, called “Plan” (sistema voluntario y excepcional de declaracion de tenencia de moneda nacional, extranjera y demas bienes en el pais y en el exterior, llamado “Plan”).
The Argentine Congress approved the “Plan” on June 29, 2016. The next step is the promulgation by the Executive Branch to be legally valid.
The application period will be from the date of the promulgation until March 31, 2017. Costs of regularization, which will be paid to the tax authority, are dependent on the date of report: They will vary from 0% to 15% of the asset´s value. | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line561 |
__label__cc | 0.676864 | 0.323136 | Home >>>
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Ballarat Community Health Careers
Welcome to the Ballarat Community Health Careers site.
From its very beginnings Ballarat Community Health (BCH) has been committed to enhancing the health and wellbeing of the local community. BCH provides a wide range of services and programs to help the communities of Ballarat, Golden Plains, Moorabool, Hepburn and Pyrenees shires to achieve the best possible health and wellbeing.
With sites in Lucas, Sebastopol, Wendouree, East Ballarat and Smythesdale, BCH provides services including general practice, sexual health clinic, community health, pharmacotherapy, alcohol and drug services, health education and health promotion, allied health, mental health and counselling, immigrant and refugee support services, homelessness and youth services.
BCH always strives for high quality, flexible and responsive service delivery. The primary emphasis in all service delivery is health promotion and illness prevention. BCH is fully accredited and strives to continually improve the services provided to our community.
We’re regularly searching for great people to join our team. Take a look at our available opportunities under the vacancies tab.
Should you wish to find out more about our ranges of service just click on the link below;
https://bchc.org.au
Ballarat Community Health recognises and celebrates the diversity of the community within which we work. We acknowledge the first peoples of Australia and their unique contribution. We welcome and work with people of all ages and health status, of all races, abilities, gender identities, sexual orientations, religious, cultural and linguistic backgrounds and financial status.
© http://bch.recruitmenthub.com.au 2019
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__label__cc | 0.5996 | 0.4004 | surveillance under the sea —
Cops hid use of phone tracking tech in court documents at feds’ request
ACLU uncovers e-mails regarding Stingray devices borrowed from US Marshals Service.
Megan Geuss - Jun 20, 2014 4:01 am UTC
The 15 states in which the ACLU knows that police use cell phone tracking devices.
Meet the machines that steal your phone’s data
On Thursday evening, the ACLU published a 2009 e-mail exchange (PDF) between police departments in Sarasota, Florida, and North Port, Florida, indicating that local law enforcement had concealed the use of cell phone-tracking Stingray devices in court documents. Stingray is a trademark, but it has come to generally mean devices that can be used to track phones or even intercept calls and text messages.
Although the Sarasota Police Department and the North Point Police Department did not own Stingray devices, the two departments had borrowed the cell phone trackers from the US Marshals Service (USMS), which requested that they hide the use of the Stingrays from judges and defendants. The issue was discussed in the e-mails when the Sarasota Police Department realized that a North Point detective had been too explicit in a probable cause affidavit (PCA), specifically detailing “the investigative means used to locate the suspect.” The Sarasota Police asked that the North Point Police seal the old affidavit and submit a new, more vague one.
The e-mail continues:
In the past, and at the request of the U.S. Marshalls [sic], the investigative means utilized to locate the suspect have not been revealed so that we may continue to utilize this technology without the knowledge of the criminal element. In reports or depositions we simply refer to the assistance as ‘received information from a confidential source regarding the location of the suspect.’ To date this has not been challenged…
The e-mail is significant because the ACLU had been pushing to get the city of Sarasota to hand over its records on Stingray use, only to have those efforts thwarted by the USMS, which physically removed stacks of paper records from the city. A state circuit court then found that it could not compel a federal agency to hand those records over. The ACLU has found that cops in at least 15 states use cell phone-tracking devices.
Knowledge about the devices has been guarded fiercely by law enforcement and manufacturers alike. Earlier this year, a Florida police department said that it failed to tell judges about its use of a Stingray device because “the department got the device on loan and promised the manufacturer to keep it all under wraps.”
The use of these cell-tracking devices has existed "in a legal grey zone," as Ars has previously reported. This isn't the first time law enforcement has withheld from judges details on how information about a suspect was obtained. In 2013, the ACLU released a Justice Department document showing that federal investigators were using Stingray devices, but hiding the details from federal magistrates when asking for permission to use the technology.
As the ACLU wrote tonight, “Concealing the use of stingrays deprives defendants of their right to challenge unconstitutional surveillance and keeps the public in the dark about invasive monitoring by local police.”
Megan Geuss Megan is a staff editor at Ars Technica. She writes breaking news and has a background in fact-checking and research.
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__label__cc | 0.631196 | 0.368804 | What Makes a Knife a Bowie Knife
The Bowie knife was one of the first survival knives, designed to be a close combat knife plus a camping tool and wilderness survival knife combined.
Whether you are a knife aficionado or suffer from Aichmophobia (a fear of sharp objects), the Bowie knife is instantly recognizable due to its unique design.
Though originally meant for self-defense, today the Bowie knife is used by hunters for skinning and butchering game, or simply by knife collectors. It also makes a respectable wilderness survival knife and a contender for one of the better choices for a bug out bag (if you don’t mind the weight).
The first Bowie knives were made by hand by local blacksmiths for individuals. Today you can buy a Bowie knife from practically any knife manufacturing company in the world, although many enthusiasts still seek out custom knife makers for their own unique Bowie knife.
What Makes a Knife a Bowie
The Bowie knife was primarily designed to be an easily manageable, wearable, and convenient close battle knife. It was similar to a small sword with a heavy blade.
When the knife was first made, many described it as a large butcher’s knife. However, today, its clipped edge makes it instantly recognizable.
Bowie knives have a large fixed-blade fighting knife, with a clip-point at the end of the blade, and a hand guard. Its weight allows enough force to slash through foliage as well as flesh with a single swing.
History Of The Bowie Knife
The true origin story of the Bowie knife varies. However, everyone is sure the knife was designed and built either by or for one of the Bowie Brothers, Jim and Rezin.
The most popular account alleges that Jim Bowie designed the knife and commissioned Arkansas blacksmith James Black to make it. After some modifications to the model, they arrived at the final design we are familiar with today.
Black’s version of the knife includes a hand-guard, and the spine of the blade is covered with brass or silver to catch one’s opponent’s own blade during a fight.
Initially, the curved end of the blade was not sharpened. This model is now known as a Sheffield Bowie due to its popularity among cutlery factories in Sheffield, England. However, the knife was always meant for close combat and self-defense.
Jim Bowie made the knife famous for using it during the Sandbar Fight, a famous 1827 duel between Bowie and several other men that took place along the Mississippi River. Jim was shot and stabbed, yet still managed to use the knife to disembowel one opponent, and then wound and scare off the others. The fight was reported in the local press, making the knife instantly desirable by the masses.
Other accounts claim that Rezin Bowie, after being attacked by a bull and unsuccessfully stabbing the animal with his knife, was inspired to create a tougher blade. After developing a design, the knife was made by blacksmith Jesse Clift.
There is also evidence that Rezin was the Bowie with the original design, due to his granddaughter’s letter to the Louisiana State University in 1885 claiming she witnessed Clift smith the knife for Bowie.
No matter the source, the Bowie Brothers gave the world a top quality knife design.
The Bowie Knife in Popular Culture
The Bowie knife has been featured in many literary works in the centuries since. In Bram Stoker’s Dracula, it is a Bowie knife that is used to slay Dracula instead of the usual wooden stake. The knife has also been featured in classic works by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain, Charles Dickens, and Jules Verne.
The Bowie knife made its Hollywood debut in the film “The Iron Mistress,” and television show “Jim Bowie,” both based on the life of James Bowie. More recently, the knife was a staple in The Alamo films, the first three Rambo movies, and the Crocodile Dundee movies.
Originally, the knife was meant as a weapon, though it also proved useful for hunting and camping. This method of use is still prevalent today. However, today’s campers and backpackers usually rely on prepackaged and/or convenience items.
Because many variations of the knife have been developed, by size, style, and design, the Bowie knife is popular among collectors, as well. The Bowie knife is produced more than any other blade by the American Bladesmith Society.
Collecting an antique Bowie is one of the higher-end forms of knife collecting, with rare models selling as high as $200,000. Even the 19th century Sheffield Bowies can sell anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000.
What to Look for When Choosing a Bowie Knife
There are many variations on the classic Bowie knife. After identifying the intended purpose of the knife, consider the following characteristics when deciding which knife to get.
The traditional material for a Bowie knife is carbon steel because it maintained a sharp blade and is easy to sharpen. With the advancement of modern stainless steel alloys, the knives are also made with comparable materials, and even anodized aluminum.
Those interested in acquiring an authentic knife should opt for the carbon steel version. However, either material is sufficient for hunting or for display.
Blade Size
Bowie’s are known for their big fat blades, but in truth the intended purpose of the knife affects which size of blade to get. Larger knives are useful for clearing weeds and brush or chopping thin pieces of wood. The larger knife is popular among survivalists and preppers.
Small blades allow for better precision, like the kind many bushcraft skills require. They also benefit hunters and fishermen by aiding with precise tasks such as skinning or cleaning meat.
The Bowie knives had a standard length of 9.5 inches. The long blades are a part of the Bowie knife’s classic design and provide a striking display for collectors.
Today, manufacturers create the knives at various lengths to increase multi-functionality, though they are never shorter than 5 inches.
Tang is the shank or prong that connects the blade to the handle. Bowie knives are usually heavy and require a full tang to prevent breaking at the hilt.
For collecting and display purposes the tang is not a primary concern, but if you’re planning to actually use your blade you should look for a full tang.
Caring for Your Bowie Knife
Properly caring for your Bowie knife will give your knife a longer life. Sharpening your knife on a regular basis will prevent your blade from becoming dull. A dull blade is an unsafe blade.
Dull blades are used with more force to produce the same results, which could roll or chip the blade or cause it to slip and cut a finger or hand.
It is also important to keep the knife clean and dry to prevent rust or debris buildup, which is unsanitary. Knives are kept clean with metal rubbing paste and a clean cloth.
The Bowie Knife is a classic knife with a long history. It serves many purposes and has become a staple in knife collecting. Its unique shape set it apart from other knives and provide functionality for many uses. Variations of the knife have created a plethora of distinctive, desirable designs.
It’s intimidating size speaks for itself as a defensive weapon, and a full tang version can be used around the campsite just as well. While the Bowie may not be for everyone in every situation, it’s universal usefulness can meet many prepper’s needs. If you’re looking for a knife for a bug out bag or wilderness survival, consider the Bowie knife and weigh its usefulness with your unique needs.
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Jahew Thorp
Jim Bowie was killed as everyone knows at the Alamo in 1836 and I believe the knife was already popular so the time frame is not correct.
Thanks for pointing that out. We had made a typo of 1872, it was supposed to be 1827.
It is fixed.
There was and is no such thing as a “standard blade size” for a Bowie knife. Early Bowies tended to be over a foot, even 16 or more inches. Ten would be a “small” Bowie knife. Besides, who is to “standardize” the blade size? The original pattern certainly wasn’t 9.5 inches. I’m assuming you actually mean the AVERAGE blade length was, or is, 9.5 inches, either in the boom days of the early-mid 1800s when Sheffield-made Bowies were flooding the US, or on the modern market. It would be nice if you specified, since it would be hard to believe that the average Bowie knife blade length was, is and always was exactly 9.5 inches. It may have BEEN, or it may BE now, but probably not both. And again, in neither case can you call it “standard”. That would make any Bowie that has a blade longer or shorter somehow “atypical”, and even if 9.5″ is the most common length, there are probably just as many Bowies of all other sizes put together as there are 9.5″ blades.
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Escaping A City During SHTFSurvival GuidesLearn how to escape any urban environment and find out where to go when you DON'T have a dedicated bug out location in the country. If you spend much�… | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line574 |
__label__wiki | 0.624913 | 0.624913 | DBS V8FI \"Prototype\"
ENQUIRE NOW SOLD
It's not often that we are able to offer an Aston Martin as unique as this lovely Fuel Injected DBS V8. What makes it so special? Much is talked about the fact that the DBS was designed from the outset as a V8, but had to be launched with the 3.9 litre 6 cylinder engine from the outgoing DB6 because the new V8 wasn't quite ready in time. Well what we have here is an Aston that played a key role in the development of that V8, a prototype that was run by Aston Martin alongside the 6 cylinder production cars and one of the first road going cars to be fitted with a V8 engine, initially a 5.0 litre. The Aston still retains unique Factory fitted, prototype styling cues, most notably the bonnet with it's fabulous twin air intakes. Other unique elements include aluminium gutter mouldings and a loudspeaker integrated centrally within the rear seat! Following it's development role it was sold to David Preece who replaced the 5.0 litre prototype engine with the the production 5.3 litre version and that's pretty much how it has remained ever since. The subject of a recent major refurbishment that covered both bodywork and mechanicals, this fantastic V8 offers the opportunity to purchase not only a fast appreciating classic Aston Martin, but one that is part of the company's history. All classic Aston Martins are rare and desirable, but it is exceptionally rare to come across a "one-off" factory prototype for sale, and as such we anticipate a great deal of interest. Please contact a member of our sales team for further information or to arrange a viewing: +44 (0)1207 233 525
Reference Number AW150113
Model DBS
Transmission 5 speed manual
Exterior Colour Dubonnet
Interior Colour Natural Hide
Price Sold | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line575 |
__label__cc | 0.567396 | 0.432604 | Marc by Susanna Partsch (1991)
Another of Taschen’s coolly laid out, large format, coffee-table-sized but light and handy paperback introductions to key artists and movements, this one devoted to Franz Marc.
Generally described as an Expressionist, Marc (b.1880) is most associated with the ‘Blue Rider’ art movement in Munich 1911 to 1913, before being killed, tragically young, in the Great War, in 1916.
Marc and animals
Marc is best known for his animal paintings. Partsch devotes a chapter to analysing their origins and development. Basically, he preferred animals to humans, who he found repellent. As he wrote to his wife, Maria Franck, during the war:
I think a lot about my own art. My instincts have so far guided me not too badly on the whole, even though my works have been flawed. Above all I mean the instinct which has led me away from people to a feeling of animality, for ‘pure beasts’. The ungodly people around me (particularly the men) did not arouse my true feelings, whereas the undefiled vitality of animals called forth everything good in me… I found people ‘ugly’ very early on; animals seemed to me more beautiful, more pure. (quoted page 39)
He not only theorised about animals, he loved them in real life. He was brought up with dogs and when he did a year’s military service in 1899, he spent it in the cavalry where he acquired a lifelong love of horses. By the time he was settled with a place of his own, in the 1910s, Marc owned a dog, two cats and – his pride and joy – two pet deer which he named Schlick and Hanni!
Deer in the snow (1911)
Note how schematic the animal forms are. And how stylised the background of zoomorphic snow, highlighted by blue and green shadows. From the same period comes a loving portrait of his pet dog, Russi.
Dog lying in the snow (1911)
The sense of depth and shape is created by shading which is (when you look closely) quite angular, and yet the overall feel is sensuous and lush.
1. Brilliant draughtsman
Marc was a brilliant draughtsman right from the start, with a tremendous gift for depicting the natural world in oil paint even in his earliest works. Here he is aged 21 demonstrating the academic style he was being taught at Munich art school, delicately painting every leaf onto each of the trees in this landscape.
Cottages on the Dachau Marsh (1902)
Just a few years later he was painting in a far more free and expressive manner, but the draughtsmanship is still awesome – note the fluff of feathers at the dead bird’s throat.
The Dead Sparrow (1905)
Not only is his figuration a joy to see, but the palette of browns contributes to the picture’s unity. In some other artists the early pictures are things you skim over to get to the mature works, but all of the early works shown here are marvellous.
Two Women on the Hillside (1906)
The confidence of his broad brush-strokes is exhilarating, the light and shade on the right-hand woman’s dress, or the decorative squiggles on the left-hand dress – how cool and confident!
2. Marc’s short career allows in-depth analysis
Marc’s friend and mentor Wassily Kandinsky lived to the age of 78 and so the 90-page book I’ve just read about him had to pace itself and skim over various periods.
The exact opposite is true of this account of Marc. Because he really flourished for just four intense years the book can go into much more detail about this period, following the month-by-month changes in his art and ideas, quoting extensively from his letters, diaries and published writings, and from his friends’ and wife’s accounts, in order to drill deep down into these precious years.
For example, there is space to devote several pages to explaining Marc’s use of a prism to ascertain the purity of colour he used in the portrait of his dog in the snow (above), and to relate this to his evolving theories of colour. (Briefly, Marc believed that blue was the colour of masculine dominance and spirituality, yellow was the colour of feminine comfort, gentle and sensuous, red was the colour of brutal earth, and so on.)
Like so many of the rest of the avant-garde right across Europe (from his friend Kandinsky to Matisse) he was thinking and theorising about colour and its role in painting in a completely new way.
For Marc, as for many artists of his generation, the subject of a painting was becoming almost irrelevant – colour itself was to be the subject and most important element in a painting.
That said, and interesting to read though this kind of thing is, you can’t help noticing the number of times he ignored his own ‘theories’ and painted what looked best. Seen in this pragmatic light, it’s possible to think of the writings as more like transient offshoots of whatever look and style he was experimenting with during his brief, intense heyday, rather than cast iron rule.
Thus his schematic colour scheme doesn’t seem to apply at all to:
Horse in a landscape (1910)
where the blue mane, red horse, and yellow field are quite obviously painted to achieve a vibrant dynamic affect rather than for any symbolic purpose.
3. The animal paintings
His animal style probably peaked in the depictions of blue horses around 1911, and it’s certainly this period of work which became hugely popular after the Great War and carried on being a bestseller in poster form (a picture of horses in a field fetched £12 million at Sothebys in 1908 – God knows what they’d fetch in today’s over-inflated market).
Blue Horse I (1911)
The little yellow horses (1912)
In her chapter on the animal paintings, Partsch quotes at length Marc’s views on how we need to stop painting animals from the outside, from a strictly instrumental human perspective, but imagine the world from the animal’s point of view.
How does a horse see the world, how does an eagle, a deer or a dog? How impoverished and soulless is our convention of placing animals in a landscape familiar to our own eyes rather than transporting ourselves into the soul of an animal in order to divine its visual world. (quoted page 38)
There’s much more like this. His friend and mentor, Kandinsky, was deeply immersed in the esoteric and spiritualist teachings of his age, becoming a Theosophist and studying Joachim of Fiore but to the modern reader, Marc comes over as by far the deeper and more instinctive visionary – the experience of reading the book right the way through is to experience the almost hallucinatory intensity of his intuition.
The Kandinsky book is interesting and delightful, but this book on Marc is genuinely powerful.
What does the deer have in common with the world we see? Does it make any reasonable or even artistic sense to paint the deer as it appears on our retina, or in the manner of the Cubists because we feel the world should be cubistic? Who says the deer feels the world to be cubistic? It feels as a deer, and thus the landscape must also be deer. (quoted page 39)
Hence:
Red deer II (1912)
And we feel the world to be deer with him.
And it wasn’t just deer: the book includes fabulous colour reproductions of paintings of horses, cats, dogs, bulls, cows, donkeys, foxes, monkeys, tigers, birds, mandrills, wild pigs and many more. Animal planet.
4. Prismatic – cubist – futurist
Many fans and buyers stop at Marc’s colourful animal phase in 1911, the poster-popular period.
But the really interesting thing about Marc is that he didn’t stop developing, in fact he sped up. the final chapter shows him developing an increasingly intense cubo-futurist style and actually making the breakthrough into utterly abstract works when — the Great War breaks out.
Thus only a few months after some of the prettiest animal pictures, he is creating paintings which suddenly take on board the full impact of the Futurists’ characteristic diagonal ‘lines of force’.
In the rain (1912)
Not only animals but people are present in these paintings but in a completely new visual style, dominated by the fragmentation of the object.
Many critics then and now claimed this was due to the influence of Cubism, still a stunning new way of seeing in 1912. Maybe so. But as I flicked through these final paintings I couldn’t help remembering his reference to the prism, and I thought of those toys you buy children, circles of clear plastic (or glass, in the expensive version) which have been shaped to have multiple facets across the surface, like big diamonds which have been cut with as many faces as possible. The idea is to hold the prism close to the eye and see the world divided up into a bewildering variety of facets; to rotate it, move it up and down, whatever takes your fancy, in order to see ‘reality’ as a jagged mosaic of ever-changing angular facets.
Suddenly, in 1913, that’s what all Marc’s paintings look like, all shards and fragments:
The Mandrill (1913)
Foxes (1913)
Animal destinies (1913)
Compare and contrast with the extreme simplicity and clarity of the dog or deer in the snow from only two years before! We are in a different, and much more complex, visual world, one which is more dynamic, fractured along strong striating lines, intensely scissored and segmented.
My favourite of these last works is Deer in the woods II, in essence an almost child-like portrait of a family of deer, but fractured by strong lines into cubes, squares, circles.
And it is these lines – rather than the actual anatomy of the deer, their ‘real’ appearance – which determines the colour scheme so that colours spill across the bodies of the deer rather than being contained by them.
Deer in the woods II (1914)
5. The break through into abstraction
Right at the end of 1913 Marc began painting the first of a series of small compositions which were utterly abstract in form, with no subject.
Over the next eight months he painted more of these small compositions as well as a series titled Happy forms, Playing forms, Fighting forms and Broken forms.
In some of these works animals might just about be discerned, and he continued creating some dense Futurist animal paintings at the same time. But it is absolutely clear that in the other works he had stepped over a line into pure abstraction, just a few years after his friend and mentor Kandinsky.
Small composition II (1914)
Small composition III (1914)
Broken forms (1914)
Fighting forms (1914)
Marc was working on these abstracts, as well as making plans to edit a second Blue Rider almanac, as well as painting a series of murals and writing more essays about colour and form – when the Great War broke out on 1 August 1914 and he was called up. What would have happened next?
He continued to sketch and sent copious letters to his wife in which he continued to develop his ideas about colour and form, but there was no time to paint in the army. On 4 March 1916 Franz Marc was killed by shellfire while carrying out a reconnaissance mission in a French village.
What a beautiful body of work. What an intense and fascinating trajectory he travelled in those four brief years. What a terrible, terrible waste.
Marc on Amazon
Franz Marc website
Franz Marc Wikipedia article
The Expressionists by Wolf-Dieter Dube (1972)
by Simon on January 10, 2018 • Permalink
Tagged 1991, animal art, animals, art, Cubism, Das Blauer Reiter, Expressionism, Franz Marc, Futurism, Hanni, Joachim of Fiore, Kandinsky, lines of force, Marc, Maria Marc, Matisse, Munich, Schlick, Susanna Partsch, Taschen, The Blue Rider, the Great War, Theosophy
Posted by Simon on January 10, 2018
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__label__wiki | 0.752259 | 0.752259 | All posts tagged Marevna
Dreaming With His Eyes Open: A Life of Diego Rivera by Patrick Marnham (1998)
My father was a storyteller and he invented new episodes of his past every day.
(Diego Rivera’s daughter, Guadalupe)
This is a hugely enjoyable romp through the life of Mexico’s most famous artist, the massive, myth-making Marxist muralist Diego Rivera. In his own autobiography My Art, My Life, Rivera made up all sorts of tall stories and whopping fibs about his ancestors, childhood and young manhood. He then collaborated with his first biographer, friend and fan Bertram David Wolfe, to produce an ‘official’ biography (published in 1963) in which he continued to perpetrate all sorts of fantastical stories.
Instead of boringly trying to tell fact from fiction, Marnham enters into the spirit of Rivera’s imagination and, maybe, of Mexico more generally. The opening chapter is a wonderful description of Marnham’s own visit to Rivera’s home town during the famous Day of the Dead festival, in which he really brings out the garish, fantastical and improbable nature of Mexican culture – a far far better introduction to Rivera’s world than a simple recital of the biographical facts.
Mexico appears throughout the book in three aspects:
via its turbulent and violent politics
in its exotic landscape, brilliant sky, sharp cacti and brilliantly-coloured parrots
and its troubled racial heritage
As to the whoppers – where Rivera insisted that by age 11 he had devised a war machine so impressive that the Mexican Army wanted to make him a general, or that he spent the years 1910 and 1911 fighting with Zapata’s rebels, or that he began to study medicine, and after anatomy lessons he and fellow students used to cook and eat the body parts – Marnham gently points out that, aged 11, Rivera appears to have been a precocious but altogether dutiful schoolboy, while in 1910/11 he spent the winter organising a successful exhibition of his work and the spring in a small town south of Mexico City worrying about his career and longing for his Russian girlfriend back in Paris.
First half – Apprenticeships 1886-1921
The most interesting aspect of the first half of his career is the long time it took Rivera to find his voice. Born in 1886 to a minor official in the provincial city of Guanajuato, young Diego’s proficiency at drawing was noticed at school. The family moved to Mexico City and his parents got him into the prestigious San Carlos Academy of Fine Arts, when he was just 11 years old. In 1906 i.e. aged 19, he won a scholarship to study abroad and took a ship to Spain, settling in Madrid, where he met the city’s bohemian artists and studied the classics, Velasquez and El Greco, who he particularly revered.
But the real intellectual and artistic action in Spain was taking place in Barcelona (where young Picasso had only recently been studying), the only Spanish city in touch with the fast-moving art trends in northern Europe.
So it was only when Rivera went to Paris in 1909 that he was first exposed to Cézanne and the Impressionists and even then, they didn’t at first have much impact. After a trip to London where he saw Turner, his painting becomes more misty and dreamy, but it was only in 1913 that he began to ‘catch up’, for the first time grasping the importance of the Cubism, which had already been around for a few years. For the next four years Diego painted in nothing but the Cubist idiom, becoming a well-known face in the artistic quarter of Montparnasse, a friend of Picasso, and a fully paid-up member of the avant-garde – all mistresses, models and drinking late into the night.
Marnham’s account of these years is interesting for a number of reasons. It sheds light on how a gifted provincial could happily plough a traditional academic furrow right up until 1910, blithely ignorant of what we now take to be all the important trends of Modern Art. And it is a compellingly gossipy account of the artistic world of the time.
I liked the fact that, in this world of bohemian artists, whenever a ‘friend’ visited, all the artists turned their works to the wall before opening the door. The artistic community – which included not only Picasso, but Gris, Mondrian, Chagall, Derain, Vlaminck, Duchamp – was intensely competitive and also intensely plagiaristic. Picasso, in particular, was notorious for copying everything he saw, and doing it better.
Food was so cheap in the little cafés which sprang up to cater to the bohemians that the Fauvists Derain and Vlaminck invented a game which was to eat everything on the cafe menu – in one sitting! Whoever gave up, to full to carry on, had to pay the bill. On one occasion Vlaminck ate his way through every dish on a café menu, twice!
Rivera’s transition from traditional academic style to cubism can be seen in the ‘Paintings’ section of the Wikipedia gallery of his art. First half is all homely realism and landscapes, then Boom! a dozen or so hard-core cubist works.
Gallery of Diego Rivera paintings on Wikipedia
Rivera returned to Mexico in October 1910 and stayed for 6 months, though he did not, as he later claimed, help the Mexican revolutionary bandit leader Zapata hold up trains. He simply wanted to see his family and friends again.
But upon arrival, he discovered that he was relatively famous. His study in Madrid and Paris had all been paid for by a state scholarship awarded by the government of the corrupt old dictator, Porfirio Diaz and, to justify it, Diego had had to send back regular samples of his work. These confirmed his talent and the Ministry of Culture had organised an exhibition devoted to Rivera’s work which opened on 20 November 1910, soon after his return, to quite a lot of fanfare, with positive press coverage.
As it happens, this was exactly the same day that the Liberal politician Francisco Madero crossed the Rio Grande from America into northern Mexico and called for an uprising to overthrow the Diaz government, thus beginning the ‘Mexican Revolution’.
In his autobiography Rivera would later claim that he was a rebel against the government and came back to Mexico to help Emiliano Zapata’s uprising. The truth was pretty much the opposite. His ongoing stay in Madrid and then Paris was sponsored by Diaz’s reactionary government. He never met or went anywhere near Zapata, instead supervising his art exhibition in Mexico City and spending time with his family, before going to a quiet city south of the capital to paint. He was, in Marnham’s cutting phrase, ‘a pampered favourite’ of the regime (p.77)
In the spring of 1911 Rivera returned to Paris with its cubism, its artistic squabbles, and where he had established himself with his Russian mistress. Not being a European, Rivera was able to sit out the First World War (rather like his fellow Hispanic, Picasso) while almost all their European friends were dragged into the mincing machine, many of them getting killed.
Of minor interest to most Europeans, the so-called Mexican Revolution staggered on, a combination of complicated political machinations at the centre, with a seemingly endless series of raids, skirmishes, battles and massacres in scattered areas round the country.
Earlier in the book, Marnham gives a very good description of Mexico in the last days of Diaz’ rule, ‘a system of social injustice and tyranny’. He gives a particularly harrowing summary of the out-and-out slavery practiced in the southern states, and the scale of the rural poverty, as exposed by the journalist John Kenneth Turner in his 1913 book Barbarous Mexico (pp. 36-40).
Now, as the Revolution turned into a bloody civil war between rival factions, in 1915 and 1916, Rivera began to develop an interest in it, even as his sophisticated European friends dismissed it. Marnham himself gives a jokey summary of the apparently endless sequence of coups and putsches:
Diaz was exiled by Modera who was murdered by Huerta who was exiled by Carranza who murdered Zapata before being himself murdered by Obregón. (p.122)
Obregón himself being murdered a few years later…
Rivera’s Russian communist friend, Ilya Ehrenburg, dismissed the whole thing as ‘the childish anarchism of Mexican shepherds’ – but to the Mexicans it mattered immensely and resonates to this day.
Rivera spent a long time in Europe, 1907 to 1921, 14 years, during which he progressed from being a talented traditionalist and established himself at the heart of the modern movement with his distinctive and powerful brand of cubism. Some of the cubist works showcased in the Wikipedia gallery are really brilliant.
But all good things come to an end. Partly because of personal fallings-out, partly because it was ceasing to sell so well, Rivera dropped cubism abruptly in 1918, reverting to a smudgy realist style derived from Cézanne.
Then he met the intellectual art critic and historian Elie Faure who insisted that the era of the individual artist was over, and that a new era of public art was beginning. Faure’s arguments seemed to be backed up by history. Both the First World War and the Russian Revolution had brought the whole meaning and purpose of art into question and the latter, especially, had given a huge boost to the notion of Art for the People.
It was with these radical new thoughts in mind that Diego finally got round to completing the Grand Tour of Europe which his grant from the Mexican government had been intended to fund. off he went to Italy, slowly crawling from one hilltop town to the next, painstakingly copying and studying the frescos of the Quattrocento masters. Here was art for the people, public art in chapels and churches, art which any peasant could relate to, clear, forceful depictions of the lives of Jesus and the apostles and the saints. Messages on walls.
Second half – Murals 1921-33
The Mexican Revolution was declared over in 1920, with the flight and murder of President Carranza and the inauguration of his successor President Obregón. A new Minister of Culture, José Vasconcelos, was convinced that Mexico needed to be rebuilt and modernised, starting with new schools, colleges and universities. These buildings needed to be decorated with inspiring and uplifting murals. As Mexico’s most famous living artist, Diego had been contacted by Vasconcelos in 1919, and his talk of murals came at just the same time that Elie Faure was talking to Diego about public art and just as Diego concluded his painstaking studies of Renaissance frescos in Italy.
In 1921 Rivera returned to Mexico and was straightaway given two of the most important mural commissions he was ever to receive, at the National Preparatory School (la Escuela Prepatorio), and then a huge series at the new Ministry of Education.
At the same time Diego evinced a new-found political consciousness. He not only joined the Mexican Communist Party but set up a Union of Technical Workers, Painters and Sculptors. From now on there are three main strands in his life:
the murals
the Communist Party
his many women
Diego’s women
Rivera was a Mexican man. The patriarchal spirit of machismo was as natural as the air he breathed. Frank McLynn, in his book about the Mexican Revolution, gives lengthy descriptions of Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata’s complex love lives (basically, they both kept extraordinary strings of women, lovers, mistresses and multiple wives). Diego was a man in the same mould, albeit without the horses and guns. More or less every model that came near him seems to have been propositioned, with the result that he left a trail of mistresses, ‘wives’ and children in his turbulent wake.
1911 ‘married’ to Angelina Beloff, mother of a son, also named Diego (1916–1918)
1918 affair with Maria Vorobieff-Stebelska, aka ‘Marevna’, mother of a daughter named Marika in 1919, whom he never saw or supported
1922-26 Diego married Guadalupe Marin, who was to be the mother of his two daughters, Ruth and Guadalupe; she modelled for some of the nudes in his early murals
– affair with a Cuban woman
– possible affair with Guadalupe’s sister
– affair with Tina Modotti, who modelled for five nudes in the Chapingo murals including ‘Earth enslaved’, ‘Germination’, ‘Virgin earth’ 1926-7
1928 – seduced ‘a stream of young women’
1929 marries Frida Kahlo, who goes on to have a string of miscarriages and abortions
– three-year affair with Frida’s sister, Cristina, 1934-7
1940 divorces Frida – starts affair with Charlie Chaplin’s wife, Paulette Goddard
– affair with painter Irene Bohus
December 1940 remarries Frida in San Francisco
1954 marries Emma Hurtado
– affair with Dolores Olmedo
Diego’s murals
Making frescos is a tricky business, as Marnham explains in some detail – and Rivera’s early work was marred by technical and compositional shortcomings. But he had always worked hard and dedicatedly and now he set out to practice, study and learn.
Vasconcelos was convinced that post-revolutionary Mexico required ‘modernisation’, which meant big new infrastructure projects – railways with big stations, factories, schools, universities – and that all these needed to be filled with inspiring, uplifting, patriotic ‘art for the people’.
The National Preparatory School, and then a huge series at the new Ministry of Education, took several years to complete from 1922 to 1926 and beyond. He was convinced – as Marnham reductively puts it – that he could change the world by painting walls.
There was a hiatus while he went to Moscow 1927-8.
There is an unavoidable paradox, much commented on at the time and ever since, that some of Diego’s greatest socialist murals were painted in America, land of the capitalists.
In 1929 he received a commission to decorate the walls of a hacienda at Cuernevaca (in Mexico) from the U.S. Ambassador, Dwight Morrow. Following this, Diego went to San Francisco to paint murals at the San Francisco Stock Exchange (!) and the San Francisco School of Arts.
His argument in his own defence was always that he was bringing the Communist message to the capitalist masses – but there’s no doubt that these commissions also meant money money money. Fame and money.
In 1931 Diego helped organise a one-man retrospective at New York’s new Museum of Modern Art (founded in 1929) which was a great popular success. Marnham is amusingly sarcastic about this event, listing the names of the umpteen super-rich, American multi-millionaires who flocked to the show and wanted to be photographed with the ‘notorious Mexican Communist’. ‘Twas ever thus. Radical chic. Champagne socialism.
As a result of all this publicity, Diego was then invited by Edsel Ford, son of the famous Henry, to do some murals at the company’s massive car factory in Michigan. Diego put in a vast amount of time studying the plant and all its processes with the result that the two massive murals painted on opposite sides of a big, skylit hall are arguably among the greatest murals ever painted, anywhere. Stunningly dynamic and exciting and beautifully composed.
North wall of Diego Rivera’s Detroit Murals (1933)
Everything was going swimmingly until the next commission – to do a mural in the foyer of the enormous new Rockefeller Building in New York – went badly wrong.
Diego changed the design several times, to the annoyance of the strict and demanding architects, but when he painted the face of Lenin, not in the original sketches, into the mural the architects reacted promptly and ejected him from the building.
A great furore was stirred up by the press with pro and anti Rivera factions interviewed at length, but it marked the abrupt end of commissions (and money) in America. What was to have been his next commission, to paint murals for General Motors at the Chicago World Fair, was cancelled.
Diego was forced, very reluctantly, to go back to Mexico in 1934, back to ‘the landscape of nightmares’ as he called it. Marnham makes clear that he loved America, its size, inventiveness, openness, freedom and wealth – and was angry at having to go back to the land of peasants and murderous politicians.
Diego was ill for much of 1934, and started an affair with Frida Kahlo’s sister. Towards the end of the year he felt well enough to do a mural for the Palacio de Bellas Artes. In 1935 he resumed work on new rooms of the National Palace, a project he had abandoned when he set off for America. He made the decision to depict current Mexican politicians and portray the current mood of corruption. That was a bad idea. They caused so much offence to the powers that be that, once the murals were finished, the Mexican government didn’t give him another commission for six years and he was replaced as official government muralist by José Clemente Orosco.
He did a set of four panels for the Hotel Reforma in Mexico City, but the owner was offended by their blatant anti-Americanism (given that most of his guests were rich Americans) so he took them down and they were never again displayed in Diego’s lifetime.
Thus he found himself being more or less forced out of mural painting – and forced back into painting the kind of oil canvases which, paradoxically, were always far more profitable than his murals. They were relatively quick and easy to do (compared to the back-breaking effort of the murals) and so for the next five years Diego concentrated on politics.
Diego’s politics
Diego’s politics seem to be strangely intangible and were certainly changeable. He lived in a fantasy world, was a great storyteller, and Lenin and Marx seem to have entered his huge imaginarium as yet another set of characters alongside Montezuma, Cortes and Zapata.
Having joined the Mexican Communist Party in 1922 but left it in 1925. He went on an ill-fated trip to Moscow in 1927-8, arriving just as Stalin was beginning to exert his power and the campaign against Trotsky was getting into full swing. During his visit he made some tactless criticisms of the Party and so was asked by the Soviet authorities to leave.
Enter Trotsky
A decade later, stymied in his artistic career, Diego joined the International Communist League, a separate organisation from the Communist Party, which was affiliated to Trotsky’s Fourth International. He wanted to be a Communist, but not a Stalinist.
Trotsky had been exiled from the Soviet Union in 1929. For the next 8 years he wandered as an exile, with spells in Turkey, France and Norway. As this last refuge became increasingly difficult, Diego gave his support to a suggestion by Mexican intellectuals that Trotsky be given refuge in Mexico. They persuaded the reluctant Mexican government to give him safe haven at Diego’s home in Mexico City.
Trotsky lived with Diego and Frida for two years, Diego providing him with every help and resource, taking him on long tours of the country (at one point in the company of the godfather of Surrealism, André Breton, who also stayed at the Casa Azula).
Diego wasn’t a political thinker. In Russia in 1927 he had begun to realise the dictatorial turn which Soviet communism was taking, and the point was rammed home for even the most simple-minded by the simultaneous collapse of the Communist Left in the Spanish Civil War (where Stalin’s commissars, secret police and assassins spent more time torturing and killing the other left-wing forces than combating the common enemy, Franco) and then by the outrageous Moscow Show Trials of 1936-38.
Marnham’s account of all this is very interesting; he writes in a wonderfully clear, sensible, entertaining style, with a persistent dry humour.
Anyway, the idyll with Trotsky came to a grinding halt when Diego discovered that Frida had been having an affair with him. She was 30, Trotsky was 58. (One of the revelations of this book is the number of affairs Frida Kahlo had, with both men and women. She had affairs with at least 11 men between summer 1935 and autumn 1940.)
In fact Diego had put himself in some danger by hosting Trotsky. We now know that Stalin commissioned no fewer than three NKVD hit squads to track Trotsky down and kill him. After Diego kicked Trotsky out of the Blue House (the home he shared with Kahlo), the ailing Communist, along with wife and bodyguards, were fixed up in a house only a few hundred yards away.
It was here that Trotsky was subject to a horrifying attack by an armed gang led by – bizarrely – one of Mexico’s other leading mural painters – David Alfaro Siqueiros – who burst into the villa and fired 173 shots into the bedroom. Amazingly, the gunmen managed to miss Trotsky who took shelter under the bed with his wife. Siqueiros went on the run.
Having read 400 pages of Frank McLynn’s biography of the endlessly violent Mexican Revolution, I was not at all surprised: McLynn shows that this was the routine method for handling political disagreements in Mexico.
A second assassination attempt was made in August, when Ramón Mercader, also hired by the NKVD, inveigled his way past Trotsky’s security men and, as the great man leaned down to read a letter Mercader had handed him, attacked Trotsky with a small ice-pick he had smuggled into the house. Amazingly, this failed to kill Trotsky who fought back, and his guards burst in to find the two men rolling round on the floor. The guards nearly killed Mercader but Trotsky told them to spare him. Then the great man was taken off to hospital where he died a day later.
After Trotsky
Deeply wounded by Frida’s affair with the old Bolshevik, Trotsky’s murder led Diego a) to forgive her b) to flee to America, specifically toSan Francisco where he’d received a commission to do a big mural on the theme of Pan America.
Also, a new president had taken office in Mexico with the result that the unofficial ban on Rivera was lifted. He returned to his home country and, in 1940, began a series of murals at the National Palace. There were eleven panels in all, running around the first floor gallery of the central courtyard. They took Rivera, off and on, nine years to complete and weren’t finished till 1951. They bring to the fore his lifelong engagement with a central issue of Mexican identity? Are Mexicans Aztec Indians? Or Spanish? Or half-breeds? Who are the Mexicans? What is the nation and its true heritage?
Diego and Frida
Surprisingly, Marnham deals with the last 15 or so years of Diego’s life (he died in 1957) very scantily. Rivera painted numerous more murals but Marnham barely mentions them. Instead Marnham devotes his final pages to developing a theory about the psycho-sexual relationship between Frida and Diego, trying to tease sense out of their complicated mutual mythomania.
He starts from the fact that Frida’s illness limited her mobility and made her a world-class invalid. This she dramatised in a wide range of paintings depicting her various miscarriages, abortions, corsets, operations, prosthetic legs and other physical ailments.
But overlaid on almost all of Frida’s paintings was her unhappiness about Diego’s infidelity, especially with her own sister… In reality she seems to have had scads of affairs with lots of men and quite a few women but this doesn’t come over from her art, which presents her as a a pure victim.
And yet she was a powerful victim. Biographical accounts and some of the paintings strongly suggest that, although he boasted and bragged of his own countless affairs and ‘conquests’, in the privacy of their relationship, Diego could become the reverse of the macho Mexican male – he became Frida’s ‘baby’, the baby she was never able to have. Apparently, Frida often gave Diego baths, and maybe powdered and diapered him. Many women dismiss men as big babies: it can be a consolation for their (women’s) powerlessness. But it can also be true. Men can be big babies.
Then again Marnham quotes a startling occasion when Diego said he loved women so much that sometimes he thought he was a lesbian. And Frida apparently poked fun at his massive, woman-sized breasts.
Marnham shows how their early childhoods had much in common: both had close siblings who died young and haunted their imaginations; both fantasised about belonging to peasant Indian parents, not to their boring white European ones. And so both egged each other on to mythologise their very mixed feelings for their vexing country.
I was particularly struck to discover that, during their various separations, Frida completely abandoned her ornate ‘look’, the carefully constructed colourful dresses, and earrings and head-dresses which she largely copied from the native women of the Tehuana peninsula. According to Marnham, when the couple divorced in 1940, Frida promptly cut her hair, wore Western clothes and flew to New York to stay with friends, looking like a crop-haired, European lesbian.
The conclusion seems to be that her self-fashioning into a kind of mythological creature incorporating native dress and symbolism – and his murals, which obsess about the native inheritance of Mexico – were both ingredients in a psychological-sexual-artistic nexus/vortex/chamber of wonders which they jointly created.
Their mutual infidelities upset the other, but they also found that they just couldn’t live apart. Sex between them may have stopped but the intensity of the psychological and artistic world they had created together couldn’t be even faintly recreated with other partners.
It was obviously very complicated but in its complexity prompted the core of the artworks, in particular the endless reworking of her own image which have made Frida more and more famous, probably better known these days than her obese husband.
Looking for one narrative through all this – especially a white, western, feminist narrative – strikes me as striving for a spurious clarity, where the whole point was the hazy, messy, creativity of very non-academic, non-Western, non-judgmental, very Mexican myth-making.
Same with the politics. In her last years Frida became a zealous Stalinist. This despite the Moscow Show Trials, Stalin’s alliance with Hitler and everything Trotsky had told them from his unparalleled first-hand experience of the corrupt dictatorship Stalin was creating. None of that mattered.
Because Marx, Engels, Lenin and Stalin were part of her personal and artistic mythology. Just as Diego – more objective, more interested in the external world than Frida – experimented endlessly with the theme of the Spanish conquest, fascinated by his Aztec forbears, and endlessly tormented by the meaning of being Mexican. Is being Mexican to value the European heritage, or despise it? Should you side with the defeated Indians, or leap forwards to a future of factories and communist state ownership? Even when – as Diego knew only too well – most of the Indian peasants he claimed to be speaking for, and ‘liberating’ in his murals, in fact clung to village traditions and above all to their Roman Catholic faith, were, in other words, among the most reactionary elements in Mexican society.
Neither of them wrote clear, logical works of politics and philosophy. They both created fantasias into which their devotees and critics can read what they will. That, in my opinion, is how art works. It opens up spaces and possibilities for the imagination.
Two deaths
On 13 July 1954 Frida died, probably from an overdose of painkillers. A few months later, one of Diego’s repeated attempts to rejoin the Mexican Communist Party was successful.
He embarked on his last set of murals. In 1954 he married his art dealer, Emma Hurtado. Everyone says that after Frida’s death, he aged suddenly and dramatically. Before the year was out he was having an affair with Dolores Olmedo who had been friends with Frida, was her executrix, and was also the principal collector of Diego’s easel paintings.
So, as Marnham summarises the situation in his customarily intelligent, amused and dry style – Diego was married his deceased wife’s art dealer while simultaneously having an affair with her principal customer.
In September 1957 Diego had a stroke and in December of the same year died of heart failure. He left an autobiography, My Life, My Art, full of scandalous lies and tall tales, and a world of wonder in his intoxicating, myth-making, strange and inspiring murals.
Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park by Diego Rivera (1947)
Dreaming With His Eyes Open: A Life of Diego Rivera on Amazon
Diego Rivera website
Related reviews – Diego and Frida
Diego Rivera: The Detroit Industry Murals by Linda Bank Downs
The Murals of Diego Rivera by Desmond Rochfort (1987)
Frida Kahlo: Making Her Self Up @ the Victoria and Albert Museum (September 2018)
Related reviews – Mexico
Villa And Zapata: A Biography of the Mexican Revolution (2000)
The Lawless Roads by Graham Greene (1939)
The Power and The Glory by Graham Greene (1940)
by Simon on October 31, 2018 • Permalink
Tagged 1998, André Breton, Angelina Beloff, art, Aztecs, Bertram David Wolfe, Bolshevik revolution, Carranza, Casa Azula, Cezanne, Chagall, Charlie Chaplin, Cortes, Cubism, Cuernevaca, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Derain, Detroit Murals, Diego Rivera, Dolores Olmedo, Dreaming With His Eyes Open: A Life of Diego Rivera, Duchamp, Dwight Morrow, Edsel Ford, El Greco, Elie Faure, Emiliano Zapata, Emma Hurtado, First World War, Fourth International, Francisco Madero, Frank McLynn, fresco, Frida Kahlo, Gris, Guadalupe Marin, Guanajuato, Henry Ford, Hotel Reforma, Huerta, Ilya Ehrenburg, Impressionism, International Communist League, Irene Bohus, John Kenneth Turner, José Vasconcelos, Jose Clemente Orosco, Madrid, Marevna, Maria Vorobieff-Stebelska, Marxism, Mexican Communist Party, Mexican Revolution, Mexico City, Mondrian, Montezuma, Montparnasse, Moscow Show Trials, mural, Museum of Modern Art, My Art, My Life, NKVD, Obregón, painting, Palacio de Bellas Artes, Pancho Villa, Patrick Marnham, Paulette Goddard, Picasso, Porfirio Díaz, Quattrocento, Ramón Mercader, Rockefeller Building, San Francisco Stock Exchange, Spanish Civil War, Surrealism, Tina Modotti, Trotsky, Velasque, Vlaminck, Zapata
Posted by Simon on October 31, 2018
https://astrofella.wordpress.com/2018/10/31/dreaming-with-his-eyes-open-biography-diego-rivera-patrick-marnham/ | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line577 |
__label__wiki | 0.701728 | 0.701728 | All posts tagged the Visigoths
The Inheritance of Rome by Chris Wickham (2009)
The sub-title is ‘A History of Europe from 400 to 1000’. It is the second in the ‘Penguin History of Europe’ series, following Classical Europe and preceding Europe in the High Middle Ages. It is a dense 550 pages long, plus extensive notes, bibliography, index and maps. But I’m not sure it’s a book I’d recommend to anyone. Why?
Events and theories
Very roughly there are two types of history books – ones which tell you the events in chronological order, and ones which discuss themes, theories and ideas about the events. Thus Dan Jones’s breathless account of the Plantagenet kings gives a thrilling head-on narrative of their trials and tribulations from 1120 to 1400. You can go on to explore individual Plantagenet monarchs further via in narrative-led books like Marc Morris’s accounts of King John or King Edward I.
By contrast, a thematic history would be one like John Darwin’s overview of the British Empire, which examines different elements or themes of the imperial experience, bringing together incidents, facts and stats from widely disparate territories and different points in time to prove his general points.
This book is very much the latter. Although divided into four chronological sections –
The Roman Empire and Its Breakup 400-550
The Post-Roman West 550-750
The Empires of the East 550-1000
The Carolingian and Post-Carolingian West 750-1000
– it is much more a thematic than an events-based account. Wickham explains the bits he needs to, but yanks them out of contexts as disparate as Viking Iceland or Muslim Baghdad. In the same sentence he can be talking about Justinian in the 550s then switch to Constantine’s reforms in the 312s and end with some comments about Theodosius in the 390s. I found the result very confusing.
In my experience you have to read the most detailed account possible of contentious historical events in order to feel you have even the beginnings of an ‘understanding’ of them; in fact ideally you read several complementary accounts to begin to build up a three dimensional picture. By ‘understanding’ I mean the ability to put yourself in the place of the relevant players – kings, queens, nobles, opposing generals or whatever – to understand the social, economic, cultural and psychological pressures they were under, and to understand why they behaved as they did. Alaric sacked Rome because of a, b, c. Charlemagne attacked the Saxons so savagely because of x, y, z.
The further removed you are from a comprehensible, chronological and granular account of the Past, the sillier it often looks.
For example, if you are told that the armies of the Fourth Crusade in the early 13th century were diverted from attacking the Saracens in the Holy Land and ended up besieging, sacking and permanently weakening Christian Constantinople (in 1204) you will be tempted to make all kinds of generalisations about how stupid and violent the crusaders were, how muddle-headed medieval leaders were, how hypocritical Christianity has always been, and so on.
It’s only if you delve deeper and discover that Constantinople was experiencing a major leadership crisis in which an anti-Crusade emperor had deposed a pro-Crusade emperor and was threatening to execute him, and that this crisis was taking place against the background of mounting tension between the Latin and the Greek populations of the city which had already led to one major riot in which the city’s Greek population had massacred or forced to flee the entire Roman population of around 60,000 – if you’re told all this, then the crusaders’ motives no longer look so random and absurd: in fact you can begin to see how some of them thought the diversion was vital in order:
to rescue ‘their’ emperor
to ensure the safety of ‘their’ people in the city
and to establish favourable conditions for the ongoing pursuit of the crusade against the Muslims
In fact it was not so stupid after all. You are also better placed to understand the arguments within the Crusader camp about whether or not to besiege the city, as the leaders of different national factions – each with different trading and political links with the Greeks or the West – will have argued the case which best suited their interests. Now you can begin to sympathise with the conflicting arguments, you can put yourself in the place of the squabbling crusaders or the different factions within the city. Now – in other words – you have achieved what I define as a basic ‘understanding’ of the event.
Or take the famous sack of Rome in 410. I recently read John Julius Norwich’s long account of the Byzantine Empire from 300 to 800, very dense with facts and quite hard to assimilate – but it does have the merit of describing events very thoroughly, giving you a clear picture of the unfolding story of the Byzantine Empire – and its clarity allows you to go back and reread passages if you get a bit lost (easy to do). Thus, although I’ve read references to Alaric and the Visigoths’ sack of Rome scores of times, Norwich’s book was the first one I’ve ever read which explains in detail the events leading up to the disaster. And it was only by reading the full sequence of events that I learned the unexpected fact that the sack was mostly the fault of the obstinate Roman authorities, because they snobbishly refused to negotiate a peace deal with Alaric, a peace deal he actually wanted, and that their foolish refusal eventually forcing him into extreme action. (See my review of Byzantium: The Early Centuries by John Julius Norwich.) Norwich’s account was a revelation to me, completely transforming my understanding of this key event in the history of western Europe. Compare and contrast with Wickham, who covers it in one sentence (on page 80).
For me, in the study of history – the closer, the clearer and the more chronological, the better.
On top the confusing thematic approach, Wickham’s text is aggressively modern, theoretical and self-consciously up-to-date. He uses the lexicon of literary theory I was taught in the 1980s and which has gone on to infest history writing and art criticism. Events are ‘situated’ in the ‘space’ created by hierarchies, his book sets out to survey ‘the socio-political, socio-economic, political-cultural developments of the period 400-1000’ and will investigate the complexity of the state structures within which the major figures ‘operated’. And he is liberal with maybe the key indicator of fashionable post-modern jargon, ‘the Other’; hence,
The Roman world was surrounded by ‘others’ (p.43).
The trouble with this kind of jargon is that it rarely explicates things and more often confuses or obscures them. ‘The Roman world was surrounded by ‘others’.’ What does that say except look at my modish post-modern vocabulary. Does he mean that the Roman Empire, within which law, order, peace and trade prevailed, was surrounded by territories in which shifting alliances of illiterate barbarian tribes lived their mostly unrecorded lives, tribes which periodically threatened to overrun the borders of the Empire.
Wickham emphasises how bang up to date he is and is at great pains to skewer the vulgar error of all previous historians of this period, who thought the Roman Empire ‘collapsed’ under pressure from invading ‘barbarians’. The whole thrust of his book is that Roman law, administration and other structures lingered on much much longer than has been previously thought – hence the book’s title. But he still needs a generic word to describe the non-Roman peoples who indisputably did break across the frontiers of the Empire, who did ravage large sections of it, who did cause enormous disruption and who did form the basis of the post-Roman societies which slowly replaced the Empire. Having ruled out the use of barbarians, since that falls into the vulgar error of all previous writers on the subject, he eventually decides to call them ‘barbarians’, with added speech marks and so throughout the book the word ‘barbarian’ occurs just as much as it would in a traditional account, but with the quotes around it to remind you that the older accounts were so so wrong, and this account is so much more sophisticated.
All past accounts are wrong
The opening pages of The Inheritance of Rome explain why all previous histories of the Early Middle Ages were wrong – they suffered from any of three major flaws:
1. The Nationalist Fallacy i.e. countless histories have been written over the past two hundred years in the nations of modern Europe claiming that the period 400-1000 saw the ‘seeds’ being laid of their respective proud nation state – of modern France, Germany, Britain etc etc. No, they weren’t, says Wickham. The people we are investigating lived their own lives in their own time according to their own values inherited from their recent past – they had absolutely no inkling what would happen in the future. To write as if Charlemagne was laying the foundations for modern France is unforgiveable teleology i.e. seeing a purpose or aim in events, a sense of inevitability (rising, in conservative nationalist histories to a sense of Historical Destiny) which simply doesn’t exist and which didn’t exist at the time.
When Romulus Augustulus was forced to abdicate in 472 no-one knew that he would be the Last Roman Emperor in the West. All the various political players continued jostling for power in the normal way, invoking the presence, the power and the continuation of the Empire, not least the Eastern Emperor Zeno, as if a replacement would shortly be found. Even a hundred years later, the so-called ‘barbarian’ rulers of Italy were still invoking the authority of the Emperor and using Roman titles to bolster their rule. No, the ‘barbarian’ rulers of Western Europe circa 600 had no thoughts of founding France or Germany or Belgium or Holland. They must be seen entirely within the context of their own times and values to be properly understood.
Basically – avoid hindsight. Assess historical periods in themselves, as their protagonists experienced them. Don’t make the mistake of judging the Early Middle Ages as a hurried way station on the journey to later, greater things: of conceptualising Clovis as just a stepping stone to Charlemagne or Offa as just a step on the way towards Alfred.
Only an attempt to look squarely at each past in terms of its own social reality can get us out of this trap. (p.12)
2. The Modernist Fallacy i.e. European history has been a tale of steady progress towards our present giddy heights, towards the triumph of a global economy, liberal culture, science, reason, human rights and so on. These all began to appear in ‘the glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome’, but then – tragically – fell into a pit of darkness with the end of Roman Imperial rule, a bleak ‘Dark Age’ awash with ‘illiterate barbarians’ who only slowly, painfully clawed humanity back up into the light, which began to shine again during the Renaissance, and has risen steadily higher ever since.
Nonsense, says Wickham. The early medieval period was first given the negative name ‘the dark ages’ by chauvinists of the Renaissance who despised everything Gothic and non-classical. Later, 18th century and Victorian historians reinforced this negative image due to the paucity of documents and evidence from it, which for so long made our knowledge of it so patchy. But recent revolutions in archaeology, along with the availability of more documents than ever before (including from behind the former Iron Curtain), and their freely available translations on the internet, mean that:
a) we can write much better, more informed histories of the period than ever before
b) this significantly increased amount of evidence shows that Roman administrative structures, law and literacy carried on for much longer than was previously thought. I.e. there is much more continuity of civilisation in post-Roman Europe than those old historians claim. I.e. it wasn’t so dark after all.
The fundamental aim of Wickham’s book is to bring together this recent(ish) research in both document-based history and archaeology to show that the Roman Empire didn’t inevitably ‘decline and fall’ under the impact of ‘barbarians’.
a) There was no inevitability: the structures – the tax system and bureaucracy and church – lasted for centuries after the first ‘barbarian’ incursions in the West and, of course, continued for an entire millennium in the Byzantine East.
b) We have lots of evidence that the so-called ‘barbarians’ – all those Goths and Vandals and Burgundians and Franks – themselves quickly assimilated Roman standards, ideas and terminology, that many of them wanted to remain vassals of the Emperor in Byzantium, centuries after the West had fallen. Roman ideas, practices, the language and bureaucracy and structures of power, all lived on for a long time into the Early Middle Ages (and for another 1000 years in the East). The so-called ‘barbarians’ in fact went out of their way to adopt the Roman language, Roman iconographies of power, a Roman bureaucracy run on Roman lines and so on, for as long as they could after seizing power in their respective areas. I.e. there wasn’t an abrupt END – there was a very, very long process of assimilation and change…
Themes not events
So this book is not a blow-by-blow chronological account of the period. It proceeds in chronological periods but skips through the events of each period pretty quickly in order to get to what motivates and interests Wickham – academic discussion of themes such as how much the Imperial tax system endured in 5th century Gaul, or just what the archaeology of the lower Danube tells us about the Romanisation of its inhabitants. And so on.
I found a lot of this discussion very interesting – and it’s good to feel you are engaging with one of the leading experts in this field – but I was only able to enjoy it because I had recently read three other books on the exact same period, and so understood what he was talking about. In other words, I would not recommend this book as a ‘history’ of the period. It is a collection of discussions and meditations on themes and topics arising from the history of the period, but it is not a detailed sequential account of what happened. For that you’d have to look elsewhere.
Interesting insights
Once you understand that it is a meta-history, interested in discussing themes and topics arising from the period, and presupposing you already have a reasonable familiarity with the actual chronology, then the book is full of insights and ideas:
Ethnogenesis The ‘barbarians’ were illiterate; when they conquered somewhere they recruited the local Roman bureaucracy to run things and record laws. We’ve long known that the Roman accounts of the tribes which fought and invaded were unreliable. But I hadn’t realised that the terms Ostrogoth, Visigoth and so on were merely flags of convenience later writers give to peoples who didn’t call themselves that. More searchingly, recent historians think that even the idea of coherent tribes and peoples is open to doubt. More likely these groupings were probably made up of smaller tribes or even clans which temporarily united round one or other leader for specific ad hoc campaigns or battles, before splitting up again. Complicated.
Britain and Ireland A sort of proof of this vision of fissiparous ‘barbarians’ comes in chapter 7 which Wickham dedicates to Ireland and Britain. Ireland was never ruled by Rome and so kept its native pattern of tiny kingdoms, maybe more than 100, each owing fealty to higher kings, who themselves owed fealty to whoever managed to seize control as the High King at any one moment. Chaotic.
The end of Roman rule in Britain
More interesting is what happened to Britain after the Romans withdrew. The collapse of post-Roman Britain seems to have been quicker and more complete than of any other Imperial territory but modern historians now think the end of Roman rule was more complicated than the bare dates suggest. In his history of the Ruin and Conquest of Britain, Gildas says that most of Britain’s Roman garrison was stripped by the commander Maximus when he made his bid to become Augustus or emperor in the West, in the 380s. Maximus took the garrisons with him on his invasion of Italy but was defeated and killed in 388. Britain returned to the rule of the Emperor Theodosius – until 392 when the usurping emperor Eugenius seized power in the West, although he also was defeated by Theodosius, in 394.
When Theodosius died in 395, his 10-year-old son Honorius succeeded him as Western Roman Emperor but the real power behind the throne was Stilicho, Honorius’s father-in-law. In 401 or 402 Stilicho stripped Hadrian’s Wall of troops for the final time, to bring them to Europe to fight the Visigoths.
In 407 a Roman general in Britain, Constantine (not the Great), rallied his troops in rebellion against Honorius (perhaps because they hadn’t been paid for some time) and led them into Gaul, where Constantine set himself up as Emperor in the West. But ‘barbarian’ invasions soon destabilised his rule and in 409 or 410, British authorities expelled his magistrates and officials. The Byzantine historian Zosimus describes this as a British ‘rebellion’.
This is how the stripping away of Britain’s defending army actually took place over a thirty year period, from 380 to 410, and as a result of the (generally failed) ambitions of a succession of usurpers and military governors.
Later in his history, Zosimus says the British authorities appealed to help from the Emperor. The Emperor replied (in the so-called Rescript of Honorius) that the British civitates must look to their own defences.
That’s it. Britain had been stripped of all Roman garrisons and legions and was wide open to sea-borne invasion by Saxons and others. These are traditionally dated to the 440s and 450s. The collapse of the Roman-British lifestyle was, apparently, very quick after the garrisons withdrew. Within a generation, archaeology tells us, the towns and villas had been abandoned. 50 or 60 years later, in 510 or 520, Gildas writes his long lament for the ‘ruined’ state of Britain. By the mid-500s the Eastern historian Procopius writes that Britannia was entirely lost to the Romans.
Militarisation of the élite Following the fall of Rome, in the West the secular aristocracy became militarised: the trappings of the Emperor became more military; the importance of a secular education i.e. the ability to quote the poets and write Latin prose like Cicero, declined rapidly; wealth across the Empire also declined and the hyper-rich Senatorial wealthy class disappeared. The widespread Latin education which was the bedrock of the extensive tax-gathering bureaucracy withered and disappeared, and with it our sources of written records.
Rise of church records It is logical, but I hadn’t thought of it this way, that into the vacuum left by the falling away of Roman Imperial records come church records. In the 6th and 7th centuries, as secular records from the disappearing Roman bureaucracy grow thinner on the ground, we have increasing records of church synods, the gift of land to the church, church land ownership records, along with increasing numbers of ‘lives’ of saints and popes and holy church figures, as well as a wealth of texts recording the period’s abundant theological disputes and debates. Thus what we know about the period, and how we think about it, is hugely conditioned by the type of writings which have survived. It opens the possibility that maybe the Roman aristocracy lingered on for centuries after the ‘fall’, but didn’t write or record their activities so systematically.
Fatal loss of Carthage It is interesting that, in Wickham’s opinion, the failure of the Roman authorities to prevent Geiseric the Vandal moving from Spain into North Africa and seizing Carthage in 439, is far more important than Alaric’s 410 Sack of Rome. The trade, tax and food umbilical cord between Rome and Carthage was broken permanently. (Carthage supplied all Rome’s foodstuffs in lieu of tax. No Carthage, no food. From the mid-5th century the population of Rome begins to drop fast; in the 6th century its population probably plummeted by 80%.)
Tax collapse And so a vast tax hole opened in the Western Empire’s finances, which made it progressively harder to pay armies (increasingly made up of ‘barbarian’ mercenaries, anyway). Slowly a shift took place towards paying armies, generals and allies off with land; very slowly the Empire moved from being a tax-based to a land-based administration. This is the basis for Western feudalism.
The Goths in their various tribal formations took Gaul, Spain, then North Africa, then Italy. But Gothic hegemony was itself transient: by 511 it was over. Clovis, king of the Franks, defeated the Goths in the Roman province of Gaul, which increasingly becomes referred to as Francia; and the Eastern general, Belisarius, led violent campaigns in Italy to expel the Goths from the mainland (although it turned out he only created an exhausted power vacuum into which a new tribe, the Lombards, would enter).
Francia But the success of Clovis I (ruled 480s to 511) would establish Frankish rule in most of Francia and transform Gaul from a peripheral kingdom into the core of Western Europe for centuries to come (up to, including and following Charlemagne’s vast extension of Frankish power in the late 700s).
Tax Wickham makes some points about tax-based regimes I’d never thought about before: Tax-based regimes are generally much richer than land-based ones, because they tax a broader spread of citizens, more effectively. Tax-based regimes also are generally more powerful than land-based ones, because tax collectors and assessors monitor the entire domain more thoroughly, and court officials, army officers etc are paid salaries from the royal treasury. By contrast land-based armies or nobles are more independent and harder to govern – which helps to explain the endless rebellions which are so characteristic of the High Middle Ages.
Meat It’s one of only hundreds of interesting details in the book, but I was fascinated to learn that the shift from Roman to post-Roman society can be measured in diet. Aristocratic, senatorial and wealthy Romans asserted their class through a rarefied diet of delicate and expensive ingredients. The ‘barbarian’ successor states liked meat. The rituals of the royal hunt, the killing of wild beasts, and the division of cooked meat to loyal retainers in the royal hall or palace replaced the ornate, lying-on-a-couch sampling dishes of larks’ tongues of the Roman Empire – and The Hunt is a central motif of art and literature, drenched with power and significance, all through the Middle Ages and well into the Renaissance period.
But ultimately…
Although Wickham hedges it round with modish qualifications and theoretical reminders not to be teleological or use hindsight, despite all the warnings to be more subtle and alert to slow increments rather than catastrophic ‘falls’ – nonetheless, the fact remains that the Western Roman Empire had ceased to exist as a coherent political entity by the mid-6th century. It was replaced by a patchwork of kingdoms ruled by non-Roman ‘barbarian’ kings. And – rather contradicting his own thesis – Wickham admits that the archaeological record shows ‘the dramatic economic simplification of most of the West’ (p.95); north of the Loire in the 5th century, in the core Mediterranean lands in the 6th.
Building became far less ambitious, artisanal production became less professionalised, exchange became more localised.
Wickham sees the shift from the Empire’s efficient tax-based economy, to the land-based administration of the post-Roman states as decisive. By the mid-sixth century the successor states couldn’t have matched Roman power or wealth, no matter how hard they tried, because they lacked the sophisticated tax system and revenue. Different states, with different social and economic system, different iconographies of power and different values, were firmly established.
The Inheritance of Rome on Amazon
Chris Wickham Wikipedia article
Reviews of other medieval books and exhibitions
Opus Anglicanum @ the Victoria and Albert Museum (November 2016)
The Art of the Northern Renaissance 1400-1600 by Craig Harbison (1995)
Rogier van der Weyden by Stephan Kemperdick (2013)
The Wars of the Roses 1455-1487 by John Gillingham (1981)
The Waning of the Middle Ages (15th century) by Johan Huizinga (1919)
The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (1400)
A Great and Terrible King: Edward I and the Forging of Britain by Marc Morris (2008)
King John by Marc Morris (2015)
Crusades by Terry Jones and Alan Ereira (1994)
‘The Crusades’ from A History of Christianity by Paul Johnson (1976)
A Chronology of the Crusades (1095-1291)
Twelfth century chroniclers
Historia Anglorum by Henry of Huntingdon (1154)
Consequences of the Norman Conquest
The Norman Conquest 1066 by Marc Morris (2012)
The Conversion of Europe: 371-1386 by Richard Fletcher (1997)
Early Medieval Art 300-1000 by Lawrence Nees (2002)
Byzantium: The Early Centuries 320-800 by John Julius Norwich (1988)
The Inheritance of Rome by Chris Wickham (2009) Chapters 1 – 8
On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain by Gildas (540)
The Making of Europe: Conquest, Colonization and Cultural Change 950 – 1350 by Robert Bartlett (1993)
Celts: art and identity @ The British Museum (October 2015)
by Simon on April 24, 2016 • Permalink
Posted in Christianity, European History, History, Middle Ages
Tagged 2009, 410, Alaric, Alfred, Belisarius, Carthage, Charlemagne, Chris Wickham, Clovis, Constantine, Constantinople, Dark Ages, early middle ages, Emperor Zeno, ethnogenesis, Francia, Gaul, Geiseric the Vandal, Gildas, Hadrian's Wall, John Julius Norwich, Offa, On the Ruin and Conquest of Britain, Penguin History of Europe, Romulus Augustulus, Stilicho, The Carolingian and Post-Carolingian West 750-1000, The Empires of the East 550-1000, The Fourth Crusade, The Inheritance of Rome, the Lombards, The Post-Roman West 550-750, The Roman Empire and Its Breakup 400-550, The sack of Rome, the Visigoths, Theodosius, Zosimus
Posted by Simon on April 24, 2016
https://astrofella.wordpress.com/2016/04/24/the-inheritance-of-rome-chris-wickham/ | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line578 |
__label__wiki | 0.825424 | 0.825424 | Unique records, 71 results 71
English, 71 results 71
Africa, 27 results 27
South Africa, 11 results 11
Europe, 10 results 10
New Delhi, 7 results 7
Gauteng, 5 results 5
Cape Town, 4 results 4
International relations, 71 results 71
Statement, 20 results 20
Toast, 9 results 9
Transition, 7 results 7
Anti-apartheid struggle, 4 results 4
Human rights, 4 results 4
71 Archival description results for Transcriptions
Address by Nelson Mandela on Behalf of the ANC delegation to the conference of the Pan-African Freedom Movement of East and Central Africa : A land ruled by the gun
Occasion - Address to the Conference of the Pan-African Freedom Movement of East and Central Africa
Summary - This address summaries the assistance that the international community, especially African states, has given to the freedom fighters in South Africa. It outlines the political and social situation in South Africa and the ANC's responses and move from policies of non-violence to the formation of Umkhonto we Sizwe. The people's resolve to fight is steadfast but the continued support of PAFMECA is crucial.
Address to the Swedish Parliament
Statement of the Deputy President of the African National Congress, Nelson Mandela, at the religious service at the Cathedral of Uppsala
Nelson Mandela's Wembley Speech
Statement of the Deputy President of the African National Congress, Nelson Mandela, at the welcome ceremony by the President of the Republic of France
Welcome ceremony by President of the Republic, Mitterand, for Nelson Mandela
Statement by the Deputy President of the African National Congress, Nelson Mandela, to the President and Members of the French National Assembly
Statement to French President and Members of the National Assembly
Statement of the Deputy President of the African National Congress, Nelson Mandela, at the French Prime Minister's dinner
Prime Minister Rocard dinner for Nelson Mandela
Address of the Deputy President of the African National Congress, Nelson Mandela, at the European Parliament
Address to the European Parliament with Mr Baron Crespo as President
Address of the Deputy President of the African National Congress, Nelson Mandela, to the Parliament of Canada
Address to the Canadian Prime Minister and Parliament
Statement by the Deputy President of the African National Congress, Nelson Mandela, at the business leadership meeting
The port authority of New York and New Jersey and the New York partnership co-sponsored the meeting in cooperation with the African- American institute.
Address to the International Labour Conference
Statement at a special meeting of the UN Special Committee Against Apartheid
Address to the Joint Session of the House of Congress of the USA
Statement of the Deputy President of the African National Congress, Nelson Mandela, at a concert organised by the Irish Anti-Apartheid Movement
Statement of the Deputy President of the African National Congress, Nelson Mandela, at the Parliament of the Republic of Ireland
Statement of the Deputy President of the African National Congress, Nelson Mandela, to the Party Parliament Group on South Africa, United Kingdom
Statement of the Deputy President of the African National Congress, Nelson Mandela, to the Confederation of British Industry
Speech of the Deputy President of the African National Congress, Nelson Mandela, at the State Banquet in Uganda
Statement of the Deputy President of the African National Congress, Nelson Mandela, at the stone laying ceremony at Uganda's National Stadium
Statement of the Deputy President of the African National Congress, Nelson Mandela, at the 26th Assembly of OAU Heads of State and Government
Speech of the Deputy President of the African National Congress, Nelson Mandela, at the public rally in Maputo, Mozambique
Extract from the Briefing to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU)
Occasion - Briefing to fifth session of the OAU Ad Hoc Committee on southern Africa
Summary - In a speech to the fifth session of the OAU Ad Hoc Committee on Southern Africa,Nelson Mandela dealt with the wave of violence in South Africa, and said that certain elements in South Africa were behind the rise of a movement similar to that of Renamo which had caused enormous death and destruction in Mozambique. They had incited massacres in the Transvaal, irrespective of tribal origins and political affiliations. Death squads were prowling around the country. There was also violence from the state agencies. As a result of the failure of the government to take firm action against these elements, there was a widespread demand, especially from the youth, that the people should be armed. He continued as in transcript.
Speech by the Deputy President of the African National Congress, Nelson Mandela, at the banquet hosted by the President of the Republic India
Statement by Nelson Mandela at the United Nations General Assembly
Toast by President Nelson Mandela at a State Banquet in his honour hosted by Their Majesties the King and Queen of Sweden
Address by Former President Nelson Mandela during the opening of the WaterDome, WSSD : No Water, No Future
Speech by President Nelson Mandela at a luncheon in honour of Muamar Qaddafi, Leader of the revolution of the Libyan Jamahariya
Address by Former President Nelson Mandela to the United Nations Security Council on the Arusha Peace Process
Report to UN on the Arusha Peace Process
Nelson Mandela's Statement on the Lockerbie Disaster
Address by ANC President, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela, to the OAU Ad Hoc Committee for Southern Africa
Address to OAU Ad Hoc Committee on southern Africa
ANC President Nelson Mandela's statement at the dinner hosted by Prime Minister Bildt of Sweden
Dinner hosted by the Prime Minister of Sweden
Statement by ANC President, Nelson Mandela, at the luncheon given by the Prime Minister of Finland, Mr Esko Aho
Luncheongiven by the Prime Minister of Finland, Mr Esko Aho
Statement of the President of the ANC, Nelson Mandela, at the 28th Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the OAU
28th Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the OAU
Statement of the President of the African National Congress, Nelson R Mandela, at the United Nations Security Council
Address to United Nations Security Council
Speech of the President of the African National Congress, Nelson Mandela, to Members of the British Parliament
Speech to House of Commons
Statement of the President of the African National Congress, Nelson R Mandela, at the United Nations
Statement at the United Nations
Address by President of the Republic of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, at the World Economic Forum, Southern Africa Summit
World Economic Forum, Southern Africa Summit
Statement of the President of the Republic of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, at the OAU Meeting of Heads of State and Government
OAU Meeting of Heads of State and Government
Mandela: Message to India
On the occasion of an India-South Africa Solidarity Meet to discuss the post-apartheid South African scene, organised by the Indian National Social Action Forum (New Delhi, June 11, 1994), Nelson Mandela sent a message in his capacity as the President of South Africa and another in his capacity as the President of the African National Congress. Here the excerpts from Mandela's messages which bring out the bonds of solidarity that bind our two countries.
Nelson Mandela's address at the State Banquet for President Mugabe
State banquet for President Mugabe
President Mandela's address to the banquet in honour of Prime Minister of Britain John Major
Banquet for John Major, Prime Minister of Britain
Address by President Nelson Mandela of South Africa to the 49th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations
49th Session of the General Assembly of the UN
President Clinton's weekly radio address broadcast - Interview with Nelson Mandela
President Clinton's weekly radio address
Address by President Nelson Mandela at the United Nations International Drug Control Programme South Africa's legal workshop on sub-regional cooperation againist drug trafficking
UN International Drug Control Programme South Africa's legal workshop on sub-regional cooperation against drug trafficking. Speech delivered by Minister of Justice Dullah Omar on behalf of the President
Address by President Nelson Mandela at a luncheon hosted by the Prime Minister Narasimha Rao of India
Visit to India
Nelson Mandela's Rajiv Gandhi Foundation Lecture
Rajiv Gandhi Foundation Lecture
Address by President Nelson Mandela at the banquet hosted by President Sharma of India
Banquet on visit to India
Address at a dinner hosted by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI), Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and Joint Business Councils (JBC)
dinner hosted by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce (FICCI), Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and Joint Business Councils (JBC)
Nelson Mandela's speech at the Indian Parliament on the unveiling of the statue of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru and the commemoration of the founding of the Republic of India
Commemoration of the founding of the Republic of India and unveiling of statue of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
Speech by President Nelson Mandela at the banquet in honour of President Carlos Saul Menem of Argentina
Banquet for President Carlos Saul Menem of Argentina
Speech by President Nelson Mandela at the State banquet in honour of President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique
Banquet for President Joaquim Chissano of Mozambique
Speech by Nelson Mandela, President of the Republic of South Africa, at the United Nations World Summit for Social Development
UN World Summit for Social Development
President Nelson Mandela's acceptance speech on the occasion of the presentation of the Africa Peace Award
Africa Peace Award ceremony
Opening address by President Nelson Mandela at the Sub-Saharan Oil and Minerals Conference
Sub-Saharan Oil and Minerals Conference
Speech by President Nelson Mandela at the State banquet in honour of President Ben Ali of Tunisia
State banquet in honour of President Ben Ali of Tunisia
Speech by President Nelson Mandela at the State banquet hosted by President Mwinyi of Tanzania
Banquet hosted by President Mwinyi of Tanzania
Speech by President Nelson Mandela at the luncheon hosted by the President Amour of Zanzibar
Luncheon in hosted by President Zanzibar
Address by President Nelson Mandela at Waseda University, Japan on acceptance of honorary doctorate
Speech by President Nelson Mandela at the Court Dinner hosted by His Majesty Emperor Akihito and Her Majesty Empress Michiko
Court dinner hosted by Emperor and Empress of Japan
Address by President Nelson Mandela to the National Assembly of the Republic of South Korea
Address to the National Assembly of Korea on visit to the country
Address by President Nelson Mandela at a luncheon hosted by Prime Minister Tomichi Murayama
Luncheon hosted by Japanese Prime Minister Tomichi Murayama
Speech by President Nelson Mandela at a breakfast hosted by the President of Nihon Keizai Shinbun
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__label__wiki | 0.649407 | 0.649407 | Bible > Commentaries > Matthew 5:21
◄ Matthew 5:21 ►
You have heard that it was said of them of old time, You shall not kill; and whoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
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EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(21) By them of old time.—There is no reasonable doubt that the marginal reading, to them of old time, is right. The construction is identical with that of Romans 9:12; Romans 9:26; Galatians 3:16; Revelation 6:11; Revelation 9:4. Two questions present themselves for answer: (1) Who were “they of old time”? (2) Who was the speaker of the words quoted? (1) The words are very general, and, as interpreted by the use of “old time” in Acts 15:21, seem to point to the time when synagogues began to be established, i.e., after the return from Babylon. (2) The impersonal form, the contrast between “it was said,” and “I say unto you,” the tone of authority imposing a new law for that which it supersedes, seem conclusive against referring the words, even when they are found in the Law, to that Law as given by God through Moses. Stress is laid on the words “Ye heard that it was said.” “This was the report of the Law given you by your teachers in school and synagogue. I give you another and truer report. Not what you so heard, but what I now say unto you is the true completion of the Law and the Prophets, and therefore the abiding law of my kingdom.”
Whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment.—The fact that these words are not found in the Old Testament confirms the view that our Lord is speaking of the traditional comments on the Law, and not of the Law itself. The phrase “in danger” had a somewhat more technical sense in A.D. 1611 than it has now, and meant “legally liable to.” The “judgment” spoken of was that of the local courts of Deuteronomy 16:18. They had the power of capital punishment, but the special form of death by stoning was reserved for the Sanhedrim, or Council.
Benson Commentary
Matthew 5:21-22. Ye have heard — Namely, from the scribes reciting the law, that it was said by them of old time, or to the ancients, as ερρεθη τιος αρχαιοις, might be properly rendered. Thou shalt not kill — Words which they interpreted barely of the outward act of murder; and whosoever shall kill — Or be guilty of that act, shall be in danger of, or, obnoxious to the judgment — To understand this, it is necessary to observe, that the Jews had, in every city, a common court of twenty-three men, which, before the Roman government was established in Judea, had the power of life and death, so far as its jurisdiction extended, and could punish criminals with strangling or beheading. This was called the judgment, and the meaning of the clause is, that such a criminal should be capitally punished in the common courts of judicature. But I say unto you — Which of the prophets ever spake thus? Their language was, Thus saith the Lord. Who hath authority to use this language, but the one Lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy? Whosoever is angry with his brother — With any child of man, for we are all brethren; without a cause — Or further than that cause warrants; shall be in danger of the judgment — Shall be liable to a worse punishment from God than any that your common courts of judicature can inflict. It must be observed, that the word εικη, here rendered without cause, and which might properly be translated rashly, or inconsiderately, is wanting in some old versions and manuscripts, and, it seems, ought not to be inserted, being “utterly foreign to the whole scope and tenor of our Lord’s discourse. For if he had only forbidden the being angry without a cause, there was no manner of need of that solemn declaration, I say unto you; for the scribes and Pharisees themselves said as much as this. Even they taught men ought not to be angry without a cause. So that this righteousness does not exceed theirs. But Christ teaches that we ought not, for any cause, to be so angry as to call any man raca, or fool. We ought not, for any cause, to be angry at the person of the sinner, but at his sin only. Happy world, were this plain and necessary distinction thoroughly understood, remembered, and practised.” — Wesley. Raca, means a silly man, or an empty, worthless fellow. Κενε, vain man, used James 2:20, seems to be a translation of it; for, as Jerome observes, it is derived from the Hebrew, rick, which signifies vain, or empty. Shall be in danger of the council — In the Greek, συνεδριον; “a word which the Jews adopted into their language, and giving it a Hebrew termination, sanhedrim, appropriated it to their supreme council, whose business was to judge in the most important affairs; for instance, in all matters relative to religion, as when any person pretended to be a prophet, or attempted to make innovations in the established worship. This court could, while the republic lasted, inflict the heaviest punishments; particularly stoning, or burning, with melted lead poured down the throat of the criminal, after he was half strangled.” — Macknight. Whosoever shall say, Thou fool — Or, Thou graceless, wicked villain: so the word fool generally signifies in Scripture: for as religion is the highest wisdom, vice must be accounted the extremest folly: the meaning here is, Whosoever shall break out into open revilings and reproaches against any man, shall be in danger of hell fire — Ενοχος εσται εις γεενναν του πυρος, shall be obnoxious to a gehenna of fire, that is, by a common figure of speech, “obnoxious to the fire of the valley of Hinnom,” obnoxious to a degree of future punishment, which may fitly be represented by that fire. Of the valley of Hinnom, called also Tophet, see notes on Leviticus 18:21; 2 Kings 23:10; Isaiah 30:33. It was the scene of the detestable worship of Moloch, that horrid idol of the Ammonites, to which the Israelites burned their children alive as sacrifices. “In later times, continual fires were kept in this valley for burning the unburied carcasses and filth of the city, that, being thus polluted, it might be unfit for the like religious abominations. The Jews, from the perpetuity of these fires, and to express the utmost detestation of the sacrifices which were offered to Moloch in this valley, made use of its name to signify hell. Hence our translators have given Tophet, or gehenna, its metaphorical meaning in the present passage, whereas it ought rather to have had its literal signification. For our Lord, intending to show his hearers that the punishment of causeless anger, contemptuous speeches, and abusive names, shall, in the life to come, bear a proportion to the guilt that is in these sins; and finding no name in the language of men by which those different degrees of punishment could properly be expressed, he illustrated them by the punishments which the Jews were acquainted with.”
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
5:21-26 The Jewish teachers had taught, that nothing except actual murder was forbidden by the sixth commandment. Thus they explained away its spiritual meaning. Christ showed the full meaning of this commandment; according to which we must be judged hereafter, and therefore ought to be ruled now. All rash anger is heart murder. By our brother, here, we are to understand any person, though ever so much below us, for we are all made of one blood. Raca, is a scornful word, and comes from pride: Thou fool, is a spiteful word, and comes from hatred. Malicious slanders and censures are poison that kills secretly and slowly. Christ told them that how light soever they made of these sins, they would certainly be called into judgment for them. We ought carefully to preserve Christian love and peace with all our brethren; and if at any time there is a quarrel, we should confess our fault, humble ourselves to our brother, making or offering satisfaction for wrong done in word or deed: and we should do this quickly; because, till this is done, we are unfit for communion with God in holy ordinances. And when we are preparing for any religious exercises, it is good for us to make that an occasion of serious reflection and self-examination. What is here said is very applicable to our being reconciled to God through Christ. While we are alive, we are in the way to his judgement-seat; after death, it will be too late. When we consider the importance of the case, and the uncertainty of life, how needful it is to seek peace with God, without delay!
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Ye have heard - Or, this is the common interpretation among the Jews. Jesus proceeds here to comment on some prevailing opinions among the Jews; to show that the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees was defective; and that people needed a better righteousness, or they could not be saved. He illustrates what he meant by that better righteousness by showing that the common opinions of the scribes were erroneous.
By them of old time - This might be translated to the ancients, referring to Moses and the prophets. But it is more probable that Jesus here refers to the interpreters of the law and the prophets. He did not set himself against the law of Moses, but against the false and pernicious interpretations of the law prevalent in his time.
Thou shalt not kill - See Exodus 20:13. This properly denotes taking the life of another with malice, or with an intention to murder him. The Jews understood it as meaning no more. The comment of our Saviour shows that it was spiritual, and was designed to extend to the thoughts and feelings as well as the external act.
Shall be in danger of - Shall be held guilty, and be punished by. The law of Moses declared that the murderer should be put to death, Leviticus 24:21; Numbers 35:16. It did not say, however, by whom this should be done, and it was left to the Jews to organize courts to have cognizance of such crimes, Deuteronomy 16:18.
The judgment - This was the tribunal that had cognizance of cases of murder, etc. It was a court that sat in each city or town, and consisted commonly of seven members. It was the lowest court among the Jews, and from it an appeal might be taken to the Sanhedrin.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
21. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time—or, as in the Margin, "to them of old time." Which of these translations is the right one has been much controverted. Either of them is grammatically defensible, though the latter—"to the ancients"—is more consistent with New Testament usage (see the Greek of Ro 9:12, 26; Re 6:11; 9:4); and most critics decide in favor of it. But it is not a question of Greek only. Nearly all who would translate "to the ancients" take the speaker of the words quoted to be Moses in the law; "the ancients" to be the people to whom Moses gave the law; and the intention of our Lord here to be to contrast His own teaching, more or less, with that of Moses; either as opposed to it—as some go the length of affirming—or at least as modifying, enlarging, elevating it. But who can reasonably imagine such a thing, just after the most solemn and emphatic proclamation of the perpetuity of the law, and the honor and glory in which it was to be held under the new economy? To us it seems as plain as possible that our Lord's one object is to contrast the traditional perversions of the law with the true sense of it as expounded by Himself. A few of those who assent to this still think that "to the ancients" is the only legitimate translation of the words; understanding that our Lord is reporting what had been said to the ancients, not by Moses, but by the perverters of his law. We do not object to this; but we incline to think (with Beza, and after him with Fritzsche, Olshausen, Stier, and Bloomfield) that "by the ancients" must have been what our Lord meant here, referring to the corrupt teachers rather than the perverted people.
Thou shall not kill:—that is, This being all that the law requires, whosoever has imbrued his hands in his brother's blood, but he only, is guilty of a breach of this commandment.
and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment—liable to the judgment; that is, of the sentence of those inferior courts of judicature which were established in all the principal towns, in compliance with De 16:16. Thus was this commandment reduced, from a holy law of the heart-searching God, to a mere criminal statute, taking cognizance only of outward actions, such as that which we read in Ex 21:12; Le 24:17.
Matthew Poole's Commentary
See Poole on "Matthew 5:22".
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Ye have heard,.... That is, from the Scriptures being read to them, and the explanations of the ancients, which were called "hearing", being read in the schools, and heard by the scholars (o); so that to "hear", was along with the recital of the text, to receive by tradition, the sense the elders had given of it: of this kind is the instance produced by Christ. Thus Onkelos, and Jonathan ben Uzziel, render the phrase, "him shall ye hear", in Deuteronomy 18:15 by , "from him shall ye receive"; so those phrases (p), , "they learn from hearing", or by report from others; and "they speak from hearing", or from what they have heard, are often used for receiving and reporting things as they have them by tradition. That "it was said", or "it hath been said"; this is also a Talmudic form of expression; often is this phrase to be met with in the Talmud, "it has been said" (q); that is, by the ancient doctors, as here, "by them of old time", or "to the ancients", so in Munster's Hebrew Gospel; not to the Israelites in the time of Moses, but to the ancestors of the Jews, since the times of Ezra; by the elders, who were contemporary with them; and who by their false glosses corrupted the law, when they recited any part of it to the people; or "by the ancients", the ancient doctors and commentators, which preceded the times of Christ, whom the Jews often call "our ancients" (r). Now, upon that law, "thou shalt not kill", they put this gloss, or added this by way of interpretation,
and whosoever shall kill, shall be in danger of the judgment; which they understood only of actual murder, either committed in their own persons, or by the means of others. Their rules for the judgment of such persons were these;
"everyone that kills his neighbour with his hand; as if he strikes him with a sword, or with a stone that kills him; or strangles him till he die; or burns him in fire; seeing he kills him in any manner, in his own person, lo! such an one must be put to death , "by the house of judgment", or the sanhedrim (s).''
Not that which consisted of three persons only, but either that which consisted of twenty three, or the supreme one, which was made up of seventy one; which two last had only power of judging capital offences. Again,
"if a man hires a murderer to kill his neighbour, or sends his servants, and they kill him, or binds him, and leaves him before a lion, or the like, and the beast kills him, everyone of these is a shedder of blood; and the sin of slaughter is in his hand; and he is guilty of death by the hand of heaven, i.e. God; but he is not to be put to death by the house of judgment, or the sanhedrim (t).''
A little after, it is said, "their judgment" is delivered to heaven, i.e. to God; and this seems to be the sense of the word "judgment" here, namely, the judgment of God, or death by the hand of God; since it is manifestly distinguished from the council, or sanhedrim, in the next "verse". The phrase,
in danger of judgment, is the same with (u) , "guilty of judgment", or deserves condemnation.
(o) Vid. Buxtorf. Lex. Rabbin, fol. 2453. (p) Maimon. Hilch. Issure Mizbeach, c. 1. sect. 2, 4, 5, 7, 10. & passim, & T. Bab. Sanhedrim, fol. 88. 1.((q) Vid. Edzardi Not. in Avoda Zara, c. 2. p. 284. (r) Vid. R. Aben Ezra in Exodus 21.17. & in Isaiah 52.13. & lxvi. 24. (s) Maimon. Hilch. Rotseach, c. 2. sect. 1.((t) Maimon. Hilch. Rotseach, c. 2. sect. 2.((u) In Targ. in 2 Chronicles 19.10.
Geneva Study Bible
{5} Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
(5) The true meaning of the first commandment.
EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary
Matthew 5:21. There now follow on to the end of the chapter six—neither five (Hilgenfeld) nor seven (Köstlin)—antithetic examples of the fulfilling of the law of Jesus, not merely derived from the Decalogue, or from its second table (Keim), but from the Pentateuch generally; not, however, of an antinomian kind, consequently not in opposition to the divine law itself (Chrysostom and many Fathers, Maldonatus, Neander, Bleek, Socinians and Arminians), but opposed, indeed, to all the manifold limitations and one-sided apprehensions and applications of the same, as it was represented and followed out in life by the common traditional Judaism, and specially by the Pharisees, without insight into the deeper unity and the purely moral absolute meaning. Comp. also Hofmann, Schriftbew. I. p. 599 f.; Harless, d. Ehescheidungsfrage, 1861, p. 7 f.; Weiss, Keim. That use of the law produced a false legalism, without sincerity and virtue, in opposition to which Jesus wishes to develope and assert the true and full righteous morality out of the divine law.
ἠκούσατε] from the law which is read before you (John 12:34; Romans 2:13; Galatians 4:21; Acts 15:21), and from the instruction which you have received regarding its exposition.
τοῖς ἀρχαίοις] may grammatically be taken not only as a dative (Chrysostom, Theophylact, Euth. Zigabenus, Luther, Erasmus, Grotius, Wetstein, Bengel, and many others; also Tholuck, Neander, de Wette, Ritschl, Bleek, Weizsäcker), but also as an ablative: by the ancients (see Kühner, II. 1, p. 368 f.; Winer, p. 206 [E. T. 277]); so Beza, Piscator, Schoettgen, Raphel, and many; also Paulus, Kuinoel, Fritzsche, Olshausen, Baumgarten, Ewald, Lechler, Keim. On the first rendering, which most obviously suggests itself (Romans 9:12; Romans 9:26; Galatians 3:16; Revelation 6:11; Revelation 9:4), the ancients are the Jewish generations of earlier times (before Christ), to which Moses and his followers (Matthew 23:2 f.), the scribes, spoke (de Wette, Ritschl), not simply the Israelites in the time of Moses, to whom the latter spoke (Neander, Bleek); on the latter view it is Moses (who would not have to be excluded, as Keim maintains), and his ancient expositors learned in the Scripture; for there follow their sayings, which are partly without, partly accompanied with, additions proceeding from the scribes. The decision between these two views is given not merely by the constant usage of the N. T., which joins ἐῤῥέθη with the dative, but also by the antithesis ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν, in which ἐγώ corresponds to the logical subject of ἐῤῥέθη, and ὑμῖν to τοῖς ἀρχαίοις; the latter consequently cannot itself be the subject. Luther therefore rightly renders: that it is said to them of old time.[406] Pointless objections are made by Keim, II. p. 248, who even finds in this view something opposed to the sense; because the people of the present day have not yet heard of that which was enjoined on them of old time, but of what has been enjoined upon themselves. On the other hand, it is to be recollected that it was precisely a peculiarity of the Jewish method of instruction, and still is so, to refer the present generation to those of old time, to inculcate upon the former the παράδοσις which had been common in ancient times, and had been already given to their forefathers. Thus the people of the present time have certainly heard in the synagogues what was said to them of old time. Comp., moreover, Diodorus Siculus xxii. 20 : καλῶς εἴρηται τοῖς παλαῖοις, ὅτι, κ.τ.λ.
οὐ φονεύσεις] Exodus 20:12. The prohibition refers to the act, though not by itself, but as the effect of anger, of hostility, and so on; for there is also a putting to death which is permitted, nay, even commanded. The Pharisaic explanation and application of the legal saying was confined to the literal prohibition of the act; the fulfiller of the law lays open the whole disposition that deserves punishment, which, as the ethical condition of the act, was aimed at by the prohibition of the latter. The following words contain a traditional addition, although one not alien to the law, by the scribes, who interpreted that prohibition externally.
κρίσις, according to Matthew 5:22, opposed to the Sanhedrin, is the local court, found, according to Deuteronomy 16:18, in every city of Palestine, to which it belonged to take cognizance of and to punish even murder (execution by the sword), 2 Chronicles 19:5; Josephus, Antt. iv. 8. 14. According to the Rabbins, it consisted of twenty-three members; according to Josephus, of seven. See generally, Tholuck, Keil, Arch. II. p. 250 ff. To the higher court of justice, the Sanhedrin, Matthew 5:22, it belonged to take cognizance also of crimes punishable by stoning.
[406] Instead of ἐῤῥέθη, Lachmann and Tischendorf have, after B D E K V, the form ἐῤῥήθη. Both forms are found in Plato (see Heindorf, ad Gorg. p. 46), to whom, however, Schneider, ad Pol. V. p. 450 A, everywhere assigns the latter as the proper one. The first is the more common in the later Greek, and therefore to be preferred in the N. T. See in general, Lobeck, ad Phryn. p. 447. Comp. on Romans 9:12; Galatians 3:16.
Expositor's Greek Testament
Matthew 5:21-26. First illustration of Christ’s ethical attitude, taken from the Sixth Commandment. In connection with this and the following exemplifications of Christ’s ethical method, the interpreter is embarrassed by the long-continued strifes of the theological schools, which have brought back the spirit of legalism, from which the great Teacher sought to deliver His disciples. It will be best to ignore these strifes and go steadily on our way.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
(a) Instances from the Decalogue, Matthew 5:21-37. (a) Murder, Matthew 5:21-26.
21. Ye have heard] Rather, ye heard either in the service of the synagogue or in the teaching of the scribes.
by them of old time] Better, to them of old time.
in danger of] Lit. bound by them, liable, exposed to.
Bengel's Gnomen
Matthew 5:21. Ἠκούσατε, ye have heard) From public readings, to which you have given your assent. In the New Testament the teachers are referred to their reading of the law, the people to their hearing of it. See John 12:34; Romans 2:13; Romans 2:18.—ὅτι ἐῤῥέθη, that it has been said) An impersonal form of speech, to which is elegantly opposed, I say. Moses said it truly; the interpreters of Moses said it with altered meaning: the hearers did not distinguish the meaning of Moses from that of his interpreters. The name of Moses occurs, but with a less forcible contrast, in ch. Matthew 19:8-9, sc. Moses permitted, but [I] say unto you, where I is not expressed in the original, for there is no contention between Moses and Christ: the Jews had departed from both Moses and Christ. The language of Christ does not exceed the law of Moses (see ch. Matthew 7:12); for concupiscence, proscribed in Matthew 5:28, is also prohibited by the law: see Romans 7:7. He however restores the truths which the Scribes had taken from the law, and clears away the falsehoods which they had added; see Matthew 5:43. The phrase, “But I say,” is an antithetic formula, by which Christ, as if Moses had never existed (for the servant gives place to his Lord), orders all things simply, not in the guise of a Legislator or Interpreter, but as the Son declaring the will of His Father: see ch. Matthew 7:21, and cf. ch. Matthew 3:17. The law is perfect: whatever the Saviour prohibits or commands in this passage, the law had previously prohibited or commanded: it judges the secrets of the heart (see Romans 7:14); but on account of the hard heart of the people, it more frequently expresses outward acts. Therefore the Lord says, “But I say unto you,” not, “Moses however said unto you.” The Jews were in many things otherwise circumstanced in the time of the Pharisees than in the time of Moses.—τοῖς ἀρχαίοις, to them of old time[197]) sc. the fathers in the time of Moses. The Scribes wished to appear to be in conformity with the ancient and primitive rule. Antiquity should be maintained, but it should be genuine antiquity.[198]—ὑμῖν, to you) This word is antithetic[199] to τοῖς ἀρχαιοῖς, from whence it is evident, that τοῖς ἀρχαίοις (antiquis) is not in the ablative, but in the dative case; and the construction is more easy if we render the passage thus, “it was said TO them of old time, than thus, “it was said BY them of old time.”—οὐ φονεύσεις, thou shalt not kill) Our Lord begins with the clearest precept.—τῇ κρίσει, to the judgment) The Hebrew דִּין, rendered κρίσις, was the inferior tribunal existing in the several towns, and consisted of twenty-three judges, who had the power of life and death. The dative, τῇ κρίσει, signifies, as far as belongs to[200] the judgment, or municipal tribunal: in like manner, in the next verse τῷ συνεδρίῳ signifies as far as belongs to the Sanhedrim: for ἔνοχος, criminal, is here used absolutely.
[197] E. V. by them of old time.—(I. B.)
[198] In fact, it was not in the time of Moses, and to the ancients [“to them of old time”], that the rather lax interpretation of the law was set forth, but in the time of the Scribes and Pharisees, and to the men of that age. The Scribes themselves were the persons who crusted over with the plea of antiquity their own innovations, as generally happens in religious controversies, or when morals are being corrupted.—Vers. Germ.
[199] See Explanation of technical terms in Appendix.—(I. B.)
[200] In the original, “quod ad judicium attinet,” where in the phrase, “quod attinet,” generally rendered “with respect to,” “as regards,” etc., attinet seems to have its own more peculiar and precise force of pertains;—and to signify, “is the province of,” “comes under the jurisdiction of;”—a meaning which appears to coincide with Bengel’s observations on the next verse.—(I. B.)
Pulpit Commentary
Verses 21-48. - (a) Our Lord is still concerned with the relation of himself and his followers to the religion of the day, of which the Old Testament (ver. 17), and more especially the Law (ver. 18), was the accepted standard. But after having spoken of the need of careful attention to (vers. 17,18), and observance of (ver. 19), even the least commands of the Law, he goes on to point out the far-reaching character of these commands, whether they are such as we should call more (vers. 21, 27, 81) or less (vers. 33, 38, 43) impotent. It is essential to notice that our Lord refers to these commands, not merely as statements contained in the Law, but as part of the religion of the day, and that he contrasts their true bearing on life and conduct with that false bearing on this which was commonly predicated of them. By this it is not meant that our Lord was only opposing such narrow glosses and interpretations as had arisen at various times during the centuries after the promulgation of the Law (for these were for the most part perfectly natural and legitimate developments of the earliest possible interpretations of it), still less that he was thinking only of the worst of the misrepresentations of its commands, comparatively recently made by the Pharisees; but that he was now going back, beyond this so far natural and normal development of the earliest interpretations, to the first principles underlying the revelation contained in the Law. While the Jews, not unnaturally, clung to the primary, but temporary, meaning of the Law as a revelation of God's will for them as a nation, our Lord was now about to expound its commands as a revelation of God's permanent will for them and all men as men. Our Lord was now, that is to say, wishing to do more than merely cut off the excrescences that, chiefly through the Pharisaic party, had grown up round the Law, but less than root up the Law itself. He rather cuts down the whole growth that had been, notwithstanding some mere excrescences, the right and proper outcome of the Law in its original environment, in order that, in fresh environment, which corresponded better to its nature, the Law might produce a growth still more right and proper. Verses 21-26. - The sixth commandment. Verses 21-24 Matthew only; vers. 25, 26 have parts common to Luke. Verse 21. - Ye have heard (ἠκούσατε, frequentative aorist). Our Lord does not say, "ye have read" (cf. Matthew 21:42), for he was not now speaking to the learned classes, but to a large audience many of whom were probably unable to read. "Ye have heard," i.e. from your teachers whose teaching claims to be the substance of the Law. So, probably, even in John 12:34, where the multitude say that they "have heard out of the Law that the Christ abideth for ever," which, since this is hardly expressed in so many words in the Old Testament, must mean that the instructions they have received on this subject truly represent the substance of its teaching. So here our Lord says, "You have heard from your teachers (cf. Romans 2:18) that the substance of the sixth commandment is so-and-so." It is thus quite intelligible that in some of these utterances there should be found added to (vers. 21, 43) or intermingled with (ver. 33) the words of a passage of Scripture, other words which are either taken from Scripture, but from another place in it (perhaps ver. 33), or do not occur in Scripture at all, but merely help to form a compendious statement of a definite interpretation (here and ver. 43). It must remain doubtful whether our Lord himself formulated these statements of the popular teaching, or quoted them verbally as current. If the latter, as is perhaps more likely, there remains the at present still more insoluble question whether they were only oral or (cf. the case of the 'Didaehe') had already been committed to writing (cf. in this connexion Bishop Westcott, 'Hebr.,' p. 480). That it was said by them of old time (ὅτι ἐῥῤέθη τοῖς ἀρχαίοις). By; Revised Version, to. Similarly ver. 33. Although "by" may be defended (cf. Madvig, § 39 g), "to" (Wickliffe and Tyndale downwards) is certainly right, because
(a) it is the common usage with a passive verb;
(b) it is the constant usage with ἐῥῤέθη in the New Testament (e.g. Romans 9:12, 26);
(c) the parallelism with ἐγὼ δέ κ.τ.λ., is more exact;
(d) the popular teaching claimed to be, even in its strictest esoteric form of oral tradition, derived ultimately, not from the words of any human teachers, however primitive, but from the words of God spoken by him to them. In the case before us our Lord accepts the popular teaching of the time as truly representing the Divine utterance in the giving of the Law, so far as that utterance was then intended to be understood. Them of old time. This can hardly be limited to "the original founders of the Jewish Commonwealth," to use Trench's curiously unbiblical expression ('Syn.,' § 67.). It probably includes all who lived a generation or more before our Lord's time (cf. Weiss). Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment. The substance, according to the popular teaching, of the sixth commandment (Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17). This the current form of it (based partly on Leviticus 24:21; Numbers 35; Deuteronomy 19:12) was that murder was not to be committed, and that if it was committed the murderer was to be brought up for trial. Shall be in danger of (ἔνοχος ἔσται); i.e. in legal danger - legally guilty of a charge which involves the judgment (cf. Matthew 26:66). The judgment; i.e. the local Sanhedrin (cf. Matthew 10:17), of apparently seven men in a smaller, twenty-three in a larger, town (cf. Schurer, II. 1. pp. 149-154). This answers to "the congregation," or "the elders" of the town to which the murderer belonged, before whom he was to be tried (Numbers 35:12, 16, 24; Deuteronomy 19:12).
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__label__cc | 0.50951 | 0.49049 | Borgs unite against Doctor Who and Captain Jean-Luc Picard in May
Filed under: Comics & Books, Sci-Fi Café, TV — 3 Comments
One of the key differences I have always appreciated is the differences between Star Wars and Star Trek that make both franchises great. Star Wars was more rounded in science fantasy and Star Trek in science fiction, the difference primarily being thw eighting of the world building between magic and technological explanations. It may be that is the reason that the omniscient race of Qs rubbed me wrong in Star Trek: The Next Generation. Star Trek was always better staying away from magic or religion, a leaning and preference of creator Gene Roddenberry himself. Q’s silly jumping in and out of crises, and even causing them, often made Picard, our hero, look baffled and sometimes petty and annoyed, which I think detracted more than it added to the series. So I’m a bit surprised that I am not bothered at all at a union of similarly omniscient Doctor Who and Captain Picard’s crew in the May mini-series Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation².
What’s more fun than taking the two franchises’ greatest borgs, Cybermen and The Borg, and throwing them together? A conversation between Rory and Data? Commander Riker hitting on Amy Pond? Is Q a long-lost Doctor? Is the Doctor a long-lost Q?
Billed as the “two of the greatest science-fiction properties of all time come together in a comic book for the first time” that’s mainly true, although fans of the now-defunct Wizard Magazine and artist Mike Mayhew may recall seeing this stellar image created for one of Wizard’s last issues, bringing together for the first time the crew of the original Star Trek and Matt Smith’s Doctor Who with companion Amy Pond, chock full of Romulans and Klingons and Daleks and Cybermen:
I contacted the artist of the above artwork Mike Mayhew (www.mikemayhewstudio.com) to get his reaction to the new Star Trek/Doctor Who team-up: “It’s about time! IDW has set the stage for the sci-fi crossover folks have been waiting for.”
Mike explained the background for the Wizard project, too: “I was contacted by Wizard magazine for art to accompany an article called “Last Man Standing” that debated who would win: Vader vs. Agent Smith, Ripley vs. Sarah Connor, Alien vs. Skrulls, etc. Wizard gave me all the characters they wanted and I researched the weapons and ships.”
I for one love it when obvious fans of genre series get to dive into the creative process like this. borg.com readers will know Mike from his past work on Green Arrow. He is currently finishing up the successful Marvel series FEAR ITSELF: THE HOMEFRONT and is currently working on a creator-owned book.
As a rabid fan of both Star Trek and Doctor Who, I couldn’t be happier that CBS and IDW Publishing finally realized what a good idea they had from the Wizard Magazine reference.
From the CBS/IDW announcement: “By joining these two sci-fi powerhouses, fans will be taken on the ultimate adventure through time and space,” said Liz Kalodner, executive vice president and general manager of CBS Consumer Products. “We are excited about this new adventure for the Doctor and the fact that he will be travelling with Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his iconic crew. This is a perfect partnership for not only Doctor Who’s incredible fans, but also for the brand. We have just celebrated our most successful year yet. Doctor Who’s latest season delivered record ratings for BBC AMERICA and it was most downloaded full TV seasons of 2011 in the U.S. on the iTunes Store,” says Soumya Sriraman, executive vice president Home Entertainment and Licensing.
The eight-issue limited series will be written by Scott and David Tipton, who have written for Star Trek before in Star Trek: Infestation. Doctor Who writer Tony Lee is also expected to contribute to writing duties for the series. A key feature of the series will be painted covers and interior art by James K. Woodward (Star Trek: Captain’s Log: Jellico, Star Trek: New Frontier, Star Trek: The Last Generation, Star Trek: Alien Spotlight).
One photo circulating the Web shows the 11th Doctor taking companions Amy Pond and hubby Rory to Star Trek’s past–the bridge of Picard’s Enterprise-D:
If this is truly from the series (sometimes blogs release their own Photoshop fantasies as reflecting a new release so it is anyone’s guess) this may indicate the future time period for this mash-up, or that there may be some time travel within Picard’s tenure in Starfleet. I know what you’re thinking: Will the Enterprise-D be harder to steer than the Tardis?
Here’s a nice 2012 convention sketch by Woodward merging Doctor Who with Batman:
Sketch from Woodward's website: http://www.jkwoodward.com
And here is some of Woodward’s past work on the Star Trek franchise:
Cover to Star Trek: Captain's Log: Jellico
Woodward's take on klingons and Captain Harriman in Alien Spotlight: 4000 Throats
Woodward is pretty creative, too. Check out this great take on a classic Justice League of America cover (#195).
And yet another great Woodward cover, proving yet again, the coolest Klingons wear eyepatches:
Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation² is scheduled for release May 2012.
Tags: borg, CBS Licensing, Cybermen, David Tipton, Doctor Who, Green Arrow, IDW Publishing, JK Woodward, Matt Smith, Mike Mayhew, Scott Tipton, Star Trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation², The Borg, Tony Lee, Wizard Magazine
Gil Milburn
Sorry, I feel the need to correct some of the information in one of your posts. You site this was Woodward’s take on a classic Justice League of America cover (#195) by artist George Pérez.
However, this is obviously his take on Uncanny X-Men cover (#141) by artist John Byrne.
http://www.coverbrowser.com/covers/uncanny-x-men/3
Just Trying To Be Helpful,
~Gil
borgeditor
Thanks, Gil! You’re absolutely right. It makes you wonder, since both issues came out in 1981, if Perez was doing his own spin on Byrne’s cover.
You’re welcome, no problem, anytime. Hmmmmmm?… you might have something there about Pérez doing his own spin on Byrne’s cover. >;-D
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« Retro review–Philip K. Dick’s Time Out of Joint
Former queen of The Borg to play Queen mom in Green Arrow series » | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line584 |
__label__wiki | 0.840932 | 0.840932 | QLD State Budget 2019-20 invests $23bn for road, rail and transport infrastructure
A record $23 billion has been invested through the Queensland Budget 2019-20 to support more than 21,500 local jobs as well as deliver roads and transport infrastructure over the next four years.
$500m fund to deliver new container terminal and reduced rail access cost in QLD
Up to $500 million from the Queensland Government - announced ahead of the State Budget - is going to be invested to promote mining and exploration in the north west as well as boost mineral freight export on the Mount Isa Line.
WA Bayswater and Forrestfield station precincts to be redeveloped under METRONET East project
Western Australia’s Midland Redevelopment Area is going to be expanded to include the Bayswater and Forrestfield station precincts, creating the METRONET East Redevelopment Areas which will focus on vibrancy, housing and jobs.
Key Cairns roads to be upgraded with $144m funding from QLD Government
More than $144 million will be invested by the Queensland Government for the delivery of key Cairns road projects. This funding is part of $1.45 billion invested on a four-year program for Far North roads.
WA Bunbury Outer Ring Road southern alignment one step closer to construction
A preferred route has been chosen by the Western Australian Government for the Bunbury Outer Ring Road (BORR) southern alignment, taking the project one step closer to construction. With the preferred route set, further project planning and design will go underway before it is referred to the Federal and State environmental regulators for approval.
NT Litchfield Park Road upgrade to create local jobs
Local business Ostojic Group has secured a $26 million contract to deliver the final stage of the Litchfield Park Road upgrade that will ensure a year-round access to Litchfield National Park in the Northern Territory.
Onsite Rental wins $30m works contract at Rio Tinto WA operations
Onsite Rental Group has been awarded a contract valued at almost $30 million to provide ancillary as well as light mobile equipment (LME) across Rio Tinto Iron Ore’s Pilbara and coastal operations over the next three years.
Contract to deliver $24m Karel Avenue upgrade WA awarded to Georgiou
Works to upgrade Western Australia’s Karel Avenue will soon commence and Georgiou Group has been awarded the design and construction contract for the $24 million project.
Hutchinson Builders and 28 subcontractors win work at Gladstone East Shores 1B
A principal contractor as well as 28 local subcontractors have been appointed to deliver the $25.9 million East Shores 1B project in Gladstone, Queensland. The project is anticipated to create more than 300 jobs.
$51m investment to upgrade intersections in Adelaide's northern suburbs
The South Australian Government will invest $51 million from the State Budget 2019-20 to deliver upgrades to three intersections in the northern suburbs to improve traffic flow on Main North and Grand Junction Roads.
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__label__wiki | 0.784364 | 0.784364 | Italy's Vote Against Austerity
Yannis Palaiologos
The Eurozone high command's insistence on cutting debt is being met with resistance in Italy.
Those pesky European voters have done it again. Last spring the Greek electorate, choked by recession and austerity, nearly gave the reins of government to a hard-left, anti-reform coalition. Now it’s Italy’s turn to throw the plans of the Eurozone high command into disarray. As results of the two-day parliamentary election began streaming in on Monday, Brussels, Berlin, and Frankfurt (seat of the European Central Bank)—not to mention the global markets—looked on in horror. The centre-left coalition led by Pier-Luigi Bersani and his Democratic Party (made up of reformed Communists and other modernized leftists) could not put together a majority in the Senate, even if it went into alliance with the centrists backing the outgoing prime minister, Mario Monti. The right-wing coalition led by Silvio Berlusconi had come within a whisker of outright victory. Most shockingly, M5S (the “Five Star Movement”), an anti-establishment and anti-euro party founded on the Internet and led by enraged comedian Beppe Grillo, had received more votes than any other single party.
It’s hard to talk about the day after in Italy without using words like “ungovernability,” “gridlock,” or even “chaos.” The country’s two parliamentary bodies—the Lower House and the Senate—have an equal say in the legislative process. The way the electoral law works, the slimmest of wins in the popular vote gives the coalition of parties that achieves it—in this case, the centre-left coalition led by Bersani’s Democratic Party, who won by a mere 0.3 percent over Berlusconi—a majority of seats in the Lower House.
But in the 315-seat Senate, the bonus for the winning party is allotted region by region. There, Berlusconi’s PdL-led coalition came in first with 116 members, to 113 for Bersani’s coalition. Grillo’s insurgents are at 54 seats and Monti’s sober centrists, with under 10 percent of the vote, are at a miserable 18, more than 20 short of what they would need to control a majority in alliance with the centre-left. Many pundits are already talking of new elections in May, after parliament elects the successor of Giorgio Napolitano, the 87-year old president of the Republic. And German officials are already warning the Italians to avoid such an outcome. (Witness the statement of Philipp Missfelder, a high-ranking member of parliament for Angela Merkel’s CDU, who told La Reppublica newspaper on Tuesday that “Italy is not Greece” and that “the Eurozone cannot afford a Greek-style scenario in Italy with fresh elections.”)
There are several things to note about the results of the Italian elections. The two most remarkable are the dogged resilience of Berlusconi and the meteoric rise of Grillo. Berlusconi, a shameless and indefatigable campaigner, despite his 76 years, came from 20 points behind to within 124,000 votes of actually winning the election. It was a dramatic re-run of the 2006 race, when he had again been written off as politically dead and had come to within 0.1 percent of beating Romano Prodi, whose fragile government coalition then lasted only two years before Il Cavaliere returned to power.
But this time it was an even more improbable comeback. After all, this was the man who had been forced to resign ignominiously in November 2011, after a third failed term as prime minister, because international markets had lost all faith in his stewardship and Italy was on the threshold of a Greek-style debt crisis. Since then, and until he decided to withdraw his support from the Monti government in December, he had mostly attracted media attention for his never ending (though rarely troubling) legal troubles. He is currently the accused party in two trials, one for using the services of an underage prostitute, the other for abusing the powers of his office. And let’s not forget that last October he was actually convicted of tax fraud and sentenced to four years in prison as well as a five-year ban from politics (he is appealing).
But the rise of Beppe Grillo and the M5S, which received over 25 percent of the vote, is even more astounding. Grillo, a 64-year old comedian with a keen eye for the plumbing of business and political scandals, build his movement in just three years around his extremely popular blog. He had taken to the internet after being excluded for years from state and private (i.e., Berlusconi-owned) television, where his brand of politically biting satire was not welcome. Making the most of Italians’ frustration with the lies, self-dealing, and legal impunity of the country’s political elites, Grillo is now the kingmaker of Italian politics. He himself was not elected, because of a conviction for manslaughter in 1980, but the Lower House and the Senate are filled with dozens of his disciples—political novices all. It remains to be seen how they will react to the power moves and pressures of their much more experienced colleagues. For now, however, Grillo has ruled out participation in any governing coalition.
Despite their obvious, yawning differences, what was common to Berlusconi and Grillo’s electoral campaigns was a hostility to the euro and its consequences. The billionaire former prime minister attacked the austerity measures imposed by the big loser of the election, Mario Monti, and painted him, personally, as a stooge of the German chancellor, Angela Merkel. Grillo has spoken out in favor of a referendum on euro membership. This in the midst of the longest recession the Italian economy has faced since World War II, which followed a decade of near-zero growth.
That is Italy’s real problem, more so that its public finances. With a public debt at 120 percent of GDP, it is hard to argue that fiscal retrenchment was not necessary. But pushing it too far, too fast, as the Berlin-Brussels-Frankfurt lobby has demanded of Italy and others, has meant that structural reforms that would have given new prospects to the country’s economy have been unable to produce results. The conflation of austerity with reform, as Wolfgang Münchau noted this week in the Financial Times, has also led to the loss of popular support for necessary structural changes, because the public associates reform with cuts in wages and pensions and tax hikes.
As they hunker down in rejuvenated agony to watch the coming machinations in Italy, Europe’s top decision-makers can bemoan the insanity of voting again for a man like Berlusconi, or of supporting a comedian with no real political program, and some pretty questionable views (like his doubts about the mandatory vaccination of children). But they must also face up to a truth the avoidance of which has prevented the effective tackling of the euro crisis: that austerity is not reform, that excessive austerity undermines reform and that the stubborn insistence on it is leaving the European South, and especially its young, unemployed and hopeless about the future. Not exactly a winning strategy.
Europe's Miserable Credit Score
Without access to credit, the European South is unlikely to bounce back anytime soon.
Yannis Palaiologos is a features reporter for the Kathimerini newspaper in Athens, Greece.
Articles By Yannis Palaiologos
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__label__cc | 0.584616 | 0.415384 | Handball, Our partners, Sport
STATSCORE’S eye on handball 2018/19, part 1
Posted by Michał Kopciński on September 4, 2018
PGNIG Superliga’s new season has started! 7 games behind us, 389 goals scored, 3 away team wins. But these are the most common statistics. We want to show you something more – we want to show you that the STATSCORE Handball LeagueCenter is a product that’s noteworthy. Let us take you for a walk through the key statistics from the 1st day of matches from the new season.
Gwardia Opole – PGE VIVE Kielce 26:36 (13:17)
PGE VIVE Kielce, last season’s PGNIG Superliga winners, competed in Opole against Gwardia with just 11 players available to play. The host team wanted to surprise their fans, but it was a missed opportunity as they didn’t take this chance. 47% throw efficiency (only 23% from 9-meters) and 3 missed penalties (out of 7) – there was no way this could end well.
Wybrzeże Gdańsk – Pogoń Szczecin 25:20 (11:6)
Artur Chmieliński was a main character in the match between Wybrzeże Gdańsk and Pogoń Szczecin. Wybrzeże’s goalkeeper saved 15 of their rival’s throws (43% efficiency) including two penalties and this was one of the main reasons the host team won this match. 6 goals scored in the first half by a team from the north-west of Poland? It doesn’t happen very often.
Chrobry Głogów – Piotrkowianin Piotrków Trybunalski 29:23 (14:10)
Aggressive play is sometimes a big problem in handball (but not always). Chrobry Głogów got seven 2-minutes suspensions in the match against Piotrkowianin Piotrków Trybunalski. Fortunately for Chrobry, their rivals had only 34 shots on target during the 60 minutes of play. That’s one of the reasons why the away team still has zero points to show in the league table.
Azoty Puławy – Zagłębie Lubin 35:24 (14:9)
Marko Panić, who plays for Azoty Puławy, put in a fantastic performance during the match against Zagłębie Lubin. He made it 8 out of 8. Additionally, Zagłębie had 16 turnovers and 11 missed throws during the match. That’s why the Bronze medallists from the last season didn’t have too many problems and won by a comfortable 11 goals.
NMC Górnik Zabrze – Arka Gdynia 38:24 (16:12)
20 minutes! That’s how long Arka Gdynia played against Górnik Zabrze as equals. After this the club from the Silesian district moved up a gear – they scored 22 goals in the second half (8 goals between the 41st and 50th minutes) and gave out a signal that they are a very dangerous team to play against. It’s worth mentioning that Górnik scored all of the 8 penalty shots they had in this match.
MKS Kalisz – Orlen Wisła Płock 26:29 (13:14)
Match statistics show that MKS Kalisz vs Orlen Wisła Płock was really a very close game. What determined a Wisła win? The away team made use of the 10 wing throws (they turned it to eight goals, while MKS Kalisz missed both throws they had in this match).
It wasn’t the best day for Michał Bałwas. 27-years-old winger from MKS Kalisz scored no goal despite the 5 shots he threw in match against ORLEN Wisła Płock. Additionally, he was penalised with a 2-minute suspension in a key moment of first half – during this time Wisła scored three goals. His weak performance was one of the main reasons why MKS Kalisz lost this match.
SPR Stal Mielec – MMTS Kwidzyn 27:27 (14:13) Pen. 5:6
60 minutes were not enough to have a winner in Mielec. Both Stal and MMTS Kwidzyn wanted to win, but regular time ended with the score 27:27. Finally, the away team won the penalty shootout 6:5. An Interesting fact is that both Kwidzyn’s goalkeeper’s – Bartosz Dudek, and Krzysztof Szczecina, saved 7 out of 20 throws from their rivals in regular time. Another interesting fact? Stal Mielec scored 15 goals thanks to throws aimed at the bottom left hand corner of the goal.
You will find all this and much more in our LeagueCenter that might be so easily added also to your website.
If you want to get in touch to find our more, please contact our Customer Success Team at cst@statscore.com or use the LiveChat on our website, so we can schedule a call and discuss how our LeagueCenter can help your organization!
polish handball statistics stats pgnig sport data minisite | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line592 |
__label__cc | 0.725295 | 0.274705 | Matania Ginosar
The Jews
Nov 7, 2015, 11:52 PM
While we are suffering from wide anti-Semitism and terrorism, it is good to remember who we are.
We are a minuscule minority of 14 million people, in this vast world of two billion Christians, one and a half billion Muslims, and three billion Chinese and Indians.
We, the few remaining Jews who were treated worse than any other people in recent history; who were murdered or driven out from both European and the Arab countries; have miraculously created a marvelous civilized, democratic, creative, prosperous, country from a nearly empty desert. And continue to be a light to the world despite being continuously under attack, and maligned by misguided people all over much of the Western and Muslim world.
This is a unique event in world history — return to our home with full dynamism after two thousand years. Be proud in Israel, support it.
There is just one Jew for every 500 people in the world. And our contributions to humanity, in morality, science, agriculture, water systems, literature, and much more, are immensely larger than our small number. About 20 percent, one in five, of Nobel Prizes were awarded to Jews. That is a hundred times more than our numbers would suggest.
For two millennia our wise Orthodox rabbis coached us how to think critically by studying the Talmud in depth, while we challenged our teachers in the pursuit of knowledge. From this we developed one of the most important aspects of Judaism: eagerness to learn. Jews are unafraid to challenge dogmas and are eager to think, to debate, to argue in the pursuit of facts and developing solutions.
Our culture is based on reverence to life, making the world a better place for all humanity, seeking peace, freedom, society responsibility for the poor, the sick, the orphans; love of learning, and other advanced principals that the rest of the enlightened world eventually learned from Judaism.
Yes, we are sometimes difficult and “odd” because we do not just talk the talk, but walk the walk in pursuit of a better world. We want to make a difference. And we have done it for a very long time.
Many hate us because, as Rabbi David Wolpe wrote recently, we are the moral alarm clock to humanity, and no one likes their alarm clock.
The world would have existed without us, but it is far better for the world that we have been and are here.
Matania
Dr. Matania Ginosar was born and raised in Israel to a family that has lived in Israel for more than 200 years. At age 15, he joined the Lechi underground to liberate Israel and was arrested by the British. He is a founding member of a kibbutz near the Gaza border. Dr. Ginosar has a B.S. & M.S. in Electrical Engineering. He was a Teaching Assistant MIT. M.S. management as well as Doctorate in Environmental Science from UCLA. Twenty yr. in Electronic Engineering. Manager Solar office and Wind- Energy program for State of California, Pioneered wind energy in Calif, first in the world. Directed political activists against nuclear weapons' buildup Pro bono for 9 yrs. Blogging on Israeli issues for over 15 yrs. writer, teacher. | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line597 |
__label__wiki | 0.703634 | 0.703634 | You are here: Home / News / Wartime Stability Maintenance for Navy Day
Wartime Stability Maintenance for Navy Day
05/13/2019 Li Mingxuan
Increased surveillance of ethnic minorities and people of faith was implemented in preparation for the 70th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army Navy.
Li Mingxuan
The celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army Navy that lasted for four days, ending on April 25, was a display of China’s military power, led by President Xi Jinping himself and witnessed by more than 60 delegations from around the world. Held in the port city of Qingdao in the eastern province of Shandong, the event was a spectacle like no other: the military parade featuring China’s 39 aircraft and 32 ships, musical performances, and other festivities.
To prevent any possibility of slipups or unrest, law enforcement in Qingdao, guided and supervised by the central government, implemented unprecedented “stability maintenance” measures before and during the Navy Day. Bitter Winter has reported that Uyghurs working in Qingdao were sent back to Xinjiang before the big event. New reports from Shandong reveal that other ethnic minorities and people of faith have also been targeted.
Believers investigated, religious venues shut down
According to a an official from a village in Qingdao’s Chengyang district, in early March, each subdistrict and village committee in the area convened meetings to convey the central government’s orders for Party members and grid administrators to intensify surveillance in their jurisdictions, investigating residents and outsiders under the pretext of “cleaning up gang crime and eliminating evil.” A particular focus was to be placed on collecting information about residents’ religious beliefs; Falun Gong practitioners and members of The Church of Almighty God had to be immediately reported, promising rewards for each found person.
Security checkpoint at a village entrance.
The crackdown on the religious in Qingdao intensified in early April, when officials from the Ministry of Public Security’s anti-xie jiao supervision group arrived, demanding every grid administrator and building manager to ensure that no religious materials appeared within the area of their responsibility. Churches were ordered to shut down – house and government-approved places of worship alike.
A co-worker from one of the closed down churches commented that religious people always become key targets of surveillance every time the government holds a large-scale event. “As soon as Xi Jinping came to power, he vigorously cracked down on religion and designated religious groups as targets of ‘cleaning up gang crime and eliminating evil.’ The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has really confused right and wrong. Even when drivers apply for vehicle permits, they must first obtain a no-faith certificate,” the believer commented.
A security officer at the bus stop in Qingdao.
According to the notice issued by Chengyang district, wartime-like security and stability maintenance mechanisms were initiated starting April 15. All grid administrators were demanded to remain on duty 24 hours a day to ensure that everything goes smoothly for the Navy Day.
A security officer told Bitter Winter that the Public Security Bureau of Jiaozhou, a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Qingdao, issued to assistant officers in each village mobile phones with access to China’s population database. During their investigations, officers could verify if a person under question had a criminal record or was associated with banned religious groups to take appropriate measures, including arrests of such residents.
Surveillance of ethnic minorities intensified
On March 21, over 300 building managers in Chengyang district were gathered for a meeting and informed to pay particular attention to ethnic minorities (including Huis, Tibetans, and ethnic Koreans) as well as foreign nationals living in their buildings. Any such resident had to be immediately reported to a local management committee or Public Security Bureau. All building managers were required to sign confidentiality agreements to prevent any leaks of information.
A security and confidentiality commitment statement that Chengyang district building managers had to sign.
In some communities, emergency notices were posted, demanding homeowners to report any strangers on site. A resident complained, “The Chinese people have no freedom at all. Even if a stranger comes, we have to call the police. This is really scary! In the future, friends and relatives won’t dare to come either.”
Businesses and regular people suffer as well
The owner of a grilled meat shop was one among the many Xinjiang residents working in Qingdao who were forced to go home for Navy Day. Not being able to run his business, he suffered significant financial losses. “I don’t know how long I will have to stay. The shop rent still has to be paid; I will lose at least 100,000 RMB (about $ 15,000),” the man complained.
The “stability maintenance” campaign also had a significant impact on the local retail, fishing, and construction industries. A fisherman revealed that a government order prohibited from going out to sea from April 18 to 26. The specially assigned personnel were patrolling the shore and arrested anyone who disobeyed.
LED shop signs were also included among the “stability maintenance” targets: faring that inappropriate information could be displayed by hacking the computers that run these light boxes, such signs were removed.
The authorities also ordered all construction projects to be halted, causing financial losses for building companies.
Tagged With: Anti-Religious Campaigns
Propaganda and Culture Shows Instead of Sunday Mass
Temples Punished for Not Worshiping Political Leaders
Religious Symbols Removed from Homes in Henan | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line598 |
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It’s hard not to like new Kansas City Royals outfielder Brett Phillips. Whether it’s interacting with family and friends in his return to his hometown or his infectious laugh, it’s pretty easy to cheer for this guy. Or maybe you are like me and just enjoy his humor:
But there are more than enough reasons to be a fan of Mr. Phillips. For one, his defense is above average as we have already seen in his short Royals career:
So at this point, envisioning Phillips staying in Kansas City for the foreseeable future seems like a lock, right? With that said, there is one part of his game that needs some minor tweaking and that is his ability at the plate.
Credit: John Sleezer/KC Star
Now this isn’t a shock to anyone who had read the scouting reports on Phillips before or after he was acquired. For awhile now his hitting has been the one thing holding him back. Here is one such report from last summer:
My guess is that his batting average and OBP will be inconsistent, at least at first, but that his power and defense will make him a viable option even when he’s having contact troubles. He’s only 23 and still has a lot of development time. He has a shot at being a multi-category regular and at worst should be a valuable platoon player.
It’s lucky for both Phillips and the Royals that they have the time over the next few years to give him the room to grow. His raw tool set is going to make it a priority to allow him the time and see how far along he comes over the next two years.
Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
The good news is that there are already some positives in his short tenure in Kansas City, albeit in a small sample size. For one, his line drive rate is sitting at 29% over the last month, which is a pretty healthy increase over his minor league career. While it would be nice to see him get the ball in the air slightly more with his power potential, line drives are always a sign of good contact and with his speed it can actually become an extra advantage for him.
He also has put up an impressive .355 BABIP during this span, which is telling us two different stories. One aspect of his BABIP is that when he does hit the ball, there is a good chance it is turning into a hit. The other aspect screams that he is striking out way too much, which means he isn’t getting the ball in play as much as one would like.
Credit: Getty Images
Phillips has struck out 25 times in 63 plate appearances as of Tuesday, which gives him at a 39.7% strike out rate. The last couple of seasons have seen his strike outs increase in the minor leagues, which feels like a direct correlation to the increase in his power numbers.
Most of us are aware that if a player is trying to hit for more power there should be an expectation that his strike outs will also see a bump. The goal for Phillips is to work on making more contact while not sacrificing too much power in the process. As we have seen over the years (with Mike Moustakas being the most recent) it could take a while for the power to completely develop and a lot of times is just a step in the maturation process.
Phillips has posted a pretty good walk rate throughout the minors and while it is a bit lower over the past month (7.9%), it also feels like the small sample size makes this a moot point. The walks will come, more than likely, as he continues to adjust to his new team.
The power should also come, although the numbers tend to hint that he isn’t too far off. Out of his 12 hits in a Royals uniform so far, 5 have been for extra bases. There are some concerns (hard hit rate is at 28.1% over the last month, lower than Rosell Herrera) but it might be wise to remember the adjustment period he is going through right now.
Credit: Mike DiNovo/USA TODAY Sports
Phillips has gone from not only a new team, but is dealing with a new league and even to a degree still adjusting to the big leagues. Before the trade to Kansas City, Phillips had only appeared in 122 plate appearances, which is slightly more than a months worth of appearances on average for a big league hitter. There is a lot being thrown his way to deal with and his level of comfort is probably not as high as it normally would be.
The good news is that there are a lot of positives to deal with as well. It will be interesting to see how he performs in September, considering he would have had a full month with his new team and hopefully has built up a decent amount of confidence by then.
Credit: BRAD RICHARDSON
Phillips has a number of tools that should help him along the way and give him the ability to work around any complications. It might not occur all at once the rest of this year or next, but since the Royals have to look at the bigger picture it’s not always about immediate gratification.
Instead, it will be about following his progress. Phillips isn’t going to turn into an All-Star overnight but there is no reason to think he won’t be a productive part of the lineup sooner rather than later. There will be bumps in the road and I’m sure at times we will see him struggle mightily. But the template is there; all it will take is for Phillips and the Royals to put in the work.
Younger Days
This was it. This was supposed to be the beginning of a new era of Kansas City Royals baseball, an era of rebuilding that would shape the foundation of the organization for not only the next few years but years beyond. 2018 was going to be the year we all look back on and see the outline of a master plan that would come to fruition around 2021-2022. Instead, we are sitting almost five months deep into the season wondering what the point of this season was.
Dayton Moore has been preparing us for this rebuild for more than a year, knowing full well that the team would be losing a number of free agents after the 2017 season. He knew that financially it wouldn’t make sense to bring back the entire group and that it was time to move forward. That would normally mean allowing younger players to infiltrate the roster. But is that how it has gone down?
Credit: Sports Illustrated
Early in spring training the Royals went out and filled some holes on the roster with veterans, as they locked up Jon Jay, Lucas Duda and Mike Moustakas. For the most part there was “no harm, no foul”, as Kansas City didn’t spend much on any of the three while giving the team trade bait for later in the summer.
For the most part that is how it has played out, as Jay and Moustakas have both been dealt and Duda is still a possibility to be traded later this month. So while these three have been taking up roster spots, they weren’t blocking a player who was ready to play in the big leagues.
Credit: Associated Press
But there are some major question marks when it comes to a segment of the veterans still on the club and the amount of playing time they have been receiving lately. For example, over the last week or so we have seen Drew Butera make a couple starts at not only catcher but even first base. Yes, first base where he had started a total of two games before this season.
Four starts in one week for Butera feels like a lot. The guy is a solid backup catcher and appears to work well with the pitching staff. Should he be starting at a position he has played at sparingly when you have two youngsters (Hunter Dozier and Ryan O’Hearn) who actually play the position fairly regularly? Probably not. I won’t go as far as saying it is hurting their development but starting Butera over them this past week felt like a real head scratcher.
Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
How about everyone’s favorite punching bag, Alcides Escobar? It’s hard to justify his playing time with a line of .204/.257/.283 and -0.9 fWAR and yet he is in the lineup more often than not. Adalberto Mondesi has shown that offensively he is an improvement over Escobar and defensively has been superior for years now. Yet over the two months since being recalled, he has only started 31 games in the field.
Out of a group of six rookies (which does not include Mondesi, since he passed his rookie status before this season) that have played for the Royals this season, they have compiled 527 plate appearances, or only 108 more than Escobar. Whether it is allowing these players to ease into the big leagues or just not giving them a bigger role, these prospects have not gotten the experience many of us expected them to receive as the season progressed.
It’s been a slightly different story for the pitching staff, as a number of rookies have been given more prominent roles. Brad Keller has probably been the pitcher of the year for Kansas City so far, posting a 3.57 ERA, 3.64 FIP and 1.3 fWAR. The Royals rookie pitchers (ten in total) have thrown 346 out of the team’s 1033 innings. Keller and fellow Rule 5 Draft Pick Burch Smith have thrown the most out of the bunch, 88.1 and 60.2 respectively.
Six Royals rookies have tossed 30 innings or more this year, including relievers Tim Hill and Jason Adam. It is hard to argue that the team is not giving some of the younger arms in the organization an opportunity to pitch this year when 4/5 of the current rotation are rookies. Then why does it feel like they could go even younger?
Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The new “Black Hole of Death” appears to be in the bullpen, where Brandon Maurer, Jason Hammel and Blaine Boyer are taking up space. All three have struggled this year and have hurt the team on the field more than any value the rookies receive from their veteran leadership. It has been suggested that the club should cut bait with these three and give some of the arms in Omaha an opportunity…and at this point it is hard to argue with that reasoning.
Is there any reason not to give Eric Stout or Trevor Oaks a longer look? Are control issues enough of a detriment to see whether Josh Staumont and Sam Selman can have success out of a major league bullpen? What about new acquisition Jorge Lopez? And how are we in the middle of August and there is still no sign of Richard Lovelady? In my eyes, it makes no sense to employ veterans like Maurer and Boyer when they just aren’t getting the job done. Give them a bus pass and lets see what some of the inexperienced arms can do.
Maybe my expectations were off course, but by this point in the season I presumed that the Royals would be employing one of the younger rosters in the league. Instead, they still feel really…old. By no means do I expect this team to be a cavalcade of 20 year olds, but I did expect the focus to be on the future. Instead, it feels like they are treading water.
Not every prospect is going to be ready and there is an appreciation for allowing them to develop at their own pace. But if the Royals are to contend again around 2021 (and that is the expectation in the front office) then they need to speed this process up. Giving at bats to Alcides Escobar or allowing Brandon Maurer another day on the roster isn’t helping anyone. For this to be a real rebuild, the Royals need to quit straddling the fence and move forward with players who could still be in Kansas City three years from now.
A Veteran’s Role
For every professional athlete, there comes a time when they must hang up the uniform and cope with the reality of life outside of their chosen profession. For many it comes sooner rather than later, while others hang on to the bitter end.
For Kansas City Royals outfielder Alex Gordon, that time is in the ‘sooner’ category. In fact, he has thought about what he wants to do when his 4-year, $72 million dollar deal is up after the 2019 season:
“Obviously, I’m getting up there in age in terms of not many years of me left playing,” he said. “I think I dealt with this mentally the last time I signed a contract. It depends on how I feel in one year and two months. Who knows? I may want to play longer. Or I may just want to be with my family. It’s the family decision that I think about most. [Retirement] crosses your mind.”
Gordon will be entering his age 35 season next year and by the time he is a free agent again he will be knocking on the door of 36. While his defense is still at an elite level (10 DRS so far in 2018 with an 8.6 UZR) the offense has taken a noticeable dip these last few years. Gordon is hitting . 251/.324/.356 with a wRC+ of 87 during this 2018 campaign.
In fact, Gordon hasn’t had a wRC+ above the league average since 2015 and average is probably the best you can hope for from him moving forward. If we are being honest, even his defense has waned a bit, as he appears to have lost a step or two these last few years.
So with Alex entering the final year of his contract, it will be interesting to see how he is used moving forward. As long as no one is traded over the winter, the Royals will have a logjam in the outfield (and DH) as Gordon, Jorge Bonifacio, Rosell Herrera, Brett Phillips, Brian Goodwin, and Jorge Soler will be competing for four positions. If you did your math correctly, six doesn’t equal four, which means someone is probably bound to lose some playing time.
Credit: Jamie Squire/Getty Images
With Gordon being the veteran of the group and his offensive struggles on full display these last three years, it’s very likely he could be the one seeing a reduced role next year. Kansas City needs to see what they have with some of these youngsters and allowing them the opportunity to play means more for the future of this organization. The Royals know what they have with Gordon and the good news is that even with a reduced role he should bring the team value next year.
For one thing, the day-to-day grind won’t wear on him the way it has in the past. Gordon has been on a tear over the last few weeks (.349/.404/.488 over the last 12 games) and he has mentioned that the time off from the All-Star break allowed him to re-charge himself. Gordon is still an above-average player (1.6 bWAR this year) and in theory the extra rest could be very beneficial for him the older he gets.
This doesn’t mean Gordon would never start or be used solely as a backup. There is a good chance that he would still get a few starts a week as part of an outfield rotation. It’s hard to imagine Gordon being relegated to the bench unless his offense falls back to 2017 levels. In this scenario, Alex would still collect a couple starts a week while allowing the younger players more regular at bats.
There is also a chance Gordon will see more action as a defensive replacement on the days he doesn’t start. With the Royals employing a number of outfielders either at or below league average, exploiting Gordon’s defense will improve the team late in the game while still getting him out on the field.
But the biggest value Gordon has for next year is in his leadership. With the team skewing younger and younger these next couple of years, Gordon’s leadership will be invaluable to a group needing direction for the next level of their career. Gordon’s is more of a quiet, ‘follow my example’ type of leadership but one that is harder to teach.
Over the last seven years we have never heard of Alex Gordon being anything but a shining example to the younger players in the Royals clubhouse and I’m pretty sure there is a reason for that. Gordon has always appeared to be a selfless teammate and as he reaches the latter part of his career that characteristic might be one of the most essential.
While we can bicker and debate all day whether or not the Royals should have re-signed him three years ago, there is no disputing whether or not he has produced at the level expected for the size of the deal. Gordon has underachieved and his contract has felt like an albatross around the Royals payroll these last couple of years.
But that doesn’t mean he has no value to the team moving forward. In fact, his most important role might just be waiting for him on deck. It won’t show up in the numbers and it won’t appear on a stat sheet, but what he teaches the up and coming Royals next year could be just as important as what he did for Moose, Hos and Salvy. It won’t get the glory, but the final chapter in his Kansas City career might just be the most significant.
Dayton Moore’s Altered Masterplan
Credit: Ed Zurga/Getty Images
As the Kansas City Royals muddle through a rough 2018 campaign, it isn’t hard to veer off course and try to entertain yourself in different ways. Some focus on other sports, while others pick up a new hobby. For myself, I try to play a fun game of ‘Rex Bingo’ as I watch the bullpen implode or the offense struggle to muster three hits (and trust me, this game will be explained at a later date).
But Royals General Manager Dayton Moore has found a new, creative way of dealing with the Royals holding the second worst record in baseball. As the Moustakas trade was going down in the late hours of Friday night, Moore decided to throw a Molotov cocktail into a nice, peaceful losing season. Moore was tired of Rome burning:
“We didn’t want to do a prospect-type deal in this case, because of the nature of where we are at the major-league level and what we’re trying to accomplish,” Moore said on a conference call with reporters. “We don’t like losing games and we don’t like where we are right now with the major-league team, so we wanted to try to seek talent that was going to help us sooner than later.”
We’ve all known that Kansas City would be rebuilding this year and for the last few years Moore has done a good job of reminding every one of what expectations should be. But this shift in thinking lit Royals fandom into a fury that started stirring more questions than answers for Moore. In other words, what exactly is Dayton Moore focused on right now, rebuilding or the wins and losses of a bad Royals team?
Before we go down this path, do remember that most baseball analysts have applauded the Moustakas trade and what Kansas City received in the deal. Personally, I felt it was a bigger haul than expected for a player who was essentially a two-month rental. So by no means are we questioning the value of the trade.
To go a step further, there really aren’t a ton of complaints about the Kelvin Herrera trade or the Jon Jay deal. Both moves helped replenish the farm system and coupled with the recent draft have deepened the value in the minor leagues. In both regards, it feels like Moore has done right by the future of the organization.
But the one question that is always posed when deals like these are made is whether or not the team was able to get the best value in return. Sometimes it is about filling a need, and other times it is about getting the best players available. Even when it comes to the Moose trade, these deals have felt like proper value considering who was traded, how much time was left on the players contract and whether or not the Royals were willing to eat salary (which is almost always never).
But Moore’s quote about wanting to improve the current roster feels like a big 180 degree turn. To be honest, in some ways it is hard to fathom why he would even care about wins or losses when the focus should be on development and planning for the future. If the current Royals team gets even 10 more wins than what they are on pace for, does it matter? In the scope of the bigger picture, are those extra wins helping this team become a contender sooner or appeasing some other master?
Because as much as the focus should be on procuring the future by letting some of the prospects play, it is important to also remember that baseball is a business. At the end of the day, upper management is (and should be) concerned about how much money is coming in and/or how much is going out. If we are being honest here, the Royals losing hurts business. Less wins equal fewer customers rolling through the turnstiles and that is a big part of the business side of this team.
But lets also not forget that the Royals are currently working on a new television deal, as the organization looks to replace one of the worst deals in baseball. It’s probably a safe assumption that the team will make a ridiculous amount of money off any new deal no matter how the performance on the field goes. But a winning team is easier to sell than one that has taken up residence near the bottom of the league.
Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
So if Kansas City is trying to max out this new deal, they would obviously want to put their best foot forward. That would involve improving the ‘on the field product’ from what we have seen in the first half of the season. Now, Moore isn’t involved in these negotiations but he is the guy who would be able to make moves to improve the product on the diamond…and that involves seeking talent that can help them sooner rather than later.
So could this recent change in attitude be a byproduct of the TV deal? Possibly. It could also just be a knee-jerk reaction to all of the losing. The losing has obviously caused a stir in upper management:
“I’m embarrassed the way our major-league team has performed. OK? I didn’t necessarily expect us to be in the playoffs this year, but I didn’t expect us to be on pace to lose 100-plus games,” Moore said. “That’s embarrassing to me personally, it’s embarrassing to our organization. Mr. Glass doesn’t expect that, either, and so we’ve got to do a better job of that. (Former Tigers general manager) Bill Lajoie told me this a long time ago: major-league players aren’t paid to play, they’re paid to win. And so it’s our responsibility to get players on this major-league team that understand that and they have to go out and compete.”
At one point Moore had said he expected the Royals to be on pace to win 25 more games than the pace they are currently on. Most of us guessed before the season that the team would win in the vicinity of 68-76 games this year. The Royals have performed below expectations and obviously that is not sitting well with Moore or Glass.
The good news is that as of right now, none of the moves made so far this season has led to a younger player not receiving the playing time he would need to develop. Sure, Alcides Escobar is still taking up residence in the lineup almost everyday but we knew that before the year began. As of right now, no one is being blocked.
But you do start to wonder where Moore’s head is. Is the rebuild still on with just slight alterations? Is he more willing to look at a player closer to being big league ready than one that is a few years away, even if the younger talent has a higher ceiling? Or will he start looking at veterans to help the bleeding stop?
Last week, Dan Szymborski of Fangraphs had some pointed comments toward the Kansas City front office. One of them really hits home right now:
See? This is exactly what I'm talking about with the Royals. There's no master plan; they're not playing chess, they're playing Battleship. https://t.co/vluqg2lfd6
— Dan Szymborski (@DSzymborski) July 28, 2018
While I’m not at a point where I’m ready to rally together the villagers with pitchforks and torches and ask for Moore’s head, I am asking the same question: Is there a master plan? And if there is, is it going to change again in a few more weeks? If there are more major changes, don’t be surprised when the villagers already have their weapons in tow.
Kansas City Wish Fulfillment
If you are taking stock of the first half of the Kansas City Royals 2018 season, most of your return would be a muddled mess. The Royals were in shambles, whether it was the offense, the rotation or the bullpen. Essentially the only reliability sat in their defense, which is leading the American League in UZR while coming in 8th in defensive runs saved.
But this isn’t a piece to prop up the defense or even bash the ineptitude we have seen for the first three and a half months of the season. Instead, this is that nugget of positivity you keep hoping for. This is the dream scenario where the blocks fall into place like on a Tetris grid.
What we’ve compiled is a wish list of sorts. It’s a few items of interest that if swayed the proper direction could benefit the Royals for the rest of this season into next. By no means should you take this as ‘This is how the Royals win the American League Central’, as that is just crazy talk. No, this is a view of ‘what could be’ if Kansas City plays their cards right these next few months.
With the trade deadline looming in less than a week (July 31 to be exact), the Royals are in a good position to make some moves and add some depth to the organization. Mike Moustakas appears to be the main chip that Dayton Moore has to deal and a number of teams (Boston and Atlanta among them) have shown interest in the power-hitting slugger.
But after Moose there aren’t any certainties. Whit Merrifield would be a great acquisition for a team looking to pick up a versatile fielder with the ability to get on base, but Kansas City is in a position where they don’t have to deal him if they don’t like the offers they are receiving. At this point the likelihood of a Whit trade feels like a 50/50 chance…at best.
Two other names to keep an eye on would be Lucas Duda and Jason Hammel. Duda has been hitting .310/.394/.414 over his last nine games coming into Tuesday with a BABIP of .421. While on the surface Hammel’s shift to the bullpen has been a mixed bag, his velocity has gone up (as expected) and he appears to be assimilating to his new role.
Duda could possibly be dealt in August after clearing waivers to a team looking for a power bat but Hammel feels less likely. The combination of a poor season coupled with a high salary(that Kansas City is probably unwilling to eat) makes the likelihood of a trade probably slim. But if the Royals are given the opportunity, they should take it.
Playing Younger
With the talk of veterans being dealt, that should open up more opportunities for some of the younger talent in the Kansas City farm system. One of the advantages of a rebuild is players getting a chance to prove themselves on a fairly regular basis. That opportunity appears to be looming.
We’ve already seen extended tryouts for guys like Adalberto Mondesi and Hunter Dozier. The pitching staff has been littered with youth, from Brad Keller and Burch Smith (two Rule 5 draftees) to Tim Hill and now Heath Fillmyer. Maybe I’m being selfish, but I would love to see a larger youth movement implemented these last two months.
At this point, I am game to hand out opportunities like pieces of PEZ. Would you like to see another youngster in the rotation? Let’s see what Trevor Oaks can do on an extended basis. How about the bullpen? We’ve heard about Richard Lovelady for a while, but it’s not too far-fetched to give Kevin Lenik an opportunity as well.
Offensively there aren’t as many options, but names like Ryan O’Hearn and Frank Schwindel could be interesting come September (despite their performances so far this season). Even guys we have seen already, like Cam Gallagher and Ramon Torres, could see some playing time as the season wears on.
Obviously not all of these names are going to produce and some will even show that they are not worth keeping around. But if a team is truly rebuilding, you owe it to yourself to hand out these opportunities and let the players run with it. Good or bad, it’s simply a matter of going out and proving their worth…and luckily, the Royals have the time to allow that to happen.
The Rotation we were Expecting
Before the season started, a number of us felt like the Royals rotation could be a major plus for the team. In fact, I was one of those proponents:
While on the surface this is an underwhelming group of arms, there is potential here that could be reached if circumstances go the right way.
Most of the high expectations came from thinking the starters could outperform their 2017 numbers. Unfortunately, Ian Kennedy and Jason Hammel have not while Jakob Junis appeared to be on a fast-track to success early in the season and he has since fallen on hard times. There was also that Nate Karns guy, but who even knows if we will see him this season, as he rebounds from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery.
But there is some hope. Danny Duffy has looked superb over his last 11 starts, posting a 2.58 ERA while holding batters to a line of .217/.303/.296. Heath Fillmyer has been nothing short of sensational since being put in the rotation. Then there is Brad Keller, who has possibly been the biggest bright spot for Kansas City in a season full of dim bulbs.
If the Royals can get Junis back to his early season self (and his start over the weekend was encouraging) and audition either Burch Smith or Trevor Oaks for an extended period, this could be a rotation similar to what was originally expected. It won’t challenge the Atlanta Braves rotations of the early 90’s, but it doesn’t have far to go to top how the rotation performed in the first half.
Fulfilled Expectations
While the other wishes were part of a grander scale, there are a few more items to keep your eye on in the second half that would drastically improve the ballclub.
Keep an eye on Whit Merrifield (if he isn’t traded) as he is on pace to topple most of his stats from 2017. Whit is currently hitting .299/.370/.420 with a wRC+ of 118 and 3.0 fWAR. While his power numbers have seen a slight decline (slugging percentage and ISO have seen the biggest dip) his overall numbers have been an improvement.
The rest of his numbers appear to have improved ( in fact his WAR is already better than 2017), as his walk rate has seen an increase and his BABIP has risen to .356. While his strike out rate has gone up, we have also seen an uptick in the hard hit rate. If you are purely a fan of Whit’s power you might be disappointed, but otherwise it will be fun to watch him wrap up what appears to be his new peak this season.
Another interesting player to watch is Salvador Perez. A few weeks ago I took a look at Perez and his struggles. In that piece, I mentioned how it might not take much to turn around his season:
I’ll go a step further and say that if he combined that with his hard hit rate and maybe (just maybe) a dash of better luck on the balls he hits into play, Salvy could go from being the ‘disappearing hitter’ he was in June to helping ignite what little offense the Royals can muster on a consistent basis.
That luck has finally come around, as Salvy is hitting .269/.286/.481 over his last 13 games with 3 home runs and 12 RBI’s. But the improvement shows up in his BABIP, where he is hitting .314 in that span and contributing on almost a daily basis.
To break that down even further, Perez is hitting .273/.286/.576 in the last eight games with an OPS of .861. While it may be just a small sample size, Salvy has been seeing more pitches per at bat while looking for a pitch to drive. It’s not hard to imagine him turning things around the next couple months and ending up with numbers comparable to year’s past.
Obviously we would all like to see the Royals turn themselves back into contenders during the second half, but that just isn’t realistic. The good news is that their performance in the first half has set the bar very low for the last half of the season. It gives Kansas City a chance to show they aren’t quite as bad as they’ve played to this point.
There is a number of things you can wish for, but your best bet is to wish for improvement. Moving forward wins and losses shouldn’t matter as much as how the development is coming along for this team. It should be about finding out what they have and what they should keep moving forward. That is what should be at the top of any Royals fan’s wish list.
That and to never see Brandon Maurer in a high-leverage situation ever again. | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line601 |
__label__cc | 0.722153 | 0.277847 | Video: Freedom and the Poverty Industry
by John Couretas • April 19, 2016
Kris Mauren, executive director of the Acton Institute, kicks off the second season of the Free Market Series, a television program for American and Canadian audiences produced by The World Show in partnership with the Montreal Economic Institute and broadcast on PBS affiliates. In Episode 1, Mauren takes apart the “fatally flawed poverty industry” and talks about Acton’s Poverty Inc. documentary. Interview notes:
Many people imagine that free markets are synonymous with self-interest and greed, but for Kris Mauren, freedom is a necessary condition of a good society. As he describes in this illuminating interview, when he co-founded the Acton Institute, the errors of rejecting markets were becoming undeniable. With the fall of the Berlin Wall and of real communism, he says, “we could see the results of generations of socialist experimentation, and the results were not good. And people of good will have to be concerned with results, not just philosophy.”
The Acton Institute’s Poverty Inc. is a full-length documentary about the fatally flawed poverty industry. Despite largely good intentions, billions and billions of dollars of aid have not helped the poor. What the rest of the world needs to climb out of poverty are things we take for granted in the industrialized world: the rule of law, private property, and opportunities for entrepreneurship. As Mauren points out, “Nobody wants to stay poor and depend on other people. People have talents and abilities and they want to do for themselves. Many people are just excluded from the natural order of things and from the economy.”
Many within the poverty industry itself have praised the film, as has famous documentarian Michael Moore. Indeed, by criticizing crony capitalism and people who try to get ahead by shutting others out, this documentary is an opportunity for people from across the political spectrum to come together and agree on some fundamental issues of justice regarding the poor.
John Couretas John Couretas is Director of Communications, responsible for print and online communications at the Acton Institute. He has more than 20 years of experience in news and publishing fields. He has worked as a staff writer on newspapers and magazines, covering business and government. John holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in the Humanities from Michigan State University and a Master of Science Degree in Journalism from Northwestern University.
Posted in Effective Compassion, Poverty, VideoTagged Kris Mauren, poverty inc, PovertyCure DVD Series
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Video: Michael Matheson Miller Critiques Celebrity Poverty Campaigns
Audio: Michael Matheson Miller on Real Solutions to Poverty
Asking the Right Question about Poverty | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line602 |
__label__wiki | 0.613174 | 0.613174 | New York Attorney Malpractice Blog
When Are Damages Too Speculative in a Legal Malpractice Case?
By Andrew Lavoott Bluestone on June 24, 2019
Posted in Legal Malpractice Cases
Too speculative is a defense commonly utilized by defendants in legal malpractice settings. Here, in Birch v Novick & Assoc., P.C.
2019 NY Slip Op 31712(U) June 14, 2019 Supreme Court, New York County Docket Number: 161445/13, Justice Carol R. Edmead discusses just how speculative they might be.
“Defendants argue that the complaint must be dismissed, as Plaintiff has not sustained any ascertainable damages. Weinblatt, one of the attorney’s Plaintiff hired after losing confidence in
Defendants, who is also a CPA, sent Plaintiff an email on November 21, 2012, stating that her share of her residuary estate, “based upon [Kappenberg] receiving no elective share” was “$1,800, 709 .11 “4 Plaintiff submits no competing computation of what Plaintiff would have been awarded if she successfully challenged Kappenberg’ s right of election.
Since Plaintiff ultimately received $2.3 in the settlement, Defendants argue that she cannot show actual damages. Hochberg_, Defendants’ counsel, opines: “Plaintiff received a surplus of approximately $500,000 as a result of the efforts of (Defendants] and co-counsel .. I am advised that … Plaintiff seeks … to recover legal fees she paid in the amount of $331,699.59 …. [T]aking Plaintiff’s claims at face value, the extra $500,00 [Defendants] obtained for Plaintiff more
than offsets the totality of the legal fees paid by the Plaintiff concerning the Underlying Matter” (NYSCEF doc No. 25-27).
Plaintiff, in opposition, argues that the 1.8 million estimate does not take into account the residual right that Plaintiff would have had in the $2.1 million trust in Kappen berg’s benefit provided for in the 2008 Will. Defendants, in reply, argue that the hypothetical worth of this residual right is impertnissibly speculative and”that Plaintiff waived her claim to any damages related to the residual right by not including it from its second amended damages chart.
Generally, a plaintiff in a legal malpractice action can recover for damages it expended – mitigating the damage of an attorney’s negligence (Kagan Lubic Lepper Finklestein & Gold v 325 Fifth Ave. Condominium, 2015 NY Slip Op. 31470[U] [Sup Ct, NY County, Kern, J][cognizable damages in a legal malpractice action include consequential damages sustained as a result of the attorney’s malpractice, including expenses such as experts fees and attorney’s fees”]). Here; as there are questions of fact relating to negligence, there are concomitant questions of fact related to consequential damages arising from the alleged negligence. That is, a factfinder could find that Defendants were negligent and that Plaintiff expended additional fees to remedy that negligence. In other words, a factfinder could find that, absent negligence, Plaintiff could have attained the $2.3 settlement without having to hire additional attorneys.
Moreover, it would it would be error for the court to determine that Plaintiff could not establish damages based on Weinblatt’s estimate as to the amount Plaintiff would have received under the 2008 Will and the $2.3 million Plaintiffinherited under the settlement. While Defendants argue that Plaintiffs residual right tO’the Kappenberg trust provided for in the 2008 Will is too speculative to serve as a Qasis to deny summary judgment, the estimate that Defendants rely on is also, fundamentally, speculative. Moreover, the question of whether Plaintiff waived any damages claim based on this residual right is a question best reserved for the factfinder. As questions of fact as to damages remain, the branch of Defendants’ motion that seeks dismissal of the complaint as Plaintiff cannot show actual damages must be denied. “
Andrew Lavoott Bluestone
Andrew Lavoott Bluestone has been an attorney for 40 years, with a career that spans criminal prosecution, civil litigation and appellate litigation. Mr. Bluestone became an Assistant District Attorney in Kings County in 1978, entered private practice in 1984 and in 1989 opened his private law office and took his first legal malpractice case.
Since 1989, Bluestone has become a leader in the New York Plaintiff’s Legal Malpractice bar, handling a wide array of plaintiff’s legal malpractice cases arising from catastrophic personal injury, contracts, patents, commercial litigation, securities, matrimonial and custody issues, medical malpractice, insurance, product liability, real estate, landlord-tenant, foreclosures and has defended attorneys in a limited number of legal malpractice cases.
Bluestone also took an academic role in field, publishing the New York Attorney Malpractice Report from 2002-2004. He started the “New York Attorney Malpractice Blog” in 2004, where he has published more than 4500 entries.
Mr. Bluestone has written 38 scholarly peer-reviewed articles concerning legal malpractice, many in the Outside Counsel column of the New York Law Journal. He has appeared as an Expert witness in multiple legal malpractice litigations.
Mr. Bluestone is an adjunct professor of law at St. John’s University College of Law, teaching Legal Malpractice. Mr. Bluestone has argued legal malpractice cases in the Second Circuit, in the New York State Court of Appeals, each of the four New York Appellate Divisions, in all four of the U.S. District Courts of New York and in Supreme Courts all over the state. He has also been admitted pro haec vice in the states of Connecticut, New Jersey and Florida and was formally admitted to the US District Court of Connecticut and to its Bankruptcy Court all for legal malpractice matters. He has been retained by U.S. Trustees in legal malpractice cases from Bankruptcy Courts, and has represented municipalities, insurance companies, hedge funds, communications companies and international manufacturing firms. Mr. Bluestone regularly lectures in CLEs on legal malpractice.
Based upon his professional experience Bluestone was named a Diplomate and was Board Certified by the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys in 2008 in Legal Malpractice. He remains Board Certified. He was admitted to The Best Lawyers in America from 2012-2019. He has been featured in Who’s Who in Law since 1993.
In the last years, Mr. Bluestone has been featured for two particularly noteworthy legal malpractice cases. The first was a settlement of an $11.9 million dollar default legal malpractice case of Yeo v. Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman which was reported in the NYLJ on August 15, 2016. Most recently, Mr. Bluestone obtained a rare plaintiff’s verdict in a legal malpractice case on behalf of the City of White Plains v. Joseph Maria, reported in the NYLJ on February 14, 2017. It was the sole legal malpractice jury verdict in the State of New York for 2017.
Bluestone has been at the forefront of the development of legal malpractice principles and has contributed case law decisions, writing and lecturing which have been recognized by his peers. He is regularly mentioned in academic writing, and his past cases are often cited in current legal malpractice decisions. He is recognized for his ample writings on Judiciary Law § 487, a 850 year old statute deriving from England which relates to attorney deceit.
Read more about Andrew Lavoott Bluestone Andrew Lavoott's Linkedin Profile
The Statute of Limitations Simply Explained
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"It Could Happen" is Not Enough For Legal Malpractice
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Most Claims Wiped Out; Legal Malpractice Claims Remain
About Andrew Bluestone
I opened my own law office in 1989, The Law Firm of Andrew Lavoott Bluestone. During that period I have tried both plaintiff and defendant cases, in general negligence, commercial litigation, medical malpractice, attorney malpractice [both plaintiff’s and uninsured defendants], as well as real estate matters, landlord-tenant matters. In 2015 I was appointed Adjunct Professor of Law at St. John’s University, School of Law.
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The Law Office of Andrew Lavoott Bluestone
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The law firm of Andrew Lavoott Bluestone represents litigants in Attorney Malpractice, Professional Malpractice and Civil Litigation.
Mr. Bluestone has achieved Diplomate status by the American Board of Professional Liability Attorneys and is Board Certified* in Legal Malpractice.
Established in 1989, this office has represented clients across New York State.
In 2015 Mr. Bluestone was appointed Adjunct Professor of Law at St. John’s University, School of Law.
Copyright © 2019, Andrew L. Bluestone. All Rights Reserved. | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line603 |
__label__wiki | 0.640859 | 0.640859 | Study Abroad in Buenos Aires: 10 Instagram Accounts to Follow
Sep 23, 2014 9:04:31 AM / by Stephanie Sadler
Instagram feeds in each of CAPA's global cities around the world offer wonderful insight into what's happening now from a local point of view. In this Tuesday 10 series, we share a few of our favorites in each destination. This week, we take a look at Buenos Aires. You can also follow us: @CAPAStudyAbroad. Feel free to share yours in a comment and let us know who else we should add to our Buenos Aires list!
1. BUENOS AIRES CITY. From blue and white patriotic mohawks for the World Cup to grand spiraling staircases to buskers playing drums on the streets, Buenos Aires City feed captures the atmosphere of Buenos Aires one photo at a time. There's clean laundry hanging against a backdrop of La Boca's colorful walls, street art images and the Torre De Los Ingleses shrouded in fog.
2. TINCHO - CABA, ARGENTINA. This city is full of surprises and many of them show up in this colorful Instagram feed. There's street art galore, a view of the old roof of the Mercado de Abasto Proveedor and clouds reflected in the glass skyscraper that is the 955 Belgrano office. You'll see the great details of the doors at the entrance to the House of Culture, many sculptures and the bridge over Avenida Dorrego.
3. GRAFFITIS FROM BUENOS AIRES. As the title of this one suggests, it's all about graffiti. Andy is a street art hunter who captures new pieces as they pop up all over the city. Some of the images are of tags while others are of elaborate murals. You'll even find a few of artists at work. It's a feed that's updated constantly, often many times a day as Andy explores the art of BA.
4. BOCA BJ. This one is for the soccer fans! Boca Juniors are a local favorite and their blue and yellow feed is full of action shots and dramatic moments that happen during their games. Mixed in with the shooting, celebrating and goaltending are photos of the crowds, behind the scenes insight and even a smattering of images of the players with their families.
5. INSTAGRAMERS BUENOS AIRES. Many cities have community feeds that are populated by a number of local Instagramers. Photos are tagged and a new one is selected daily as the feature image with credit given back to the photographer. If you're studying abroad in Buenos Aires, you may even consider submitting a couple. There's a wide range of topics here, but what could be considered a "best of" Instagram in BA represented.
6. BUENOS AIRES OFFICIAL. This is the official Instagram feed of the city and, like the Instagramers community above, they feature submissions from a wide variety of photographers capturing the city. You'll find stray cats in Recoleta Cemetery, a river scene at 8am, commuters on the move and a look around the diverse and colorful neighborhoods of the Buenos Aires.
7. CAMILA. A Buenos Aires-based designer, Camila's artistic photographs of the city show a value of white space, an interest in architectural details and a love of creativity. We see a hopscotch game painted on the sidewalk which she captions "heaven", a crisp #nofilter shot of the Obelisco shining white against a deep blue sky and look round the market in San Telmo.
8. BUENOS AIRES. Updated several times per day, this feed is a constantly refreshing look at Buenos Aires and places nearby from sandy blue-sky beach scenes to towering residential blocks that seem to go on for miles to battered painted walls that bring color to the city streets. There's a male busker playing jazz in leopard print leggings on the corner, a touch of fashion and raindrops on window panes.
9. JONAS PAPIER. Jonas fills his Instagram feed with everything he finds around Buenos Aires, from draping flowers hanging down brick walls to run-down apartment blocks to rainbow staircases. There are images of art in galleries and on the streets, close ups of zoo animals and boats reflecting in the water of the marina.
10. LUCAS WARAT. Lucas calls himself an image hunter and while many of his photos are posed, there are some wonderfully expressive portraits of local people on the streets, from buskers to people just going about their everyday lives. You'll see beat up cars against graffiti walls, scenes of a concrete jungle and walks through the woods.
BONUS: Follow us @CAPAStudyAbroad for plenty of Buenos Aires photos as well:
Topics: Buenos Aires, Argentina | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line607 |
__label__wiki | 0.911035 | 0.911035 | Computing at the university
Starting a new department at the University of Melbourne was exciting.
Information Systems has been a stand-alone department twice, in the 1970s when it was called Information Studies, and again in 1996, before becoming a part of the Department of Computing and Information Systems in 2012.
When Mike Vitale became the inaugural Head of the Department of Information Systems he couldn’t find anyone at the University to ask about starting a department, because “nobody could remember the last time a department was started.”
We were building the labs and the classrooms right up until the moment the students started, the first two years I remember as being very fun all the time, it was bigger than a dotcom start up. Somebody transferred into the student group in the late 1990s and he said, ‘It’s like the movies. I feel like I’ve joined a cult. The IS cult ….’ They were really focused.
Mike Vitale
When I joined the IS department as a staff member there was a strong camaraderie and a bit of a party atmosphere… The department is very dynamic and has continually changed in a number of ways. What we teach has changed radically, and the research topics have moved with the times and continue to.
Greg Wadley
Around 1996 Marg Ross came on board as Administrative Assistant for the Department of Information Systems. Her first big job was working on Discovery Day for the Department — an annual university open day that was very important in showcasing the new Departments’ courses to potential new students.
Suelette Dreyfus
For further information, see the Department of Information Systems History [PDF] by Suelette Dreyfus.
DIS Students at Open Day, c1998. Image courtesy University of Melbourne.
Mike Vitale, Head of Information Systems. Image courtesy University of Melbourne Archives.
Ask a DIS Wizard badge. Image courtesy University of Melbourne.
Marg Ross, staff member, 1996. Image courtesy University of Melbourne.
View full size images in photo gallery | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line608 |
__label__cc | 0.66146 | 0.33854 | 2018 Employment Law in Review, Part 2: Texas Courts
By Keith Clouse February 20, 2019 No Comments
This week we’re reviewing the major labor and employment cases argued in state and federal courts in Texas, as well as the impact their decisions will have on the workplace. For decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court, please visit our first entry in our 2018 employment law in review series.
Major Employment Law Updates and Decisions
Challenging local paid sick leave ordinances
On February 15, 2018, Austin became the first city in Texas to pass an ordinance requiring employers to provide eligible employees with paid sick leave. The ordinance, which obligates employers to provide one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked, was set to take effect on October 1, 2018. However, an Austin Court of Appeals temporarily blocked the law from taking effect in Texas Ass’n of Bus. v. City of Austin, Texas, No. 03-18-00445-CV, 2018 WL 6005551 (Tex. App. Nov. 16, 2018). A coalition of business groups argued that the ordinance is unlawful because it overreaches the state’s statutory power to set wages under the Texas Minimum Wage Act.
Interestingly, just one day before the Austin Court of Appeals issued the temporary injunction halting enactment of the Austin ordinance, the city of San Antonio voted to approve its own paid sick leave ordinance. The San Antonio ordinance is scheduled to take effect this August; however, the outcome of the ongoing battle in the Austin courts and Texas Legislature will affect whether it is seen to fruition, as many conservative state lawmakers have pledged to pursue legislation banning local governments from enacting such mandatory paid sick leave ordinances.
Concluding company uniform policy trumped by NLRA
In the case of In-N-Out Burger, Inc. v. NLRB, 894 F.3d 707 (5th Cir. 2018), the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals was asked to determine whether a fast-food chain may prevent its workers from wearing buttons reading “Fight for $15” to show support for advocates pursuing a higher national minimum wage. The company stood firmly behind its uniform policy, which prohibits employees from “wearing any type of pin or sticker,” when instructing employees to remove their buttons.
The Fifth Circuit rejected the company’s argument that its “unique public image” and “safety concerns” constituted “special circumstances” under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) justifying its dress code. Highlighting employees’ right to engage in “concerted activities” under Section 7 of the NLRA, the Court deemed the uniform policy to be unlawful. Thus, employers wishing to enforce strict dress codes (such as those prohibiting employees from wearing buttons), should examine whether they will be able to justify such a rule with “special circumstances.”
Highlighting broad employer liability under Title VII
With the #MeToo movement, we have seen an increase in sexual harassment claims and cases over the past several years. The plaintiff in Gardner v. CLC of Pascagoula, L.L.C., 894 F.3d 654 (5th Cir. 2018) brought suit against her former employer claiming hostile work environment and retaliation after she was terminated for refusing to care for a resident of the nursing home she worked for who repeatedly harassed her on the job.
The Fifth Circuit’s decision highlights that under Title VII an employer may be liable for acts by a third party if the plaintiff can establish that the employer “knew or should have known” about the harassment and allowed it to continue. The Court reversed the district court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of the employer, noting that there was a genuine dispute of material fact regarding whether the employer took reasonable measures to prevent the harassment. This case underscores the broad reach of employer liability for the acts of third-parties (i.e. customers, vendors, patients, clients, etc.).
In addition to the protection for employees to be free from third-party discrimination, the Southern District of Texas explicitly recognized protection for transgender individuals to be free from employment discrimination under Title VII in the case of Wittmer v. Phillips 66 Co., 304 F. Supp. 3d 627 (S.D. Tex. 2018).
The Court acknowledged that the employee’s status as a transgender woman places her in a protected class; however, it then went on to grant summary judgment in favor of the employer because there was no evidence that the employer knew about her status as a transgender woman when it made the decision to rescind her job offer. In its in-depth analysis of Title VII protections, the Court confirmed that individuals can establish a prima facie case under Title VII by putting forward evidence of employment discrimination for failure to conform to sex or gender stereotypes. The language in this case will allow future plaintiffs to advocate for expanded Title VII protections based on transgender status and sexual orientation in Texas.
Rejecting same-sex harassment claim
In contrast to the above broad protections, the Texas Supreme Court in Alamo Heights Indep. Sch. Dist. v. Clark, 544 S.W.3d 755 (Tex. 2018), concluded that alleged instances of unwanted touching and sexually suggestive and offensive statements made by a co-worker of the same sex were not motivated by “sexual attraction or desire” and therefore not actionable under the Texas Commission on Human Rights Act (TCHRA).
In making its decision, the Court endorsed the employer’s “equal opportunity bully” defense and noted that “anti-discrimination laws – in their current incarnation – do not guarantee a pleasant working environment devoid of profanity, off-color jokes, teasing or even bullying.” According to the majority opinion, words spoken (i.e. sexual innuendos and comments) must be taken with regard to their overall context and motivation, rather than being taken at face value. It held that in this case, the sexually suggestive and offensive comments amounted to permissible bullying, rather than unlawful sexual harassment.
Refusing to enforce arbitration agreement lacking signature
Last summer, in the case of Huckaba v. Ref-Chem, L.P., 892 F.3d 686 (5th Cir. 2018), the Fifth Circuit Court of appeals voided an arbitration agreement signed by an employee because it lacked a counter-signature from the employer. The Fifth Circuit’s reasoning was based on the explicit contractual language that included phrases such as “[b]y signing this agreement the parties are giving up any right they may have to sue each other,” as well as a provision that the agreement “may not be changed, except in writing and signed by all parties.”
The Court concluded that this plain language indicated an intent of each party to be bound only by signing. Therefore, although it was undisputed that the employee had signed the agreement, the Court held that it had no effect without the company’s counter-signature. This case emphasizes the importance of carefully crafting arbitration agreements. Some courts have held that assent to an agreement can be manifested by performance; however, such manner of showing assent is unavailable when the explicit words of the contract require another form of assent (i.e. a signature).
The Only Constant is Change
Last year proved that employment laws are constantly changing and developing. Employers and employees should keep the above cases, as well as the SCOTUS cases from our previous post, in mind going forward, especially when dealing with issues such as drafting arbitration agreements and company policies, handling workplace discrimination, and deciding whether to give overtime and paid leave.
For assistance with employment and workplace disputes, contact Clouse Brown PLLC. Our attorneys are available to assist employers and business owners in solving problems dealing with trade secret disputes, covenants not to compete, and breach of fiduciary duty. We also negotiate, draft, litigate, and arbitrate employment contracts for senior-level and C-suite executives.
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Keith ClouseFebruary 6, 2019 | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line613 |
__label__cc | 0.559783 | 0.440217 | by drmike | Feb 10, 2015 | Upcoming News
In my latest book, The Fallacy the Calorie: Why the Modern Western Diet Is Killing Us and How to Stop It, I describe some of the original errors that have led to unnecessary, persistent and misdirected campaigns against such dietary constituents as salt and fat. I also discuss in depth another misguided attempt to achieve health by simple caloric reduction. In such an approach fat – and especially saturated fat – is often reduced because it is the easiest and the most expedient way to reduce the caloric content of any meal. The devil is in the details of walking such a path; because as the latest evidence shows, such a path sits upon a house of cards.
A new meta-analysis has examined the research behind the introduction of the dietary fat guidelines in 1977 in the United States and similar guidelines introduced in the United Kingdom in 1983.[1] These guidelines proposed reduction of overall fat consumption to 30% of total energy and to reduce the saturated fat consumption to 10% of total energy intake. Such approaches remain popular and are often adopted by self-styled experts and promulgated to the populace; citing such governmental backing as their raison d’être.
As this new report details, these recommendations were actually made without a single randomized controlled study (RCT), the gold standard for such data acquisition, that actually looked at a 30% total fat and 10% saturated fat diet being performed. Such a course of action affecting the diets of over 276 million people were based on the secondary studies of less than 2500 males. Even worse, such studies showed no difference in all-cause mortality. In other words, even though the goal was to reduce the incidence of coronary artery disease (CAD) and subsequent death by reducing fat – and specifically saturated fat – intake there was no statistically significant difference in the overall death rate or the death rate from cardiovascular disease in the six trials that formed the basis of this governmental dietary strategy.
As for determining the 30% total fat and 10% saturated fat levels, five of the six studies did not even investigate the effects of such an intervention. These studies examined the effects of vegetable oils, the replacement of saturated fats with vegetable oils, and the effects of a 20% fat diet. Only a single RCT examined the effects of a 10% saturated fat diet. It found a higher all-cause mortality rate and a higher CAD mortality in the group consuming the low-fat diet.
Interestingly, there were significant cholesterol reductions in the lower fat group; but that did not result in lower death rates from cardiovascular causes. Although the government issued such paternalistic advocacy on the back of just such a mechanism; lower fat, especially saturated fat yields lower cholesterol which in turn yields lower death rates from CAD; the data from the studies contradicts just such an extrapolation.
And there were warning signs. Dr. Robert Olson of St. Louis University asked then Senator George McGovern (who also oversaw the introduction of the first salt intake guidelines), “for more research on the problem before we make announcements to the American public.” The response was that, “Senators don’t have the luxury that the research scientist does of waiting until every last shred of evidence is in.”[2]
But when it comes to public policy affecting the health of every American, shouldn’t we at least accumulate a pretty irrefutable bulk; if not waiting on the last shreds to form an incontrovertible argument? This most recent research concludes that our “dietary advice not merely needs review; it should not have been introduced.[3]” Despite other studies validating that such demonstrations were premature,[4],[5] if not outright demagoguery; we still wander lost. We search with artificial, calorie free beverages in one hand and fat free sythno-wraps in the other stuffing our gob precisely because such proclamations have embedded themselves as science fact and conventional wisdom. When, in fact, they are neither-and it appears they never were.
It is but one tale in the story of The Fallacy of The Calorie.
[1] (Harcombe, et al., 2015)
[2] (CBS News, 1977)
[4] (DiNicolantonio, 2014)
[5] (Chowdury, et al., 2014)
CBS News. (1977, July 26). Exchange between Dr Robert Olson and Senator George McGovern from The United States Senate Select Committee on Nutrition and Human Needs. Washington, DC, USA.
Chowdury, R., Wamakula, S., Knustsor, S., Crowe, F., Ward, H. A., Johnson, L., . . . DiAngelantonio, E. (2014). Association of dietary, circulating and supplement fatty acids with coronary risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of Internal Medicine, 160(6):398-406. doi:10.7326/M13-1788 .
DiNicolantonio, J. J. (2014). the cardio metabolic consequences of replacing saturated fats with carbohydrates or Omega six polyunsaturated fats: did the dietary guidelines have it wrong? Open-Heart, doi:10.1136/openhrt-2013-000032 .
Fenster, M. S. (2014). The Fallacy of The Calorie: Why the Modern Western Diet is Killing Us and How to Stop It. New York, NY: Koehler Books.
Harcombe, Z., Baker, J. S., Cooper, S. M., Davies, B., Sculthorpe, N., DiNicolantonio, J. J., & Grace, F. (2015). Evidence from randomised controlled trials did not support the introduction of dietary fat guidelines in 1977 and 1983: a systematic review and meta-analysis. open-heart, 2:e000196. doi:10.1136/openhrt-2014-000196. | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line617 |
__label__cc | 0.523106 | 0.476894 | Chief Rabbi: ‘We must stand together’
The Chief Rabbi issues an urgent call for unity in the Jewish community.
During the past two or so months I have been appalled by some of the conduct we have witnessed in our community.
Whilst we have learned that 70 per cent of British Jews who hold Synagogue membership identify, denominationally, as Orthodox, there is, of course, a hugely diverse range of approaches to Judaism within that grouping, from the most conservative parts of the Charedi community to the more progressively minded. Orthodoxy has long known significant differences in outlook, but the recent controversy about Rabbi Joseph Dweck’s teachings has brought the polarisation of Orthodox Jewry into sharpest focus.
“The time has come for modern Orthodox Jews to make their values clear” and to “sever all ties to Chareidim.” So declared one campaigner in the press. “If Joseph Dweck is maintained in office as a Rabbi … even partially, …” I was warned that I would be, “responsible for the splitting of Anglo-Orthodoxy…” by another.
‘People are affirming what they stand for by denigrating and insulting those whom they stand against. We have come to define ourselves by that which divides us, rather than that which unites us’
Social media, the press and our communities have been awash with poisonous invective, demonising other Jews in ways which are simply unacceptable. The problem runs so deep that it is now used as a hallmark of particular shades of Jewish identity. People are affirming what they stand for by denigrating and insulting those whom they stand against. We have come to define ourselves by that which divides us, rather than that which unites us.
Is this what we have become?
It is most sobering that I write these words during the three-week period between Shiva Asar B’tammuz and Tisha B’av. In Hebrew, this time is known as bein hametzarim, – within a set of constraints. Throughout Jewish history, it has been a time of immense grief, when the first and second Temples were destroyed. Our Sages teach that the reason the second Temple was destroyed was because of sinat chinam – ‘baseless hatred’. The people of the time were religiously observant and steadfast in their commitment to spiritual pursuits, but they treated each other with contempt – they were consumed ‘within the constraints’ of hatred and division. It was that terrible sin which ultimately destroyed the nucleus of everything they held dear.
‘If Jewish history has taught us anything, it is that we are at our weakest and most vulnerable when we are divided’
Indeed, if Jewish history has taught us anything, it is that we are at our weakest and most vulnerable when we are divided. The Talmud famously tells the story of a wealthy Jew whose servant accidentally invited his master’s enemy Bar Kamtza to a feast instead of his close friend of a similar name – Kamtza. Upon seeing his enemy at the party, the host publicly humiliated Bar Kamtza and ordered him to leave. Furious at his treatment and the fact that no-one bothered to interject on his behalf, Bar Kamtza conceived a plan to make it appear as though the Jews were rebelling against Roman rule. The Talmud states that it was this incident which precipitated the fall of our Temple.
We came close to total annihilation over an argument at a party.
Jewish unity is not a pleasant additional extra – it is fundamental to our survival. There are so many external threats to the Jewish world that if we cannot even treat each other with the most basic common courtesy, our very survival is at stake.
Those who have shamefully sought to focus their attention, to the point of obsession, on attacking the reputation of another human being, have become trapped bein hametzarim. There are times when we have a responsibility to object strongly to what we believe to be wrong, but to do so with this degree of personalised vitriol is not acceptable.
‘There are times when we have a responsibility to object strongly to what we believe to be wrong, but to do so with this degree of personalised vitriol is not acceptable’
And similarly, others have used this as an opportunity to malign parts of the Orthodox community with whom they disagree. Taking particular aim at Charedim, they have filled social media with a disparaging narrative, depicting them as ‘the enemy’ or some kind of threat which we must face down and they have become a part of the problem, not the solution. Not only is there no virtue in perpetuating this ‘them and us’ dynamic, it is actively damaging our community.
We need to be better able to discuss the things we find challenging. We need to do so in a dignified and responsible manner which is true to our precious mesorah (tradition) and which brings our community closer to Torah. The issues themselves are too important for us to do otherwise.
Our Sages teach that the Almighty has “found no vessel fit to hold blessing for the Children of Israel other than peace”. So, as we seek to move forward, I implore the community to resist the urge to sow further discord and division. Now, more than ever, we must stand together.
In doing so, may we emerge from ‘bein hametzarim’ with an enhanced sense of the good in each other so that we can build a positive future together for all of Klal Yisrael. | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line619 |
__label__cc | 0.651616 | 0.348384 | Posts Tagged ‘The Last Pendragon’
King Arthur’s Heir is a Sidhe: Sarah Woodbury’s The Last Pendragon
Posted in Arthurian Books, Descendants of Arthur, tagged Arawn, Arianrhod, Cadwaladr, Geoffrey of Monmouth, Nikolai Tolstoy, Sarah Woodbury, The Last Pendragon, Welsh gods on November 8, 2011| Leave a Comment »
The title of Sarah Woodbury’s The Last Pendragon intrigued me because of my long interest in King Arthur’s descendants, although the title character is actually Cadwaladr ap Cadwallon, the last of the Welsh kings, as mentioned in Geoffrey of Monmouth’s History of the Kings of Britain. Cadwaladr is not actually a descendant of King Arthur in Geoffrey of Monmouth, and Woodbury does not make him such in her novel, although he is continually referred to as Arthur’s heir and compared to Arthur in greatness.
The Last Pendragon by Sarah Woodbury
I assumed Woodbury would not make Cadwaladr Arthur’s direct descendant, but I was still interested in the novel because few authors have tried to treat the Welsh version of Arthurian times, save for people like Nikolai Tolstoy in The Coming of the King. Woodbury does not try to recreate the Welsh world to the extreme level of authenticity Tolstoy attempted, but she introduces the Welsh gods who rarely make it into Arthurian legends. As she notes in her afterword, the conflict between pagans and Christians was more commonly a medieval issue, and I found her Welsh world and their gods a refreshing change in Arthurian fiction.
The gods play a major role in this novel. Cadwaladr, more commonly called Cade in the novel, is the son of the late king Cadwallon, who was killed by his enemy Cadfael, who then married Cadwaladr’s mother. Taliesin, the bard, took Cadwaladr to safety as a child, but now Cadwaladr is grown; he has just done battle with his men against Cadfael and lost. He is imprisoned at Cadfael’s court but is rescued by Cadfael’s bastard daughter Rhiann, and together they escape the castle.
Following the escape, the gods enter the picture. Cade was chosen by Arianrhod, the goddess of time and fate, to be her champion so she has given Cade the power of the sidhe, the godlike beings, sometimes fairy folk, of the Celtic world. The power makes Cade stronger and gives him special powers, although he is the opposite of a solar god, being stronger at night and weaker during the day.
Meanwhile, darker problems are afoot. Teragad, another Welsh leader, has obtained Arianrhod’s cauldron and used it to unleash the gods into the mortal world. A great war ensues in which Arawn, Lord of the Underworld, and his son, Mabon, enter the fight. Humans go to battle against demons and only Cade seems able to save the day, but to do so, he must reveal his sidhe power and that the price for that power has been the loss of his immortal soul. Rhiann finds herself attracted to Cade, but once she learns the truth about his powers, will she be able to love him?
I loved the concept of this book—a historical novel about a minor character in the Arthurian world who is rarely given attention to. The introduction of Welsh gods and magic into the story makes it more fantasy than historical reality, but it also offers a sort of magical realism for how the Welsh people might have viewed their world. I was not as fond of the actual writing itself, although Woodbury is a competent writer and at times entertaining, but I found the book less than gripping at times and sometimes skimmed over the descriptions. That said, the book stirred my interest in Cadwaladr and made me want to learn more about the Welsh world that preserved the Arthurian tales.
I had some small qualms with the printed book itself. I ordered a paper copy from Amazon with no knowledge that the book was part of a series. I only discovered that at the end of the book in the historical note where Woodbury referred to The Last Pendragon Trilogy. There had to have been printing or layout problems. My copy says below the title “A Tale of Dark Age Wales” but the cover image on Amazon now says “The Last Pendragon Saga: Book One” so the error must have been corrected recently. I also found the book layout a tad subpar with the left margin unjustified, some extra pages or pages where text was a line or two shorter on certain pages, and a few more typos than normal in a book, although not as bad as many a self-published book I’ve seen.
Overall, The Last Pendragon is a refreshing twist on the Arthurian canon without being focused primarily on King Arthur. Readers who enjoy a blending of fantasy and historical fiction should enjoy the book, although it weighs more on fantasy since so little is known of the historical Cadwaladr. Woodbury has also published The Pendragon’s Quest, the second book in the series, while the third book is apparently still to come. In addition, she has published several other novels including Cold My Heart about two characters who foresee Mordred’s attempt to destroy King Arthur.
For more information about Sarah Woodbury and her novels, visit www.SarahWoodbury.com where she has several interesting articles and an educational blog besides information for ordering her books. | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line620 |
__label__cc | 0.70723 | 0.29277 | Category Archives: business model
3d printing, École Polytechnique, business model, creative industries, digital economy, UCL, workshop
Leveraging Technological Change: The Role of Business Models and Ecosystems
Simon Ford was Bit by Bit’s representative at a workshop “Leveraging Technological Change: The Role of Business Models and Ecosystems” in London yesterday. Here he reports on the workshop.
Organised as a collaboration between UCL and École Polytechnique by the formidable duo of Prof. Thierry Rayna and Ludmila Striukova, the workshop was an Anglo-French affair, featuring academics working in both countries on aspects of the digital economy.
In his opening keynote, Prof. Pierre-Jean Benghozi from École Polytechnique provided an overview of how the creative industries and the Internet are changing. This reporter found Prof. Benghovis’s comments about the industry’s dynamics to be most illuminating. He highlighted four dynamics: (1) the economy of luxury and low cost, and the widening gap between high end and mass market; (2) the platform economy, in which aggregation of content, as well as niches and market segments is occurring; (3) an economy of branding, whereby brands are continuing to become more important and companies aim to get closer to consumers in order to develop long-term customer control, and (4) the economy of free in its many forms.
The day’s second keynote came from Prof. Thierry Rayna. As another academic investigating 3D printing, his presentation explored a potential scenario in the future in which prosumers self-organise into their own value chains as they have the ability to design, distribute and manufacture goods. In such a future, what would be the role for corporations? Prof. Rayna suggested that they would retain a role: as gatekeepers.
In the first session of the day, Nicola Searle from the IPO, Rémi Maniak from Telecom ParisTech, and David Wong from the Big Innovation Centre, gave presentations on the role of business models and ecosystems. Drawing on research conducted before joining the IPO, Nicola described how IP had been a secondary influence in the business model decisions made by six Scottish organisations. Of greater importance had been the ability to adapt to the changing environment.
Rémi Maniak followed this by explaining the importance of multi-project lineage for organisations trying to create new business ecosystems. His premise was based on the need for organisations to invest strategically in order to accummulate experience and build assets. While doing so can often bring significant short-term losses, this investment is vital in the long-term if the organisation is to acquire new capabilities and competences.
Taking the unenviable task of speaking before lunch, David Wong provided a summary of what he considers to be the seven intangible drivers of value creation: (1) firm strategy and positioning; (2) radical innovation and first mover advantage; (3) intangible resources and competencies; (4) organisational ambidexterity; (5) network effects and externalities; (6) transaction costs efficiency, and (7) relational optimality.
The after-lunch session shifted towards industry cases, with presentations on innovation in video games (Myriam Davidovici-Nora from Telecom ParisTech) , 3D printing (that was us), and book publishing (Elisa Salvador from École Polytechnique). Your correspondent finds it fascinating that video games has become the largest part of the creative industries by revenue ($66bn in 2013 across all formats) but that it continues to exist at the margins of mainstream culture. Myriam’s presentation took us through some of the key innovations in the video game industry and she described the growing trend towards the creation of two types of games. At one end there are the big budget, highly cinematic and immersive games, while at the other there are the short session games that require much shorter development times and money.
Discussing the book publishing disruption by ebooks, Elisa Salvador described how publishers remain behind the evolutionary process. While Amazon pioneered the e-reader with the Kindle, traditional book publishers have appeared content to allow Amazon and other technology companies to continue to drive the growth of this industry rather than attempt to take a leadership position themselves.
The third session of the day was around the rise of new stakeholders. Prof. John Darlington from Imperial College kicked off the session with a number of proposals for consumer-side Internet structures. He agreed with Tim Berners-Lee that the Internet had ceased to operate in the best interests of the public and that a ‘Bill of Rights’ may be required to protect Internet users. He showed a demonstration of a demand-side trading system whereby online customers could pool their demand in order to get better deals on their shopping. He commented that the system had been shown to one online retailer, who responded by suggesting that it would put them out of business.
Julie Bastianutti from Lille 1 University shared the results of a study into social search engines. Broadly there are three types of social search engines: (1) charity search engines, which donate a percentage of their advertising revenues to certain charities; (2) ecological search enginers, which have lower energy consumption, and (3) ethical search engines, which do not list certain types of websites. The challenge facing social search engines is that they are reliant on the technology from traditional search engine companies (e.g. Google, Yahoo, Microsoft) and that they are not always willing to work together even when it may appear advantageous.
Joe Cox from the University of Portsmouth provided the last presentation of the afternoon, talking about another project funded by NEMODE, the VOLCROWE project, which like Bit by Bit began last autumn. The project will be investigating the economics of crowdsourcing in not-for-profits where there are no monetised rewards. They’re doing this through studying Zooniverse, an umbrella organisation of citizen science projects, exploring how and why users engage, along with what non-monetary incentives can be used to improve engagement.
At the end of the conference Prof. Benghozi suggested that there might be a follow-up workshop later in the year in Paris, while Thierry and Mila announced that they are guest editors for a special issue of the International Journal of Technology Management on the workshop topic. The deadline for the special issue is 31st October.
Image source: http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/196/4/9/tron_wall_grid_by_dczanik-d3rpeih.jpg
3D printingbusiness modelcreative industriesdigital economytechnological change | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line623 |
__label__wiki | 0.902371 | 0.902371 | Commentary Law
An appeal to the Supreme Court after its Haren Pandya judgment: Examine the “Gujarat Files” tapes as evidence
Rana Ayyub
The author at the launch of “Gujarat Files.”
Shahid Tantray for The Caravan
On 5 July, a Supreme Court division bench led by the judge Arun Mishra overturned a 2011 judgment of the Gujarat high court. The high court had acquitted 12 men accused of murdering Haren Pandya, a former home minister of Gujarat, in 2003. In the acquittal, the court condemned the Central Bureau of Investigation’s probe into the case—the agency had linked Pandya’s murder to the killing of a Gujarat-based leader of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and said that the murders were an international conspiracy supposedly led by a Muslim cleric to spread terror among Hindus.
“What clearly stands out from the record of the present case is that the investigation in the case of murder of Shri Haren Pandya has all throughout been botched up and blinkered and has left a lot to be desired,” the high court noted. “The investigating officers concerned ought to be held accountable for their inaptitude resulting into injustice, huge harassment of many persons concerned and enormous waste of public resources and public time of the Courts.” But the apex court discarded these observations. It restored the conviction of the 12 accused, effectively agreeing with the CBI’s claims.
The court also dismissed a PIL filed by the Centre for Public Interest Litigation, a non-profit, seeking a re-investigation into Pandya’s murder in light of new evidence. This new information was a recent testimony that linked Pandya’s murder to the gangster Sohrabuddin Sheikh, who was later killed in an allegedly staged encounter by the Gujarat Police. Azam Khan, an associate of Sheikh and a key witness in the case, told a Mumbai court in late 2018 that “during discussion with Sohrabuddin, he told me that he … got the contract to kill … Haren Pandya of Gujarat.” Sohrabuddin told him that “the contract was given to him by Vanzara”—referring to DG Vanzara, a former deputy inspector-general of Gujarat Police, who served during Narendra Modi’s tenure as chief minister of the state. Amit Shah, the former minister of state for home in Gujarat who is now the union home minister, was once the prime accused in the Sohrabuddin case.
The judges dismissed the evidence listed by the CPIL, which included journalistic works by news organisations such as Outlook magazine, and my 2016 book, Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up. The book contained the transcript of a conversation I had with YA Shaikh, the police officer who first investigated Pandya’s death, before the CBI took it over. I had secretly taped this exchange. Referring to the case, Shaikh had said, “Once the truth is out, Modi will go home. He will be jailed.” He had claimed that Asghar Ali, the main accused in Pandya’s murder, was tortured in custody and forced to give a false confession. “They had to put the blame on any Muslim man … They have just fit Asghar Ali,” Shaikh had told me.
Rana Ayyub previously worked for Tehelka magazine, and is now an independent columnist with NDTV and Outlook magazine.
Keywords: Haren Pandya Murder Amit Shah Sohrabuddin Tulsiram Prajapati Supreme Court of India Arun Mishra | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line624 |
__label__wiki | 0.830387 | 0.830387 | jaka meet sajan ji
Fight club message at start meet
11 Things You Didn't Know About 'Fight Club' | HuffPost
Fight Club () on IMDb: Movies, TV, Celebs, and more. Why are there four single frame flashes of Tyler Durden prior to the Narrator actually meeting him?. Fight Club is a film based on the novel by Chuck Palahniuk. It was directed by David Fight Club failed to meet the studio's expectations at the box office and received polarized reviews, becoming one of the most controversial and In the parking lot, he asks the Narrator to hit him, and they begin a fistfight. 1 Fight Club: A philosophical Analysis; 2 Fight Club and Consumption; 3 Fight The film takes a critical look at advertising that conveys many messages, in addition to Before his first real appearance, when the narrator meets on a treadmill at the files to debtors that everyone start from scratch, which will produce chaos.
What happens at the end of the film? Due to the graphic nature of the gunshot at the end of the film, many viewers believe that the Narrator actually kills himself and therefore only "imagines" the last few moments of the film as he dies. Director David Fincher does acknowledge on his DVD commentary that the gunshot causes confusion because it is so outrageous, appearing to actually go through the Narrator's jaw.
However, the Narrator is depicted as supposedly having suffered no serious injury, and importantly, if you look at the scene closely, you can see the bullet ricochet off his jaw and bounce back out of his mouth, thus explaining why the apparently fatal injury was not in fact fatal.
In the novel, the Narrator's face is much more grotesque than in the movie as he already has a hole in his face due to the fight with Tyler. The gunshot then hits the other side of his face, causing another hole, which connects with the original hole, creating a huge, Joker-like grin.
To examine the scene further, there are all sorts of theories as to the symbolism of the gunshot and its effect, primarily in relation to the death of Tyler. Some argue that the gunshot was the Narrator's final way of "hitting bottom" as Tyler wanted, so therefore Tyler ceased to exist, as he was no longer needed.
By attempting suicide, the Narrator is obviously no longer afraid of death or pain which is what Tyler is trying to teach him during the scene where he pours lye on his hand. For this reason, Tyler's role becomes obsolete, because the Narrator had only created Tyler initially so as to express the more reckless nature which he had tried to repress.
Others argue that the gunshot represents the Narrator's absolute rejection of Tyler, thus killing him. This is based on the concept that the bullet did in fact pass through the Narrator's head, but since he was two people, it was Tyler who was killed and not the Narrator hence the exit wound in the back of Tyler's head.
In this sense, it is significant to note that the affliction from which the Narrator seems to be suffering, dissociative identity disorder DIDhas been known to be "cured", or otherwise eradicated, if the patient experiences a traumatic event; receiving a gunshot to the face undoubtedly counts as a traumatic event. Another possibility is that the bullet went through a portion of the Narrator's brain, causing a pseudo-lobotomy and removing the "Tyler" part of his consciousness.
Yet another argument is that rather than Tyler dying and the Narrator surviving, the two characters merge. After the gunshot, the Narrator has clearly become a different person, evidenced primarily by the fact that he stops denying his feelings for Marla. Additionally, the flash of the penis just before the credits would seem to support the idea that Tyler is still alive "somewhere", hence the merging theory.
I've heard that Brad Pitt's penis is seen in the film. Upon the release of the movie, a rumor began to circulate that the penis at the end of the film was in fact that of actor Brad Pitt. However, this was nothing more than a rumor. As Chuck Palahniuk and Jim Uhls mention on their DVD commentary, the penis belongs to someone else entirely although they have no idea who.
Regarding the casting process for the single frame, Edward Norton humorously states in his commentary track that "David Fincher appears in all his own films. This brief section touches on only three possible ways to interpret the character of Tyler; there are a myriad of others. On the most basic level, Tyler Durden is a figment of the Narrator's imagination. The Narrator seems to be suffering from dissociative identity disorder DID. At least two of these personalities repeatedly assert themselves to control the affected person's behavior.
Each personality state has a distinct name, past, identity, and self-image. At least two of these identities or personality states recurrently take control of the person's behavior. Each may exhibit its own distinct history, self-image, behaviors, and, physical characteristics, as well as possess a separate name. Particular identities may emerge in specific circumstances. Alternative identities are experienced as taking control in sequence, one at the expense of the other, and may deny knowledge of one another, be critical of one another or appear to be in open conflict.
Tyler Durden is an alternative identity of the Narrator. A common argument regarding the aspect of the Narrator's personality represented by Tyler is to equate him with the id.
This is what Brad Pitt, Edward Norton and David Fincher do on their DVD commentary, arguing that Tyler is essentially a manifestation of the Narrator's id, insofar as he partakes of all the things of which the Narrator is afraid to partake and acts in ways the Narrator wishes he could act. He quite literally is the Narrator's suppressed desires and yearnings. However, for many fans of the film, for numerous critics and scholars, and for many of the filmmakers themselves, it isn't quite that simple.
Whilst they acknowledge that Tyler is a figment of the Narrator's imagination, they are also keen to explore what exactly he represents in and of himself, beyond the Narrator; taking Tyler as a standalone character, what exactly does he signify?
Interview with Edward Norton", Interview Magazine, The tension in the film comes from my character asking, "What are the limitations of a nihilistic attitude?
But at what point do the practical applications of it start to become exactly the things they're critiquing, and at what point do Tyler's initiatives start to dehumanize people just as much? In this sense then, Tyler's manifestation, and ultimate corruption, of the Nietzschean concept of nihilism is rejected by the Narrator, but the point is that Tyler represents a sort of corrupted nihilistic ideology; "It's a critique of how Nietzsche becomes Hitler" "Edward Norton Yale Interview", October 3rd, ; available here, and on all 2-Disc DVD versions of the movie.
In this sense, Tyler represents the excesses to which flawed ideology can fall victim. Looking at Tyler as a symbol for a political manifesto is only one interpretation of the character, albeit the most common.
A compelling alternative is provided by Adrian Gargett in his article "doppelganger: In this article, Gargett takes a basic psychoanalytical approach to interpreting Tyler, ignoring the political imperative of the role, and arguing instead that he functions primarily as the Narrator's double: The Double explores the spiritual dimension—the representation of a desire for immortality.
Tyler is not simply a physical replicant of the protagonist, but a complementary addition to his own identity. Via doubling, an alter-ego is created that embodies a demonic subjectivity.
Tyler is a manifestation of the narrator's sense of incompleteness and parental abandonment. In the end, however, the character remains indefinable and unquantifiable, with each viewer investing him with meaning based on his or her own subjective reaction to the movie. So, if the film is not about fighting, what does the fighting represent? The fight scenes are a means to an end, a metaphor for something beyond themselves. The film is not literally about men beating each other up; the fighting serves a purpose beyond its superficial connotations.
Fight Club is concerned with the why behind the fighting, and the fight scenes are invested with symbolic meaning that obviates the superficial "violence for the sake of violence" interpretation. As Edward Norton points out, The violence of the fight clubs serves as a metaphor for feeling, rather than to promote or glorify physical combat.
The fights are tangible representations of resisting the impulse to be cocooned in society. Fighting between the men strips away the fear of pain and the reliance on material signifiers of their self-worth, leaving them to really experience something valuable. Hobson, "Get ready to rumble," Calgary Sun, October 10th, ; available here] Norton also argues that The idea of the fighting is not about the suggestion that violence directed outward toward other people is a solution to your frustrations.
It's very much a metaphor for self-transforming radicalism, the idea of directing violence inward at your own presumptions. Tyler doesn't walk out of the bar and say, "Can I hit you," he says "Will you hit me? The fighting is a metaphor for stripping yourself of received notions and value systems that have been applied to you that aren't your own. And freeing yourself to discover who you actually are [Edward Norton, Round Table Interview, September 28th, ; available here] The fighting serves as a metaphor for the shaking off of the shackles imposed by contemporary society, a means of discovering aspects of one's self which one would not be exposed to were one to toe the line.
Fight Club suggests that society has become so oppressive that to find out anything about themselves, men must do something extreme, like engaging in violent physical combat.
In Norton's argument, the extremity of the fighting is in fact a commentary on the oppressiveness of society: As such, the fighting serves simply as a metaphor for how downtrodden and subjugated men have become in this corporate culture of advertising. Numerous critics, however, disagree with the metaphoric connotations of the fighting, arguing instead that the film was only about physical violence, there was nothing beneath the surface or between the lines, and as such, the film was reprehensible, insofar as it encouraged such actions amongst its apparently infantile and unintelligent intended audience.
Film scholar Gary Crowdus summates the views of such critics when he points out that A Ritual Cure For The Spiritual Ailment Of American Masculinity", The Film Journal February ; available here] Numerous critics fit Crowdus' description, but none better than Roger Ebertwho called the film, A celebration of violence in which the heroes write themselves a license to drink, smoke, screw and beat one another up.
Sometimes, for variety, they beat up themselves. It's macho porn—the sex movie Hollywood has been moving toward for years, in which eroticism between the sexes is replaced by all-guy locker-room fights [Fight Club Review, Chicago Sun Times, October 15th, ; available here] Ebert also said the film included "some of the most brutal, unremitting, nonstop violence ever filmed"—a bizarre claim which prompted some to ask if he'd even seen the film.
Another excellent example is Kenneth Turanwho called the film, a witless mishmash of whiny, infantile philosophizing and bone-crunching violence. So it's no surprise that Fight Club's level of visceral violence, its stomach-turning string of bloody and protracted bare-knuckles brawls, make it more than worthy of an NC if the MPAA could ever work up the nerve to give that rating to a major studio film The fighting in the film carries metaphorical significance which far outweighs its literal violent connotations.
How are we to interpret the film?
The most common argument as to what the film is primarily about is that it deals with the conflict between young people and the corporate value system of advertising which has become an integral part of the society in which they find themselves.
In this sense, the film is very much anti-materialist, and deals with the schism created when someone can no longer tolerate the value system with which they are simply expected to comply. This system of advertising has become so ingrained into all aspects of contemporary society that when one tries to reject it, one is quite literally engaging in a personal revolution.
Furthermore, the film probes the problems caused by the system and a corporate dominated society insofar as it examines what that society has done to the men who inhabit it.
Fight Club () - Frequently Asked Questions - IMDb
Instead of a need for survival and a desire for moral and spiritual well-being, man is instead driven by a desire for material "things," a desire instilled by a society of advertising which defines a person based upon their possession of what Jim Slotek calls "external signifiers of happiness" "Cruisin' for a bruisin,'" Toronto Sun, October 10th, ; available here.
This in turn creates a pointless and ultimately empty obsession with possessing items which ultimately come to possess the owner, and causing an abandonment of the search for spiritual happiness. It is this very society which the film critiques.
However, this is but one interpretation of a film which is open to a virtually any reading. A good way to engage with the various possibilities as to meaning is to look at what some of the filmmakers themselves have said about their own interpretations of the work.
This selection of quotations offers a broad cross section of their opinions: We are a nation of physical animals who have forgotten how much we enjoy being that.
We are cushioned by this kind of make-believe, unreal world, and we have no idea what we can survive because we are never challenged or tested. To me it's very much a story about a person who feels at odds with everything he's expected to engage in.
Who hits a juncture in his life and chooses to move toward the seduction of negativity and nihilism. There's this presentation of a guy who's kind of hilariously desperately out of sync with all the things he's supposed to participate in, who kind of has this Elaine Robinson, or in Marla's case, he has this women who's kind of like his female doppelganger.
Fight Club: 19 things you didn't know about the film - Telegraph
And he recoils from it. It's like he recoils from the image of himself and moves toward what turns out to be this idealized vision of himself, as opposed to himself the way he is. There's this moment that I really like in the phone booth where he attempts to call her. There is this moment where he could call her and go after the simple human connection that ultimately by the end he kind of realizes he should have gone after all along.
And he almost calls her, and he hears her voice and it sounds too much like him and he hangs up and he goes the other way. He goes toward this idea of a new version of himself. And explores that negativity and all its excess. That's what interested me. This idea of the seduction of the negative. Like, you know, sort of Tyler as Mrs. This exploration that has consequence, terrible, terrible consequence and that you have to wake up from it and ultimately reject it to get to a sort of new middle ground.
Tyler gets him to give up on God, but ultimately he has to give up on Tyler and give up on the excesses of what Tyler is suggesting that men ought to be.
He's found what his own boundaries are, he's not his old self, but he's not willing to go all the way in this new self. Fight Club rages against the hypocrisy of a society that continually promises us the impossible: It's a relentless, dizzying take on the male fear of losing power. The underlying theme is that you have to break yourself apart to build something new.
It is only when you realize that you're not your lousy hair, or your bad debts, or your fears that you're not good enough, that you can actually create a new life for yourself. It shocks you into looking at who really controls your life: Once you make that distinction, you then have the choice to take control or not. It's better to have options than to be eternally bemoaning your lot.
It spoke to the heart of a disenfranchised generation, my generation. Like The Graduate two decades before, it spoke to the frustrations of ordinary guys trying to make sense of the sorry world previous generations were so smugly handing over to us like so much skid-marked underwear. The first way in which a new generation takes control of society is through the culture: People who feel safe and secure in the existing society are frightened by ideas that threaten their power.
People who hold the power in society want nice complacent forms of entertainment, films that comfort people and support the status quo. I think there's a self defense mechanism that keeps my generation from having any real honest connection or commitment with our true feelings. We're rooting for ball teams, but we're not getting in there to play. We're so concerned with failure and success like these two things are all that's going to sum you up at the end.
I felt like it named a lot of things that I saw or felt in the energy of my generation. I've looked for things as an actor and director that I thought were specifically kind of generational nerve pieces or pieces that I thought were about my generation and its particular dysfunctions and relationships with the culture.
And I haven't run into very many. And I never felt like the films that were getting made that were targeted at us, sort of the Reality Bites version of us as a generation, were very on-target for me. I always thought it was very baby boomer, kind of concocted, somewhat over-simplistic. And I thought a somewhat disdainful reduction of us to this kind of Gen-X, slacker, aimless, low energy, angst-ridden kind of banal realism and I just didn't buy it, and I certainly didn't respond to it.
It didn't seem to me to speak to some of the deeper things that I was feeling. And this was the first thing I'd read where I just laughed all the way through it. I laughed because there were passages in it that were just instantaneously impressed in my brain. The idea of a generation that's had its value system largely informed by the advertising culture is really provocative to me. On a certain level, in the absence of collective spirituality, there is a notion that the external signifiers of your material life will make you happy.
That you'll find spiritual peace through home furnishing. And it just made me laugh, it made me laugh because I was in the process of furnishing my house. And it was making me feel calm, for a while. And I felt like so much of what peeves me about the culture that I can't necessarily put a finger on, was named in this book.
Fight Club: 19 things you didn't know about the film
It was very focused on this idea of men and their sense of being displaced, their role in the culture being displaced. Of absentee fathers and the effect of that. There's stuff about it that are classically Nietzschean almost. I thought this is a piece about the challenge of individual self overcoming. Of making yourself evolve and of shattering old value systems and received value systems and institutional kind of hierarchies to free yourself individually.
And about what happens, what are the practical limits of applying that as a philosophy in the real world. And at what point does that start to become the thing that it was seeking to free people from? The solution becomes negative and destructive and dehumanizing in the sense that all of these guys give up their names to become part of the movement that's supposed to be freeing them?
I was thinking, "Jesus, you know, this is a critique of fascism. It has a generational energy to it, a protest energy. So much of what's been represented about my generation has been done by the baby boomers. It isn't just aimlessness we feel; it's deep skepticism.
He hired Jeff Cronenweth as cinematographer; Cronenweth's father Jordan Cronenweth had been cinematographer for Fincher's film Alien 3but left midway through production due to Parkinson's disease. Fincher explored visual styles in his previous films Seven and The Game, and he and Cronenweth drew elements from these styles for Fight Club.
The scenes with Tyler were described by Fincher as "more hyper-real in a torn-down, deconstructed sense—a visual metaphor of what [the Narrator is] heading into". The filmmakers used heavily desaturated colors in the costuming, makeup, and art direction. Fincher and Cronenweth drew influences from the film American Graffitiwhich applied a mundane look to nighttime exteriors while simultaneously including a variety of colors.
Fincher sought various approaches to the lighting setups; for example, he chose several urban locations for the city lights' effects on the shots' backgrounds.
The crew also embraced fluorescent lighting at other practical locations to maintain an element of reality and to light the prostheses depicting the characters' injuries. The crew equipped the bar's basement with inexpensive work lamps to create a background glow. Fincher avoided stylish camerawork when filming early fight scenes in the basement and instead placed the camera in a fixed position. In later fight scenes, Fincher moved the camera from the viewpoint of a distant observer to that of the fighter.
Tyler was not filmed in two shots with a group of people, nor was he shown in any over-the-shoulder shots in scenes where Tyler gives the Narrator specific ideas to manipulate him.
In scenes before the Narrator meets Tyler, the filmmakers inserted Tyler's presence in single frames for subliminal effect. Flashing was implemented on much of the exterior night photography, the contrast was stretched to be purposely ugly, the print was adjusted to be underexposedTechnicolor 's ENR silver retention was used on a select number of prints to increase the density of the blacks, and high-contrast print stocks were chosen to create a "stepped-on" look on the print with a dirty patina.
Haug assigned the visual effects artists and experts to different facilities that each addressed different types of visual effects: CG modeling, animation, compositing, and scanning. Haug explained, "We selected the best people for each aspect of the effects work, then coordinated their efforts.
In this way, we never had to play to a facility's weakness. Fincher also used previsualized footage of challenging main-unit and visual effects shots as a problem-solving tool to avoid making mistakes during the actual filming.
The network was mapped using an L-system and drawn out by a medical illustrator. The film's title sequence is a second visual effects composition that depicts the inside of the Narrator's brain at a microscopic level; the camera pulls back to the outside, starting at his fear center and following the thought processes initiated by his fear impulse. The company mapped the computer-generated brain using an L-system[48] and the design was detailed using renderings by medical illustrator Katherine Jones.
The pullback sequence from within the brain to the outside of the skull included neuronsaction potentialsand a hair follicle. Haug explained the artistic license that Fincher took with the shot, "While he wanted to keep the brain passage looking like electron microscope photographythat look had to be coupled with the feel of a night dive—wet, scary, and with a low depth of field.
The scene represents a turning point that foreshadows the coming rupture and inversion of the "fairly subjective reality" that existed earlier in the film. He pursued Radiohead[16] but singer Thom Yorke declined as he was recovering from the stress of promoting their album OK Computer.
Dust Brothers performer Michael Simpson explained the setup: They did not receive the film positively and were concerned that there would not be an audience for the film.
The studio further delayed the film's release, this time to autumn, citing a crowded summer schedule and a hurried post-production process. They considered that the film was primarily geared toward male audiences because of its violence and believed that not even Pitt would attract female filmgoers. Research testing showed that the film appealed to teenagers.
The firm proposed a bar of pink soap with the title "Fight Club" embossed on it as the film's main marketing image; the proposal was considered "a bad joke" by Fox executives. Fincher also released two early trailers in the form of fake public service announcements presented by Pitt and Norton; the studio did not think the trailers marketed the film appropriately.
The studio advertised Fight Club on cable during World Wrestling Entertainment broadcasts, which Fincher protested, believing that the placement created the wrong context for the film. Despite the film's top placement, its opening gross fell short of the studio's expectations. The board assigned the film an 18 certificate, limiting the release to adult-only audiences in the UK. The BBFC did not censor any further, considering and dismissing claims that Fight Club contained "dangerously instructive information" and could "encourage anti-social behavior ".
The board decided, "The film as a whole is—quite clearly—critical and sharply parodic of the amateur fascism which in part it portrays. Its central theme of male machismo and the anti-social behaviour that flows from it is emphatically rejected by the central character in the concluding reels.
The film was released in two DVD editions. The package, by extension, tries to reflect an experience that you must experience for yourself. The more you look at it, the more you'll get out of it.
The title "Fight Club" was labeled diagonally across the front, and packaging appeared tied with twine. Markell said, "We wanted the package to be simple on the outside, so that there would be a dichotomy between the simplicity of brown paper wrapping and the intensity and chaos of what's inside. It includes a featurette after the film, "Behind the Brawl". Fincher got permission from Barrymore to include the fake menu screen. A newspaper reported, "Many loved and hated it in equal measures.
Writing for the Australian newspaper, Christopher Goodwin stated: She wrote that Fight Club carried a message of "contemporary manhood", and that, if not watched closely, the film could be misconstrued as an endorsement of violence and nihilism. Water, even when it's polluted, is the source of life; blood, even when it's carelessly spilled, is the symbol of life being fully lived.
To put his point simply: They felt such scenes served only as a mindless glamorization of brutality, a morally irresponsible portrayal, which they feared might encourage impressionable young male viewers to set up their own real-life fight clubs in order to beat each other senseless.
The site's consensus reads, "Solid acting, amazing direction, and elaborate production design make Fight Club a wild ride. A "Gentleman's Fight Club" was started in Menlo Park, California in and had members mostly from the tech industry. Inan unwilling participant from a local high school was injured at a fight club in Arlington, Texasand the DVD sales of the fight led to the arrest of six teenagers.
Helder's goal was to create a smiley pattern on the map of the United States, similar to the scene in Fight Club in which a building is vandalized to have a smiley on its exterior.
The game was a critical and commercial failure, and was panned by such publications and websites as GameSpotGame Informerand IGN.
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__label__cc | 0.595697 | 0.404303 | Vol. 19, #2 – Health Care In Canada: What Makes Us Sick?
Dec 19, 2013 | Community Dispatch Archive
In 1843, Charles Dickens wrote “A Christmas Carol.” Most of us remember Ebenezer Scrooge and his visits from the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. It is the deep resonating voice of the Spirit of Christmas Present that makes me reflect on Christmas 2013. The dialogue between the Spirit and Ebenezer begins:
Spirit: Will you profit from what I have shown you of the good in most men’s heart?
Ebenezer: I don’t know, how can I promise?
Spirit: If it’s too hard a lesson for you to learn, then learn this lesson (he opens his cloak to reveal two small destitute children)
Ebenezer: Spirit, are these yours?
Spirit: These are man’s, they cling to me for protection from their fetters. This boy is ignorance, this girl is want. Beware them both, but most of all beware this boy.
Ebenezer: Have they no refuge, no resource?
Spirit: Are there no prisons, are there no workhouses, are there no prisons, are there no workhouses…
In 2013, some one hundred and seventy years later, the Canadian Medical Association has given a powerful message to Canadians in their report, “What Makes Us Sick?” They argue that poverty is the biggest barrier to good health; that it is the main issue that must be addressed to improve the health of Canadians. It seems ironic that on the eve of the Holiday Season, when families come together to celebrate, share good company over delicious foods, that Charles Dickens’ Spirit of Christmas Present is still with us.
Throughout the winter and spring of 2013, the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) conducted wide-ranging consultations to gather input on Canadians’ views on the social determinants of health. Public town hall meetings were held in Winnipeg, Hamilton, Charlottetown, Calgary, Montréal and St. John’s and were accompanied by an online consultation.
The process was framed around four questions aimed at determining what factors beyond the health care system influence health, what initiatives offset the negative impact of these determinants, what governments and health care providers should be doing to address these social determinants, and how equal access for all to the health care system can be achieved.
In every phase of the consultation, four main social determinants of health were identified by participants:
nutrition and food security
Several other social determinants of health were mentioned, such as culture, the environment, education and health literacy.
Participants stressed that society, governments and health care providers all have an obligation to address such problems as poverty, inadequate housing and nutrition.
Because the health of indigenous peoples in Canada was seen as being particularly influenced by the social determinants of health, the CMA held a town hall meeting to address the challenges facing Aboriginal people and communities.
Several themes from the town hall meetings were summarized by CMA President Dr. Anna Reid:
Poverty is the most important issue and must be addressed.
Poverty can cause multiple morbidities and even influence early childhood neurologic development.
Mental health issues remain “the elephant in the room” and underlie many of the social determinants of health.
Governments need to be pressured to take action, but there is a clear role for citizens, physicians and communities to help deal with the problems.
The capacity of non-profit organizations to help is reaching the breaking point.
There is a link between a healthy society and a healthy economy.
Social initiatives need specific funding and should be viewed as investments.
There is a need to look at why society is willing to accept disparities.
Social inequities are a major cause of stress and insecurity.
The medical profession has the authority and voice to take leadership on these issues.
Canadian society has suffered from a lack of imagination, will and leadership to address social inequities.
The guaranteed annual income is a compelling concept and can have a positive impact on health outcomes.
Structural racism keeps Aboriginal people in poverty; this must be addressed to improve health outcomes for these communities.
The cost of doing nothing is very large, so reallocation of existing spending is important.
Based on the input received, clear areas of action have emerged:
Recommendation 1: That the federal, provincial and territorial governments give top priority to developing an action plan to eliminate poverty in Canada.
Recommendation 2: That the guaranteed annual income approach to alleviating poverty be evaluated and tested through a major pilot project funded by the federal government.
Recommendation 3: That the federal, provincial and territorial governments develop strategies to ensure access to affordable housing for low and middle-income Canadians.
Recommendation 4: That the “Housing First” approach developed by the Mental Health Commission of Canada to provide housing for people with chronic conditions causing homelessness should be continued and expanded to all Canadian jurisdictions.
Recommendation 5: That a national food security program be established to ensure equitable access to safe and nutritious food for all Canadians regardless of neighbourhood or income.
Recommendation 6: That investments in early childhood development including education programs and parental supports be a priority for all levels of government.
Recommendation 7: That governments, in consultation with the life and health insurance industry and the public, establish a program of comprehensive prescription drug coverage to be administered through reimbursement of provincial–territorial and private prescription drug plans to ensure that all Canadians have access to medically necessary drug therapies.
Recommendation 8: That the federal government recognize the importance of the social and economic determinants of health to the health of Canadians and the demands on the health care system.
Recommendation 9: That the federal government require a health impact assessment as part of Cabinet decision-making process.
Recommendation 10: That local databases of community services and programs (health and social) be developed and provided to health care professionals, and where possible, targeted guides be developed for the health care sector.
Recommendation 11: That the federal government put in place a comprehensive strategy and associated investments for improving the health of Aboriginal people that involves a partnership among governments, non-governmental organizations, universities and Aboriginal communities.
Recommendation 12: That educational initiatives in cross-cultural awareness of Aboriginal health issues be developed for the Canadian population, particularly for health care providers.
The full report “Health Care in Canada: What Makes Us Sick?” can be found at http://live-cma-ca.pantheonsite.io/sites/default/files/pdf/Activities/What-makes-us-sick_en.pdf. | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line630 |
__label__cc | 0.514496 | 0.485504 | Europe's cyber problem
Bulletin article
Europe has been good at dealing with cyber crime. But it struggles to prevent and respond to state-sponsored cyber attacks.
Cyber has become a buzzword in Europe. Just as both the migration crisis and the terrorist threat seem to have abated, a series of high profile cyber attacks in 2017, allegedly from both state and non-state actors, struck targets including national health systems, banks and electoral campaigns. These attacks have raised big questions about the European Union’s attitude towards cyber security and its ability to deal with security breaches. The increasing incidence of online crime and the aggressive cyber tactics of countries like Russia and North Korea mean the bloc must raise its game in this area.
The EU’s cyber security plans cover three different things: cyber crimes (like child pornography or online fraud); cyber attacks (like disrupting a city’s transport network); and disinformation campaigns. Cyber crimes and cyber attacks sometimes overlap – like the ‘Wannacry’ ransomware attack attributed to North Korea, which blocked computers at large private companies and national service providers like the UK’s National Health Service. All three cyber threats can come from both state and non-state actors. Russia was allegedly behind a major cyber attack in 2017 (‘NotPetya’). Russian nationals have been indicted for meddling in the 2016 US presidential election. Drug dealers and other criminals make extensive use of the darkweb – websites which conceal users’ identities. Terrorists are also using the internet to wage their own online jihad.
The increasing aggressive cyber tactics of #Russia and #NorthKorea means the bloc must up its #cyber game.
The EU has done well in dealing with more traditional cyber crimes, like identity theft. A 2013 directive harmonised national laws and penalties for cyber crimes and the EU will approve rules to tackle online fraud later this year. But obtaining digital evidence in cross-border cases is still difficult: member-states struggle to gain quick access to information stored in another EU country. This is even more problematic when evidence sits outside Europe. US tech companies like Facebook or Microsoft receive an average of 100,000 direct requests per year from EU governments. There is no law governing such requests so the whole system works on the assumption that internet companies will simply hand over information to law enforcement authorities. Such requests put firms in a difficult position, because they are also required to protect their customers’ privacy.
The #EU has done well in dealing with #cyber crimes, but obtaining digital #evidence in cross-border cases is still difficult.
This legal gap has already caused problems on both sides of the Atlantic. The US government is suing Microsoft, which has refused to provide evidence stored on a server located in Ireland. The EU is looking at ways to work around similar problems. The Commission is due to present a proposal on obtaining cross-border evidence within the EU in the spring. The EU is also considering options to make access to evidence in data form, stored outside the Union, easier for member-states. But better international co-operation is still needed, not only with the US but also with less obvious partners such as China or India – many large companies have outsourced their IT services there and co-operation with these countries is still patchy.
There is a gap between the #EU’s ambitions and its capabilities in #cyber.
But Europe has a more urgent problem to solve: as state-sponsored cyber attacks increase all over the world, there is a gap between the EU’s ambitions and its capabilities in cyber defence. Europe understands that a cyber war is already happening, but it does not know how to fight it. The EU’s efforts to date have been few and far between. This is because there is little understanding in Brussels of what cyber attacks really are and how to deal with them, and, crucially, there is no consensus on who should be responsible for responding. Is it NATO, the EU, the national capitals, or a combination of the three?
#Cyber security is a cross-border issue where the EU can certainly add value.
Cyber security is a cross-border issue where the EU can certainly add value. The EU should find a common answer to the thorny question of what to do when a country launches a cyber attack against European interests. But, for now, the EU should focus on acquiring the knowledge and resources to build a robust cyber security strategy. At the moment, those resources are confined to a few member-states (like Estonia, France, the Netherlands and the UK). To deal with state-sponsored cyber attacks, the EU must begin by understanding what cyber is and what impact it has on all its policies – from trade, to crime, to the rule of law. Hackers have begun to exploit weaknesses for the purpose of insider trading; cross-border networks of paedophiles have been active in Europe for years; and disinformation campaigns targeting elections threaten European democracies and the rule of law. A good place to start understanding the impact of cyber in Europe would be for the next European Commission to set up a task force from all the relevant Commission departments and EU agencies to advise on cyber issues. The Council of Ministers already has a similar group. ENISA, the EU’s cyber agency, located on the Greek island of Crete, is supposed to support member-states, but is too under-resourced and too far removed to play that role.
The cyber world, like the real world, is full of bad actors. The EU is currently at a disadvantage because these actors – unlike the Union – know what they are doing. The challenge for the EU is to learn how to beat these international cyber villains. Otherwise, a major cyber attack could endanger not only the EU’s economy but also its democratic foundations.
Camino Mortera-Martinez is a research fellow and Brussels representative at the Centre for European Reform.
Copyright is held by the Centre for European Reform. You may not copy, reproduce, republish or circulate in any way the content from this publication except for your own personal and non-commercial use. Any other use requires the prior written permission of the Centre for European Reform. | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line631 |
__label__cc | 0.723901 | 0.276099 | Home Business CBN forex intervention hits $42.3bn in one year
CBN forex intervention hits $42.3bn in one year
Between April 2018 and March this year, the Central Bank of Nigeria injected over $42.3bn into the foreign exchange market to ensure liquidity in that segment of the economy.
The $42.3bn was arrived at by our correspondent based on figures released by the CBN.
The CBN usually intervenes in the forex market by injecting liquidity about three times a week.
The intervention is provided to authorised dealers in the wholesale segment of the market, as well as other sectors of the economy such as agriculture, manufacturing and Small and Medium Enterprises segment.
Customers that require foreign exchange for invisibles such as tuition fees, medical payments and Basic Travel Allowance, are also allocated funds from the intervention.
An analysis of the intervention showed that the apex bank injected about $7.89bn into the market in the second quarter of last year.
The injection of liquidity into the forex market by the CBN rose to $11.88bn in the third quarter of last year.
However, the figure dropped to $10.72bn in the fourth quarter before rising to $11.81bn as of the end of March this year.
Findings showed that during the period, the CBN sustained its interventions at both the inter-bank and the Bureau De Change segments of the forex market.
However, the average exchange rate of the naira vis-à-vis the dollar at the inter-bank segment depreciated by 0.04 per cent to N306.84 to a dollar in the first quarter, relative to the level at end-December 2018.
Commenting on the impact of the apex bank’s intervention in stabilising the forex market, the Director, Corporate Communications Department, Mr Isaac Okorafor, attributed the relative stability in the forex market largely to the continued intervention of the CBN.
The CBN spokesman further gave the assurance that the apex bank remained committed to ensuring that all the sectors continued to enjoy access to the forex required for the business concerns, whether in United States dollars or Chinese yuan.
He said the apex bank would continue to come up with measures that would ensure the value of the naira appreciates in the forex market.
He said, “The Importers and Exporters window was formed basically to sustain that market. We also have international money transfer operators. They also bring money that we also allowed to reflect market realities and that is another autonomous source.
“The currency swap has helped to stabilise the market. Because these are the demand that would have found itself in the dollar segment of the market.
“So we have been able to remove that and that also has helped to maintain stability.”
He said the apex bank would continue to sustain its intervention in the forex market until there was enough liquidity in the market.
CBN injects $337m, CNY53m into inter-bank forex market
Naira converges around N360/$ at major Forex market
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__label__wiki | 0.610495 | 0.610495 | GOVERNMENT ORDERS MODIFYING A CONDITION IN COMPASSIONATE APPOINTMENTS
THREE YEARS TIME LIMIT FOR MAKING
COMPASSIONATE APPOINTMENTS IN CENTRAL
GOVERNMENT SERVICES DROPPED BY DOPT
Government drops the earlier condition of time limit of three years prescribed for considering cases of compassionate appointment.
This is a small improvement but the main condition of cap of 5% vacancies only for compassionate appointments not lifted.
The full text of the Government Order is placed hereunder for the information of our blog viewers:
F.No.14014/3/2011-Estt. (D)
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions
(Department of Personnel & Training)
Dated the 26th July, 2012
OFFICE MEMORANDUM
Subject:- Review of three years time limit for making compassionate appointment.
The primary objective of scheme for compassionate appointment circulated vide O.M. No. 14014/6/94-Estt(D) dated 09.10.1998 is to provide immediate assistance to relieve the dependent family of the deceased or medically retired Government servant from financial destitution i.e. penurious condition. The Hon'ble Supreme Court in its judgment dated 05.04.2011 in Civil Appeal No. 2206 of 2006 filed by Local Administration Department vs. M. Selvanayagam @ Kumaravelu has observed that "an appointment made many years after the death of the employee or without due consideration of the financial resources available to his/her dependents and the financial deprivation caused to the dependents as a result of his death, simply because the claimant happened to be one of the dependents of the deceased employee would be directly in conflict with Articles 14 86 16 of the Constitution and hence, quite bad and illegal. In dealing with cases of compassionate appointment, it is imperative to keep this vital aspect in mind".
2. This Department's O.M. No. 14014/6/ 1994-Estt. (D) dated 09.10.1998 provided that Ministries/Departments can consider requests for compassionate appointment even where the death or retirement on medical grounds of a Government servant took place long back, say five years or so. While considering such belated requests it was, however, to be kept in view that the concept of compassionate appointment is largely related to the need for immediate assistance to the family of the Government servant in order to relieve it from economic distress. The very fact that the family has been able to manage somehow all these years should normally be taken as adequate proof that the family had some dependable means of subsistence. Therefore, examination of such cases call for a great deal of circumspection. The decision to make appointment on compassionate grounds in such cases was to be taken only at the level of the Secretary of the Department/Ministry concerned.
3. Subsequently vide this Department's O.M. No. 14014/19/2002-Estt. (D) dated 5th May, 2003 a time limit of three years time was prescribed for considering cases of compassionate appointment. Keeping in view the Hon'ble High Court Allahabad judgment dated 07.05.2010 in Civil Misc.Writ Petition No. 13102 of 2010, the issue has been re-examined in consultation with Ministry of Law. It has been decided to withdraw the instructions contained in the O.M. dated 05.05.2003.
4. The cases of compassionate appointment may be regulated in terms of instructions issued vide O.M. dated 09.10.1998 as amended from time to time. The onus of examining the penurious condition of the dependent family will rest with the authority making compassionate appointment.
(Mukta Goel)
Director (E-I)
Tel. No. 2309 2479
DRAFT PROPOSALS FOR ALL INDIA AND STATE LEVEL CAMPAIGN PROGRAMME FOR STRIKE ON 12TH DECEMBER
CONFEDERATION OF CENTRAL
GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES AND WORKERS
Manihsinath Bhawan
New Delhi. 110 027.
Website: confederationhq. Blogspot.com.
E mail:confederation06@yahoo.co.in
Circular No.13/2012 Dated: 29th July, 2012
All National Sectt. Members:
Kindly recall the discussions we had at our meeting held at the CHQ on 25th. For paucity of time, we could not carry out the discussion for finalising the campaign programme on that day. The house said that another meeting after the 26th programme might be convened to finalise the campaign programme for the impending strike action. Most of the Comrades expressed the difficulty in undertaking another visit to Delhi in the month of August, 2012. Taking into account that the strike action is slated for 12th December, 2012, and hardly four months are at our disposal and in view of the fact that October and November being festival months, we propose the following programme for your consideration. Your views in the matter may please be communicated to the CHQ through e-mail latest by 10th August, 2012. We are to deploy the Sectt. Members to different States. The Secretary General will intimate the final decision after the feed back on 10th August, 2012. Kindly ensure that you send in your views well before 9th August, 2012.
Details of the Programme Schedule
Campaign programme in September, 2012
11, 12 and 13; 18, 19 and 20th and 25, 26 and 27 September: The proposal is that a team of Sectt members will be in charge of the States indicated in the Annexure. The group of dates indicated will be chosen by them to finalize the programme in consultation with the concerned State Committee. The State Convention will be held on the last date of the group of Date and the two dates prior to the State Convention will be used for the purpose of office wise meeting in which the National Sectt. Members will participate.
1st to 12th October 2012
In the same manner as indicated above, district level convention and meetings will be held. The State Committee of Confederation Office Bearers and Circle Secretaries of affiliates will participate in those meetings/conventions. The State Committees can explore the possibility of Vehicle jathas to cover important stations of the states.
Mass Deputation and Serving Strike Notice to the respective heads of Departments/Office as the case may be. At the National level, the notice will be served on the Cabinet Secretary.
20,21,22 and 23rd Nov. 2012
Relay evening Dharna for three hours (between 17 hours and 21 hours) at a common place to be organised by the Confederation State Committee with the participation of all affiliated organizations.
11th Dec. 2012
Lunch hour /evening massive demonstration in front of respective offices for mobilizing the employees for the strike the next day.
The one day token Strike.
Kindly indicate the changes you wish to make this programme and inform the undersigned as quickly as possible.
K.K.N. Kutty
List of comrades deployed for the purpose of the Campaign.
S.No. Name of the Comrades States to be covered
1. S.K. Vyas and P. Suresh Rajasthan & Madhya Pradesh
2. K. Ragavendran & Mani Achari Tamilnadu & Chhattisgarh
3. K.V. Sreedharan & M. Krishnan Kerala & North Eastern States
4. K.P. Rajagopal & I.S. Dabas Bihar & West Bengal
5. N. Somayya & M.Durai Pandian. Karnataka
6. K.K.N.Kutty & Narasimhan. Andhra Pradesh and Delhi.
7. Giri Raj Singh & V. Bhattacharya Punjab, Haryana & J&K.
8. M.S.Raja & A.K. Kanojia U.P. and Uttarakhand.
9. Ashok B Salunkhe & Jayaraj. Gujarat & Maharashtra
10. Pijush Roy and Nageswar Rao Orissa & Jharkhand
Posted by Confederation Of Central Government Employees at 9:50 AM
MACP ANOMALY COMMITTEE MEETING DISCUSSIONS
CONFEDERATION OF CENTRAL GOVT. EMPLOYEES & WORRKERS.
A-2/95,Manishinath Bhawan,
Rajouri Garden, New Delhi-110 027
Website:www.confederationhq.blogspot.com.
Email:Confederation06@Yahoo.co.in
Tel: 011-2510 5324: Mobile: 98110 48303
Circular No: 12/2012 Dated 28th July, 2012
Dear Comrades
THE GRAND MARCH TO PARLIAMENT
IN PURSUANCE OF THE 15 POINT CHARTER OF DEMANDS.
The National Sectt. of the Confederation places on record its appreciation and gratitude for the tireless efforts of the State Committees and the affiliates in making the programme of 26th July, 2012, i.e. the March to Parliament a grand success. The gathering at Jantar Mantal had been magnificent and far higher than our expectation. As per the initial information supplied to us, every State has strived to mobilize maximum number of comrades to participate in the programme so as also was the endeavor of the affiliates. More than 20,000 comradesconverged at the Parliament Street with placards, banners, flags and wearing different colour caps. We anticipated quite an amount of difficulties and problems on 26th due to the decisions taken by the "Anna Hazare Committee against corruption" to organize indefinite dharna/fasting programme at the same venue. At the last minute, the Police authorities had to shift the spot at Jantar Mantar where we were to commence the procession. We could not get sufficient time to convey the changes made to our comrades, who had already started from different stations.
We also note with satisfaction that the leaders who had been entrusted to undertake the country wide campaign programme had done so with dedication and sincerity. As per the report we have at the CHQ, the campaign programme as chalked out had been carried out in all places except in Madhya Pradesh. The inability of the MP State Committee due to some unavoidable reasons had its adverse impact on mobilization of the comrades from that State. Similarly, we have been informed that the expected number of comrades had not reached from the North West Region, especially Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. Perhaps, we might have placed the target for these states unrealistically.
The procession commenced at 11.30 AM and the first contingent reached the rallying point at 12.15 PM. The meeting commenced immediately thereafter. Com. President, Working President and the Secretary General, National Federation of Postal Employees on behalf of the Confederation addressed the gathering. Com. Tapan Sen, Secretary General, CITU, Com, Amarjeet Kaur, Secretary AITUC, Com. Basudeb Acharya, MP and leader of the CPI(M) in the Parliament were the other speakers. The Secretary General while concluding the programme conveyed the decisions of the National Secretariat to go in for a serious campaign programme in the form of Mass Dharna, Demonstrations, Rally before the Governor's house etc. He also declared that the Central Government employees under the banner of the Confederation will be on a day's strike on 12th December, 2012. (12.12.12). Our next step must be to draw inspiration from the success of our March to Parliament programme and advance our movement to the impending strike action to create sufficient sanctions so that the Government will announce the setting up of the 7thCPC and hold meaningful negotiation for the settlement of the other demands in the charter. The National Secretariat will meet in the first week of August, 2012. Notice is being issued separately. All Sectt. , members are requested to attend the meeting.
We have published quite a number of photos of the rally in our Website. The Press Statement issued on 27thalong with the copy of the Memorandum to the Prime Minister has also been placed. Kindly use the explanatory memorandum for the intensive campaign you will have to undertake for the strike action.
MACP JOINT COMMITTEE MEETING AND DECISIONS.
The joint Committee set up by the National Anomaly Committee to consider the MACP related issues met on 27th July, 2012. The Staff Side was represented at the meeting by the following comrades:
Com. M. Raghaviah
Com. Umraomal Purohit
Com. S.K. Vyas
Com. C. Srikumar
Com. K.K.N. Kutty
Com. Shivgopal Misra
Com. Bhosle
The report prepared by the sub-committee after three rounds of discussions was reviewed at the meeting. The points that came up for discussion and the decisions taken are as under:
Grant of MACP in the promotional hierarchy: The Staff Side pointed out that the ACP which was in vogue till the advent of MACP had been on promotional hierarchy. In the name of improvement of the scheme, the Government cannot unilaterally change it, especially when the concerned employees do not consider it as advantageous. They suggested that the employees must be allowed to retain the ACP for the first two promotions and for the third promotion MACP can be extended. However, the Official Side said that it would not be possible to have any hybrid scheme. In fact, they added that the 6th CPC had suggested for two career progressions only and that too on grade pay hierarchy. The govt. had improved upon and therefore it was not possible for them to agree for the suggestion of the Staff Side. They also stated that the reason for bringing about grade pay hierarchy was to bring about uniformity in the scheme across the Departments as the promotional hierarchy varies from one department to another. They declined to consider the suggestion for promotional hierarchy based MACP.
The Staff Side then pointed that in the last meeting of the Committee, the Official Side taking into account the difficulties and disadvantages experienced by the employees in many departments which were presented by the Staff Side had agreed to consider department wise/cadre wise options. The Staff Side further pointed out that the suggestion of the Official Side would not go to resolve the issue. They said that option must be provide for each individual employee to choose either the ACP or MACP whichever is beneficial to him as is provided in the CCS(RP) Rules. The unilateral withdrawal of a benefit from an employee is not permissible. They also stated that the Official Side has not pointed out the difficulties in agreeing to this proposal. After some discussions, the Official Side said that they would re-examine the issue of individual option and will come up with their considered view at the next meeting of the NAC.
Counting 50% of service of the Temporary status/casual labourers for the purpose of MACP: In the light of the discussion at the meeting, the Official Side agreed to examine the matter.
Treatment of employees selected under LDCE Scheme and GDCE Scheme: The Official Side agreed to issue orders on the same lines as has been issued under the ACP Scheme. The Staff Side stated that wherever examination is the criterion for promotion/fast track promotion, the service rendered by such employees in the lower post must be ignored and such promotion should be treated as appointment and the promotion scheme to commence from the date of such appointment. This was not agreed to by the official side on the plea that such appointments are against promotion quota and therefore, they are to be considered as promotion only. The Staff Side them pointed out that this issue had been the subject matter of judicial consideration before the Tribunal and the Tribunal has given the decision in favour of the employees. The Official Side wanted a copy of the judgement to react to this.
Date of effect of the Scheme: The Staff Side pointed out that the date of effect of MACP Scheme must be from 1.1.2006. The analogy of the 5th CPC has no application as ACP was introduced after discussion with the Staff Side on a later date. Since the Government issued the orders of the 6th CPC and the acceptance of the MACP with modification almost simultaneously, it should have been made effective from 1.1.2006. They also pointed out that the MACP is not an allowance to be made application from 1.9.2008. The Official Side pointed out that the benefit emanating from the MACP i.e. the third promotion was applicable to all existing employees who were in service after 1.9.2008. The Staff Side demanded that the benefit has been denied to those who retired between 1.1.2006 and 30.8.2008. The Official Side agreed to consider application of the new MACP with effect from 1.1.2006 for those who retired/died between 1.1.2006 and 30.8.2008.
Financial up-gradation under MACP in the case of staff who join another unit/organization on request. It was agreed at the last meeting that the services rendered in another recruiting unit/organization will be taken into account for counting service for promotion under MACP. The Staff Side however, pointed out that in many cases, the employees are compelled to seek reversion in order to be transferred to another recruiting unit. In their case, the promotion so earned at the present recruiting unit and which have been foregone is being counted as one promotion under MACP. The Official Side agreed to look into this matter and issue necessary clarificatory orders.
Stepping up of pay of senior incumbent with the junior as a consequence of ACP/MACP. The Official Side stated that in the light of the judgments delivered in the matter they will have the case looked into and necessary instructions issued. They also stated that certain instructions in the matter has already been issued, copy of which will be made available to the Staff Side.
The bench mark question for promotion under MACP. The Official Side agreed to issue a clarificatory order stating that if the promotion is on seniority cum fitness basis, MACP will also be on seniority cum fitness basis.
There had been no discussions on other points incorporated in the report. The stand taken by the Official side in those matters remains unchanged. You may kindly access the report from the website of the Department of Personnel along with the relevant orders.
MACP ANOMALY COMMITTEE MEETING HIGHLIGHTS
GOVT. EMPLOYEES & WORKERS.
Rajouri Garden,
New Delhi-110 027
The National Sectt. of the Confederation places on record its appreciation and gratitude for the tireless efforts of the State Committees and the affiliates in making the programme of 26th July, 2012, i.e. the March to Parliament a grand success. The gathering at Jantar Mantal had been magnificent and far higher than our expectation. As per the initial information supplied to us, every State has strived to mobilize maximum number of comrades to participate in the programme so as also was the endeavor of the affiliates. More than 20,000 comrades converged at the Parliament Street with placards, banners, flags and wearing different colour caps. We anticipated quite an amount of difficulties and problems on 26th due to the decisions taken by the “Anna Hazare Committee against corruption” to organize indefinite dharna/fasting programme at the same venue. At the last minute, the Police authorities had to shift the spot at Jantar Mantar where we were to commence the procession. We could not get sufficient time to convey the changes made to our comrades, who had already started from different stations.
The procession commenced at 11.30 AM and the first contingent reached the rallying point at 12.15 PM. The meeting commenced immediately thereafter. Com. President, Working President and the Secretary General, National Federation of Postal Employees on behalf of the Confederation addressed the gathering. Com. Tapan Sen, Secretary General, CITU, Com, Amarjeet Kaur, Secretary AITUC, Com. Basudeb Acharya, MP and leader of the CPI(M) in the Parliament were the other speakers. The Secretary General while concluding the programme conveyed the decisions of the National Secretariat to go in for a serious campaign programme in the form of Mass Dharna, Demonstrations, Rally before the Governor’s house etc. He also declared that the Central Government employees under the banner of the Confederation will be on a day’s strike on 12th December, 2012. (12.12.12). Our next step must be to draw inspiration from the success of our March to Parliament programme and advance our movement to the impending strike action to create sufficient sanctions so that the Government will announce the setting up of the 7th CPC and hold meaningful negotiation for the settlement of the other demands in the charter. The National Secretariat will meet in the first week of August, 2012. Notice is being issued separately. All Sectt. , members are requested to attend the meeting.
We have published quite a number of photos of the rally in our Website. The Press Statement issued on 27th along with the copy of the Memorandum to the Prime Minister has also been placed. Kindly use the explanatory memorandum for the intensive campaign you will have to undertake for the strike action.
MASSIVE RALLY - PRESS STATEMENT AND MEMORANDUM TO PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA BY CONFEDERATION
E mail:confederation06@yahoo.co.in.
Dated: 26th July 2012
PRESS STATEMENT.
More than 20000 Central Government employees participated in the March to Parliament programme organised by the Confederation of Central Government employees and workers. Every State in the country and organisation in each Department of Government of India took part in this programme. The rally was addressed by Com. Basudeb Acharya and Com. Tapan Sen, Members of Parliament and leaders of CITU. Leaders of AITUC, BMS and INTUC also addressed the gathering. Besides, the following leaders of the Confederation spoke at the rally.
Com. S.K. Vyas, President, Confederation, Com. K.Raghavendran, Working President, Com. M. Krishnan, Secretary General, National Federation of Postal Employees, Com. K.P. Rajagopal, Secretary General, Incometax Employees Federation, Com. M.S. Raja, Secretary General, All India Audit and Accounts Association, Com. Brighu Bhattacharya, Secretary General, All India Civil Accounts Employees Association, Com.Somayya, Vice President, Confederation, Com. Madan, Organising Secretary, Confederation and many others.
While concluding the rally, Com. K.K.N. Kutty, Secretary General said that the Confederation has submitted a detailed memorandum on the charter of demands to the Prime Minister and the Central Government employees expect the Prime Minister to consider and settle the issues within a reasonable time frame. To ensure an expeditious consideration of the issues by the Government the Confederation has decided to call upon the employees to organise State/District level conventions, demonstration, rally, dharna etc. in the coming three months. If no satisfactory settlement is brought about within the next three months on the charter, he announced that the Confederation will organise a day’s token strike on 12th December, 2012.
The major demands included in the charter are (a) setting up of 7th Central Pay Commission for wage revision with effect from 1.1.2011, (b) merger of DA with pay, (c) withdrawal of PFRDA Bill (d) revival of the negotiating forum JCM at all levels, (e) stopping privatisation, downsizing etc,(f) regularisation of casual workers, (g) grant of five promotions in the career as is given to the officers etc.
The rally was concluded with the vote of thanks proposed by Com. Giriraj Singh, President, Delhi State Committee of the Confederation.
The Honourable Prime Minister,
Government of India,
South Block,
More than 15,000 Central Govt. Employees from all over the country representing various affiliates of the Confederation of Central Government employees and workers have marched to Parliament today to present this Memorandum containing a brief note on the 14 point Charter of demands and seek your kind intervention in finding a settlement of these issues. The employees and workers in all Departments of the Government of India are distressed over the total breakdown of the negotiating machinery. i.e. JCM . The Council meetings are not being held in any Ministry other than Railways, Defence and to a limited extent in the Postal and Atomic Energy Departments. There is no channel of communication that exist between the employees and the heads of Departments with the result that none of their grievances are attended to or addressed. This apart, in quite a number of Departments, the Associations /Federations have not been granted recognition in- spite of fulfilling all the conditions stipulated under the CCS (RSA) Rules, 1993 with the result even bilateral discussions at the level of heads of offices have been dispensed with.
We, therefore, once again request your good-self to kindly give necessary direction to the concerned that the issues we have presented through this memorandum are addressed immediately.
BRIEF NOTE ON DEMANDS
Item No. 1. Revision of wage with effect from. 1.,01..2011.
The present wage structure of the Central Govt. Employees has been made on the basis of the 6th Central Pay Commission’s recommendations. The 6th CPC introduced a new concept in the form of Pay band and Grade Pay. The recommendations of the Commission were implemented with effect from 1.1.2006 in the case of Pay and in the case of allowances with effect from 1.9. 2008. In the case of Central Public Sector undertakings, the wage revisions normally takes place after every five years. The 5th CPC in the case of Central Government employees recommended wage revision in every 10 years. In the past wage revision has been linked to the extent of erosion of real wages. The degree of inflation in the economy determines the pace of erosion of the real value of wages. The retail prices of those commodities which go into the making of minimum wages have risen by about 160% from 1.1.2006 to 1.1. 2011, whereas the D.A. compensation in the case of Central Government employees on that date had been just 51%. It is also an acknowledged fact that the 6th CPC had computed the minimum wage by suppressing the retail price of these commodities in the market on the specious plea that official statistics of the retail prices of these commodities were not available. They therefore, computed the retail price by increasing the wholesale price by 20% for each of the commodity whereas the actual retail price in the market was 60% more than the wholesale price. While in the case of Group B,C & D employees, the Commission applied a multiplication factor of 1.86 for arriving at the revised pay structure, in the case of Group A Officers, the factor was ranging from 2.36 to 3 times. In the matter of fitment formula also, unlike recommended by the 5th CPC, the 6th CPC adopted varying percentages whereby the officers in Group A were given rise extending from 42 to 49%, whereas the employees in Group B,C,D were granted only 40%. While implementing the Commission’s recommendations, the Government further accentuated the discrimination further. The recommendations of the 6th CPC when implemented gave rise to very many glaring anomalies. The National Council JCM set up a National Anomaly Committee to deal with these issues which are common to all CGEs and directed the Ministries and Departments to set up such anomaly committees at the Departmental level to deal with department specific issues. As has been mentioned elsewhere in this memorandum, the effectiveness of JCM as potent forum to settle issues has been eroded over the years by systematically tinkering with its functioning by the official side. Though the National Anomaly Committee met 4-5 times, it could not settle any major issues. The MACP, introduced by the Government in replacement of the ACP Scheme already in vogue has not gone to improve the career prospects of the employees due to various untenable stipulations made in the order by the DOPT. The Government has refused to act upon the Tribunal’s decision in the matter . Nor has it brought about any settlement on this issue through bilateral discussions at the National Anomaly Committee.
The Grameen Dak Sewaks were excluded from the purview of the 6th Central Pay Commission as the Postal Department took an erroneous view that they are not Central Government employees. The 4th CPC had categorically stated that they ought to have been included within the purview of the Commission’s jurisdiction but chose to go by the Postal Department’s decision ultimately. As has been mentioned elsewhere in this memorandum, the GDS constitute the largest chunk of the Postal Workers. The exclusion of GDS from the purview of the Pay Commission being unjust, discriminatory and bereft of any logic, it must be ensured that the next Pay Commission when it is set up will have the jurisdiction to recommend on wage structure and service conditions of the GDS.
Wage revision in all public Sector undertakings through Collective bargaining takes place once in five years. On the same analogy, the wage revision of the Central Government employees must be after every five years and the Government must set up the 7th CPC immediately.
Item No. 2. Merger of DA with pay:
The wage revision of the Central Government employees had always been through the setting up of Pay Commissions. Since the wage revision exercise involves inquiring into various aspects of wage determination and service conditions of the Government employees the Government had been appointing Pay Commissions for it was considered a better suited system of wage negotiation in the given circumstance. Such inquiry through setting up of Commissions had been a time consuming process. The 3rd, 4th and 5th Central Pay Commissions had taken more than three years to submit its report. The 6th CPC however, submitted its report in the time frame provided to it i.e. 18 months. Since the earlier Commissions had covered many aspects of the principles of wage determination and the periodicity of such revision had come down, the exercise might not now require a longer period of time as was the case earlier Even then the Commission will have to be given a reasonable time frame to go into the matter judiciously and arrive at conclusion. This apart, certain administrative delay cannot also be avoided. The methodology adopted for compensating the erosion in the real value of wages had been the merger of DA with Pay. The 5th CPC had recommended that the DA must be merged with pay and treated as pay for computing all allowances as and when the percentage of Dearness compensation exceeds 50%. Accordingly even before the setting up of the 6th CPC the DA to the extent of 50% was merged with pay. However, the Government refused to extend the said benefit to the Grameen Dak Sewaks for no reason. Presently, the Dearness compensation is 65% as on 1.1.2012. As on 1.1.2011, the DA was at the rate of 50%. The suggestion for merger of DA to partially compensate the erosion in the real wages was first mooted by the Gadgil Committee in the post 2nd Pay Commission period. The 3rd CPC had recommended such merger when the Cost of Living index crosses over 272 points i.e. 72 points over and above the base index adopted for the pay revision. In other words, the recommendation of the 3rd CPC was to merge the DA when it crossed 36%. The Government in the National Council JCM at the time of negotiation initially agreed to merge 60% DA and later the whole of the DA before the 4th CPC was set up. The 5th CPC merged 98% of DA with pay. It is, therefore, necessary that the Government takes steps to merge 50% of DA with pay for all purposes to compensate the erosion of the real value of wages of the Central Government employees including the Grameen Dak Sewaks.
Item No. 3. Compassionate appointments
On the plea of a Supreme Court directive, Govt. introduced a 5% ceiling on the compassionate appointments. When the matter was taken up by the Staff Side in the National Council the Government was unable to produce any such directive from the Supreme Court.. Despite that the official side refused to withdraw the said instructions limiting the appointments to 5% of the available vacancies. In one of the National Council meetings, presided over by the Cabinet Secretary solemn assurance was given to the Staff Side for the reconsideration of the issue in the light of the discussion, but nothing happened till date. . It is pertinent to mention in this connection that the compassionate appointments in the Railways continue to be operated without any such ceiling. In the Department of Posts hundreds of compassionate appointment candidates selected by Selection Committee were denied jobs. The list of selected candidates was scrapped. These candidates approached the Court and obtained a favourable order. Despite that various courts have struck down this untenable stipulation, the Government has chosen to file SLP in the Supreme Court. When the Central Administrative Tribunals were established, it was with the intent of expeditious settlement of disputes on service matters. Even recently the Government has announced that it would not be open for various Ministries to appeal against the orders of the Tribunal as a matter of course and efforts must be to explore the ways of acceptances of the judgements of the Tribunal. In the light of this directive from the Prime Minister’s office, the SLP ought to have been withdrawn. The standing Committee on Department of Personnel in one of their report has termed the scheme of Compassionate ground appointments as a sacred assurance to a fresh entrant that if he dies in harness, his family shall not be left in lurch. Such an assurance is being breached by the provisions of limiting such appointments to 5% of DR vacancies. This has to be done away with. We therefore urge the Honourable Prime Minister that direction may be issued to do away with the stipulation and compassionate appointments be given to all deserving candidates.
Item No.4. Functioning of the JCM and implementation of the arbitration award.
It was in the wake of the indefinite strike action of 1960, the JCM was set up as a negotiating forum to expedite settlement of demands and problems of employees.
On the pretext of the promulgation of the new CCS(RSA)Rules, most of the departments suspended the operation of the Departmental Councils. . Even after complying with the requisite formalities, in many departments, Associations/Federations are yet to be recognized. Wherever the recognition process was completed and orders issued granting recognition, no meetings of the Departmental Councils are held. Inspite of raising the issue in the National Council on several occasions by the Staff Side, nothing tangible has been done to ensure that the councils are made functional.
The National Council is, as per the scheme, to meet once in four months. It meets after several years, the system of concluding on the agenda in the meeting in which it is raised has been totally abandoned with the result that number of issues have been kept pending for indefinite period of time. The non- functioning of the Council and the consequent non- redressal of grievances has led to agitations including strike action in many departments. The 6th CPC recommendations were given effect to in September, 2008. The anomalies arising therefrom (which is in large numbers) ought to have been settled as per the agreement by Feb,. 2010. Barring one or two items, no settlement has been brought about on a large number of anomalies till date.
In the wake of the General Strike action of the working class in the country against the neo liberal economic policies of the Government on 28th Feb. 2012, the Joint Secretary (Estt.) in the Department of Personnel wrote as under in her demi-official communication addressed to all Secretaries of the Government of India, which is contrary to facts and misleading too.
“Joint consultative machinery for Central Government employees is already functioning. This scheme has been introduced with the object t of promoting harmonious relations and of securing the greatest measure of co-operation between the Government, in its capacity as employer and the general body of its employees in matters of common concern, and with the object further of increasing the efficiency of the public service. The JCM at different levels have been discussing issues brought before it for consideration and either reaching amicable settlement or referring the matter to the Board of Arbitration in relation to pay and allowances, weekly hours of work and leave, wherever no amicable settlement could be reached in relation to these items.”
The forum of Departmental Councils must be immediately revived in all Departments and made effective as an instrument to settle the demands of the employees. The periodicity in which the meeting of the National Council is to be held must be adhered. We request that the Department of Personnel, which is the nodal department for ensuring the functioning of the negotiating machinery is advised to monitor the functioning of the Departmental Councils of various Ministries and Departments and a report placed in the National Council. The Cabinet Secretary, who is the Chairman of the National Council, may please be asked that the Council meetings are convened once in four months and the issues raised therein settled in a reasonable time frame. Since the grant of recognition to Service Association is a pre requisite for the effective functioning of the negotiating machinery, the Ministries may be asked to process the application and take decision in the matter immediately as the recognition rules have come into existence in 1993 that is about a decade back.
Item No. 5. Remove the ban on recruitment and creation of posts
In 1993, the Government of India introduced a total and blanket ban on creation of posts. This was with a view to reduce the manpower in the Governmental establishments for on implementation of the neo liberal economic policies, the Government will be required to close down some of its activities and some others to be shifted to the private domain. In 2001, the GOI issued an executive instruction modifying the complete ban on recruitment that was in vogue whereby various departments, if they so desire, resort to recruit personnel to fill up the existing vacancies, provided they abolish 2/3rd of such vacancies. In other words, the concerned heads of Departments will be permitted to fill up 1/3rd of the vacancies provided they abolish the 2/3rd vacancies permanently.
Since it was impossible to carry on the functions assigned to the Departments, they had to implement the above cited directive of the Department of personnel, which was meant to arbitrarily reduce the manpower especially in Group C and D segments. Though the directive was to be applied uniformly to all cadres where direct entry is one of the mode of recruitment, not a single Group A. post was abolished as most of the departments offered to do away with equal number of Group C and D posts. Since direct recruitment is seldom resorted to in Group B cadres, the brunt of the burden of the above cited instruction had to be borne by the Group C and D cadres in each department. The said directive remained operative for nearly a decade i.e. upto 2010. Such abnormal and arbitrary abolition of posts affected very adversely the functioning of many departments consequent upon which the public at large suffered immeasurably. To cope up with the genuine complaints of the public, most of the heads of Departments had to resort to either outsourcing of the functions or engaging contract workers. In the circumstances, we urge upon you to kindly direct all the Departments of the Government of India to immediately fill up all the existing vacancies.
The Government has a time tested and scientific system of assessing the workload and measuring the manpower requirement on the basis of the periodical changes that takes place from time to time. This seems to have been presently abandoned and the vacancies except in a few cases are not being filled up and no new posts are created, except in Group A cadres, even though there had been phenomenal increase in the workload in each department. The 6th CPC dealing with the subject has recommended that such ban on creation of posts for a long period is not desirable and the Departments should be empowered to create the need based posts for its effective functioning. We request that commensurate posts that are needed to cope up with the increasing workload may be sanctioned and recruitment of personnel resorted to so that the assigned functions of each department could be carried out effectively and efficiently. Existing vacancies
Item No. 6. Downsizing, outsourcing, contractorisation etc.
Due to the situation that came into being because of the 2001 directive of the Government, as explained in the preceding paragraphs and due to the pursuance of the neo- liberal economic policies, many departments had to resort to outsourcing of its functions. Some departments were virtually closed down and a few others were privatised or contractorised. The large scale outsourcing and contractorisation of functions had a telling effect on the efficacy of the Government departments. The delivery system was adversely affected and the public at large suffered due to the inordinate delay it caused in getting the service from the Government departments. The financial outlay for outsourcing of functions of each department increased enormously over the years. The quality of work suffered. In order to ensure that the people do get a better and efficient service from the Government departments and to raise the image of the Government in the eyes of the common people, it is necessary that the present scheme of outsourcing and contractorisation of essential functions of the Government must be abandoned.
Item No. 7. Stop price rise and strengthen PDS.
The abnormal and phenomenal increase in the prices of essential commodities is an acknowledged fact. The pursuance of the new economic policies and consequent withdrawal of the universal public distribution system had been per se the reason for such unbearable inflation. The universal PDS which was evolved to protect the food security of common people was an effective instrument not only to arrest inflation but also to ensure that no Indian dies of hunger. Government employees even at the lowest wage structure i.e. the Group D and C employees are presently precluded from the PDS as their meagre wages itself is considered to be above the benchmark of “Below Poverty Line”. They are to depend upon the open market for even essential food items, which with their meagre income they are unable to access. It is, therefore, necessary that the universal PDS as was in vogue must be brought back as the market forces have failed to arrest inflation and price rise of essential food items.
Item No. 8(a) Regularisation of daily rated workers.
Regularisation of Casual/Contingent/daily rated workers. In most of the Departments, as detailed elsewhere in this memorandum, the Departmental heads had to recruit personnel on daily rated basis or as casual workers due to the ban on recruitment to cope up with the increasing workload. Almost 25% of the present workforce in Governmental organisations is casual workers deployed to do the permanent and perennial nature of jobs, despite the fact that the labour laws do not allow assigning such jobs to casual workers. In 1950s and 1960, even the casual workers who had been employed to do the casual and non perennial jobs used to get priority for regular employment as and when vacancy for such permanent recruitment arises. Thousands of persons are recruited as casual workers and kept in the employment continuously for want of permanent hands. They are paid pittance of a salary with no benefits like provident fund, dearness allowance, other compensatory allowances etc. In order to ensure that they do not get the benefit of regularisation, these workers are technically discharged for a few days to be employed afresh again. The modus operandi differs from one department to another. While in some organisations, they are recruited through employment exchanges as daily rated workers, in others the functions are contracted out. Not only the quality of work suffers but it is also an inhuman exploitation of the workers given the serious situation of unemployment that exists in the country. While the permanent solution is to sanction the necessary posts and resort to regular recruitment, the Government should evolve a scheme by which these casual/contingent/daily rated workers are made regular workers with all the concomitant benefits available for regular Government employees. Pending finalisation of such a scheme for regularisation, the non regular employees who are recruited by the heads of departments for meeting the exigencies of work must be paid atleast the minimum of the salary, which are paid to the similarly placed regular employees on the basis of equal pay for equal work.
Item No. 8(b). Absorption of GDS as regular postal employees
The postal Department employs the largest number of Government employees, next to Railways and Defence. Nearly half of its workforce is called the Grameen Dak Sewaks, the new nomenclature given for the Extra Departmental Agents. The system of EDAs was evolved by the British Colonial Government to sustain a postal system at a cheaper cost especially in rural areas. Despite the enactment of very many legislation to prohibit the exploitation of workers, the Government continued with this system. No doubt in the post independent era, at the instance and persuasion of the Unions of regular employees, certain benefits were accorded to them. Till 1963, the GDS or the Extra Departmental Agents were treated as Government employees and were covered by the service conditions applicable to civil servants. However, the Department of Post reversed this position thereafter and contended that they are not Central Government employees. The Honourable Supreme Court in 1977 declared that they are holders of Civil Posts. Justice Talwar Committee appointed by the Govt. To look into the issues pertaining to GDS declared that the GDS are holders of Civil posts and all benefits similar to regular employees must be extended to them. However, the Government did not accept this recommendation of the committee which they themselves set up. On the specific suggestion of the Postal Department, the Government set up a separate Committee called the Natarajamurthy Committee to go into their service conditions and suggest improvement on the lines of the recommendations of the 6th CPC. The recommendations of this Committee were totally disappointing and the GDS in the post 6th CPC era is worse of. Instead of utilising the service of GDS for the welfare schemes of the State in rural area by converting them as regular employees, the Department caused injustice to them by acting upon the recommendations of the Natarajamurthy Committee. Recently, the Postal Department has decided that the vacancies in the Cadre of Postmen, and MTS would not be fully made available for promotion to the GDS and an element of open direct recruitment has been introduced. This has decelerated the meagre chance of the GDS being a regular Postal employee further. In order to ensure that their grievances are properly addressed, the Postal Department must be directed to earmark all the existing vacancies in the cadre of Postmen and MTS to the eligible GDS for promotion and a scheme is evolved to absorb the GDS as regular full time Government employees whereby all the service conditions of the Civil Servants.
Item No. 9.Introduction of PLB and removal of ceiling limit
Barring the Railways, Defence production units and Postal Department, Bonus is paid to the Central Government employees on adhoc basis. The 30 days adhoc bonus is the maximum that is provided to them. The 4thand 5th Central Pay Commissions had recommended the introduction of productivity linked bonus scheme to all Departments as is presently the case in the three Departments mentioned above. Even the scheme of PLB is not uniform in as much as the Postal Department introduced a ceiling on the entitled number of days of bonus whereas no such ceiling exist either in the Railways or in the Defence Production organisations. The Government is yet to implement these recommendations even though several rounds of discussions on the subject were held. There is no reason whatsoever, as to why this recommendation could not be implemented. There had been no rise in the adhoc bonus for past a decade even though there had been considerable amount of increase in the case of PLB over the years. The Department of Personnel and Expenditure may be advised to finalise the PLB scheme without further delay for those who are in receipt of adhoc bonus.
Even though Bonus Act is said to have no application or relevance to the Productivity linked Bonus or adhoc bonus, the provisions of the said Act is employed to deny bonus to the Government employees on the basis of their emoluments. The bonus entitlement in both the cases is restricted to the computation based on the notional emoluments of Rs. 3500, while the Postal Department went one step ahead and declared that in the case of GDS, it would continue to be Rs. 2500.The injustice meted out to the GDS in the matter by the Postal Department is highly deplorable. Presently even a casual worker is entitled to get a monthly wage of more than Rs. 3500. The minimum wage as on 1.1.2006 determined by the 6th CPC in respect of Central Government employees is Rs. 7000. By artificially linking the restriction of emoluments stipulated by the Bonus Act, the employees are denied their legitimate entitlement of Bonus. It is, therefore, urged that the Bonus entitlement be computed on the basis of the actual emoluments an employee receives.
Item No. 10. Revising OTA and Night Duty allowance rates:
Overtime allowance is seldom given to the Government employees. In case of emergency and in the contingency in which the work cannot be postponed, like that happens in the RMS division of Postal Department, in the Atomic Energy Commission offices or when the Parliament is in session in other administrative offices, employees are asked to do work beyond the stipulated working hours. The Night duty allowance is provided to the employees who are asked to work in the night shifts with certain stipulated conditions. The 4th CPC recommended that since there had been considerable misuse of the provisions relating to the grant of OTA, the Government should find alternative methods to compensate the employees who are asked to work on over time and pending such a scheme being evolved recommended not to revise the rates. However, the Govt.did not bring in any new scheme of compensation but issued the directive that the OTA and Night duty allowance will be paid to the employees who are called upon to do overtime or night duty applicable as if the pay is not revised at all. This directive is still in vogue. On quite a number of occasions, the Staff Side pointed out the irrationality of the directive of the Government in as much as a person engaged for managing the excess work from outside gets better emoluments than the over time allowance granted to the regular employees. The Government refused to reach an agreement in the National Council on this issue. When the Staff side pressed, the Government came forward to record disagreement and refered the matter to the Board of Arbitration under the JCM. Scheme. The Board of Arbitration having found the unreasonable position taken by the Government gave out the award in favour of the staff and directed the Government to revise the order whereby the allowance will be linked to the actual pay of the Government employees. The Govt. did not accept this award and has approached the Parliament for the rejection of the same. The matter has not yet been placed in the form of a resolution in the Parliament. Despite the fact that the employees had been abiding by the directive of their superiors to be on overtime/night duty, and despite having won the case before the Board of Arbitration they continue to be compensated on the basis of the Notional pay as in 1986. There could not have been a much bigger injustice meted out to the employees. We request that the Department of Personnel/Department of Expenditure be asked to issue necessary revised instruction in the matter in acceptance of the Board of Arbitration award linking the allowance to the actual pay of the employee.
Item No.11. Arbitration Awards.
There are about 17 awards of the Board of Arbitration given in favour of the employees. On the plea that the implementation of these awards would result in heavy financial outflow, the Govt. has moved resolutions in the Parliament for the rejection of these awards. The fact is that the financial burden on account of acceptance of these awards is meagre. It is the delay that has been responsible for the increase in the financial implications as the awards are to be implemented from the date mentioned by the Board of Arbitration in their order. A few years back, the staff side agreed to alter the date of implementation of these awards in order to reduce the financial implication. The official side discussed the issue on several occasions but did not conclude with the result that these awards are still pending acceptance of the Government. It is rather unethical and untenable that the Government has chosen to invoke the sovereign authority of the Parliament to deny the legitimate dues of its own employees. Prior to 1998, the Government has not chosen to approach the Parliament once the award is given in favour of the employees and implemented every one of them except in a very few cases. We urge that the concerned Ministries may be advised to accept these awards and implement the same for such a direction will bring in confidence and respect amongst the employees over the Governmental actions.
Item No. 12.Vacate All Trade Union victimisation.
The Central Government employees are alarmed and distressed over the spree of vindictive actions pursued by various Accountant Generals against the employees of the I A & AD Department. More than 12000 employees have been proceeded against under Rule 14 or 16 of the CCS (CCA) rules. The resort to such vindictive action has been taken by the Administration of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India for the simple reason that the employees together decided to be on mass casual leave demanding the vacation of victimization of the Union functionaries in Kerala, Rajkot, Gwalior, Kolkata, Nagpur, Allahabad etc. The very fact that large number of employees participated in the Mass Casual leave programme is indicative of the fact of the growing discontent against the highhandedness of the Administration.
The authorities in the IA & AD have not been permitting the genuine trade union activities for the last several years. No meeting of the employees is allowed if the same is held under the auspices of the recognized Associations, whereas permission to hold cultural shows even during office hours are granted. In the name of discipline, dissenting voice, howsoever genuine they are, are not being tolerated. Despite repeated pleas made by the All India Audit and Accounts Association, the Comptroller General of India did not deem it to fit to intervene and set right the high handed behaviour of the Accountant General Kerala. On his promotion as Principal Accountant General, he was transferred to Hyderabad, where, as per the report, he has continued with his intolerant attitude towards the Association. Permission to hold the General Body meeting, a constitutional requirement and a necessity to abide by the stipulations made by the CCS (RSA) Rules, 1993, was denied to the recognized Association in Andhra Pradesh. The General Secretary and other office bearers of the Association have been proceeded against under Rule 16 for holding the General Body meeting during lunch break.
In the background of this unprecedented situation and the blanket ban instituted by the authorities to hold any meeting within the office premises we appeal to the Honourable Prime Minister to kindly intervene in the matter and direct the concerned to hear the grievances of the employees and settle the same in an amicable and peaceful atmosphere. In order to create a conducive atmosphere for talks, the authorities may be asked to withdraw all punitive and vindictive actions against the employees who had gone on Mass casual leave as a means of protesting against the inordinate delay in settling issues and to give vent to their feeling of anger against the vindictive actions of various Accountant Generals.
Item No. 13. Right to strike
Article 309 of the Constitution makes it incumbent upon the Government of India and the Provincial Governments to make enactments to regulate the service conditions of the civil servants. However, till date no such enactment has either been moved or passed by the Parliament.. The transitory provisions empowering the President of India to make rules till such time the enactment is made has been employed to regulate the service conditions of the Government employees. Once recruited as an employee, the ILO's conventions provide all trade union rights. India is a signatory to those conventions. Despite all these legal and moral obligations on the part of the Government, the Government employees continue to be denied the right to collective bargaining. No negotiation is worth the meaning, if the employees have no right to withdraw their labour in case of a non-satisfactory agreement on their demands. It is this legal lacuna which was employed by the Supreme Court to justify the arbitrary dismissal of lakhs of employees by the Tamilnadu State Government when they resorted to strike action. In the judgment delivered by the Supreme Court, it was observed that the Government employees do not have any legal, fundamental or moral right to resort to strike action. The entire section of the Indian Working Class enjoys the right to strike and an effective collective bargaining system except the Government employees. The denial of the right to strike to Government employees was employed by the British Colonial Rulers as part of the scheme to subjugate the Indian people and to shut out any probable dissenting views within the Governmental machinery. To continue with the same concept is to infer that the Sovereign Republic of India want to follow the archaic rules and regulations conceived by colonial rulers perhaps with the same intent. We therefore urge that necessary legislation affording the right to strike to Government employees may be made in the Parliament.
Item No. 14 :Career progression:
For the efficient functioning of an institution, the primary pre-requisite is to have a contended workforce. It is not only the emoluments, perks and privileges that motivate an employee to give his best. They are no doubt important. But what is more important is to provide them a systematic career progression. The present system of career progression available in the All India Services and the organised group A Civil services attracts large number of young, talented and educated persons to compete in the All India Civil Service Examination. No different was the career progression scheme available in the subordinate services in the past. Persons who were recruited to subordinate services were able to climb to Managerial positions over a period of time. The situation underwent vast changes in the last two decades. In most of the Departments, stagnation has come to stay. It takes decades to be promoted to the next higher grade in the hierarchy. It was the recognition of the lack of promotional avenue in the subordinate services that made the 5th CPC to recommend a time bound two career progression scheme. However, this has not gone to address the inherent problem of de-motivation that has crept in due to the high level of stagnation. In most of the Departments, the exercise of cadre review which was considered important was not carried out. Any attempt in this regard was restricted to Group A services. The discontent amongst the employees in the matter is of high magnitude today. It is, therefore, necessary that every Department is asked to undertake to bring about a cadre composition and recruitment pattern in such a manner that an employee once recruited is to have five hierarchical promotions in his career as is presently the position in the All India Services and in the organised Group A services.
Item No.15: Scrap the New Pension Scheme
The defined benefit scheme of pension was introduced replacing the then existing contributory system decades back. . The Government decided to reconvert the same into a contributory scheme on the specious plea that the outflow on pension had been increasing year by year and is likely to cross the wage bill. By making it contributory, the Government expenditure on this score is not likely to get reduced for the next 36 years because of the reason that as per the announced scheme, the Government is to contribute the same amount to the fund as the employees contribute. Coupled with this stipulation the Government is also duty bound to make payment for the existing pensioners and for all Central Government employees who were in service prior to 1.1.2004. The contribution collected from the employees who are recruited after 1.1.2004 is to be managed by a mutual fund operator for investment in the stock market. It is the vagaries of the stock market which will then determine the quantum of pension or in other words annuity, which would not be cost indexed. Before the introduction of the new scheme and the PFRDA bill, the Government had set up a committee under the chairmanship of Shri Bhattacharya, the then Chief Secretary of the State of Karnataka. The bill was unfortunately drafted and presented to the Parliament disregarding even the recommendation of the said committee to the effect that the Govt. should consider introducing a hybrid system by which the employees will have either a defined benefit pension or opt for a higher return through stock exchange investments. Despite the non-passage of the bill and the consequent absence of a valid law to support the Pension Regulatory authority, the Govt. converted the existing pension scheme into a contributory one through executive fiat and invested a percentage of the fund so generated from the employees’ contribution in the Stock market. India is a young country and the expenditure on statutory pension has remained over a long period not more than 5% of GDP which the country/Government can afford to spend. The withdrawal of PFRDA bill is required for the following reasons too:
(a) The new pension scheme is going to make social security in old age uncertain and dependent on market forces.
(b) The scheme has been compulsorily imposed on a section of employees and hence it is discriminatory.
(c) Such scheme had been a failure in many countries including Chile, UK and even USA. In USA entire pension wealth has been wiped out leaving pensioners with no pension. In Argentina the contributory scheme which was introduced at the instance of IMF was replaced with the defined benefit pension scheme.
(d) The PFRDA Bill has provisions empowering the Govt. and the Authority to cover employees now left out and to amend the existing entitlements of pension benefits.
(e) In majority of the countries, “pay as you go” is the system of pension.
(f) The contributory scheme does not give any guarantee for a minimum pension of 50% of the pay drawn at the time of retirement of the employee. Nor does it provide for the protection of his family members in the form of family pension in the event of death.
The Supreme Court has declared pension as one of the fundamental rights. The government should therefore retrace from its avowed position, which is detrimental to the interest of the employees and ensure that the employees recruited after 1.1.2004 is covered by the existing statutory defined benefit scheme and withdraw the PFRDA bill from the Parliament.
GOVERNMENT ORDERS MODIFYING A CONDITION IN COMPAS...
DRAFT PROPOSALS FOR ALL INDIA AND STATE LEVEL CAMP...
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MASSIVE RALLY BEFORE PARLIAMENT BY CONFEDERATION O...
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NATIONAL SECRETARIAT MEETING ON 25TH JULY, 2012 | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line638 |
__label__wiki | 0.528933 | 0.528933 | VHB helps advance Manhattan’s largest rezoning project in more than 10 years
New York — An important next step in the East Midtown Zoning project was reached when community board public hearings began this month. As the largest rezoning in Manhattan since Hudson Yards in 2004, this project proposes zoning changes to a 78-block area of Greater East Midtown — one of the largest job centers in New York City and one of the highest profile business addresses in the world.
VHB has been working closely with the New York City Department of City Planning and New York City Economic Development Corporation to prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the zoning text and zoning map amendments that will result in the incremental development of nearly six and a half million square feet of commercial development.
Centered upon historic Grand Central Terminal, the rezoning area contains more than 60 million square feet of office space, more than 250,000 jobs, and the offices of numerous Fortune 500 companies. Proposed zoning changes will
protect and strengthen this high-profile office district;
help preserve and maintain landmarked buildings;
permit overbuilt buildings to retain their non-complying floor area as part of a new development on the site;
upgrade the area’s public realm; and
maintain and enhance key characteristics of the area’s built environment.
Rezoning will confirm the area’s future as a world-class business district and major job generator for New York City.
“To meet the aggressive certification schedule, our team collaborated with the City’s technical resources and zoning experts on a daily basis,” said Nancy Doon, VHB’s project manager. “Due to the project magnitude, detailed analyses were conducted for almost every area of the City Environmental Quality Review (CEQR) Technical Manual. Through extensive coordination and data sharing, we streamlined preparation of the EIS analyses and were able to deliver the DEIS in just six months.”
VHB’s efforts entailed a full range of environmental, transportation, and civil engineering. Integrated services included traffic analyses at 119 intersections, evaluation of pedestrian conditions at more than 200 areas (sidewalks, crosswalks, corners), and consideration of 202 sunlight sensitive resources for the shadows analysis.
Throughout the process VHB acted as the City’s trusted partner to deliver this complex DEIS on a fast-track schedule, successfully meeting the December 2016 deadline and moving the project forward. With the completion of the DEIS and the certification of the land use application in January, the City entered the seven-month public review process. The Final EIS is expected to be issued in May. | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line640 |
__label__wiki | 0.956435 | 0.956435 | For pianist Till Fellner, it’s mostly Mozart and his brethren
Published January 11, 2018 Authored by Kyle MacMillan
When Till Fellner returns to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra for concerts Jan. 25-27 and 30, he will be performing a Mozart piano concerto. That comes as little surprise, since the Austrian-born pianist favors the Austro-Germanic repertoire. Alongside Mozart, the other composers he admires most are Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Liszt, Schubert and Schumann.
“It’s not that I don’t like Russian or French music,” Fellner said. “I play a little French music but not so much the Russian music. But it seems to me that Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert and Bach are so important, and it’s the most interesting music for me.”
Fellner, 45, who has in unassuming fashion built a world-class career beginning with his victory at the respected Clara Haskil Competition in Vevey, Switzerland, in 1993, is known for his probing, insightful interpretations. He prefers to delve deeply into the repertoire, and to do that, he has taken on a few large-scale performance projects. In 2008-10, for example, he presented the complete cycle of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas in 10 cities worldwide, including London, New York, Paris, Tokyo, Vienna and Washington, D.C., performing seven concerts at each locale.
Next season, he embarks on his latest such undertaking: a four-concert cycle of solo piano works by Franz Schubert from the last years of his life. Included will be not just sonatas but also the composer’s Impromptus, D. 899 and D. 935; Six moments musicaux, D. 780, and the Wanderer Fantasy, D. 760. Fellner will perform the complete set at concerts in Antwerp, Taipei and Tokyo, as well as at the famed Schubertiade, an annual festival in the Austrian towns of Hohenems and Schwarzenberg. In addition, he will play selected programs from the cycle elsewhere, including the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society in Waterloo, Ontario, where the pianist appears regularly.
Keeping with Fellner’s emphasis on the mainstream Austro-Germanic repertoire, his upcoming album on the ECM label will feature live recordings of Liszt’s Années de pèlerinage (Years of Pilgrimage), and Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Op. 111. The idea for the album came after Fellner played Années at the Musikverein, Vienna’s famed concert hall. He was taken with a recording of the performance by the Austrian national radio network. “I don’t know why and how, but it was a really good concert,” he said.
But to fill out an album, he needed something else, and he found a live recording of the Sonata No. 32, made when he performed the Beethoven cycle at Middlebury College in Vermont. He brought excerpts from the two recordings to Manfred Eicher, ECM’s legendary founder, who’s also a producer. “He liked it, and he agreed to bring it out on CD,” Fellner said.
For his CSO concerts, conducted by Manfred Honeck, Fellner will perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 25, K. 503. The pianist considers the concerto, the last in a series of 12 such works that Mozart wrote in Vienna in 1784-86, to be one of the composer’s best. He describes the first movement as one of the “most symphonic” among the piano concertos, comparing it to Mozart’s writing in his famed Jupiter Symphony. “The second movement, by contrast, is more chamber-music-like,” he said. “There are no trumpets. No timpani. It’s a little bit more intimate.”
Although the piece was completed in December 1786, Mozart actually began the work a few years earlier, finishing portions of the orchestral and solo sections in the first movement. But he set aside what he had written. Scholars detected the interruption by studying the different manuscript paper the composer used at the two stages of the process. “Why did he stop?” Fellner said. “We don’t know.” He speculates that it might be an attempt to maintain a balance of musical keys across the works.
But in returning to the concerto, Mozart didn’t simply keep what he had written earlier, he also improved the solo section for the piano. “He extended it,” Fellner said. “It’s much longer, and it’s totally different. It’s much more individual. It’s more eventful. And the transition to the re-entry of the orchestra is much more convincing. You can see the changes [on the original manuscript] because it’s in a different color of ink. Mozart was a genius, without a doubt. But [these revisions] show that he invested much work in the compositional process. It’s not always the first solution that satisfied him.”
Photo: Jean Baptiste Millot
Till Fellner and Hugo Kortschak
Austrian pianist Till Fellner is in Chicago this week to perform Mozart's Piano Concerto no. 22 with the Orchestra under the baton of Bernard Haitink. And in between rehearsals, he visited the Rosentha...
Pianist Till Fellner prefers to mix the music of today with works of the past
To get a sense of the inquisitive, focused and artistically ambitious nature of pianist Till Fellner, look no further than his grand performance projects. Across two seasons in 2008-10, for example, h... | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line641 |
__label__wiki | 0.96693 | 0.96693 | New report: CT traffic is bad — and likely to get worse
Washington – Connecticut has some of the worst traffic in the nation, with snarls that cost drivers about 20 gallons of wasted fuel and dozens of hours of lost time each year — and things are likely to get worse, a new report says.
Texas A&M Transportation Institute and the traffic monitoring firm INRIX say the Bridgeport-Stamford area is the second-most congested area of its size in the nation, and motorists there spent an average of 49 hours in traffic tieups each year.
Among similar, medium-sized cities, only Honolulu had worst traffic, the study said. The “Urban Mobility Scorecard,” released Wednesday, said Hartford was the fifth most congested medium-sized city in the nation, with drivers’ spending an average of 45 hours a year in traffic delays. New Haven came in 11th, with an average of 40 hours a year in traffic jams.
Among large metropolitan areas, Washington, D.C., and its suburbs topped the list of the most congested cities, followed by Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, Calif., and the San Francisco metropolitan area.
The New York-Newark, N.J.- Connecticut metropolitan area came in fourth. Drivers in that area spent about 74 hours in traffic delays and wasted about 35 gallons of fuel.
“The problem is very large,” the report said. “In 2014, congestion caused urban Americans to travel an extra 6.9 billion hours and purchase an extra 3.1 billion gallons of fuel for a congestion cost of $160 billion. ”
The study said truckers were hit hardest, accounting for about 17 percent of the congestion cost, much more than their 7 percent of traffic.
Kevin Nursick, spokesman for the Connecticut Department of Transportation, said, “There is no sugarcoating that there is congestion.” But, he said, larger metropolitan areas in the nation have more severe traffic snarls.
“There’s a lot worse than what we’re dealing with,” he said.
Nursick also said the state is attacking traffic problems with “strategic and surgical-type programs” like a new speed lane on I-95 in Norwalk, which provides an extra lane between two exits, and the redesign of highway interchanges.
“They are phenomenally successful,” he said.
Nursick said there are also larger projects in the works to combat traffic, like the construction of an additional lane on I-84 near Waterbury.
But he said as many as half of the traffic jams are caused by “poor driver behavior” that results in accidents, breakdowns and other problems.
The traffic report was released just five days after the U.S. Transportation Department said that Americans drove a record 1.54 trillion miles in the first six months of this year, an increase over the 1.5 trillion miles driven in 2007.
The Urban Mobility Scorecard said congestion decreased during the recession. But almost all regions now have worse congestion than before the 2008 crash.
“Traffic problems as measured by per-commuter measures are about the same as a decade ago, but because there are so many more commuters, and more congestion during off-peak hours, total delay has increased by almost one billion hours,” the report said. “The total congestion cost has also risen with more wasted hours, greater fuel consumption and more trucks stuck in stop-and-go traffic.”
“If transportation investment continues to lag,” the report said, “congestion will get worse.”
When Congress returns from its summer break in September, it will resume debate on federal highway spending, which provides states like Connecticut with the lion’s share of their transportation funding.
Before taking its break, Congress approved a three-month bill that will expire in October. That was the latest in a long series of short-term extensions Congress has approved because lawmakers can’t agree on a long-term plan to shore up the highway trust fund. That account, which is financed largely through fuel taxes, has struggled in recent years to keep up with federal obligations to the states.
“Federal funding has been a problem for years,” Nursick said.
He said the states need a “stable, dependable, long-term” source of federal funding to successfully plan major transportation projects.
“We’re always on the brink of destruction when it comes to the federal funding scenario, Nursick said.
See additional charts illustrating the Connecticut traffic data on our Trend CT site.
DeLauro to lead congressional group to Florida center for migrant children
Rep. Rosa DeLauro says she hasn't been told whether she and other lawmakers will be allowed to meet with migrant children at the Florida facility. | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line642 |
__label__wiki | 0.559009 | 0.559009 | Significant Digits, Vol. 1, Issue 2
By D3soccer.com contributor
Some numbers are important – but fleeting – like the plate number of that moron who just cut you off on the highway. Others are lasting, but less memorable – like all 1,150 calories in that triple Baconator (don’t judge me). In Significant Digits we will try to separate the numerical wheat from the chaff, helping find figures that tell the story of the Division III soccer landscape. Don’t worry, we did all the math for you.
Two Red Dragons Enter, one Red Dragon leaves. No – this wasn’t Game of Thrones meets Thunderdome (although that sounds AWESOME), but rather a SUNYAC mythical mascot mashup featuring two nationally ranked programs. At game time it was No. 8 Oneonta State travelling to No. 14 Cortland State in the conference opener for both sides. [Editor's note: Check out the Week 4 Top 25 to see where both teams landed following their head-to-head encounter.]
No actual winged lizards were spotted, but the battle was intense nonetheless. 42 fouls and 5 cautions were peppered throughout the contest, easily the highest foul count for either program of the season. With 25 minutes to play, Cortland trailed 2-1, but one of those fouls led to a converted PK that leveled the affair. The hosts never looked back – rattling off 3 unanswered goals for a 4-2 win.
Cortland State (8-1-0, 2-0-0) takes the driver’s seat in the SUNYAC – but don’t be surprised if this series sees a rematch in early November.
Wow. Thanks John Carroll. You just made me delete two well-crafted paragraphs.
The storyline was about to be No. 13 Carnegie Mellon extending their shutout streak to a 7th consecutive game. It was about to be how the Tartans had a signature win over No. 6 John Carroll to carry with them into their UAA slate. It was about to be that CMU’s high line of confrontation, and work rate in disrupting the JCU build (despite an 88° temperature and a 2 p.m. kickoff), both led directly to the lone goal of the contest, and were enough to say that the Tartans deserved the win. The story was about to be a long trip back to Cleveland for the Blue Streaks.
And then it wasn’t.
Blue Streak Defender/Midfielder Eric Rozsits is a Chemistry/Education major – but he’s majoring in drama on the pitch. Last week he saved John Carroll late – heading home the tying goal against Ohio Wesleyan in the 88th minute (a game John Carroll went on to win). Apparently, that wasn’t theatrical enough for the Junior. JCU’s composure in the closing seconds was remarkable. As the announcer counted down the last five seconds, a low cross somehow found its way through traffic and fell at Rozsits’ feet. Cool as you like, he calmly two touched it home at 89:59.
Both teams can be forgiven for looking a bit stunned through the scoreless overtime periods, and JCU escaped with their unbeaten record intact.
No. 2 Chicago (8-0-0) has opened the 2017 campaign with clinical efficiency at both ends of the field. The Maroons boast the 5th best team offense in the country, at 3.63 goals per game, and a goals against average good enough for 26th lowest, at 0.50. That combines for a margin of victory running at just over 3 goals a game, which sits second in Division III. Notably, the best average margin of victory currently belongs to Drew (8-0-1, 1-0-0, RV in 9/17 poll) – whose Massey Ratings strength of schedule is 107 places lower than Chicago.
Skeptics might argue that Chicago has the chronically difficult UAA schedule still in front of them, but the Maroons scoring average this time last year was 2.67 per game, and they finished the season at 2.60 per game. A Chicago team defending nearly as well as the 2016 version and converting an additional goal per game is a well-oiled machine indeed.
Last November, Chicago entered the NCAA tournament with a No. 1 ranking, the best goals against average in the country, and deservedly lofty expectations. Their exit in the Round of 16 was undoubtedly a disappointment within the program. The returners pass the eye test, not just the stats test, and look fully intent on exorcising some demons.
Troy Remillard of Western New England (7-1-0, 2-0-0) is off to a positively torrid start to his Senior campaign. Remillard leads Division III with 15 goals in 8 games, and he has been held off the score sheet just once on the season. This Golden Bear wants a golden boot.
If he could continue his 1.875/game clip, it would be the fifth best in the history of Division III, and the best since 2004.
His 17 goals in 2016 led the CCC and was good for 16th in D-III. Yet in August, Remillard was featured in the New England Soccer Journal’s list of the “Most Underrated Players in New England”. Perhaps that struck a nerve? Western New England’s strength of schedule is admittedly quite low, but we imagine he is being rated pretty highly by the opposing defenses he is shredding. We see you Troy!
In the inaugural edition of Significant Digits last week – we highlighted just the Great Lakes Region… so we missed this incredible tidbit out of Texas from week 3. But since Significant Digits has gone all ZZ Top now (Yes we’re bad, we’re nationwide), we decided this one is so good it’s worth rewinding.
The best home field advantage in college soccer is officially at Paul McGinlay Soccer Field in San Antonio. Trinity (Texas)’s home winning streak stood at 47 games (not a typo) dating back to 2013 (also not a typo). That streak included both conference tournament games, and NCAA tournament games. In the 4 postseasons included in the streak, Trinity hosted an opening weekend “pod” of the NCAA tournament 3 times… and went 6-0.
47 now stands as the NCAA all divisions record, because the streak was snapped in an overtime contest on 9/15 by University of Dallas (who are off to a fine start of their own). Think about that. There are 7 Seniors on the Trinity roster that just experienced their first ever loss at home. Congratulations to the Tigers past and present on their insane achievement – and best of luck on your new home winning streak, which currently stands at 1
16% of Division III Men’s Soccer Mascots are birds. Hawks (of all types) just barely edge out Eagles (of all types) for the most common.
Think we missed something cool, amazing or just plain weird that deserves a highlight? Shoot us an e-mail. No guarantees – Significant is subjective!
Comments or feedback for the author? E-mail us.
Significant Digits will try to separate the numerical wheat from the chaff, helping find figures that tell the story of the Division III soccer landscape. Don’t worry, we'll do all the math for you, and, with some humor and levity thrown in, we hope you'll find Significant Digits to be both an informative and an entertaining read.
» E-Mail D3soccer.com
Sep 20: Significant Digits, Vol. 2, Issue 1
Oct 5: Significant Digits, Vol. 1, Issue 3 | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line644 |
__label__wiki | 0.738512 | 0.738512 | Festival names Danny Kolke Grand Marshal
http://www.valleyrecord.com/news/321077011
EVAN PAPPAS, Snoqualmie Valley Record Reporter
Aug 7, 2015 at 1:00PM updated Aug 10, 2015 at
Danny Kolke, founder of Boxley’s Place, has been named Grand Marshal for the Festival at Mount Si.
Being named a Grand Marshal of a city event is something that he never pictured.
“My reaction was ‘wow.’ I think I said that seven times in a row,” Kolke said.
Having lived in the Valley for almost 18 years, Kolke has made his mark on the town of North Bend. He founded Boxley’s Place, a live jazz club and restaurant, with his wife six years ago. From there he created the Boxley Music Fund, A non-profit foundation that now owns the club, manages the music programming and hosts events like the North Bend Jazz Walk and Blues Walk.
“You can make the argument that it would be more successful in a bigger city but I don’t know if that’s true or not. I think it has the advantage of being part of a small town and in a big city, if it goes away, nobody cares,” Kolke said. “In a small town we become part of the experience, so it’s nice to be part of a community.”
Kolke not only created a jazz club in the city but also teaches kids jazz. He teaches piano, improvisation, and leads Mount Si High School’s Jazz Band 2.
“The kids are learning everything from basic team collaboration, because there are a bunch of them on stage, there’s no arrangement so they are figuring this out on the fly, they also have to learn to be good communicators, who is going to do what first and who goes next,” Kolke said. “There is so much thinking on your feet. I think it’s really great for kids.”
According to Kolke, the reward from all of this is just to see students get excited about the music.
“It’s fun to see kids learn it, and get excited about it, and do well with it,” Kolke said. “It’s rewarding in ways I never expected. We didn’t start this venue to do kids’ programming, it happened by accident and now I can’t imagine not doing it because it’s one of the best things about it.”
One of the opportunities Boxley’s has given young players is the venue to play with older, more experienced musicians. There are times that Kolke has a 12-year-old playing with people who are 70, playing with somebody who’s 40.
“These guys have become friends with people who could be their grandparents,” Kolke said. “It’s really cool to see them develop friendships performing together.”
Last year Kolke let the Boxley Music Fund take over the restaurant, in addition to already running the music programming. More than 200 families are members of the Boxley Music Fund.
“The goal is that it’s less about me and more about the community doing this together,” Kolke said. “I think it’s easy to get so busy and so wrapped up into routines and it’s easy to lose sight of things that are important and doing this project and connecting with the kids as often as I do is a great reminder that it’s very rewarding to invest in other people.”
Through investing in other people, creating events like the jazz and blues walks and Boxley’s itself, Kolke has been able to share his love of music with the community.
“Music is a magical thing, especially when you share it with other people and do it with other people; I can’t say enough positive about that.”
August 7, 2015 boxleys, nonprofit, north bend
Published by Danny Kolke
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__label__cc | 0.505266 | 0.494734 | DARRELL HAMMOND: MAYHEM EXPLAINED
DARRELL HAMMOND’S NEW COMEDY SPECIAL
MAYHEM EXPLAINED
TO BE RELEASED BY COMEDY DYNAMICS OCTOBER 2, 2018
LOS ANGELES, CA–Darrell Hammond’s new comedy special Mayhem Explainedwill be released by Comedy Dynamics on October 2, 2018 premiering on Amazon, Comcast, DirecTV, Cox, DISH, iTunes, Charter, Google Play and many other platforms. The album will be released on October 5, 2018 on all digital and physical audio retailers.
In his newest comedy endeavor, Darrell details sorted yarns from his life, his time at Saturday Night Live, his best-selling book, and other instances of mayhem. The special was taped on November 8th, 2017 at the Palace Theatre in Los Angeles, CA.
“My life felt kind of like The King’s Speech meets Stranger Things – Like I was on Saturday Night Liveand in the upside-down at the same time. That’s a whole lot of mayhem, so I thought I’d explain some of it,” said Darrell Hammond, the comedian, himself.
Darrell Clayton Hammond is an American actor, stand-up comedian and impressionist. He is one of the longest running cast members on Saturday Night Live, and has famously portrayed Presidents Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, and George W. Bush, among others. He is the author of the New York Time’s bestseller God, If You’re Not Up There I’m F*cked, which was just released as an audiobook on Audible.com narrated by Darrell, himself. The film Cracked-Up: The Darrell Hammond Story, detailing his life and career is currently finishing production and set for release later this year.
Comedy Dynamics, a Nacelle company, is one of the largest independent comedy production and distribution companies, producing Kevin Hart’s Guide to Black History, Animal Planet’s Animal Nation with Anthony Anderson, the new scripted comedy on Hulu, There’s… Johnny!, History’s Join Or Die with Craig Ferguson, MTV2’s Wild ’N On Tour, and Hulu’s Coming To The Stage. In 2018, Comedy Dynamics began releasing original films in theaters starting with the acclaimed documentary, Poop Talk. The company has worked with a wide range of established and emerging comedic talentincluding Tiffany Haddish, Kevin Hart, Aziz Ansari, Jim Gaffigan, Katt Williams and many more. In total, 12 of Comedy Dynamics’ releases have been Grammy-nominated, with 2 wins.
Sam Prevost
sprevost@nacellecompany.com
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__label__wiki | 0.97972 | 0.97972 | “We’re Here, We’re Queer, Get… Oh, We’re Going” [Opinion]
Andrew Wheeler
I hold Marvel's gay characters in special affection. I love them because they're Marvel characters -- flawed, freaky, forever young. I love them because they're gay characters; they live and love and fear and lust like I do. That's an aspect of fiction that I never got to enjoy when I was a kid.
But, reader; I worry. These characters are currently enjoying a moment in the spotlight, but what if it's only a passing beat? What if these characters -- and their lesbian and bisexual cohort -- only exist as a temporary corrective to the medium's, the genre's and the publisher's past shortcomings? What if the desire to make that correction passes, and the gay characters fade away?
What if it's just a phase?
It sounds alarmist, but when it comes to positive representation, LGBT audiences are used to expecting the worst only to learn that we were being optimistic.
As recently as 2006 it was Marvel reported policy to put an "explicit content" label on the cover of a book if it starred a gay character. The policy wasn't especially well observed, and when it was publicly challenged the then editor-in-chief Joe Quesada was quick to offer a course correction. He stated that the policy was no longer in effect, and he pointed to Freedom Ring, the star of Marvel Team Up, as evidence of the company's commitment to gay characters.
Weeks later, Freedom Ring was literally penetrated to death in a story designed to prove that not everyone has what it takes to be a superhero. Unusually for a Marvel hero, he remains dead seven years later.
I've brought all of this up before, but I believe it's worth bringing up again; it paints a very clear picture of the landscape that LGBT comics fans are used to. For a long time, LGBT characters were scarce, disposable, or non-existent.
The landscape has changed, in part because publishers now know that the conservative groups that once had them running scared are toothless, and in part because of a wider social shift towards better representation of minorities in the media.
Marvel has done excellent work expanding its stable of gay and bisexual characters and giving them a share of attention. It can't currently match DC in claiming an LGBT character with their own ongoing title (Batwoman), but it can boast a greater number of recurring lesbian, gay and bisexual superheroes, especially in supporting roles, especially in its X-Men family of titles. (Neither company has much to crow about when it comes to transgender heroes.)
Yet I still worry that these characters are too disposable. There are three male "power" couples in Marvel right now, and all three appear to be under threat.
Northstar and Kyle Jinadu received a great deal of media attention when they enjoyed the first same-sex super-wedding in the pages of Astonishing X-Men #51, by Marjorie Liu and Mike Perkins. (Some readers give that accolade to Apollo and Midnighter, but theirs was a civil union.) The couple have been a focus of the book since Liu took over writing early last year, but the book is cancelled with October's issue #68.
Northstar has a new home over in Jason Aaron and Ed McGuinness's Amazing X-Men, but Aaron has stated that the roster on his book is fluid; it can be "anyone who’s a teacher at the Jean Grey School". Even with seven X-Men team titles on the shelves, Northstar may no longer have a permanent place. The character spent much of the two decades prior to Astonishing X-Men either dead or in the wilderness. He could easily slip back there.
With Rictor and Shatterstar, Marvel "turned" the characters gay and bisexual respectively. The hints were there in their histories, but Peter David brought it to the fore and established them as a couple.
Their book, X-Factor, ends with issue #262 in September. We know that series writer Peter David has another series lined up, and X-Men line editor Nick Lowe said at San Diego that other writers are keen to get their hands on the characters orphaned by that title's closure -- but there's no word yet on where we might see this couple again, or if they'll survive as a couple, or if they'll survive at all. A huge question mark hangs over their future.
The third power couple are the only established LGBT characters in any current Avengers team: Wiccan and Hulkling. The current arc of Young Avengers, by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie, sees the characters going through a rough patch. That will probably pass.
My greater concern is that Gillen has only ever talked about a "first season" on the book. There's no word on what comes after that. Hopefully the title will continue into a second season with these characters in place. Of all three couples, Wiccan and Hulkling have the most plausible future. Yet Young Avengers is a title that's been plagued by erratic scheduling. There's no reason to be confident that we'll still be reading about these characters next year.
There is only one lesbian couple that I can think of currently appearing in a Marvel title, and that's Valkyrie and Anabelle Riggs in Fearless Defenders. They're much less well-established than the other couples, and series writer Cullen Bunn recently introduced a complication to their relationship that prevents it being a typical love affair. They're also in a book that sells less than Astonishing X-Men and about the same as X-Factor, so their future is far from secure.
There were other major lesbian couples in the Marvel universe. Runaways characters Karolina Dean and Xavin suffer from being Runaways characters, and not ones "lucky" enough to be Hunger Gamed in Avengers Arena. Like the title that introduced them, they're semi-permanently consigned to limbo. Cosmic heroes Phyla-Vell and Moondragon were frozen out of the new Guardians of the Galaxy title, and there's no sign of them factoring in to the current Infinity epic. (Phyla-Vell is technically dead right now, if that's worth mentioning.)
There are no other LGBT characters that I know of in any surviving title's core cast. Karma is also made homeless by the loss of Astonishing X-Men. Julie Power and Striker disappeared with the cancellation of Avengers Academy. X-Treme X-Men's James Howlett is no more. Hercules, alluded to be bisexual in a joke at his funeral and in one ambiguous scene in his own title, remains buried.
Living Lightning, outed as a joke eight years ago, has barely been seen since. Technically he was the first male Avenger to be established as gay, which ought to earn him some sort of marquee status, but he remains an obscure punchline. There's a small handful of LGBT characters kicking around in the supporting casts of other Marvel books. Anole. Bling. Cullen Bloodstone. One presumes that Graymalkin is still out there somewhere.
Few of these heroes occupy positions of importance in the Marvel Universe. They remain highly disposable. Like Northstar before Astonshing X-Men, like Hulkling and Wiccan in the hiatuses between Young Avengers series, LGBT characters don't often crop up in other books when they don't have books of their own. If Wolverine or Captain America disappear or die, it's an event. If Northstar disappears or dies, it's a panel.
Lesbian, gay and bisexual characters aren't vulnerable or disposable because they're LGBT. They're vulnerable and disposable because they're relatively new and relatively unimportant to the grand narrative. They're in the same class as all the other B-list characters, and like those characters their presence in a story is generally tied to an individual author's affection for them. When that author moves on, the characters get dropped back in the toy chest to wait for someone else to come along and pick them up.
It's the fact that all LGBT characters belong to this class of disposable characters that's problematic. That quality of being disposable has also historically been a problem for most non-white characters, most female characters, but there have been exceptions like Black Panther, Storm and Sue Storm, and writers made concerted efforts to raise the profile of characters like Luke Cage and Captain Marvel and integrate them more fully into the grand narrative.
LGBT characters need that sort of support and endorsement to keep them in the spotlight. Right now we're on a bubble where Rictor, Shatterstar, Northstar, Karma, Wiccan, Hulkling and Valkyrie could conceivably all disappear from our comics within the space of a few months, following Karolina and Xavin and Phylla and Moondragon into obscurity.
There aren't enough LGBT characters around to guarantee their presence in the Marvel universe. There aren't any high profile LGBT characters that play a role in the publisher's big events, like AvX and Infinity. Given how Avengers-led the Marvel Universe has been for the past ten years, a few adult lesbian, gay and bisexual Avengers would go some way towards fixing that problem. Just one adult transgender superhero who isn't a shapeshifter would be a step forward.
Compared to how things looked a few years ago, we're living in a golden age of LGBT representation in superhero comics, and Marvel can be proud of the part it played in making that a reality. But with any luck this is not the golden age; with a sustained commitment to diversity, Marvel's roster of LGBT characters can get a lot better.
Or it can get worse. The bubble can burst and those characters can fade away for twenty years, like Northstar. That power rests with Marvel, and the creators that write and draw for them.
I'm fearful of the worst. But I'm hopeful for the best.
Filed Under: Annabelle Riggs, Freedom Ring, hulkling, lgbt, northstar, Valkyrie, wiccan
Categories: Culture, Marvel, Opinion | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line649 |
__label__wiki | 0.583862 | 0.583862 | Holocaust survivor to share her story of survival during WWII
TOPICS:HolocaustShareStorySurvivalSurvivorWWII
By: Robert Hamilton |February 4, 2019
The entire community is invited to “An Evening with Sonia Hochman” on Sunday, Feb. 10, 6:30 p.m., at the University of Miami campus in Coral Gables. She will share the remarkable story of her family’s strength, perseverance and survival in an underground cave to evade being caught by pursuing Nazis during World War II.
A New York detective exploring some of the world’s longest caves in southwestern Ukraine in the 1990s found something strange and mysterious: a shoe, a bowl, a comb, a key, old buttons and some writing on the wall.
There were rumors that Jews had sheltered there during the Holocaust, and soon the explorer, Chris Nicola, was on a mission to uncover their harrowing story. He located 14 of the original 38 cave dwellers and shared their story of courage in The Secret of Priest’s Grotto – A Holocaust Survival Story, co-authored with Peter Lane Taylor. A docudrama was produced called No Place on Earth.
One of those who took refuge in the cave, Sonia Hochman, will share her experience of survival as a child. She will give an introduction to the film, which tells of the five Ukrainian Jewish families, led by matriarch Esther Stermer, who created their own society to escape the Holocaust. While the men collected food and supplies and chopped firewood at night, the women and girls remained in the cave, surviving 511 days underground — longer than anyone in recorded history. Sixty-seven years later, Nicola led four of the survivors back to “thank” the cave.
To this day, Hochman still gets teary when recalling the family she lost, especially her father and grandparents. But telling the story is imperative to prevent tragedies like the Holocaust from happening again, she said.
“I owe it to the children who didn’t survive,” Hochman said. “My father would want me to tell this story.”
A recent study shows that Americans are forgetting about the Holocaust and a fifth of millennials aren’t sure if they’ve ever heard of the Holocaust. “It’s a must for people to remember,” said Chany Stolik, one of the organizers of the event. The millions killed live through the survivors, she said, and “once they are gone they must not be forgotten.
“We are painfully aware that this is the last generation of Holocaust survivors who can tell their stories,” Stolik said.
“Transmitting those stories becomes increasingly difficult in a world without survivors. How poignant it is for us to know survivors who have defied Hitler’s plans with extraordinary courage and dignity despite overwhelming loss and pain.”
The program will take place at the Shalala Student Center, 1330 Miller Dr. in Coral Gables. Film screening of No Place on Earth will be preceded by an introduction by Hochman and followed by Q&A.
The event is open to the public. To RSVP, visit hochman.eventbrite.com. For more information call 305-490-7572.
Admission is $15 in advance; $20 at the door. Student admission is free.
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__label__cc | 0.524556 | 0.475444 | The Robert A. Taft Memorial and Carillon
Contributed by: EllenG
Every fifteen minutes, ten seconds of a familiar hymn ring out from the Robert A. Taft Memorial Carilion, over the stately willow oaks (and the cherry blossoms in the spring) that provide shade, habitat, and beauty to tourists, neighborhood visitors, and nearby employees. The tall bell tower (usually automatically played, but able to be played by hand) is encircled by water with small fountains.
Tucked away off the National Mall, but adjacent to Union Station, the Senate buildings, and association headquarters, its benches invite rest and reflection on the motto, "honesty, indomitable courage, and high principles of free government" as lived by Senator Robert A. Taft, Majority Leader in 1953, until his untimely death later that year. He was senator from Ohio from 1938-53.
Initially funded by each state, the memorial can reasonably be expected to be supported by a semi-postal campaign. It serves many functions, not least to help passers-by keep track of time, provide recreation and lunch space for all ages, and house the mature shade trees and their resident fauna. Called the "best-kept secret" by frequent users, it creates a community within walking distance of work, residences, historical memorials, and businesses. Although part of the Capitol grounds, it is less visited being separated by Constitution Avenue; however, it is no less valued and requires more active involvement in its preservation.
A semi-postal stamp raises funds for charitable causes and brings greater awareness to social issues. Here, this group of teachers created a design for semi-postal prominently featuring the Wheeler Williams sculpture of Senator Robert A. Taft.
Douglas W. Orr designed the hundred-foot tall tower, home to the twenty-seven bells of the carillon.
Trees provide shade and a peaceful atmosphere to enjoy this public space at the Robert A. Taft Memorial.
The Robert A. Taft Memorial is located just a few blocks north of the United States Capitol building.
www.aoc.gov/capitol-grounds/robert-taft-memorial-and-carillon
EllenG, “The Robert A. Taft Memorial and Carillon,” Community of Gardens, accessed July 16, 2019, https://communityofgardens.si.edu/items/show/12135. | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line654 |
__label__wiki | 0.747662 | 0.747662 | Race, Social May 31, 2011 July 30, 2016
Could lessons in genetic variation help reduce racial prejudice?
Richard Dawkins called it “the curse of the discontinuous mind” – our tendency to lump things into discrete categories. Nowhere is this more apparent than in our perception of ethnic races, which we tend to see as reflecting absolute dividing lines in the human population. Do mistaken folk beliefs about genetics play a role in this? A new study by Jason Plaks and his team suggests so. What’s more, their findings have interesting implications for an anti-prejudice intervention based around genetics lessons.
The background to this work is that people often mistakenly assume that superficial ethnic characteristics are a reliable sign of significant genetic difference. In fact, each of us is about 99.9 per cent similar genetically to the next person. And the genetic variability that does exist in the human race tends to be greater within ethnic groups than between them.
Plaks and his colleagues devised an ingenious memory test to expose the tendency of their 84 student participants to see black and white races as clear-cut categories (the students were from various ethnic backgrounds, but the majority were white). The stimuli were faces morphed from real photos of black and white people to consist of seven degrees of prototypical blackness and whiteness (including: all black, all white, 50/50, 16.67 per cent black, 16.67 per cent white, 33.33 per cent black and 33.3 per cent white).
These faces appeared in sequence on-screen interspersed with numbers. The participants’ task for each number and each face was to say whether it was the same as the last seen number or face. For people who see ethnic races as distinct categories, the racial profile of the faces ought to have interfered with their memory performance. That’s exactly what was found.
After the task, the participants were asked how much genetic overlap two random people on earth would be expected to have (the average answer was 56 per cent). Those participants who said there would be less overlap tended to be the same ones who were affected by the racial profile of the faces. That is, they were more likely to say mistakenly that the current face was the same as the last face, if the two faces had a similar racial profile. This suggests they were using racial cues to remember the faces. By contrast, participants who believed there is more genetic overlap between strangers tended to be unaffected by the racial profile of the faces. Presumably they used more idiosyncratic features of the faces to remember them by.
If belief in genetic variation is correlated with people’s tendency to categorise faces according to race, then what if people are educated about human genetic variation – might that change their proclivity for prejudice? The next stage of the Plaks’ study suggested so.
Half of 95 participants read a passage of text (adapted from a real American Psychologist article) that correctly stated the 99.9 per cent genetic overlap between random individuals, and drew an analogy between ethnic groups and social clubs. The other half of the participants read a version that said genetic overlap between individuals is low (21.4 per cent) and drew an analogy between ethnic groups and families. Again, the participants were from various ethnic backgrounds, but most were white.
Afterwards the participants had to rate words (e.g. “disgusting”, “delightful”) as either positive or negative as fast as they could. A crucial twist was that the words were preceded by a face prime with varying degrees of racial black or whiteness. For the participants who read the low genetic overlap text, the racial profile of the face prime made a difference – they were quicker to categorise negative words after a face that was 25 per cent black or more. By contrast, the racial profile of the face primes made no difference to the performance of the participants who read the text explaining the high genetic overlap between humans. In other words, being educated about the genetic overlap between humans seemed to reduce participants’ sensitivity to, and discrete categorisation of, racial colour, thereby reducing their implicit prejudice in the word recognition task.
Plaks and his colleagues said this result suggests people’s beliefs about genetic variation are malleable and could therefore be a useful target for anti-prejudice interventions. “People without a strong motivation for prejudice – and even those with professed egalitarian ideals – frequently display signs of racial stereotyping,” the researchers concluded. “We suggest that people with egalitarian ideals may still exhibit stereotyping at least partly because they harbour particular assumptions about genetic variation.”
Plaks, J., Malahy, L., Sedlins, M., and Shoda, Y. (2011). Folk Beliefs About Human Genetic Variation Predict Discrete Versus Continuous Racial Categorization and Evaluative Bias. Social Psychological and Personality Science DOI: 10.1177/1948550611408118
This post was written by Christian Jarrett for the BPS Research Digest.
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7 thoughts on “Could lessons in genetic variation help reduce racial prejudice?”
It's just possible that this work may also be influenced by exposure to different faces in first 6 months of life. I can't quite put finger on it, but recent tweet, re. Monkeys' able to differentiate human faces, linked with brain plasticity work with babies suggests this may be relevant.
If I find the ref. will comment again. CBS
didn't save url
Plasticity of face processing in infancy
• April 5, 2005 The National Academy of Sciences, Copyright © 2005,
1. O. Pascalis * , †, L. S. Scott ‡, D. J. Kelly *, R. W. Shannon §, E. Nicholson §, M. Coleman ¶, and C. A. Nelson § , ∥
1. *LGF Group, Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TP, United Kingdom; ‡Department of Psychology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309; §Institute of Child Development and ∥Center for Neurobehavioral Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455-0345; and ¶Department of Human Communication Science, University College London, London WC1N 1PG, United Kingdom
Experience plays a crucial role for the normal development of many perceptual and cognitive functions, such as speech perception. For example, between 6 and 10 months of age, the infant's ability to discriminate among native speech sounds improves, whereas the ability to discriminate among foreign speech sounds declines. However, a recent investigation suggests that some experience with nonnative languages from 9 months of age facilitates the maintenance of this ability at 12 months. Nelson has suggested that the systems underlying face processing may be similarly sculpted by experience with different kinds of faces. In the current investigation, we demonstrate that, in human infants between 6 and 9 months of age, exposure to nonnative faces, in this case, faces of Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus), facilitates the discrimination of monkey faces, an ability that is otherwise lost around 9 months of age. These data support, and further elucidate, the role of early experience in the development of face processing.
CBS GreatMindsHeart@twitter http://healthyminds.blog.com
Jason Collins says:
I can't access the original paper, so can't see if this was addressed, but the 99.9 per cent figure seems to be dropping. The 99.9 per cent was based on SNPs. Estimates now that a couple of genomes have been fully sequenced are in the range of 98 to 99 per cent – which is the range that we used to say was the difference between chimpanzees and humans (I think estimates of that similarity is now around 95-96 per cent).
D-Lixxious says:
Yeah, I'm really not sure about that 99.9% value for genetic similarity. It depends on which markers you use when comparing populations…there are ways to identify ancestry using SNP's from “junk” DNA [HUMAN MUTATION 29(5),648-658,2008], while the protein-coding regions of DNA are almost entirely conserved. Additionally, chimpanzees have 48 chromosomes and humans have 46…how can you quantify this difference? Just as race really cannot be quantified or delineated, one's genetic similarity to another human or even to a chimp cannot be generalized and quantified.
We shouldn't have to put a number on “almost identical”. Putting a number on such a thing is about the same as creating a dividing racial line that doesn't really exist.
MWStory says:
The “greater variation within groups than between them” statement is also iffy. This applies to examples where group differences with genetic roots are observable, variation in height between people of European and Chinese origin for one.
How would this knowledge stop people using visible racial characteristics to identify people?
It worked for me. I was one of the only white kids in Sunday school and our elementary school was integrated with a wide variety of ethnic groups.
When I went to a Midwestern college and most all the students were white I felt… odd. Being in a room of all European featured people is still uncomfortable and watching Downton Abbey is infuriating.
If kids of different ethnic groups play in an integrated pre-school all over the country things would be quite a bit different.
So when people of limited early exposure say they have trouble 'telling them apart' there is some truth to it other than a racist world view? The apparatus in the brains for varied facial recognition was subsumed for other brain functionality? | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line656 |
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Digital Guardian's Blog
Advanced Threat Protection: Expert Tips for Protecting Your Organization Against Advanced Threats
Nate Lord
Last Updated: Monday February 5, 2018
26 security pros share the most effective approaches to advanced threat protection.
Advanced threats have become a serious problem for today's enterprises. Often a moving target, advanced threats are among the most challenging security threats for companies to mitigate, requiring a multi-faceted approach that identifies threats and successfully blocks them before compromise or data loss occurs. Advanced threats that successfully breach networks and compromise valuable company data often result in substantial recovery costs, a loss of trust with consumers, and reputation damage that can take years to repair.
So, what are the best methods and solutions for today's enterprises to mitigate advanced, sophisticated threats? To gain some insight into the most effective approaches to protecting against advanced threats, we asked a panel of security pros to answer this question:
"What are the best approaches and solutions for advanced threat protection?"
Find out what today's leading enterprises and security professionals turn to when protecting against advanced threats by reading what our panel had to say below.
Meet Our Panel of Cyber Security Experts:
Will Gragido
Christopher Stark
Manos Antonakakis
Greg Edwards
Joseph Carson
Carl Mazzanti
Cody Cornell
Ben Desjardins
Sezen Uysal
Greg Mancusi-Ungaro
Steven J.J. Weisman
Alexander Stein
Michal Salat
Neil Martin
Clint Evans
Ed Koehler
Abhirukt Sapru
Chris Olson
Idan Udi Edry
Satwant Atwal
Matthew Michelson
Shaun Riordan
Zuly Gonzalez
Jean-Marc Félio
@eg0sum
Will Gragido is a seasoned security professional with over 20 years’ experience in networking and information security. Will’s extensive background is the result of his service as a United States Marine, a consultant with the world renowned International Network Services, Internet Security Systems (now IBM ISS), McAfee, Damballa, Cassandra Security, RSA Netwitness, Carbon Black, Digital Shadows and now Digital Guardian where he leads the organization’s Advanced Threat Protection Product Line as its Director.
Advanced threats require advanced solutions and technologies in addition to…
Advanced methodologies designed to detect, identify (extremely important), monitor, mitigate/prevent, and, where necessary and applicable, remediate. So, what does this mean to the average enterprise organization?
For starters it requires that the board and the executive staff understand the importance and are in support of properly securing their organization, its assets, and its interests. This is key. Too often organizations pay lip service to security and as a result pay in spades when an incident occurs that leaves them compromised and exploited to one or more threat actor. It also requires an organization to invest in the right people from both a management and execution perspective. This could mean investing in a competent internal staff, in an outsourced partner, or a hybrid. Regardless of the model elected, the fact that competent staff is in place is paramount to protecting the organization from advanced threats.
For any security program to succeed, the organization must understand what it is protecting and securing. This sounds like an easy proposition, however, in many organizations there are often times large differences of opinion as to what requires protecting/securing, the priority appointed to those efforts, the funding for those efforts and their execution. To properly secure and protect against advanced threats an organization must know itself. This means that those responsible for protecting and securing the enterprise must understand what and who constitutes the enterprise and its population. The teams tasked with this responsibility must understand the size, scope, and number of sites which comprise the organization. They must understand the network, it’s design, architecture, ingress/egress points, wired and wireless domains and guest networks, systems (storage, servers, endpoints – desktops, laptops, tablets, phones etc.), B2B relationships which may warrant and require the use of authorized user ids and accounts, any and all existing security controls within the network and present on systems.
A failure to understand the nature constructs of the enterprise can be catastrophic. Additionally, these teams must understand and weigh in on programmatic elements that impact the overall risk posture of the organization. They must understand the policies, controls, processes, procedures and technologies (as mentioned above) which are in place today or are being planned for within the enterprise.
Finally, these teams must understand their user populations, their patterns of use, and what is and is not considered acceptable by virtue of policy. They must understand what threats are germane to their industry vertical, business, and specific users. A healthy understanding of the threat landscape in general can go a long way, but understanding who and what is in play with respect to one’s own industry vertical can be extremely beneficial in mitigating the threats posed by advanced threats and threat actors.
@Biscom
John Lane is the Chief Information Security Officer at Biscom, the leader in secure communications for regulated industries. John has over 19 years experience in supporting large Fortune 500 companies, heading security initiatives, and managing datacenter operations. He holds a BS in Electrical Engineering from University of Massachusetts Lowell.
"There is not any 'one' best approach to advanced threat protection..."
And there is a varied approach by the vendors in the market. Companies can choose from a variety of options including a combination of next generation firewalls, endpoint protection and advanced threat protection appliances which can be used to protect networks from attacks.
Threat protection should initially be approached from a risk point of view. Consider what are you trying to protect and who wants it protected. A great way to get these points of views are by sitting down with business leaders who are not involved in IT or security, to get a better understanding of what assets should be protected. Aligning goals and focusing on what’s important for the business, not only the CISOs, is key here.
Should enterprises focus security investments on detection or prevention?
Focusing on both prevention and detection is critical – while also patching up areas that may have security holes.
Implementing even the most basic protection systems, such as next generation firewalls at the edges of your network, and advanced endpoint protection with each client can make a significant difference.
Today, if an attacker with resources wants to access your network, it’s likely that they will be successful. Because of this, stopping attacks from external sources is not enough. CISOs also need to monitor their networks for malware and APTs that may have already infiltrated the network.
Detection starts with log analysis to advanced threat protection appliances sitting on your network and watching for abnormal activity that is moving laterally within your organization. Abnormal activity includes access to files and resources by someone who doesn’t normally access them or any unusual access from a specific user. For example, abnormal activity can be an authorized user downloading customer contact information during abnormal hours, or when a user accesses many resources during a short period of time.
@Cetrom
Christopher Stark is the founder and CEO of Cetrom, an industry-leading provider of custom cloud solutions that transform the way businesses succeed. With nearly 30 years of experience and some of the industry's most prestigious technical certifications, Stark employs unmatched insight on the future of IT to serve clients.
"There are several components of effective advanced threat protection..."
Perform a security audit to identify vulnerabilities in your organization's IT infrastructure and conduct a vulnerability assessment or penetration test at least once each year.
Layer protection and implement network-wide security solutions-like two-factor authentication.
Perform regular, if not daily, backups. Small to mid-size businesses that work with critical client information should perform daily backups. Look into storing data on servers at a secure off-site storage facility instead of locally/onsite.
Create a log of past security events and input the data into a security information and event management (SIEM) system. This system will give a holistic view of the entire organization's security.
Educate staff by having ongoing or regular security education and cybersecurity training courses so that they will be able to identify suspicious emails, attachments and other cyber threats.
Avoid using unsecure third-party file-sharing tools. They can easily be hacked and provide direct access to valuable information and data.
@GeorgiaTech_ECE
Manos Antonakakis is assistant professor of computer systems and software at the School of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he earned his PhD in computer science. His research interests are computer and network security, anomaly detection, and data mining and machine learning.
"A great approach to deal with advanced persistent threats (APTs) is..."
To reduce the unknown or unclassified network traffic in your network. If you are aware of the malicious traffic in your network, you can mitigate the local threats. However, APTs and other threats that yield major breaches are effectively the network communications that tend to fly under the radar of modern network detectors – as a result, the local security operations center is unaware of the security problem for a long period of time. Therefore, minimizing what is unclassified in your network traffic is a great way to reduce the risk of a major breach.
At the same time, local operators should always test the efficacy of their detection engines. There are several ways that this can be done (i.e., pen-testing). Georgia Tech is exploring how to make pen-testing easier for highly customized and proprietary organizational systems, thanks to a grant from the Office of Naval Research.
@WatchPointData
Greg Edwards is the CEO of WatchPointData.
"The best solution to advanced threat protection is..."
First understanding that the network perimeter is now the endpoint. Protecting the endpoint and assuming the breach is the only way to protect today's connected network. Using endpoint detection and response systems is the only way to gather the intel needed to accurately and swiftly respond to threats. The problem with these systems though is alert fatigue - so many alerts that the SecOps team can't deal with them. By adding honeypot data to the network breaches you can make it much easier to detect and respond with high accuracy and speed. The average breach today is detected after 203 days, that has to be cut to under an hour to prevent damage.
@joe_carson
Joseph Carson is a cyber security professional with 20+ years' experience in enterprise security & infrastructure. Joseph is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). An active member of the cyber security community, Joe is a Director at Thycotic.
"The best method for protecting against advanced threats is to..."
Establish a mindset with your staff on which systems are updated and assessed on an ad hoc basis. Most organizations look to automation to help assist in their cyber security defenses. But for many, this lends itself to predictability. Be one step ahead of the hackers and randomize your security activity; be deceptive and be unpredictable. This will increase the company's capability in detecting active and potential cyber-attacks and breaches.
In advanced threats, the attacker will spend a large amount of time researching a list of potential targets, gathering information about the organization's structure, clients etc. Social media activity of the people in the target company will be monitored to extract information about the systems and forums favored by the user and any technology vulnerabilities assessed. Once a weakness is found the next step the attacker will take is to breach the cyber security perimeter or send emails containing malicious software like ransomware and attempt to gain access, which, for most attackers, is easily done. Organizations should use similar analysis techniques to identify which types of data threats will target and use that knowledge to deploy security controls to mitigate the risks.
Finally, by keeping systems' security updates current you can significantly reduce the risks of malicious software exploiting those vulnerabilities.
@Nation_E_
Idan Udi Edry is the CEO at Nation-E and a distinguished veteran in the fields of information technology and data security, as well as an experienced leader driving innovation and execution at scale. Edry has mastered multiple disciplines and has accumulated 13 formal certifications from the world's most renowned IT and Telecommunications institutes.
"First, it's important to know that both detection and prevention of cyber-attacks are most successful..."
Together, rather than on their own, in order to protect an organization. The dynamic growth of new threats attacking an organization's vulnerabilities requires timely adjustments to the methodologies in the prevention and detection cycles. A change in one phase affects the entire process in some form. A proactive strategy adjustment in the prevention phase will adjust the detection, and even response activities.
To successfully protect itself from a cyber-attack, an organization must be properly prepared. In many cases today, proper protection is too expensive – this is why 3rd party organizations are now offering both detection and prevention as a service to set a proper baseline security. That would be a good first step for smaller organizations. For the larger ones, it would require the establishment of a well-funded, strong security team that would establish a strategy for detection and prevention.
@emazzanti
Carl Mazzanti is the founder and CEO of eMazzanti Technologies, a premier IT security consulting firm throughout the NYC Metro area and internationally. A frequent business conference speaker and technology talk show guest, Carl has often contributed at Microsoft-focused events, including the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC).
"One of the best methods for advanced threat protection is..."
A cloud-delivered network security service that observes Internet infrastructure before attacks are launched prevents malicious Internet connections. Organizations stop up to 98 percent more attacks than firewalls and antivirus alone by pointing DNS traffic to a such a service. It continuously observes new relationships forming between domain names, IP addresses, and autonomous system numbers (ASNs). This visibility enables it to discover and often predict where attacks will emerge before they launch. To defend against ransomware, sandboxing is an effective way to determine which files are triggers. Sandboxing tools upload and execute files in question before blocking files or allowing them to execute on systems.
@swimlane
Cody Cornell is the Founder and CEO of Swimlane.
"Enterprises need to focus on both detection and prevention to protect themselves..."
While enterprises have spent a lot of resources and money on threat detection, not a lot of attention has been paid to improving the operational performance of advanced threat protection through automating security response. With automation, enterprises as well as managed security service providers can become more effective in their ability to significantly reduce process execution time, lower operating costs, improve incident response capabilities, and deliver more robust security operations services to the enterprise or customers. An automated incident response solution can reduce manual effort by automatically responding to alerts, gathering related threat intelligence, and automating the implementation of security controls, all of which aides in protecting organizations from future attacks.
While enterprises understand the value of detection and prevention, they are quickly realizing that a detection alarm with no response is about as valuable as no detection at all. To win the security battle organizations must address the pain points and automate to make a difference.
@Scamicide
Steven J.J. Weisman is a lawyer, college professor at Bentley University where he teaches White Collar Crime and one of the country's leading experts in cybersecurity. He has written numerous books on this subject including his recent Identity Theft Alert. He also writes the blog Scamicide, where he provides daily updated information about the latest scams and identity theft schemes. He also writes about these subjects as a columnist for USA Today.
"Advanced persistent threats are a technological problem, however, technology is also..."
The solution. While firewalls and and anti-malware security software are helpful, they quite often are not enough to meet the challenge of advanced persistent threats. Analytics that can identify suspicious or unusual patterns of behavior can be a tremendous help in fighting the problem of advanced persistent threats. In addition, the manner in which the malware that makes up advanced persistent threats is delivered is through spear phishing emails. Training of employees to recognize spear phishing is important, but perhaps more important is the use of security software that targets phishing emails.
Alexander Stein is the Founder and Managing Principal of Dolus Advisors, a boutique New York-based consultancy that employs expertise in human risk forecasting - actionable insight in human behavior and its drivers - and the psychodynamics of fraud, corporate ethics, compliance, and organizational culture to help companies proactively mitigate white-collar and cyber malfeasance risks.
"Effective solutions to combat advanced threats require..."
Accurately understanding the problem. The dominant view in cybersecurity is that threats and solutions are technological. Attention to the mechanics of deeds eclipses consideration of the actors who commit them. People are the central element. The ferocious complexities of human factor risks are serially underestimated, grossly over-simplified, and outright misunderstood. Companies buying or using conventional cybersecurity programs are falsely assured and under-protected. Despite investments of considerable capital and other resources in mechanistic detect and defend prescriptions and technologies, most institutions remain vulnerable to a thousand blind-spots, shadow risks, and rakes-in-the-grass. Robust threat mitigation and defense pivots on sophisticated behavioral analytics, root cause analyses, and predictive human factor risk management: understanding why good people sometimes do bad things, accounting for the drivers of malicious decision-making and behavior, and integrating governance, ethics, culture, compliance, and info-sec into a truly collaborative multidisciplinary defense unit.
@avast_antivirus
Michal Salat is a Threat Intelligence Director at Avast. Previously, he worked as Malware Analyst at Avast. He has been working at Avast for more than six years. He holds a Master of Science degree in System Programming from the Czech Technical University in Prague.
"The best approach to protecting your company against advanced threats is..."
To, first and foremost, have an antivirus or endpoint protection solution installed. Observing and controlling what is entering your company's network is also imperative when protecting against advanced threats. You should have a firewall installed at your network's gateway to prevent malicious domains from being accessed. Intrusion prevention systems (IPS) and intrusion detection systems (IDS) will also prevent threats from entering and will help detect advanced threats in networks, in case they do manage to enter. There are open source threat intelligence solutions that exchange indicators of compromise, so your tools stay up-to-date with latest threat information.
In addition to solutions, it is imperative that you continuously educate your employees to be vigilant when opening attachments and links. For example, you can set company standards when it comes to file types that can be used and you should have the external agencies you work with also enforce the policy. This can help prevent employees from falling for phishing attacks, because they can more easily recognize potentially malicious files before even opening them. For example, an attack can be prevented if an employee is aware that invoices with a *.js extension should never be opened, as they should not be sent as such according to their company’s policy.
@PandaSecurityUK
Neil Martin is the head marketer at the U.K.-based cloud security company, Panda, delivering protection and management solutions to companies of all sizes.
"With the ever evolving threats from malware and hackers..."
Cyber security companies are having to work to keep up and it has led to the rise of next-gen endpoint security vendors, for which Gartner has coined the category Endpoint Detection and Response. The key to cyber security lies in layers, starting with ensuring your operating systems and applications are up to date, your users are educated on safe behavior, and then having your security solutions in place. Ideally security should consist of traditional security technologies of signatures and HIPS, along with next-gen behavioral based and contextual technologies.
However, recent behavior has led to Virus Total banning some of the non-contributory next-gen security vendors from accessing their services as they were supporting their advanced detection by submitting potentially malicious files to detection from traditional vendors. This suggests that next-gen vendors are not fully confident in their solutions.
What you need, according to Gartner, is to supplement existing security with EDR to detect sophisticated hidden threats that evade the EPP.
@consultant
Clint Evans, co-owner of StandOut Authority, is a #1 Amazon best-selling author, speaker, and coach to decisive and growth-minded entrepreneurs. He has a column with Entrepreneur.com and Business.com.
"Security starts at the CEO level..."
The CEO must be clear what the vision for the security of the organization's data is. Then the CEO must communicate that to all managers and make sure it infiltrates each level of the company. Commitment to data security must become part of the company's culture.
This mindset and way of behaving is the first critical piece. Encryption and other systems technology plays a big factor in advanced threat protection. I just attended a cybersecurity event panel. It included an FBI agent in San Antonio’s cyber security division and the CEO of a multibillion-dollar hospital.
They shared stories that no organization is immune to hackers and data attacks. Many times the hackers don't even have a specific motive. They're just testing the waters to see if they can get in. Once in, can they extort money?
Deciding who needs access to which silos of information is critical. It's a simple human element to a system often too reliant on technology. An extra layer of protection is to require password changes every 7 days for people with access to the most sensitive data. Hackers often use brute force attacks to gain access through an employee's login. With intention and proper processes, you halt a majority of these breaches.
A simple rule of thumb – make your organization and its data two or three levels tougher to hack than your competitors. Hackers follow human nature. They seek the lowest hanging fruit.
@Avaya
Ed Koehler is the Distinguished Engineer for Corporate Solutions, Stealth Security and IoT at Avaya. He has been in the communications and networking industry for 20+ years. Ten of those years he spent as a Senior Technology Architect for R&D within the CTO division of Nortel. His area specialties are IPv6, Multicast, Digital Identity and Network Security as well as Voice and Video communications and Data Science—all areas within which he holds several patents. Ed joined with Avaya in August of 2010 as a Senior Data Solutions Architect specializing in Virtualized Data Centers and associated technologies including compute and storage. Currently, he is serving this role at the Global geography level. He was named Distinguished Engineer at Avaya in October of 2012.
"As the number of network security breaches reach staggering proportions..."
An increase of 38% in just the past year alone – hackers seem to be just one step ahead of the latest security technologies [1]. While trends such as mobility, IoT and cloud computing promise incalculable opportunities, they make it nearly impossible to determine the location of organizations' boundaries and thus, real and potential advanced threats stymie progress.
In fact, an organization’s perimeter is now everywhere, which makes it even more critical that security is a core component of the foundational network architecture that is capable of extending to any potential access point – whether that’s in the cloud, a mobile device or even a sensor unit in a HVAC system.
Hyper segmentation – the ability to create secure “swim lanes/zones” within the overall network based on a particular function, location or service – offers ones of the best means of addressing security breaches by limiting how far a hacker can go once they gain access.
Avaya’s approach to securing the “everywhere perimeter” comprises of three synergistic capabilities:
Hyper-Segmentation: The ability to create stealth segments that span the entire network.
Native Stealth: The characteristic of a hyper-segment that is invisible to hackers.
Automated Elasticity: The capability to create and remove hyper-segments automatically.
[1] The 2015 Cost of Cyber Crime report indicates that cybercrime is costing US companies an annual average of $15.4 million/yr, and we're seeing an average of 160 successful cyber attacks per week. 2015 Cost of Cyber Crime Study: United States, Ponemon Institute, October, 2015.
@abhirukt
Abhirukt Sapru is the Head of Business Development at CheckRecipient, a London based and venture capital-backed machine learning and cybersecurity start-up focused on human error prevention in emails. He was previously an investment banker with Citigroup in Hong Kong.
"Advanced threat protection needs to be..."
Scalable, flexible, and intelligent. When choosing solutions, procurement teams should focus on advanced machine learning technologies to combat an evolving vulnerability landscape. Traditional cyber defense systems were not designed to handle sophisticated external attacks, and cannot really comprehend the minutiae associated with both malicious and inadvertent insider threats.
It's best to operate a stack with smaller, more niche or specialist providers defending different vulnerabilities rather than engaging in a one-size-fits-all solution. This allows organizations to scale those protection mechanisms that are working and evolving, and also drop those that do not inherently address a growing risk.
@ThinkScale
Justin Davis is a Technology Sales Leader for Enterprise Business residing in San Francisco, CA., specializing in Data Security, Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity and Predictive Analytics.
"Advanced threat protection is a very subjective statement..."
We tend to find simple beats advanced. Making sure you have a strong data encryption policy with a robust asset management platform alongside rigorous patching can fight off a lot of the most common market threats. We find that some of the more advanced systems tend to have high false positive rates and require a lot of attention to get them right. Centralizing authentication (single sign on), creating a good data policy and making sure you really understanding where a threat can come from is the best way to combat advanced threats. Also, you can't see what you're not watching so make sure after you have put good controls in place you have a way to watch your environment and measure its on-going well being.
@olsontmt
Chris Olson co-founded The Media Trust 2005, where he currently drives the company's vision, direction and growth plans. Prior to establishing The Media Trust Company, he spent four years as the chief operating officer and board member at Spheric Media. Olson currently serves on the board of the Interactive Advertising Bureau's Advertising Technology Council.
"Your corporate website is a conduit for advance threats..."
It is ironic that when it comes to protecting against advanced internet-based threats, few think about their own corporate website. Website breaches lead to data loss and expose an enterprise to both business and legal risk. According to research, at least 78% of all code executing on an average website is provided by unidentified third parties unknown to the IT/information security team – a company’s website can be risky business. You wouldn't allow an unauthorized stranger to walk into your office and operate unchecked, so why would you allow unauthorized vendors to operate on your company's public-facing website? Extending vendor risk management and compliance strategies to the corporate website can protect website visitors – employees, shareholders, board members, job applicants, and prospective clients alike. Governing your website is a key countermeasure for the data loss and risk exposure growing number of website breaches we witness today.
@IMRINews
Satwant Atwal heads the Cyber Security practice for Information Management Resources, Inc. (IMRI). Atwal is responsible for the company’s product and service offerings within the federal and commercial sectors and possesses diverse industry experience in the design and implementation of cyber security solutions for organizations of all sizes.
"No single tool can prevent all attacks..."
Therefore, selecting multiple tools to build a solution that integrate well with each other is very important. A comprehensive solution must include a tool that can assist with disrupting and countering the attack if and when it occurs.
Dr. Matthew Michelson
@cytenna
Dr. Matthew Michelson is an Advisor to Cytenna and the Chief Scientist of InferLink Corporation. He is an expert in machine learning, data integration, and scalable data analysis, and has published numerous peer-reviewed publications in the top national and international artificial intelligence conferences and the high-impact artificial intelligence journals.
"A pernicious issue for advanced threat protection is..."
That increasingly, a common vulnerability across most organizations is actually a point of weakness: namely open-source software (OSS). OSS is used as tools (web server, database) but even more meaningfully, it's also baked deep into an organization, often as third-party libraries included within companies' own developed code. A privilege escalation or remote code execution vulnerability could be lurking in your own codebase. Thankfully, there are now options as to how to address this, across a variety of techniques. Regardless of the method, the key is to shine a light on the vulnerabilities within OSS that may in turn creep into your organization through its tools or its code.
@shaun_riordan
Shaun Riordan is Principal Consultant with Aurora Partners. He is also a Senior Visiting Fellow of the Institute of International Relations of the Netherlands (Clingendael) and a Senior Analyst with Wikistrat. At the Clingendael Institute he is a member of the Diplomatic Futures Group and heads up the Business Diplomacy Project. A former British diplomat, he served in New York, Taiwan, Beijing and Madrid, as well as the Counter-Terrorism and Yugoslavia Department Departments of the Foreign Office.
"Organizations are increasingly not only wanting to understand how attacks are being carried out so that they can defend against them, but are also interested in the who, what, when, where and why..."
Companies cannot just depend on technical measures to protect them from cyberattacks. In the constant arms race between cyberattack and cyberdefence, the cyberdefenders, like the French army Maginot line in the 1930s, tend to be preparing to fight the last war. The advantage is with the attack. Apart from developing defence in depth, companies need to develop more forward strategies to identify and deter potential hackers. They need to generate enterprise resilience that will allow them to adapt to cyberattacks and ensure business continuity. They need to develop collaborative working strategies, both within the company and with other companies and government, to ensure more effective responses to cyberattack. Finally, they need to implement effective communications strategies to ensure that the public (including their clients) is on their side in the event of an attack, and not that of the hacker. All these elements need to be brought together in a coherent and holistic strategy. In other words, companies need to develop a Cyber Diplomacy Strategy, which complements and reinforces the technical solutions.
Cyber Diplomacy strategies are no more a one-stop solution than technical cybersecurity, any more than diplomacy can deliver world peace without the support of armed force. They complement and reinforce each other.
@ZulyGonz
Zuly is the CEO of Light Point Security, creator of the first fully isolated web browser. Light Point Security is a pioneer in the security-through-isolation space. Before founding Light Point Security, Zuly worked at the National Security Agency (NSA).
"In order to have any real protection against advanced threats..."
You must have a solution in place that goes beyond detecting signatures. Traditional advanced threat solutions do this by identifying threats based on their actions. The downside to solutions like this is that they require the advanced threat to enter the network and start executing before they have a chance to identify their malicious behavior.
Another alternative is to isolate the most dangerous activities, like web browsing, in an area where even advanced threats can do no harm. Using this approach, no detection is needed at all.
@leadingboard
Jean-Marc Félio is the president of Leading Boards, a software company that helps boards with security, compliance, information sharing, communications and efficiency. Prior to founding Leading Boards, he designed and produced board software for hospitals and health centres across Canada, and worked as an entrepreneur, founder and manager of major projects in broadcasting, new media and new media technologies.
"Though commonly overlooked, the fact is that the most vulnerable element of any security system is..."
Humans, because their actions cannot be controlled by lines of code. The risks are even greater when the humans in questions work in the C-suite or hold board positions because of strategic and sensitive information they access. To establish advanced threat protection, companies need to begin by addressing the human factor in data security even at the highest level in the organization.
A good first step is to consider storing sensitive information outside of the company. By doing this, companies can reduce the risk of internal data leaks or breaches, where many threats originate. In our line of work, we recommend that that clients restrict access to important data to mobile devices because these often have enhanced security features, such as biometric access, and can be remotely wiped. If a client loses a tablet, we can easily remove any sensitive information from the device. This is more complicated on a laptop or desktop which retains more data.
The most important way to protect against threats at the human level, however, remains education. It is not enough to assume company executives know how to keep information safe in a digital world. Companies should create a security framework and consider hosting workshops to make executives aware of the threats. As encryption processes become more sophisticated, so too should our knowledge and awareness about threat protection.
@Ben_Desjardins1
Ben Desjardins drives the development of vertical and use-case specific solutions for Radware's Security Product Portfolio. In this role, Ben focuses extensively on the competitive landscape for anti-DDoS, WAF and anti-scraping technologies.
"Advanced persistent threats come in various forms..."
One increasingly common type is the Advanced Persistent DDoS attack, which are characterized as DDoS attacks that include multiple attack vectors and leverage automated attack tools and advanced bots to send very large amounts of traffic. The best strategies for protection against these types of attacks include:
Use of automated protections such as real-time signature development to protect from new (zero day) attacks
IP agnostic protection that doesn't rely on the source IP address as the means of detecting and blocking attack traffic
Leveraging cloud-based attack mitigation through a hybrid solution that provides coordination between cloud and on premise based resources
@BrandProtect
Greg Mancusi-Ungaro is CMO at BrandProtect, where he's responsible for developing and executing the BrandProtect market, marketing, and go to market strategy. A passionate evangelist for emerging technologies, business practices, and customer-centricity, Greg has been leading and advising world-class marketing initiatives, teams and organizations for more than twenty-five years.
"There are a few things to consider about advanced threat protection..."
1. The external threats are real and they are impacting businesses every day.
2. Although security teams don't usually have the internal expertise or resources to take on external threat monitoring, there are technology partners and services that can augment and extend the security practice.
3. Security is hot and the market has been flooded with money, both in terms of corporate budgets and also in terms of M&A and investor activity in the space. Suddenly there are a lot of glitzy, promise-the-world solutions. If a CISO is looking to make a splash internally, the attractive offerings by the intelligence vendors are very tempting. But they don't really seem to solve a problem.
4. Ultimately, knowledge of how others are using an enterprise's (and their executives') identities and IP is crucial to maintaining a business' reputation, trust, and market position. This kind of intelligence (how others are trying to use our own reputation as a weapon) will garner positive attention at the board level. We need to help CISOs understand that.
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Nate Lord is the former editor of Data Insider and is currently an account manager covering the southeast, Great Lakes, and Latin America regions at Digital Guardian. He has over 7 years of experience in the information security industry, working at Veracode prior to joining Digital Guardian in 2014. Nate enjoys learning about the complex problems facing information security professionals and collaborating with Digital Guardian customers to help solve them.
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Download a 22" x 28" poster version of our infographic on protecting against phishing attacks, available in digital and printer-friendly formats. | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line658 |
__label__wiki | 0.624125 | 0.624125 | Published: April 6, 2017
Digital Reasoning Wins ‘Best Artificial Intelligence Technology’ in the WatersTechnology Sell-Side Technology Awards
Award recognizes achievements in applying artificial intelligence to the challenges of reducing risk while helping financial institutions meet demanding and continually evolving regulatory requirements
NASHVILLE, TN, April 6, 2017 – Digital Reasoning, a leader in cognitive computing, was announced as the company with the ‘Best Artificial Intelligence Technology’ at the WatersTechnology.com fifth annual Sell-Side Technology Awards event yesterday in New York City. Digital Reasoning created the Synthesys® cognitive computing platform, which is one of the most widely-adopted AI systems within financial services and used by many of the world’s leading investment banks in applications ranging across risk and compliance, financial crime, and customer insights.
Synthesys understands and analyzes human communications. Most communications data is unstructured, making it virtually unreadable using conventional technology. By applying artificial intelligence, Synthesys makes sense of human language in text, audio and images, and resolves who is talking about what and with whom. It works across multiple languages, multiple domains, and uses machine learning to grow smarter over time.
For decades, Waters’ has been serving the financial community with independent, expert journalism. Because of this, the Waters Sell-Side Technology Awards is recognized as the coveted award for financial institutions and software vendors that service the financial services industry.
“We are honored to be acknowledged by such an esteemed publication for our dedicated work in applying AI to combating risk and abuse,” said Marten den Haring, Digital Reasoning’s Chief Product Officer. “This award reflects our commitment to the success of our customers, and our dedication to deliver compelling solutions to the industry’s most daunting challenges.”
“Interest in artificial intelligence (AI) has grown significantly throughout the sell-side community, and now hype-driven anticipation has given way to expectations of proven impact,” said Victor Anderson, Editor-in-Chief of Waters and WatersTechnology. “Not only has Digital Reasoning developed an impressive AI for analyzing human communication, but it has also implemented that technology in live production environments within a number of the world’s leading banks. We expect to hear a lot more from Digital Reasoning in the coming months as interest in AI across the capital markets grows.”
The financial services industry has been an early adopter of AI and expectations of the technology have matured to the point where firms demand measurable outcomes and a clear return on investment. Clients using Synthesys have experienced the following benefits:
A double ROI in 4 months and the inefficiency of false positive alerts halved (independently evaluated by Forrester).
Monitoring of employees expanded from 5% to 100% coverage, eliminating the risks of sampling while significantly increasing accuracy.
By eliminating the use of keywords, precision increased by 250% while investigation times decreased by as much as 60%
Synthesys has a track record of innovation, making it one of the most trusted cognitive computing platforms on the market. With proven results that demonstrate effectiveness, reliability and strong ROI, Synthesys is also used by US defense and intelligence agencies to protect national security and by large healthcare companies in the provider, payer, and physician space. | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line659 |
__label__wiki | 0.803617 | 0.803617 | I Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Film School: Melodrama Done Right in ‘All About My Mother’
Welcome to I Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Film School, my weekly article to prove that I have it in me to go from movie buff to film critic. With each column I try to better understand the art of filmmaking. As these are longish discussions, spoilers follow. For more from me, check out the rest of Defeating Boredom or follow me on Twitter, @Rob_Samuelson.
Earnestness has been a difficult element to use in film in recent decades. When utilized too much, it leaves an unforgivable pit of sentimental tripe. To modern audiences and the people making the movies, it implies a lack of depth. If we know exactly how each character will react to something — often with hackneyed emotion in stereotypical melodramas — then the story has been mapped for us. If there’s no chance for surprise, then how are we supposed to invest in what happens? Enter the ironic detachment of filmmakers like brothers Joel and Ethan Coen, who brought a sly, playful approach to the movies that placed a greater emphasis on acknowledging artifice and ideas rather than emotion. The Coens are perhaps the best directors of the last 30 years, but the filmmakers who have followed in their wake have, when faced with the possibility of real emotion in their work, gone so far in the opposite direction it makes one wonder if they don’t know how to deal with emotion or if they don’t want to. Thankfully, Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar does not shy away from melodrama. In fact, he relishes it and its effects on the audience. All About My Mother, his 1999 film about grieving mothers, AIDS, gender confusion, prostitution, and despair, somehow balances those deeply felt, melodramatic moments with an affection that makes everything palatable.
Taken at face value, All About My Mother should leave the audience in a depressive stupor. There is one truly good thing that happens to these characters in the movie. The rest is about enduring through the hardest parts of one’s life. In another filmmaker’s hands, a detached approach would have made the film unbearable. Almodóvar, though, depicts people grinning and bearing the awful things they come across in life. The joy he finds in these characters is mostly past tense, but it existed at one point, and the reminiscing done by Manuela (Cecilia Roth) and Agrado (Antonia San Juan) indicates a time when these characters were much happier. Manuela’s caring for an erstwhile nun (Penelope Cruz) through her AIDS diagnosis and ensuing pregnancy — bleak, heartbreaking things, each — shows the power of friendship in the hardest times of one’s life.
It is Cruz’s story that could threaten to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. After a series of miseries befall Manuela — her son dies after getting hit by a car, she escapes to her old life only to find one friend left, the transvestite prostitute Agrado, left, and her attempts to find her son’s father have been for naught — Almodóvar doubles down and reveals that Cruz’s Rosa, a nun serving the poor, had not only met the father of Manuela’s son, but had broken her Catholic vows and slept with him. In doing so, she contracts AIDS and becomes pregnant. One might expect Manuela to be furious at this development, but the twist — and a fascinating one, at that — reveals her, in her grief-stricken state, to latch onto this confused former woman of God. By caring for Rosa, Manuela is able to regain her lost motherhood and earn a sister she never had. Logic does not enter her mind in this moment. She is broken. She needs distractions from the hole left by her son’s death, and she throws herself into the middle of the lives of others, and broken people are all she knows.
One of those people is Agrado. Her character, while also being a rounded, funny, kind person, works as an symbol of what happens when one is unsure about life and one’s identity. She, like Almodóvar as a director and creator, wants to construct a narrative and project what she feels is her best self. She does this in an off-the-beaten-path way of plastic surgery to further her transformation into a woman, while neglecting to remove that key feature that will keep her biologically a man. She mentions that this reluctance is in order to appease her customers — she is a prostitute catering to men — something appears amiss. Her biological uniqueness is a part of her; a part she may at times struggle to appreciate, but one she feels keeps her special.
Those bombastic “This is who I am” statements, while perhaps not especially realistic, evince genuine emotion worth exploring. They also help mask the film’s more overtly “constructed” moments. Coming to understand the mental and emotional states of characters like Manuela, Rosa, and Agrado takes up much of the audience’s time, and they are unable to see the seams of the movie’s plot. When she first reconnects with Agrado, Manuela tells her about her desire to find her son’s father, who also lives life as a transvestite in the prostitution world, going by the name of Lola. Agrado has heard rumors of where Lola had been recently, which leads to the halfway house where Rosa works. As a matter of course, Rosa just happens to have been the person to last see Lola, and moves the plot along with her revelation of their sexual encounter. Later, when on the way to the hospital to give birth to her baby and subsequently die, Rosa and Manuela have a plot-friendly encounter with Rosa’s Alzheimer’s-afflicted father in order to give another emotional beat to the story; it may be one of finality, but it still feels rather convenient they could do this.
These opportune, melodramatic overtures aside, the film’s exploration of faith, particularly in Rosa’s case, helps soften the blow of these seemingly too-easy moments. That is because, while he ignores some of the more detached elements of our current postmodern filmscape, Almodóvar borrows its celebration of artificiality. Manuela’s son, Esteban, begins the film wanting to be a writer; to create drama, much like Almodóvar before him. A subplot involving two lesbian actresses invokes the needs of artists to construct stories; they get a subversive thrill out of torturing each other through drug abuse and co-dependency. The theatrical implications of Agrado’s late-film monologue about her explorations in plastic surgery becomes literal as she delivers it to an audience who had expected to see a play. That theatricality, that contrivance, should feel like a ploy, like Almodóvar is pulling one over on the audience. Instead, by weaving it through classic, overwrought melodrama, it becomes an engrossing, essential piece of cinema.
Tagged as All About My Mother, Antonia San Juan, Cecilia Roth, Pedro Almodovar, Penelope Cruz
Can’t Wait: Ben Affleck’s ‘Argo’
While my other movie series, I Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Film School, looks back, I figured I should place at least one foot in the here and now of giddy anticipation. Therefore, Can’t Wait focuses on upcoming movies I, well, can’t wait to see, along with a few reasons why.
“Ben Affleck wants to direct? How cute,” seemingly everyone scoffed in 2007. After all, Affleck had spent the preceding decade squandering his promise as an actor in toxic works like Daredevil and The Sum of All Fears. Then he sat behind the camera for Gone Baby Gone and made a vibrant, violent, engrossing, and downright great thriller. “Okay, but we’ll see how he follows up on that,” came the skeptical response. Affleck then made The Town, this time starring in addition to his directing duties, and created a crowd-pleasing heist film without sacrificing artistry. This time, his Argo is not eliciting the same skepticism.
The “based on a true story” hook is captivating in itself, given the high concept idea of faking a Canadian science fiction film as a front for sneaking American hostages out of Iran. But the cast of iconic character actors — John Goodman, Bryan Cranston, Philip Baker Hall, Victor Garber, Titus Welliver, and Alan Arkin among them — is a cineaste dream. How these people interact in close quarters, ready to snap at each other and the circumstances surrounding them, is potboiler gold and worth seeing even if Affleck’s direction didn’t look so slick; Argo appears to continue his “artsy popcorn entertainment” aesthetic started in The Town. Seeing Affleck direct increasingly elaborate films is a good sign for Hollywood, and any Oscar buzz surrounding Argo gives him and other like-minded filmmakers the cache to do special, interesting work.
Tagged as Alan Arkin, Argo, Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, character actors, directors, Film, Gone Baby Gone, John Goodman, movies, Philip Baker Hall, The Town, Titus Welliver, Victor Garber
I Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Film School: On ‘Kagemusha”s Dream Sequence
Akira Kurosawa was a filmmaker with an eye toward humanism. It may have been on an epic scale in most films — Seven Samurai and Ran being the chief examples — but it was for the most part grounded in human interaction. He leaned on realism not as a crutch but as an extension of a matter-of-fact worldview that included strong, dignified opinions about justice, morality, and how and to whom to assign blame for any number of indiscretions. With few exceptions — Throne of Blood‘s retelling of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth would be difficult to do without using a form of that play’s paranormal elements — Kurosawa rarely delved into the realm of the abstract. For most of 1980’s Kagemusha, that remains true, but for one resplendent sequence, he tosses aside the realism and embraces dream logic and imagery to masterful effect.
The character Kagemusha (Tatsuya Nakadai) is a “shadow warrior,” a common man who bears a twin-like resemblance to warlord Shingen Takeda (also played by Nakadai). For that reason, Shingen’s underlings choose Kagemusha to serve as a double to the lord. After being mortally wounded in battle, Shingen instructs his men that their enemies should not know of his demise for three years — the time it will take for his grandson to come of age and assume his designated seat on the throne — and Kagemusha must pass for Shingen in that time. This is a role Kagemusha does not want. A criminal sentenced to death for a petty theft, he is saved by his lookalike “talent,” but that places him under control of Lord Shingen’s men. He has no choice in the matter; he will be the stand-in or be crucified. It is with these stresses that Kurosawa painstakingly creates a nightmare for Kagemusha to endure.
Sleeping fitfully in his chambers, the camera inches toward Kagemusha. While beautifully shot, the film to this point gives no indication this will be more than a moment hinting at his reservations about his role. We expect a quick moment showing the trials Kagemusha must endure; his inability to sleep well would be something shown from an outsider’s perspective and easily glossed over in a lesser work. But a cut to inside Kagemusha’s head brings the audience an experience vastly different from the rest of this film and most films in general.
A large painted jar sits atop what appear to be miniature mountains in an impressionist landscape. Is this Kagemusha’s fraudulent kingdom? Japan as a whole? Kurosawa is not interested in the answers to these questions; rather, he concerns himself, and the scene, with guilt filtered through dream logic. Intense lighting highlights already bright reds, blues, and yellows. It’s a harsh beauty; fascinating but ultimately uninviting. The jar moves. It jostles and breaks. From it emerges a fully-armored samurai; it is Shingen. Kagemusha, dressed in rags, stares in terror as Shingen approaches him with menace and hatred in his eyes. As the dead man draws closer, his replacement runs in terror.
Why does Shingen chase Kagemusha? After all, the lord was pleased to have such a capable double. Surely he cannot be upset, even after having his identity assumed by a less qualified man. Logically, this makes sense. To stressed, in-over-his-head Kagemusha, though, Shingen’s spirit must hate him. He has spent months, years even, being told, despite their obvious similarities, how different he is from the fallen leader. He and his keepers have had to think on their feet to explain Kagemusha’s different voice — he was “wounded in battle” — and he’s had to steer clear of Shingen’s stable of mistresses so as to not reveal his lack of distinct battle scars. Shingen’s own young grandson can see through the ruse without being able to articulate it. “He’s not scary anymore,” the boy says to the nervous laughter of the men in on the deception.
The boy’s remark indicates much of the guilt plaguing the Kagemusha of the dream. Shingen’s belief in the small person led him to choose the boy as his successor, rather than Shingen’s own son. With the lord now dead and Kagemusha installed as dignitary, he needs to uphold the image of his role: a wise leader and loving grandfather. Ironically, he’s better at the latter than Shingen himself; it’s the only thing he does better than the original man. The boy grows a genuine affection for Kagemusha, who returns it in kind. This developing love gnaws at Kagemusha. He’s lying to a person — an impressionable, innocent one at that — about his identity, and how can he convince himself their interactions are anything other than lies? Furthermore, he’s living Shingen’s life; not the one he had as leader, but rather the one he appeared to cherish, that of caring for his grandson. To Kagemusha’s mind, Shingen must be jealous of him, which leads Shingen’s furious spirit to chase him relentlessly in the dream world.
The dream convinces Kagemusha, and the audience, of the plan’s inevitable failure. He may look like Shingen, but he cannot replace the man. He and Shingen’s men cannot possibly think of every minute detail that shaped the former leader’s personality, his essence, his individuality. Due to this, Kagemusha’s battle tactics consist of believing questionable parables about Shingen’s ethos; to paraphrase, he was an immovable mountain on the battlefield, willing to wait for the enemy’s mistake rather than attack. Kagemusha may get lucky with that and other decisions, but he lacks the mind for the position; he’s bound to be exposed in time. Uninterested in those responsibilities, he’d rather play with his “grandson.” For all his effort, he cannot be Shingen. He may be a kinder, more compassionate, more approachable person, but he’s not an exceptional person. The boy may love him, but that is not enough, because it’s a misplaced love. In that, he’s failed at his task in the most basic way. Kagemusha is convinced Shingen’s spirit hates him for this failure. His guilt over that inadequacy follows him in his everyday relationships. He’s not what everyone else desperately needs him to be, and therefore not what he wants to be. In that way, Kurosawa’s humanism shines. In both his waking and dreaming lives, the chase doesn’t end. Kagemusha will remain on the run from his own infallibility.
Tagged as Akira Kurosawa, directors, dream sequence, dreams, Film, Kagemusha, Macbeth, Ran, Seven Samurai, Shakespeare, Tatsuya Nakadai, Throne of Blood
Can’t Wait: Martin McDonagh’s ‘Seven Psychopaths’
Colin Farrell has been unfairly regarded in recent years as a Hollywood failure. His public persona — drunken, foul-mouthed Irish dock worker — and stream of big budget flops (this summer’s Total Recall, which I haven’t seen yet, is the latest) only serve to enhance that perception. But that understanding is a shallow view of talent; essentially it equates box office dollars to a filmmaker or actor’s artistic capabilities. In reality, though, Farrell is a very good, and sometimes great, actor. When paired with solid material and, in the case of 2004’s The New World, world-class filmmakers like Terrence Malick, Farrell can knock a role out of the park. His finest, and also his most entertaining, role was in 2008’s In Bruges, a comedic thriller written and directed by Englishman Martin McDonagh. The two are reteaming for the upcoming Seven Psychopaths, an irreverent caper involving dognapping.
Farrell’s not the only actor of note in Psychopaths, either. It’s overflowing with talented, captivating actors like Sam Rockwell (Moon, Galaxy Quest), Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter, Catch Me If You Can), Woody Harrelson (No Country For Old Men, Zombieland), and a rare acting appearance by musician Tom Waits (Short Cuts, Down By Law). Everything about the trailer suggests a grimier Ocean’s 11 tone; these are lower rent criminals — note Harrelson’s neck tattoo — but the lighthearted, jokey bent remains. The film makes its North American debut at next month’s Toronto International Film Festival, and will hopefully earn a wide release in the months following.
Tagged as Christopher Walken, Colin Farrell, In Bruges, Martin McDonagh, Sam Rockwell, Seven Psychopaths, Terrence Malick, The New World, TIFF, Tom Waits, Woody Harrelson
I Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Film School: What Makes a Good Western?
Welcome to I Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Film School, my weekly article to prove that I have it in me to go from movie buff to film critic. Each week I cover movies I’ve heard feature prominently in film school, films I believe are worth exploring deeply, classics I’m ashamed to have never seen, and occasional new releases if they strike me. As these are longish discussions, spoilers follow. For more from me, check out the rest of Defeating Boredom or follow me on Twitter, @Rob_Samuelson.
While its popularity has waned in recent years — replaced first by the musclebound action schlock of Stallone and Schwarzenegger and now by films based on comic book properties — the Western has long served as one of America’s great myths. Its touchstones are attractive in that uniquely American way: loners, the open air, disregard for authority, sympathy for the underdog, opportunity for wealth redistribution, and violence’s ability to solve problems; watching a Western speaks to our visceral side rather than our need to intellectually analyze. Its reliance on archetypes instead of well-rounded characters has given us some of our most recognizable and revered film heroes; these generalizations lead us to believe anyone can be the hero rather than shutting us out with a specific, singularly flawed protagonist. But what elements combine to make a good Western? What about a great one? Is it an anti-authoritarian story paired with one of those shallow, archetypal men? Is it something more? It was with these questions in mind that caused me to watch three Westerns in recent days. Two of them, The Searchers and Red River, are lauded classics. To more fully understand and appreciate what makes those great, though, I watched a comic miscalculation of casting, story, and timing, Texas Rangers.
For the sake of my viewing chronology, I’ll start with The Searchers, John Ford’s classic end of an era film. Ford’s most frequent protagonist, John Wayne, plays a deeper, more nuanced character than usual, but he remains an archetype: the reluctant hero. What’s most interesting about this role, though, is Ford keeps the “hero” part in question until the very end. Throughout the film, which spans several years, Ford leaves the audience wondering whether Wayne’s Ethan Edwards will choose the moral high ground or succumb to his demons.
While those demons — Ethan’s racist, war-scarred psyche — would normally be difficult to overlook from a modern viewpoint, his opinions are not unfounded. These views have been shaped over years of experience. Ethan may not appreciate the socio-political things that led to the violence, but he’s been witness to the antagonistic Comanches’ atrocities against white people, including his only family at the movie’s outset. Wayne does his best work in this. When he’s angry, which is a large portion of the time, you feel it; there is little of his usual hands-at-his-sides, cue-card-reading rigidity. His moments of levity and acceptance, such as when he intends to bequeath his entire will to Martin (Jeffrey Hunter), feel natural and earned, given all the time they’ve spent searching for Ethan’s niece and Martin’s adoptive sister, Debbie (Natalie Wood), who had been kidnapped by the Comanches years earlier after they slaughtered her family.
If Ford had left the story at that, The Searchers would be a perfect film; as it stands, it’s near perfect, so the drop-off is not extremely disappointing, but it exists. The problems lie in the subplot involving Martin’s lifelong romance with Laurie (Vera Miles) and on-again, off-again betrothal. Their light romantic comedy throws an unwelcome wrench in the overall tone, and its attempt to add comic relief takes far too much time away from the riveting search for Debbie. Likely the studio didn’t want such a bleak film and Ford was left with no choice but to toss less intriguing elements into the pot.
That said, The Searchers‘ problems are nothing compared to its heights. Ford’s ability to frame a shot reaches its apex in this. His outdoor vistas, combined with Technicolor’s heightened reality heyday, are worthy of awe. His pacing and action scenes are impressive for any time, but especially 1956. His ability to guide the stiff Wayne through a subtlely shifting performance is magnificent. Its uncompromising look at brutality — Wayne shooting out the eyes of a dead Comanche so he cannot reach the underworld of his faith, his planning to kill his niece for taking up with the Indians, etc. — paints a picture of social unrest far more intriguing than a Robin Hood tale of protecting the little guy. But most of all, the film’s greatness is on display whenever Ford can capture Wayne in his element: under an open sky, single-mindedly chasing his goal.
By 2001, the greatness exhibited by Westerns like The Searchers had all but dried up. It was no longer a popular genre, but instead a collection of half-remembered stereotypes about white and black hats and “circling the wagons.” Steve Miner, veteran television director, took those stereotypes, tacked on some ’90s teen heartthrobs and white guilt, and made Texas Rangers, a movie memorable only for its laughable overreaching.
There is nothing inherently “cinematic” about Texas Rangers beyond its aspect ratio. Of its stars, only Rachael Leigh Cook had a reputation as a movie actress. Everyone else was either the star of a hit teen-skewing TV show (James Van Der Beek on Dawson’s Creek and Ashton Kutcher on That ’70s Show), veteran character actors who hadn’t had much success in then-recent years (Alfred Molina and Tom Skerritt), an “elder statesman” TV star (Dylan McDermott of The Practice), or a non-actor altogether (Usher). Everything about it reinforces the old — especially now in our post-Sopranos TV golden age — ideas about TV being inferior to film. Everything is over obvious and overwrought. Kutcher is Michael Kelso in a cowboy hat; yelling through a goofy grin is his entire range. Westerns don’t require terrific acting — the best-known actors to don a hat are Wayne and Clint Eastwood, neither of whose “technique” (unrelenting stoicism) would be taught in most acting classes — but being able to hit the simplest of marks would be nice. Kutcher doesn’t seem to understand that Texas Rangers is nominally a drama. Van Der Beek fairs slightly better, inasmuch as he can at least look sad when his family is murdered by Molina’s mustache-twirling villain.
The quality of the filmmaking is hardly any better. The sets and costume design don’t look dirty or lived in like the should for Western towns exposed to the elements, and the cheap lenses and film stock used make everything look an unbearably long episode of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. In one hilarious chase scene, which is supposed to take place at night, what I can only assume to be a lack of funds caused Miner to shoot it on an overcast day and utilize an optical effect that looks like he clicked the spray can in Microsoft Paint to draw black around the racing wagons.
Predictably, the storytelling is equally bad. Particularly egregious is the subplot featuring Usher trying to earn the respect of his fellow Rangers by proving that black people are humans, too. It is so heavy-handed that the message, which is obviously a good thing, becomes worse than preachy and instead shines a spotlight on an inexperienced actor out of his element, which, when combined with the equality story line, negates the message. It shows Usher — a career musician who should stay in that realm where he has real talent — is not up to par with even these second-rate players, which places a bad light on serious black actors and makes them look less qualified than white actors.
While categorically bad, a movie like Texas Rangers highlights what it is about its genre that resonates. It does this by taking elements that typically work and showing what happens when not done properly. It features familiar elements: the aging gunman on his way out; the young sidekick eager to take on a larger role; a larger-than-life, scenery chewer of a villain. Instead of imbuing these characters with personality or twisting them in a new way, the people involved choose to give a warmed-over, “Remember when X happened in Westerns?” Simply acknowledging that something exists is not a clever use of that thing; Texas Rangers never learns that lesson. Everything is a twelfth generation VHS copy of things that had been done to perfection decades before by more talented people.
Texas Rangers‘s toxicity only helped emphasize the greatness of Howard Hawks’s 1948 exemplary Western, Red River, starring Wayne and Montgomery Clift in a surrogate father-son relationship. Much like The Searchers, this opens with an act of aggression from Comanches toward one of Wayne’s loved ones, as they burn every wagon on a train Wayne had moments before left to strike out on his own as a cattle rancher in Texas. Wayne gets cheap revenge in a wonderful sequence in a river where he stabs a Comanche beneath the water; there’s a hint of extreme violence without explicitly depicting the grisly nature of murder. This moment sets Wayne on a dark path that turns him into a revenge-seeking monster.
Again, Wayne’s shortcomings as an actor aren’t particularly bothersome, but they do exist. Early in the film, he can barely be bothered to recite his lines; he is listless, seemingly bored with the material. Probably unsurprisingly, once his character grows villainous, he engages. He cares, and the film picks up steam until its thrilling climax. The film’s midstream change of focus from Wayne’s tenuous, violent grasp on leadership to Clift’s taking the reigns is an act of structural genius; as a commercially minded film, Red River needs the audience to relate to its protagonist, and as Wayne grows less human, Clift replaces him. It is Clift who takes the archetypal role here: that of the aforementioned young man looking for more responsibility. But instead of doing what Texas Rangers would do decades later, Red River provides an interesting — and, for 1948, entirely subversive — take on the character, with several scenes brimming with homosexual flirtation and phallic gunplay. When the film introduces Joanne Dru’s Tess halfway through as a love interest for Clift, it feels tacked on, and you don’t buy the romance as fully as you do the flirtation he has with another ranch hand earlier. Clift himself doesn’t appear desperate to have her; he abandons her first, and when she catches up to him at the end, he says he “guess[es]” he should marry her. Not the strongest love story, but an intelligent, engrossing one that rewards close reading.
The only time the film falters is at the very end. This is disappointing, as it is, until that point, probably in the top three of “proper” Westerns (not counting the spaghetti variety popularized by Italian filmmakers in the 1960s), behind only the first film in this column and Fred Zinnemann’s impeccable High Noon; perhaps it still is, but it’s a step or more below those two. But after the film spends more than an hour building Wayne as a fearsome, power-mad egoist hellbent on murdering Clift for stealing his cattle, they have a standoff that results in them… agreeing to reform their cattle raising partnership because they love each other? The ending is too pat, too convenient, too eager to provide a happy ending that it sucks the importance out of the tension the film had built to that point. But still, its high points bury the low much like The Searchers would the next decade.
As shown by these films, the American Western relies on archetypes to survive. What it does with them, though, is key. They cannot merely exist, as in Texas Rangers. Something must be done to reshape the meaning of those archetypes. If they don’t fit the story you want to tell, hammer at them until they are; make them malleable. The Searchers has as its hero a murderous racist who barely chooses the right thing — family — in the end. Clift’s homoerotic dealings with his peers in Red River indicate a deeper sense of identity than what entertainment-seeking audiences may realize. Both these classics infuse their storytelling with dynamism, a singular personality. Texas Rangers is an exercise in blandness and wannabe filmmaking that does not understand the importance of a leaving a creative stamp on a genre. In that way, the Western is like any other branch of storytelling: telling a personal tale, when done with proper technique, will reach transcendence.
Tagged as acting, actors, Ashton Kutcher, directors, Film, Howard Hawks, James Van Der Beek, John Ford, John Wayne, Montgomery Clift, movies, Rachael Leigh Cook, Red River, Steve Miner, Texas Rangers, The Searchers, Usher
Can’t Wait: Judd Apatow’s ‘This Is 40’
Judd Apatow is currently our preeminent family filmmaker. If you complain because his movies feature swearing, sex, and drug use, and believe those elements to be signs of immoral storytelling or social decay, you’re a fool. Those just serve as the comedic set dressing for the stories he tells. Apatow’s films are about heart, humility, and learning how to better deal with those closest to you. Perhaps The 40-Year-Old Virgin is a bit of a stretch, conceptually speaking, but its depiction of blossoming friendship and finding “the one” is much sweeter than most of its fans are willing to admit. Knocked Up‘s central conceit can and does happen to people every day. All kinds of people, even celebrities, get cancer, and they deal with it nobly and poorly in equal measure; Funny People, while not wholly successful, goes to great lengths to show that range. Now, in Apatow’s latest directorial effort, This Is 40, he seems to tackle aging, boredom, and attempting to maintain one’s identity while doing what’s best for one’s family.
This Is 40 looks funny, but Apatow seems to have more on his mind than humor. Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann’s married characters from Knocked Up must, like everyone, deal with aging, children, and career uncertainty. At times, they can’t stand each other and want to be anywhere but near one another. How they rectify those feelings is what I want to see. New addition Albert Brooks, playing Rudd’s father, is always a joy to watch, whether he’s staging comedic reality shows in Real Life or coldly murdering people as a mobster in Drive. Hopefully his appearance in this leads to him writing and directing a new film of his own.
Tagged as Albert Brooks, Judd Apatow, Leslie Mann, Paul Rudd, This Is 40
I Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Film School; Or, How I Spent My Girlfriend’s Summer Vacation
Welcome to I Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Film School, my weekly article to prove that I have it in me to go from movie buff to film critic. Each week I’ll cover movies I’ve heard feature prominently in film school, films I believe are worth exploring deeply, classics I’m ashamed to have never seen, and occasional new releases if they strike me. As these are longish discussions, spoilers follow. For more from me, check out the rest of Defeating Boredom or follow me on Twitter, @Rob_Samuelson.
For three weeks in July, I was pretty bored and had plenty of free time. My girlfriend, Emily, had left for the trip of a lifetime. She went to Europe with her mom and sister, took a cruise, and saw all kinds of incredible places, including Copenhagen (she hasn’t even seen the Pusher trilogy! How can she possibly appreciate it?) and St. Petersburg, Russia. I, on the other hand, had finished my summer class — I got an A, in SPANISH, so be proud, mom and dad — and only had my part-time job and overweight cat to worry about. I decided this would be a perfect time to fill in some of my more glaring cinematic blind spots. Three weeks and 30 movies later, I now have a deeper appreciation for foreign masters (Truffaut, Kurosawa), the silent pictures of Keaton and Chaplin, and some geek classics I should have seen years ago. I thought this would be a fun way to change up the usual Wednesday I Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Film School post. So, depending on your level of cinema snobbery, be awed by my pretentiousness or scoff at my pathetic inefficiencies with this list (in order!) of my filmic travels while Emily really saw the world.
1. Paper Moon– dir. Peter Bogdanovich
A wonderful little con artist tale. You can read my thoughts on it here.
2. Eraserhead – dir. David Lynch A movie I’m still struggling to understand and/or enjoy. Also one I wrote on for this site.
3. The Great Train Robbery – dir. Edwin S. Porter An important early short which popularized the Western genre in the movies. It may be crude, but it features a story with a beginning, middle, and end, and it does some dynamic things with the camera aboard a moving train. Besides, it’s not like you’ll have trouble finding a copy. It’s in the public domain, so it’s free on YouTube, and it’s only 12 minutes, so watch it.
4. Sherlock Jr. – dir. Buster Keaton This is pure joy. The stunts are phenomenal. I didn’t strain to find the humor; I laughed the whole way through. But most importantly, Keaton’s mastery of movie magic is on full display; his dream sequence involving Keaton’s entering a film in progress and interacting with the characters challenges the concept of reality on screen. Is Keaton really just a down-on-his-luck janitor or does he have wacky adventures solving mysteries? Being a realist, I knew where I stood throughout it, but that’s the fun of something like this; the audience gets to make up their minds until the end. It’s also fun to see one of the direct influences on Woody Allen’s wonderful The Purple Rose of Cairo.
5. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari– dir. Robert Wiene
Short, silent, and frightening. It features an early twist ending; and a good one at that. I’d also venture to guess that Batman villain the Joker’s look is partly inspired by this film’s somnambulist, along with The Man Who Laughs. If not, then this film certainly inspired the entire career of Batman and Batman Returns director Tim Burton. Everything about its mise en scene serves as a preview of Burton’s work. There are twisting spires, off-kilter houses, strange colors, and all manner of atypical camera angles at play.
6. Beat the Devil – dir. John Huston While it’s not quite on the level of their previous collaboration, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre — my favorite film from Hollywood’s Golden Age — this Huston-Bogart picture is witty in its subversion of the Hitchcockian brand of international intrigue thrillers. Instead of his usual world weariness, Bogart grins and philanders his way through the story, a dark comedy I’m amazed made it through the Hollywood system of the time.
7. The 400 Blows– dir. Francois Truffaut
This is one of those films that leaves you dumbfounded. After sampling a couple Godard pictures — Breathless, which I enjoyed but didn’t understand the devotion surrounding it, and the minor work A Woman Is a Woman — I wasn’t especially into the French New Wave. Little did I know how much more of a humanist Truffaut was compared to his critic-turned-filmmaker compatriot, Godard. Godard seems more interested in taking film conventions and spinning them, whereas Truffaut wants to know what makes people tick; and especially in this film, what makes himsef tick. Taking that psychological, self-analytical approach, The 400 Blows is Truffaut’s early life diary on screen, an act of bravery not too common in filmmaking of any kind. I don’t mean to keep harping on a movie I don’t even think is bad (see a few movies down on this list), but I can’t believe the British Film Institute didn’t rank this above La Regle du jeu on last week’s “greatest films of all time” list; The 400 Blows is in every way a more affecting movie.
8. Blue Velvet– dir. David Lynch
This is “conventional” Lynch. It’s still plenty strange, what with dead bodies standing up and Dennis Hopper, but it’s as accessible — and great — as anything he would ever do. Kyle MacLachlan and Laura Dern turn into stars here, and the twisty, trippy plot doesn’t let you turn off your brain in order to just enjoy the ride. You need to engage it, and even then you probably won’t fully understand everything. I need to own this in order to revisit it and unpack it further. That devotion is exciting to me. That’s the type of interaction I look for in a movie.
9. Carrie – dir. Brian De Palma While it’s a heavy-handed indictment of religious fanaticism and teen cruelty, De Palma’s indebtedness to Hitchcock manifests itself in the bravura climactic sequence at the prom, where the camera voyeuristically follows every station of the elaborate prank set by Carrie’s tormentors. The way he plays with time — slow motion is key in this segment — and his use of split screen shows a director with more on his mind than adapting a cheap paperback horror novel. Seeing how Sissy Spacek uses her eyes in this sequence is reason enough to see the film.
10. The Magnificent Ambersons – dir. Orson Welles No amount of studio interference could completely destroy Welles’ tale of a bitter heir (Tim Holt) who squanders his family’s fortune. It lasts a truncated 88 minutes, and the pacing often suffers from its studio-mandated expeditiousness — including a laughable sequence involving what’s supposed to be an extended, years long trip (built up as a wrenching, there’s-no-going-back moment) that turns it into a two-minute jaunt, no more excruciating than a trip to the grocery store — but Welles’ visual flair and character work shine, perhaps more than his other masterpieces, Citizen Kane and Touch of Evil.
11. Poltergeist– dir. Tobe Hooper (but everyone knows it’s really Steven Spielberg)
Now here’s one I’m ashamed to say I’ve never seen in its entirety. I remember one time watching it on TV when my older sister, Kelly, told me it wasn’t very good — I assume this is because I was about seven at the time and it wasn’t appropriate for my age group — and changed the channel. I never bothered trying it again until a couple weeks ago. Spielberg, always the master technician, digs deep and finds some genuine scares using his typical stock characters, the suburban American family. Made at the same time as E.T., it takes the opposite of the same coin; instead of Elliot’s family breaking up, Poltergeist explores the horrors of keeping a family together, even if they do manage to get through the (supernaturally heightened) adversity.
12. Delhi Belly – dir. Akshat Verma My friend Yabrell graduated in May as the first Truman State University student with a film studies minor (next May, I will be one of the first few, as well, not to toot my own horn). His last film class was a course on Bollywood. While visiting recently, he suggested we watch Delhi Belly, which he described as Bollywood’s answer to the vulgarity-laced American comedies like The Hangover; it’s a huge departure from the hyper conservative storytelling (according to him, actors were not allowed to be shown kissing until the last decade) and musical numbers of traditional Indian films. In that, it’s important. However, the movie’s a bit of a mess. It’s entirely in English, which is a huge detriment for comedic timing for these non-native speakers. Its caper plot comes off as aping nineties Tarantino. I had some fun with it, though, and I saw my friend, so it’s not an entire waste.
13. The Grey– dir. Joe Carnahan
Here’s a movie I had avoided while it was in theaters earlier this year. I’d heard plenty of raves that couldn’t stop using the words “awesome” and “bad ass,” so in my contrarian way, I rolled my eyes and put it out of mind. What a mistake. After renting The Grey with my buddy Justin, we got pizza and basked in the glow of Carnahan’s survivalist tale. Liam Neeson furthers his late-career surge into Charles Bronson territory, playing a character who can’t give up no matter how much he wants to; his stubbornness and fate intervene every time. The film’s uncompromising look at the survival instincts of society’s downtrodden, brutal tundra setting, and top-notch acting raise it head and shoulders above most early-year fare — and maybe a lot of year-end fare, too — and I wouldn’t be surprised if it ended up on my 2012 top ten list.
14. The Graduate– dir. Mike Nichols
The Graduate is two-thirds of a great movie. Everything involving the affair between Ben (Dustin Hoffman) and Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft) is wonderfully acted, and it’s an interesting concept. When Katharine Ross’ Elaine Robinson, Mrs. Robinson’s daughter, enters the picture, it feels like a cowardly way to soften the story for a mass audience believed to be easily scandalized. “Why, of course Ben would fall for her!” the filmmakers must have said to themselves. But the only way they show this is, at a strip club on their first date — Ben had promised Mrs. Robinson that he’d make sure Elaine would never want to see him again — he feels guilty and confesses he’s not the type of person to bring a date to a nudie bar. Then he kisses her. The entire reason he falls in love with her is because he felt a pang of guilt for a dumb hoax; she, herself, never does anything to prove her worth to him. It’s a stupid idea that creates unearned drama and an unnecessary climax, which should have focused on the film’s most compelling elements, Ben and Mrs. Robinson.
15. The Battleship Potemkin – dir. Sergei Eisenstein
Of course it’s bombastic propaganda. In fact, it’s propaganda for a revolution that put its country in far worse shape than it was before the fighting started. However, historical relevancy aside, Eisenstein’s briskly paced film leads the way toward the style of editing we see today. I don’t mean that it’s a rough precursor to what we have now; its editing looks like most current movies. Everyone talks about the Odessa steps sequence but that’s only a well-done part of a whole that utilizes a revolutionary form of quick cutting at every juncture. Camera shots are only about three or four seconds long, which must have been as intensely foreign to its original audiences as Citizen Kane was 16 years later. Actually, its editing is even more modern than that of Kane and the majority of American films until the late 1970s.
16. The Gold Rush– dir. Charlie Chaplin
After seeing Keaton’s masterpiece, I knew I had to see my first Chaplin movie since I was a small child (I don’t even remember which one I’d seen then). This is a bit of a letdown after Sherlock Jr., but then again, so are most movies. That’s not to take away from this film’s charm. Chaplin’s Tramp character this time is known as The Lone Prospector, and his whimsical work is impossible to ignore. He’s nervously charming around women and his bumbling encounters with the villainous Black Larsen provide laughs and more than enough peril to invest us in the Tramp’s fate. I’m eager to see more of Chaplin’s work in order to appreciate it better as a grown-up.
17. Nosferatu– dir. F.W. Murnau
Besides Metropolis and — a couple days before this one — Potemkin, I don’t think I had ever seen any silent dramas. That is probably because I’ve long been prejudiced against old movies like most people from my generation, and/or I always found something else to watch that interested me more at the time. Technology in the silent era had kept the camera from being as mobile as I prefer, and I always thought the acting is always so over the top so as to go against the naturalism of the actors I prefer today. Of course, then I saw Nosferatu and my hesitancy now looks silly. This is a terrifying movie. Max Schreck is not the pretty kind of vampire we laugh at today. His bulging eyes, dagger-like fingernails, and fangs strike an imposing image. His looks aren’t the scariest thing about Nosferatu, though. His gait, agonizingly slow, suggests a calm, confident monster. He doesn’t have to rush; he’ll get you when he deems it necessary. For someone who’s always in a hurry to get places, the patience he displays is really what unnerves me.
18. Shoot the Piano Player – dir. Francois Truffaut
Of the three Truffaut movies I watched in this span, this is the least important. Yet again, though, I’ve been shown that cinematic and cultural importance is not always the key to enjoying a movie. Shoot the Piano Player has its artistic flourishes, but it’s mostly a pure and simple pulp story. And Truffaut enjoys himself telling a story about a slumming concert pianist who wants a different life for himself. He wants love, and he seems to find it, but his small-time criminal brother and some inadvertent murder get in the way. It’s a quickly paced thriller with heart and some surprises, and it’s one of many from this experiment I can’t wait to own.
19. Stranger Than Paradise– dir. Jim Jarmusch
I wrote about this for last week’s I Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Film School, so you can read it here. If you’re noticing a trend, that’s because a lot of these movies will probably be showing up here in expanded reviews in the coming weeks and months.
20. Jules and Jim– dir. Francois Truffaut
This is a story about how messy human relationships can be. These three characters love each other deeply, but they can’t stop stepping on each other’s toes to get what they want. The problem, though, is that when one gets what he or she wants, one or both of the others suffers. Throw obvious mental illness into the mix — Jeanne Moreau’s Catherine is a force of uncertainty and instability — and the complications grow exponentially. While it’s not perfect (there are two or three too many changes of heart for who wins Catherine’s love), my interest never waned. The third Truffaut film I’d seen in a week solidifies him as a new favorite of mine, especially after he helps his own cause by narrating the work in a calm, detached voice that prepares you perfectly for the story you see.
21. Rio Bravo – dir. Howard Hawks
I don’t care for John Wayne. Never have, and I probably never will. He sleepwalks through every role with a dead stare and a voice nobody on the face of the planet uses, yet everyone — but confused ol’ me — loves him for it. The best Wayne movies are the ones where he doesn’t have to carry the weight of the story. Full disclosure, I’ve never seen The Searchers, so maybe his lead performance is great in that. In Rio Bravo, though, despite being the nominal lead, Wayne isn’t the thing that makes the film work. That would be Dean Martin. His drunk former deputy is the only character with a true arc — Wayne and Ricky Nelson’s characters have moments, but no real through-line — and his charming and cocky Dude is someone interesting to latch onto. He has that vaunted magnetic screen presence that can’t be taught; plus, he looks awesome with that tired five-day scruff. Hawks and company take the structure of High Noon — gang members lay siege to a town to bust their leader out of jail — and ratchet up the tension and suspense until you’re not sure if everyone will make it out all right; something that’s hard to make me think in the studio system films.
22. Asphalt Jungle– dir. John Huston
Sterling Hayden is the coolest. Usually. His turns in Kubrick classics like The Killing and Dr. Strangelove and especially in Robert Altman’s The Long Goodbye are great man’s man roles. And for most of The Asphalt Jungle, he’s incredible, too. However, there are moments — mostly in the early portions — in the movie when he stands awkwardly and stares dumbly at the camera while using a weird accent that sounds nothing like middle America, which is where he’s supposedly from. It’s distracting and contrary to the calm, slightly menacing thug he plays in the rest of the movie. Weird acting choices aside, the caper picture helps cement John Huston as one of my favorite filmmakers. The heist story is plenty of fun, but it’s the strange, darker elements Huston incorporates that make it great. Emmerich’s (Louis Calhern) insistence that his much younger mistress (an early appearance by Marilyn Monroe) call him “Uncle Lon” reeks of an incest fetish, and that’s followed up by Doc Riedenschneider’s lasciviously watching a young girl dance in a bar to songs paid for by him. These were hard things to sneak into the movies in 1950, and they make for a more mature, rounded film.
23. The Dark Knight Rises– dir. Christopher Nolan
Another one about which I wrote for this site. It’s a very flawed movie, the most of Nolan’s trilogy (perhaps his career), but I couldn’t help getting swept up in the spectacle.
24. La Regle du jeu (The Rules of the Game) – dir. Jean Renoir
I mentioned this last week when talking about the British Film Institute’s newest best films of all time list, and I probably came off as a contrarian jerk. I don’t think it’s the fourth best movie ever, but I recognize its immense value as a work of art. A lot is said about Renoir’s use of deep focus, and that’s put to really neat use in the movie. There are a bunch of characters doing subtly comic things in the background of many scenes, and I’m sure that rewards multiple viewings. What doesn’t make me want to see it a bunch of times is the story. It’s about a group of upper-class French people just before the start of World War II gathering in a large house for a weekend party. Everyone’s having affairs with everyone, they think too much of themselves and too little of each other, and their selfishness explodes in violence at the end. That’s a wonderful artistic statement, but I guess I should feel like a moron for that not being enough for me as a viewer. But the fact remains that it’s not. The thought that kept returning to me throughout the movie was, “This feels like the less interesting precursor to Altman’s Gosford Park.” I say less interesting because there’s not much plot thrust to it. It meanders through the house guests’ pointless affairs and everyone is just mopey and closed off until the admittedly great finale. Usually, I couldn’t care less about finding a connection with a character, but this is a film about romantic entanglements. Those usually require some connection to characters, and that’s hard to get when everyone is a selfish idiot. At least in Gosford Park there’s the murder mystery angle to add a level of intrigue to the characters who are essentially the same people as in La Regle. I’m sure one day once I’m sufficiently mature as a critical-thinking film viewer, I’ll look back at this list and laugh at how dumb I was for writing this, but currently this stands as a good, not great movie in my book.
25. Dracula– dir. Tod Browning and Karl Freund
While it’s not as scary as the other Bram Stoker-inspired movie on this list, Dracula is certainly the more iconographic. Obviously I knew about Bela Lugosi’s voice and look from hundreds of Halloween Draculas over the years, but seeing the original in action is breathtaking. Lugosi’s Dracula is the guy whose icy stare makes you willing to give him everything he wants if only to get away from him as soon as possible. The problem for John Harker (David Manners) is that what Dracula wants is for him and his lover, Mina (Helen Chandler), to stay close. The production design and music work wonders for the tone, but a rushed pace and glossing over of Dracula’s seafaring journey make it a flawed but imminently watchable film.
26. Ran – dir. Akira Kurosawa
Ran is the definition of masterpiece. It is the greatest film I watched during the making of this list, and I now rank it among my favorites. Kurosawa’s update on Shakespeare’s King Lear, Ran is a feudal power struggle that follows an aging warlord who abdicates his throne. The warlord’s three sons begin a beautifully rendered (with some of the best use of color I’ve ever seen) full-scale war to determine who will reign over the kingdom, while their forgotten father wanders the land searching his soul after a life of murder and deceit. In doing so, Kurosawa turns the warlord into a grotesque husk of a human; the makeup is horrific in the best sense. For a film with such a large scope, it feels oddly personal. By 1985, when he made Ran, Kurosawa was going blind and had spent years painting storyboards to what would be his final films because he wasn’t sure he would be able to secure funds to make them. The decaying warlord’s passing of the torch to his ill-equipped sons must have meant a lot to the director, as he had seen his work shape that of lesser filmmakers like George Lucas, who would make mountains of cash with weaker — don’t get me wrong, I love Star Wars, but it’s not as technically or thematically strong as anything Kurosawa made — material.
27. High Sierra– dir. Raoul Walsh
High Sierra takes the romantic Bogart and makes him ineffectual. He can’t get the girl he wants, and unlike in Casablanca, he’s outwardly upset about it. When he gives something in this, he expects something in return. He’s a crook who wants to do right, but his flaws don’t allow him; he can’t help what he wants and he’s not willing to sacrifice anything if it doesn’t benefit him. When he gets what he needs, a woman, Ida Lupino’s Marie, who not only knows about his criminal lifestyle but approves and wants to join it, he can’t even enjoy it. So goes the life of Bogart the doomed romantic.
28. High and Low – dir. Akira Kurosawa
Kurosawa’s known for his samurai epics, but this two-tiered film noir puts on full display his talents as a master of suspense. Toshiro Mifune is very Mifune in it, that is to say “Mifune” has replaced the word “great.” His businessman faces a unique moral dilemma — should he pay a financially crippling ransom for the mistakenly kidnapped son of his driver? — I’d never seen before, and the first half takes place entirely in Mifune’s under-surveillance house. Every telephone ring hits you like a shovel to the face. Is the boy alive? Will Mifune ruin his livelihood for someone he doesn’t have any real connection to? Are the kidnappers paid by his business enemies? These questions are answered in surprising fashion during the film’s second-half shift into police procedural, which both explains Kurosawa’s popularity in America and foreshadows future American television. That second half is very good, but it’s a small downgrade from the heights reached by the first’s perfect (I don’t throw that word around lightly) execution.
29. An American Werewolf in London – dir. John Landis
This one’s probably the greatest disappointment of everything I watched in this span. I’d long heard of the fun thrills this provides, but the entire thing is hollow. Sure, Rick Baker’s lauded makeup work is phenomenal, but that’s about it. The acting is strained, and the horror-comedy tone is never solidified. Its greatest strength, though, is in its gleefully destructive finale and denouement-free ending. I like the immediacy of the way Landis ends it, and that saves it from being a bland genre exercise.
30. The Godfather – dir. Francis Ford Coppola
The Godfather is the only film on the list I had seen before. The only problem was that I watched it on a crummy Blockbuster-worn VHS copy when I was 12. How the hell was I supposed to understand the storytelling depth Coppola used? The subtle family bonds that lead to not-so-subtle acts of violence? To 12-year-old me, there was just the violence, which took too long to happen. Now, though, I can appreciate its greatness. Gordon Willis’s dark cinematography turning everyone into near silhouettes. Coppola’s unfussy direction letting the story happen naturally. Pacino restraining himself. Brando’s criminal with a code (he’s not wrong: heroin is pretty awful). It’s magnificent. Oh, and I realized that John Cazale’s inadequate black sheep, Fredo Corleone, is essentially a proto-Buster Bluth.
Whew! I’m winded. If you made it through all 4,400+ words, I applaud you and thank you. The writing’s probably atrocious, but I guess that’s what happens when you work as your own copyeditor. Anyway, I’m glad to have been able to see these (mostly) great films, and think I should go on more binges like this — as if my regular three-or-four-movies-a-week clip wasn’t enough already. With my final (!) school year about to start, I may have to resort to more capsule-style reviews, so this may be a preview of the I Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Film School columns of the near future. | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line660 |
__label__wiki | 0.625794 | 0.625794 | RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 11 Episode 3
The queens put their knowledge of pop icons to the test in a live, evangelical-style talk show about their favorite divas, and Troye Sivan and Guillermo Diaz guest judge.
Serie: RuPaul's Drag Race
Episode Title: Diva Worship
The exploits of the Los Angeles–based Office of Special Projects (OSP), an elite division of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service that specializes in undercover assignments.
Genre: Action & Adventure, Crime, Drama, Mystery
A dysfunctional family of superheroes comes together to solve the mystery of their father’s death, the threat of the apocalypse and more.
Set in the fictional college town of Hilltowne, Charmed follows the lives of three sisters, Macy, Mel and Maggie Vera who, after the tragic death of their mother, discover they…
An edge-of-your-seat view into the lives of everyday heroes committed to one of America’s noblest professions. For the firefighters, rescue squad and paramedics of Chicago Firehouse 51, no occupation is…
A group of heroic firefighters at Seattle Fire Station 19—from captain to newest recruit—risk their lives and hearts both in the line of duty and off the clock. These brave…
When they were boys, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a mysterious and demonic supernatural force. Subsequently, their father raised them to be soldiers. He taught them about…
This thriller and coming-of-age drama follows the journey of an extraordinary young girl as she evades the relentless pursuit of an off-book CIA agent and tries to unearth the truth…
Explore the high-pressure experiences of police officers, paramedics and firefighters who are thrust into the most frightening, shocking and heart-stopping situations. These emergency responders must try to balance saving those…
Brakebills University is a secret institution specializing in magic. There, amidst an unorthodox education of spellcasting, a group of twenty-something friends soon discover that a magical fantasy world they read…
Seven noble families fight for control of the mythical land of Westeros. Friction between the houses leads to full-scale war. All while a very ancient evil awakens in the farthest…
Raymond “Red” Reddington, one of the FBI’s most wanted fugitives, surrenders in person at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C. He claims that he and the FBI have the same interests:…
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line661 |
__label__cc | 0.546704 | 0.453296 | Home > Sports Betting Tips > Sports Betting Laws-States > Talks Over Sports Betting in New York Remain Stagnant for the Time Being
CTS365 » Sports Betting Tips » Sports Betting Laws-States » Talks Over Sports Betting in New York Remain Stagnant for the Time Being
Talks Over Sports Betting in New York Remain Stagnant for the Time Being
Sports Betting Laws-States
Back in 2013, the state of New York passed a law to allow individuals to bet on sports at four on-site locations. After years of lying dormant, the law could be revived. The New York State Gaming Commission is preparing to complete regulations “in the short term” for the four locations specified in the 2013 law. Legislation that would have allowed for full-scale sports betting in New York failed in June 2018, but have been re-introduced in 2019.
New York’s long-running issue with fantasy sports gained steamed in 2018 too. On October 26, Acting Supreme Court Justice Gerald W. Connolly ruled that the state’s two-year-old daily fantasy sports law violated the state’s constitution. “The judge’s decision was unequivocal,” said Cornelius D. Murray, the lead attorney representing the plaintiffs in the case, in a statement to ESPN.
“The ruling found that New York’s DFS law was unconstitutional beyond a reasonable doubt.” In the wake of the ruling — which will likely be appealed by the state Attorney General –, both DraftKings and FanDuel confirmed that they would continue offering fantasy contests in the state.
The new budget in New York will create congestion charges and a mansion tax, but it won’t expand sports betting. Early Sunday morning, the legislature came together on a $175 billion spending package for the upcoming fiscal year. According to the New York Times, the budget Gov. Andrew Cuomo approved mostly meets its objectives.
“This is the best budget that has been produced since I’ve been governor,” Cuomo boasted post-passage. Provisions to legalize recreational marijuana use and online sports betting, however, ran into the red pen. Lawmakers ultimately omitted both controversial issues from their final package.
Mobile Betting in New York Fail by A Long Shot.
Serious efforts to expand the existing NY sports betting law have been underway for the better part of a year. Most recently, these budget negotiations appeared to open another narrow window of opportunity. The state constitution is the critical hurdle to such a legislative effort, though. New York law stipulates that voters must approve any expansion of gambling, as they did previously for the commercial casinos upstate.
That 2013 referendum also included authorization for in-person sports betting, a clause which the 2018 US Supreme Court decision activated. While NY senators have worked to legislate mobile betting in the time since they’ve yet to assemble enough support make passage a real possibility. The chief executive is the chief opponent. Cuomo maintains that another referendum is the only constitutional path to expansion.
New Jersey A Better Option for NY Bettors
The omission of mobile betting is a kick in the shins for the struggling commercial casinos — and companies like DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook. Both have agreements in place to run retail sportsbooks in NY, but both are mobile-first operators in practice. In neighboring New Jersey, mobile wagering represents more than 80% of the total NJ sports betting handle.
For the time being, in-person sports betting will remain the only legalized form of sports betting in New York. Preliminary rules are progressing through a 60-day public comment period so that the first NY sportsbooks could open in time for NFL season.
The four new commercial properties and existing tribal casinos are the only ones that can offer sports betting under the law. None of them are closer than a two-hour drive from the center of New York City, so the majority of NY bettors are likely to keep visiting NJ sportsbooks — and using NJ sports betting apps. The FanDuel Sportsbook at MetLife stadium that sits just across the river from Manhattan.
Hope floats for mobile; chances still slim
Though small, a glimmer of hope for NY mobile betting remains this year. The legislature keeps working in Albany until late June, and standalone bills like S 1490 stay on file. Last month, sponsors distributed legal opinions to support their notion that they can legally authorize mobile betting.
Such legislation, the views argue, would not represent a new and unlawful expansion of gambling. State lawmakers are less convinced than their colleagues in the Senate, though, and the budget miss does not bode well. If all else fails, the legislature may initiate a referendum to begin that arduous two-year process before adjournment. The spring work session ends on June 19.
It appears that the state of New York’s government officials tend to fight over what is morally right similar to how leaders clash in southern/mid-western parts of the country. It’s very odd that a state such as New York which has the largest city in America, New York City, battle over the right to conduct sports betting. I believe that once lawmakers on both sides agree to disagree, then other sports betting options such as DraftKings and Fan Duel will finally be able to take hold in the Empire State.
Derrick Branch
Derrick Branch is the owner and lead writer of Gridiron Fanatic.net. Outside of running Gridiron Fanatic, he contributes to Cover The Spread 365.is an avid sports fan that is always looking for a good game. He is looking to help you find good deals on the betting front and is here to help you find a perfect game that you feel comfortable with. Derrick is well versed in sports such as the NBA, NFL, and boxing.
https://gridironfanatic.net
Sports Betting on the way in Connecticut
Detroit Tigers vs Boston Red Sox 4-25-19 Preview, Picks, Odds And Parlays | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line662 |
__label__cc | 0.732248 | 0.267752 | Interview: Full Circle Home
Hey there, as promised, I’m following up with the final interview I conducted with Vickie Durfee, Executive Director and Lisa Miller, Partner of Full Circle Home. Full Circle Home won a Bonus Challenge during the CrowdRise Veterans Charity Challenge that raised over $448,000. Full Circle Home’s doing some really good work. Through donations and corporate partnerships, Full Circle Home has arranged for gift boxes to be sent on behalf of service members to the home front, since 2007.
Vickie spoke about supporting both the troops and their families at home. Hand-written loves notes, boxes, and gifts are sent to any woman at home who is a source of support; sisters, mothers, girlfriends, wives. “It’s a way for the community to say thank you both to the women and to those who are deployed…We sent out 150 boxes in the first month of the idea.”
You can listen to the full interview here:
After the interview, Vickie wrote to tell me a little more about Full Circle Home:
We have been able to make great headway with determination and the expectancy of reaching our goals. Our story is really the story of our troops and their heroes at home! There is SO much need, but without those protecting our freedoms, we might not have the luxury to worry about the rest.
We continue to grow and will take on new challenges as they line up with our mission. The addition of FCH’s Wounded Warriors Project is one such program. I’ve included a photo, one of the few we actually been able to take at Walter Reed. This soldier was a delight, and I think he felt empowered that he could do something special for his mom.
Interview: Swords to Plowshares
Why Men Must “Lean In” to Support Women’s Leadership | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line663 |
__label__cc | 0.730452 | 0.269548 | Corporate stories
Funders' stories
Patron stories
Create’s 16th Anniversary Gala Dinner
Participant Groups
Disabled children and adults
Marginalised children and adults
Young and Adult Carers
Young and adult offenders
creative:discovery
creative:engagement
inspired:arts
A young carer’s reflection ~ inspired:arts
In August 2013, we took our inspired:arts project to Carers Support Merton where our professional artist Phoebe Davies, worked with 13 young carers. They investigated personal identity and self-expression through photography, performance and writing. Each participant composed a photograph with their individual response to what identity means to them, which was exhibited at the end of the project.
Aamilah* (15) cares for her younger brother, who is 11 and is diagnosed as having autism and behavioural difficulties. As he can be very demanding (particularly with regard to attention) and can display very challenging behaviour, Aamilah’s caring responsibilities have often impacted on her ability to engage freely in personal interests and socialise with her school friends. Aamilah joined Carers Support Merton in 2009, having recently relocated (along with her mother and brother) from Newcastle to London. This transition was incredibly difficult for the family, requiring them to build completely new support networks. After the project, she told us:
“I enjoyed creating an alter ego. Before the project, I’ve always been interested in psychology and alter egos come under abnormal psychology so I thought that was really interesting. I also enjoyed creating the mind maps about our identity. I feel more confident about talking about my identity, which is something I would normally shy away from doing because it’s personal to me. It has been quite hard because you make yourself vulnerable. You talk about things that are personal to you, which is a big deal. I’m sort of looking forward to sharing my work [at the exhibition] but I’m nervous about people seeing the work. I really like the rest of the group’s work! It’s been interesting working with an artist. I have enjoyed working with someone who knows what they are talking about, someone professional. I have met other artists before and they were so full of themselves but Phoebe is really down to earth, which is a good thing. You can talk to her. It’s been good working with other people because I don’t usually, I usually prefer to work by myself because I have a strong idea of what I want to do and I’m a bit of a control freak! But it has been good to work collaboratively; it’s been beneficial having to adapt to work with others. I have enjoyed working with everyone here because we get on. I like the idea of young carers coming together (for projects like this)!”
Aamilah’s Exhibit Title: Declaration of faith – Shahada Religion is the foundation for my life; it has helped me through so many dark times and always kept me between the lines of both right and wrong. I owe so much to my religion for guiding through what could be considered a difficult and unsettling adolescence. My photo displays what is known the Muslim world as the Shahada, which is the declaration of belief in the oneness of God and acceptance of Muhammad as God’s Prophet. It translates from Arabic as: “I bear witness that there is no deity worthy to be worshiped but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.” You can see the other young carers’ photos in our gallery. * Aamilah’s name has been changed to protect anonymity
View related posts: Carers Support Merton, charity, Create, creative arts, inspired arts, inspired:arts, Merton, Nicky Goulder, Nicky Goulder CEO, young carers | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line665 |
__label__wiki | 0.686502 | 0.686502 | Home ICCWC Aleem Dar to Supervise in ICC World Cup 2019 Final
Aleem Dar to Supervise in ICC World Cup 2019 Final
Experienced and one of the best Umpires Pakistani referee Aleem Dar will oversee the ICC World Cup final at Lord’s that is on 14th July 2019.
Aleem Dar, who is one of the eminent referees on the International Cricket Council (ICC) panel. He was not elected to oversee the two semi-finals as a field umpire. However, he has been assigned as the fourth umpire of the second semi-final with hosts England and Australia.
Aleem Dar is likely appointed to officiate in Sunday’s final on the Lord which is the toughest job to do. For which one of the best officials is required. That is why ICC chooses him as a referee in the ICC World Cup Final.
Meanwhile, the ICC on Sunday appointed referees and officials for the two World Cup semi-finals following the conclusion of the group stage.
On Tuesday, in charge of India’s match against New Zealand, English referees Richard Illingworth and Richard Kettleborough will be at Old Trafford, while Australian Rod Tucker will perform his duties as the third umpire. The English (England) Nigel Llong will be the Fourth Official for Australia Vs England Rivalry clash. Former Australian international David Boon will be the referee of the match.
For the second semi-final between Australia and England at Edgbaston on Thursday, the field umpires will be Kumar Dharamasena of Sri Lanka and Marais Erasmus of South Africa. The third referee will be New Zealander Chris Gaffaney, while Pakistani Aleem Dar will be the fourth official. Ranjan Madugalle of Sri Lanka will be the referee of the match.
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Tags Aleem DarAleem Dar ICC World Cup 2019Aleem Dar Supervise in World Cup finalAleem Dar UmpiringAleem Dar umpiring in world cup final 2019ICC Cricket World Cup FinalICC World Cup 2019 FinalICC World Cup Final 2019
World Cup 2019 Semifinals Live Streaming
Pakistani youngsters Improved ICC ODI Rankings after astonishing Performances | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line668 |
__label__cc | 0.690099 | 0.309901 | CZO | iml
Intensively Managed Landscapes
Data Geo-dashboard
Data Catalog Website
Thanos Papanicolaou
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), 865-974-7836
Flow and Sediment Interaction, Landscape Processes, Hydraulic Structures, Instrumentation
Engineering / Method Development
Professor and Goodrich Chair of Excellence, Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee-Knoxville
UT Knoxville - University of Tennessee
Papanicolaou's UT Knoxville page
PhD, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech, 1997
Short- and Long-Term Dynamics of Soil Organic Matter; Coupled Surface Water – Groundwater Hydrology and Biogeochemistry; Water, Soil, Sediment, and Landscape Connectivity: Short- and Long-Term Budgets; Integrated Modeling and Critical Zone Services
412 John D. Tickle Building 851 Neyland Drive Department of Civil & Environmental Eng. The University of Tennessee Knoxville, TN 37996-2313
Papanicolaou Research Group
The C-biogeochemistry of a Midwestern USA agricultural impoundment in context: Lake Decatur in the intensively managed landscape critical zone observatory. Blair, N.E., Leithold, E.L., Papanicolaou, A.N., Wilson, C.G., Keefer, L., Kirton, E., Vinson, D., Schnoebelen, D., Rhoads, B., Yu, M., and Lewis, Q. (2018): Biogeochemistry
Understanding saturated hydraulic conductivity under seasonal changes in climate and land use. Elhakeem, M., Papanicolaou, A.N., Wilson, C.G., Chang, Y.-J., Burras, L., Abban, B., Wysocki, D.A., and Wills, S. (2018): Geoderma
Critical Transition in Critical Zone of Intensively Managed Landscapes. Kumar, P., Le, P.V.V., Papanicolaou, A.N., Rhoads, B.L., Anders, A.M., Stumpf, A., Wilson, C.G., Bettis, E.A., Blair, N., Ward, A.S., Filley, T., Lin, H., Keefer, L., Keefer, D.A., Lin, Y.-F., Muste, M., Royer, T.V., Foufoula-Georgiou, E., and Belmont, P. (2018): Anthropocene
Flow Resistance Interactions on Hillslopes With Heterogeneous Attributes: Effects on Runoff Hydrograph Characteristics. Papanicolaou, A.N., Abban, B., Dermisis, D., Giannopoulos, C., Flanagan, D., Frankenberger, J., and Wacha, K. (2018): Water Resources Research
Dynamic Flow Resistance Interactions between Landscape Attributes and Overland Flow: Effects on Runoff Hydrograph Characteristics. Papanicolaou, A.N., Abban, B., Dermisis, D.C., Giannopoulos, C.P., Flanagan, D.C., Frankenberg, J.R., and Wacha, K.M. (2018): Water Resources Research
Flow Resistance Interactions on Hillslopes With Heterogeneous Attributes: Effects on Runoff Hydrograph Characteristics. Papanicolaou, A.N., Abban, B.K., Dermisis, D.C., Giannopoulos, C.P., Flanagan, D.C., Frankenberger, J.R., and Wacha, K.M. (2018): Water Resources Research
Groundwater Monitoring at the Watershed Scale: An Evaluation of Recharge and Nonpoint Source Pollutant Loading in the Clear Creek Watershed, Iowa. Schilling, K.E., Streeter, M.T., Bettis, E.A. III, Wilson, C.G., and Papanicolaou, A.N. (2018): Hydrological Processes
The Intensively Managed Landscape Critical Zone Observatory: A Scientific Testbed for Understanding Critical Zone Processes in Agroecosystems. Wilson, C.G., Abban, B., Keefer, L.L., Wacha, K., Dermisis, D., Giannopoulos, C., Zhou, S., Goodwell, A.E., Woo, D.K., Yan, Q., Ghadiri, M., Stumpf, A., Pitcel, M., Lin, Y-F, Marini, L., Storsved, B., Goff, K., Vogelgesang, J., Dere, A., Schilling, K.E., Muste, M., Blair, N.E., Rhoads, B., Bettis, A., Pai, H., Kratt, C., Sladek, C., Wing, M., Selker, J., Tyler, S., Lin, H., Kumar, P., and Papanicolaou, A.N. (2018): Vadose Zone Journal
Coupling flow with nutrient dynamics via BioChemFOAM in the Mississippi River. Hernandez Murcia, O.E., Schnoebelen, D.J., Papanicolaou, A.N., and Abban, B. (2017): Journal of Applied Water Engineering and Research
Understanding mass fluvial erosion along a bank profile: Using PEEP technology for Quantifying Retreat Lengths and Identifying Event Timing. Papanicolaou, A.N., Wilson, C.G., Tsakiris, A.G., Sutarto, T.E., Bertrand, F., Rinaldi, M., Dey, S., and Langendoen, E. (2017): Earth Surface Processes and Landforms
An enhanced Bayesian fingerprinting framework for studying sediment source dynamics in intensively managed landscapes. Abban, B., Papanicolaou, A.N., Cowles, M.K., Wilson, C.G., Abaci, O., Wacha, K., Schilling, K., and Schnoebelen, D. (2016): Water Resources Research
Dynamic Assessment of Current Management in an Intensively Managed Agroecosystem. Wilson, C.G., Wacha, K.M., Papanicolaou, A.N., Sander, H.,A., Freudenberg, V.B., Abban, B.K., and Zhao, C (2016): Journal of Contemporary Water Research & Education
Critical Zone Observatory for Intensively Managed Landscapes (IML-CZO) Annual Report 2015. Kumar, P. (2015): NSF Award #1331906
Spatial variability of saturated hydraulic conductivity at the hillslope scale: Understanding the role of land management and erosional effect. Papanicolaou, A.N., Elhakeem, M., Wilson, C.G., Burras, C.L., West, L.T., Lin, H., Clark, B., and Oneal, B.E. (2015): Geoderma
From soilscapes to landscapes: A landscape-oriented approach to simulate soil organic carbon dynamics in intensively managed landscapes. Papanicolaou, A.N., K.M. Wacha, B.K. Abban, C.G. Wilson, J. Hatfield, C. Stanier, and T. Filley (2015): Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences
Effects of Land Cover on Streamflow Variability in a Small Iowa Watershed: Assessing Future Vulnerabilities. Schilling, K., M. Streeter, K. Hutchinson, C.G. Wilson, B.K. Abban, K.M. Wacha and A.N. Papanicolaou (2015): American Journal of Environmental Sciences
A Model for Knickpoint Migration in First- and Second-order Streams. Bressan, F., Papanicolaou, A.N., and Abban, B. (2014): Geophysical Research Letters, 41, 4987–4996
Prediction of Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Dynamics in an Iowan Agriculture Watershed. Elhakeem, M., Papanicolaou, A.N., Wilson, C., and Chang, Y. (2014): International Journal of Biological, Veterinary, Agricultural, and Food Engineering
A stability analysis of semi-cohesive streambanks with CONCEPTS: Couple field and laboratory investigations to quantify the onset of fluvial erosion and mass failure. Sutarto, T.E., Papanicolaou, A.N., Wilson, C.G., and Langendoen, E. (2014): Journal of Hydraulic Engineering-ASCE
Quantifying and partitioning fine sediment loads in an intensively agricultural headwater system. Wilson, C.G., Papanicolaou, A.N., and Denn, K.D. (2012): Journal of Soil and Sediments
Evaluating the effects of grassed waterways in southeastern Iowa. Dermisis, D.O., Abaci, O., Papaniclaou, A.N., and Wilson, C.G. (2010): Soil and Use Management
A 1-D Morphodynamic Model for Rill Erosion. Papanicolaou, A.N., Sanford, J.T., Dermisis, D.C., and Mancilla, G.A. (2010): Water Resources Research, 46, W09541
Long-term effects of management practices on water-driven soil erosion in an intense agricultural sub-watershed: Monitoring and modeling. Abaci, O. and Papanicolaou, A.N. (2009): Hydrological Processes
Long-term effects of management practices on water-driven soil erosion in an intense agricultural sub-watershed: Monitoring and modeling. Abaci, O., and Papanicolaou, A.N. (2009): Hydrological Processes
Estimation of the runoff curve number via direct rainfall simulator measurements in the state of Iowa, USA. Elhakeem, M. and Papanicolaou, A.N. (2009): Water Resources Management
In situ sensing to understand diel turbidity cycles, suspended solids, and nutrient transport in Clear Creek, Iowa. Loperfido, J.V., Just, C.L., Papanicolaou, A.N., and Schnoor, J.L. (2009): Water Resources Research 46:W06525
Soil quality in Clear Creek, IA: SOM loss and soil quality in the Clear Creek, IA, Experimental Watershed. Papanicolaou, A.N., Wilson, C.G., Abaci, O., Elhakeem, M., and Skopec, M. (2009): Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science 116(1–4):14–26
SOM dynamics and erosion in an agricultural test field of the Clear Creek, Iowa, watershed. Wilson, C.G., Papanicolaou, A.N., and Abaci, O. (2009): Hydrology and Earth System Sciences Discussions
Upland erosion modeling in a semi-humid environment via the Water Erosion Prediction Project model. Papanicolaou, A.N. and Abaci, O. (2008): Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering
Observations of soils at the hillslope scale in the Clear Creek watershed in Iowa, USA. Papanicolaou, A.N., Elhakeem, M., Wilson, C.G., Burras, C.L., and Oneal, B. (2008): Soil Survey Horizons 49:83–86
Intensively Managed Landscapes CZO Annual Report 2018 . Kumar, P., Alison, A.M., Bettis III, E., Filley, T., Papanicolaou (2018): IML CZO, NSF Award #1331906
Intensively Managed Landscapes CZO Annual Report 2017. Kumar, P. (2017): IML CZO, NSF Award #1331906
Critical Zone Observatory for Intensively Managed Landscapes (IMLCZO) Annual Report 2016. Kumar, P. (2016): NSF Award #1331906 Cross-CZO
Agricultural soil erosion and soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in the US Midwest: Bridging the knowledge gap across scales. Papanicolaou, A.N., Dermisis, D., Wacha, K., Abban, B., and Wilson C. (2011): The Geological Society of America Meeting
Effects of rainfall-runoff on soil surface roughness and erosion processes. Dermisis, D. and Papanicolaou, A.N. (2009): World Environmental and Water Resources Congress
A sediment composite fingerprinting tool: A field-based quantification method of the sediment origin within a water environment — A pilot study. Papanicolaou, A.N., Abaci, O., and Theregowda, R.B. (2006): Iowa Department of Natural Resources
New Online Course: Where Does Eroded Soil Come From and Where Does It Go?
29 Jun 2018 - A new Illinois Extension online course is available: Where Does Eroded Soil Come From and Where Does It Go?
Papanicolaou receives ASCE H.A. Einstein Award
09 Feb 2018 - Professor Thanos Papanicolaou is the 2018 recipient of the Hans Albert Einstein Award from the American Society for Civil Engineers (ASCE).
Stories in the Soil
17 Oct 2017 - A series of field experiments in the U.S. Midwest is investigating how past, present, & future human activities and climate affect the health of soil.
IML-CZO researchers featured in ‘Hydrolink’ magazine
22 Apr 2016 - Three IML-CZO researchers recently co-authored an article in Hydrolink magazine which examined the Hydraulics and Sedimentation Laboratory (HSL) at...
Video: Critical Zone Observatories help U.S. plan for the future
21 Mar 2016 - The short video features the Intensely Managed Landscapes Critical Zone Observatory (IML-CZO) with commentary from IML Co-Director Praveen Kumar.
CZ Science at Goldschmidt 2016, Yokohama
08 Feb 2016 - Yokohama, Japan. 26 June - 01 July, 2016. All aspects of geochemistry and related fields. Multiple sessions related to Critical Zone science.
EOS Spotlight: Conservation Farming Shown to Protect Carbon in Soil
04 Feb 2016 - A closer look at cultivated land informs actions to protect the vitality of our soil.
CZNews: Winter 2016
11 Jan 2016 - The CZO National Office Newsletter CZNews: Winter 2016
Did Dust Bowl’s ravages end in the 1940s? New study says no
13 Nov 2015 - A new study has shown that soil quality actually continued to decline until the 1980s and even now isn't back to pre-Dust Bowl levels.
Floods Strike Clear Creek Watershed in Southeastern Iowa
02 Jul 2014 - Recent flooding in southeastern Iowa has brought high water and wind damage to the Clear Creek watershed in the IML-CZO. Researcher Art Bettis took...
Papanicolaou Wins ASCE’s Hunter Rouse Award
25 Apr 2014 - IML-CZO Co-Director Thanos Papanicolaou recently won the ASCE's Rouse Hydraulic Engineering Award for his research and leadership.
Soil sampling begins at Clear Creek
01 Apr 2014 - Soil sampling is underway at the Clear Creek watershed.
Introducing Intensively Managed Landscapes (IML) CZO
03 Mar 2014 - The IML-CZO focuses on intensely managed agricultural and urban landscapes in Iowa, Illinois, and Minnesota.
IML-CZO Offers Short Course on Organic Matter
Purdue University.
IML CZO | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line670 |
__label__wiki | 0.64327 | 0.64327 | BASEBALL >
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Sorry, we're unable to find events near Ashburn for the dates selected. Here are our San Francisco Giants events nationwide.
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The heirs to one of the oldest and grandest names in Major League Baseball, the Giants have delivered some of the most memorable moments in the history of the sport. With 23 league pennants, 8 World Series wins, and a story that spans more than a century and 2 great cities, the team has the kind of record that most can only dream about. Whether you pick up your Giants tickets in San Francisco, New York, or anywhere on the road, the Boys from the Bay can show you what the game can be at its best.
A Legacy of Greatness
Founded as the New York Gothams in 1883, the team won its first league pennant just 5 years later and went on to become one of the biggest threats in the sport. After famously snubbing the new American League by refusing to play in the 1904 World Series, the Giants did show up the next year, when Christy Mathewson pitched 3 complete shutouts and they won the series in 5 games.
By the mid-1950s, the Giants had been a factor in one of the most memorable plays in the sport, from Fred Merkle’s infamous missed base against the 1908 Chicago Cubs to Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” in 1951—giving us Russ Hodges’ famous call as the Giants win the pennant—and Willie Mays’ epic catch in the 1954 World Series.
And yet, years of declining fortunes prompted the team’s move to California in 1958. Despite the the best efforts of players like Mays, Orlando Cepeda, and Willie McCovey, not to mention Barry Bonds and the home-run chase, the Giants would only make it to the World Series twice more before the end of the century and fell short of the title both times. The team marked a half-century on the West Coast with a return to form, winning the title 3 times since 2010 and reclaiming their place as one of Major League Baseball’s great dynasties.
Wherever they take the field, the Giants know how to deliver a terrific experience. The Giants’ oldest rivalries, with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Oakland Athletics, are both carried over from the teams’ first homes back east and count among the biggest in baseball. A home game in AT&T Park gives you one of the most beautiful views in sports, making a visit to see the G-Men play one of the best things to do in the Bay Area. There’s nothing quite like tickets to a Giants game if you’re looking for spectacle, history, or just a phenomenal game. | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line672 |
__label__cc | 0.506819 | 0.493181 | Home News Joint Statement: Take action to eliminate female genital mutilation by 2030
Joint Statement: Take action to eliminate female genital mutilation by 2030
Girls in Egypt participate in discussions held by the Y-PEER youth network, which uses peer education and activities like theatre and games to educate adolescents about sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence and harmful practices including FGM. © Luca Zordan for UNFPA
Mary Oloiparuni was 13 when she was mutilated. Restrained in a doorway early one morning in her home, she was cut, bled profusely and experienced agonizing pain. The scarring she endured then continues to cause her pain today, 19 years later. It has made giving birth to each of her five children an excruciating and harrowing experience.
Mary is not alone. At least 200 million girls and women alive today have had their genitals mutilated – suffering one of the most inhuman acts of gender-based violence in the world.
On the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation, we reaffirm our commitment to end this violation of human rights, so that the tens of millions of girls who are still at risk of being mutilated by 2030 do not experience the same suffering as Mary.
This effort is especially critical because female genital mutilation leads to long-term physical, psychological and social consequences. It violates women’s rights to sexual and reproductive health, physical integrity, non-discrimination and freedom from cruel or degrading treatment. It is also a violation of medical ethics: Female genital mutilation is never safe, no matter who carries it out or how clean the venue is.
Because female genital mutilation is a form of gender-based violence, we cannot address it in isolation from other forms of violence against women and girls, or other harmful practices such as early and forced marriages. To end female genital mutilation, we have to tackle the root causes of gender inequality and work for women’s social and economic empowerment.
In 2015, world leaders overwhelmingly backed the elimination of female genital mutilation as one of the targets in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This is an achievable goal, and we must act now to translate that political commitment into action.
At the national level, we need new policies and legislation protecting the rights of girls and women to live free from violence and discrimination. Governments in countries where female genital mutilation is prevalent should also develop national action plans to end the practice. To be effective, their plans must include budget lines dedicated to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health, education, social welfare and legal services.
At the regional level, we need institutions and economic communities to work together, preventing the movement of girls and women across borders when the purpose is to get them into countries with less restrictive female genital mutilation laws.
Locally, we need religious leaders to strike down myths that female genital mutilation has a basis in religion. Because societal pressures often drive the practice, individuals and families need more information about the benefits of abandoning it.
Public pledges to abandon female genital mutilation – particularly pledges by entire communities – are an effective model of collective commitment. But public pledges must be paired with comprehensive strategies for challenging the social norms, practices and behaviours that condone female genital mutilation. Testimonials by survivors like Mary also help to build understanding of the practice’s grim reality and long-lasting impact on women’s lives. Advocacy campaigns and social media can amplify the message that ending female genital mutilation saves and improves lives.
Thanks to the collective action of governments, civil society, communities and individuals, female genital mutilation is in decline. But we are not aiming for fewer cases of this practice. We are insisting on zero.
Dr. Natalia Kanem, Executive Director, UNFPA
Henrietta H. Fore, Executive Director, UNICEF
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Executive Director, UN Women
The UN Welcomes the Determination of the Egyptian Government to End FGM in Egypt
UNFPA and the National Councils for Women & Disability Affairs Celebrates the International Women’s Day
A race against trends
Medical Protocol Guidelines/ For management of victims of Gender Based Violence
Medical Protocol Guidelines/ For management of victims of Gender Based Violence (...
Ypeer FGM report
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a practice that involves altering or injuring the... | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line674 |
__label__cc | 0.686294 | 0.313706 | What About This Cathedral? The ‘Environmentalist’ Response to Notre Dame
Posted on April 22, 2019 by Sam Perrin 7 comments
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past week (in which case what is your rent and is there more room under there), you’ll know that part of Paris’ beloved Notre Dame cathedral burnt down last Monday. It was a terrible thing to happen to such an iconic building, and naturally there was a global outpouring of grief. So why am I wasting this Monday slot to talk about it?
The fact that the response itself was surprising is not what I want to talk about, that’s been covered by both better writers and more heavily invested parties than me. I want to talk about the response of certain parts of the ecological community and other environmentally minded folk.
What followed shortly after the global outpouring of grief and promises of millions of dollars to repair the cathedral from the world’s wealthy, was a slew of posts and articles bemoaning the attention given to ‘some old building’ when we’re ruining the planet every day.
At this point I’ll interpolate and make two things very clear. 1: I’m not a Christian, and Notre Dame was never my favourite Parisian tourist attraction (the Sacre-Coeur Basilica takes that title). 2: I am an ecologist who is in a constant stage of frustration at how little the world seems to care about what we do to the environment on a daily basis. BUT.
We are NOT entitled to make people feel bad for a loss of something that was deeply meaningful to them. It is completely permissible to be sad about the loss of Notre Dame. Belittling someone who expresses emotion at the loss of something that had a special place in their heart is akin to rocking up to a funeral and yelling “WELL WHAT ABOUT THE PLANET” at a second cousin of the deceased.
Being angry at another cause for getting more attention than another cause* is an issue that I believe plagues ecology. I was at a lecture recently when an influential ecologist bemoaned the fact that climate change is so widely talked about when human land use is a much larger problem. What environmentally-minded people need to start doing is examine the other cause. Why do they get more attention? How have they gone about making their issue so ubiquitous? Try and examine WHY the Notre Dame Cathedral has received over 1 billion USD in reconstruction pledges when the Great Barrier Reef languishes every day.
I will admit, it’s frustrating to see the amount of money raised seemingly overnight for the cause**. I believe the public despair will fade in the minds of those without close ties to Paris or the Catholic Church over the coming weeks. The fire was a one-off event with devastating consequences. The public’s reaction to smaller, more catastrophic occurrences is always is always more pronounced. It was always going to get more attention than the slow, drawn out ecological collapse our planet is suffering from.
So let’s not get pissed off at people who felt shock, anguish or grief at the damage done to Notre Dame (though feel free to rain down ire on those who are pissed off at the loss of their planned Paris instagram post). Instead, let’s find new ways to talk about ecological damage in the hope that we can at least learn some lessons from the Paris fire.
*Though admittedly, hearing Macron’s pledge to fix Notre Dame must grate for the yellow-vest movement.
**Especially given the lack of a similar effort after the fire at the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro last year. Although I would argue that was a product of the world not understanding what was lost, which is ON US.
tagged with attention, barrier, cathedral, cause, communication, dame, ecology, environment, great, news, notre, paris, reef
Jeremy Fox
Well said, and thanks for being brave enough to say it. I hope you haven’t been slammed too badly on Twitter for saying it.
Just about to post it now, fingers crossed the response is measured and diplomatic (that’s what Twitter is known for being, right?).
Also, huge thanks for the support!
Question Sam: what if the answer to the question “What can environmentally-minded people learn about attracting attention and support from the Notre Dame fire?” is “Nothing.”? You seem to hint at this answer in the post, when you note that the fire was a dramatic one-off event, unlike something like degradation of a reef that’s been ongoing for decades and likely will continue for decades more. And there are many other obvious disanalogies between Notre Dame and say, a coral reef or an endangered species or the whole biosphere. But perhaps I’m misreading you?
First of all, damn you sir, for forcing me to organise my many but utterly incoherent thoughts on this!
I don’t think the disanalogies are that strong. Notre Dame may have been a one-off, but there are fires every year in historical sites due to poor (or a lack of) upkeep. Look at the fire in Rio last year. The lack of attention it was given by Brazil’s politicians was called out immediately after the blaze. The analogy is pretty obvious here.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/art-and-architecture/article-the-notre-dame-fire-was-a-warning-bell-but-will-europe-listen/
The second obvious disanalogy is that Notre Dame is a building and should theoretically be easy to repair (although admittedly it simply won’t be the same afterwards). But Holly Jones and Oswald Schmitz posited in 2009 that “most ecosystems globally can, given human will, recover from very major perturbations on timescales of decades to half centuries”. So the planet CAN recover if we take action now (although admittedly it simply won’t be the same afterwards).
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0005653
What to learn though. With Notre Dame being such a cultural icon, the parallels I think of are the mass bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef in 2016/2017 and the recent fires in California, as they’re both extreme events indicative of a global trend. We need to start making that strong cultural link between these natural ‘cathedrals’ and the gap that they’ll leave behind them. But also that recovery IS possible, given human will.
After this my thoughts become too rambling and vague, so I’ll leave it here for now.
Continuing to think out loud, trying to articulate why I’m so bothered about the responses to the fire that I’ve seen from some ecologists and environmentalists on social media…
One response I’ve seen from some ecologists and environmentalists to your point is to say something like “I’m not saying that people shouldn’t care about the Notre Dame fire, I’m just saying that they should also care about (say) coral bleaching too, for the same reasons that they care about the Notre Dame fire.”
To which I think your funeral analogy provides the right response. You wouldn’t go to a stranger’s funeral and say to the mourners “I’m not saying you shouldn’t care about Grandpa Jim’s passing, but you might want to consider whether the Great Barrier Reef deserves a place in your heart too, for many of the same reasons Grandpa Jim did.” You wouldn’t do that because it’s not the time or the place. It’s not appropriate to use the immediate aftermath of a tragedy as a means to the end of attracting attention to some other thing you wish people paid more attention to. Even if you’re not telling them to pay *less* attention to the tragedy, or to pay attention to some other thing *instead*, but merely telling them to *also* pay attention to some other thing. And even if you’re *right* that the thing you want people to pay more attention to really does need and deserve more attention.
I do think it’s normal and fine to respond to a tragic preventable loss by saying “this tragedy highlights the need to do X, Y, and Z to prevent similar tragedies in future.” But for that to be an acceptable response to a tragedy, I think you have to be referring to sufficiently similar tragedies. Otherwise, you come off like someone going to a funeral and trying to call the mourners’ attention to something else. And I’m sorry, but personally I just don’t think that coral bleaching or species extinctions or whatever are sufficiently similar to the Notre Dame fire to qualify (and I say that as an ecologist who cares a lot about coral bleaching and species extinctions and etc.). It’s one thing to respond to the immediate aftermath of the Notre Dame fire or the National Museum fire to call for, say, better maintenance and fire prevention of historically- and culturally-significant buildings. It’s quite another to respond to the Notre Dame fire or the National Museum fire by saying “this tragedy highlights the importance of taking steps to save the Great Barrier Reef before it too figuratively ‘burns down’.” I guess an analogy between environmental causes and the Notre Dame fire might be ok to draw after some appropriate period of time has passed after the Notre Dame fire. But within 24 hours of the fire? Personally, I don’t think that’s the time to be whipping out even the most well-intentioned analogy between the Notre Dame fire and environmental causes.
I wonder what ecologists and environmentalists would think if the shoe was on the other foot. There is usually a decent amount of public and media attention whenever the last individual of some iconic species dies. Think of when Lonesome George died. Now imagine that cathedral preservationists had tried to use Lonesome George’s death to call attention to the importance of cathedral preservation. Honest question to my fellow ecologists: do you think such a call would’ve been both appropriate, and effective?
Yes, I think your last example is a very appropriate analogy. I’m sure that even happens within ecology, whereby you have one species go extinct and another scientist scoffs and reminds us that insect species extinct every day and no-one cares (or even knows).
I get that we need to have varied priorities within ecology, but I don’t think that using a moment like this to insist that our own particular cause is more valid helps anyone or anything.
Pingback: Notre Dame vs. Nature: on why valuing nature is a challenge we need to face – Ecology is not a dirty word | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line684 |
__label__wiki | 0.681666 | 0.681666 | Español - HOME
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Ed López Cuarteto
When we talk about jazz vocalists, we immediately recall great personalities. People that have left a legacy with their stories and styles. Those are the influences that softly appear in Edu Lopez's voice and music. From the warmth and sensuality of a croones to the virtuosity of scatting, it is all mixed in a cocktail that also includes Latin-American blood and old tango.
Edu has not only spent more that a decade to singing jazzz standards, bolero and bossa-nova, but he has also satisfied his need for composing and sogwriting.
Edu Lopez is roaming he world. With his latest Project, "Bolero Jazz", he has achieved an interesting blend with the culture of those countries that have been inspiring his art. His music has been the reason for this adventure that has got him to Argentina, Mexico, USA and Spain. And it is on each of these places that he has got acknowledgement from the most prestigious local musicians, instructors, and, most of all, from the audience. An audience that cannot remain indifferent to the sound of his voice, as well as to his humble yet solid presence.
Mostly self-taught, Edu Lopez has taken voice lessons for the last ten years with several instructors from Argentina, USA and Spain. Before getting into singing he played sax and drums. He has been part of an Argentinian TV Show for singers in 2002 called "El Certamen" as one of the finalists. He has been working in Mexico for the last eight years at some of the most prestigious restaurants and hotels as the leader of their house-bands. He has led many jazz, bolero and bossa-nova bands in Argentna, Mexico and Spain. | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line687 |
__label__cc | 0.507199 | 0.492801 | North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation
The North American Orthodox-Catholic Theological Consultation
SCOBA Chairman: Metropolitan Maximos of Pittsburgh
Catholic Chairman: Archbishop Daniel E. Pilarczyk of Cincinnati
Sponsored jointly on the Catholic side by the USCCB and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. The Orthodox side is sponsored by the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of America (SCOBA).
The members of national bilateral dialogue commissions are sanctioned by the hierarchies of the two churches to examine divisive issues, and to make recommendations regarding ways to overcome them. As such, the agreed statements are issued on the authority of the dialogue commission itself, and do not bind the authorities of either church.
Steps Towards A Reunited Church: A Sketch Of An Orthodox-Catholic Vision For The Future (October 2, 2010)
Celebrating Easter/Pascha Together (October 1, 2010)
A Common Response to the Joint International Commission for the Theological Dialogue Between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church Regarding the Ravenna Document “Ecclesiological and Canonical Consequences of the Sacramental Nature of the Church: Ecclesial Communion, Conciliarity and Authority” (October 24, 2009)
“The Filioque: A Church-Dividing Issue?” (October 25, 2003)
French Translation – The Filioque: A Church-Dividing Issue?
Greek Translation – The Filioque: A Church-Dividing Issue?
Romanian Translation – The Filioque: A Church-Dividing Issue?
Ukrainian Translation – The Filioque: A Church-Dividing Issue?
Spanish Translation – The Filioque: A Church-Dividing Issue?
“Sharing the Ministry of Reconciliation” (June 10, 2000)
“Baptism and ‘Sacramental Economy” (June 3, 1999)
“Common Response to the Aleppo Statement on the Date of Easter/Pascha” (October 31, 1998) For the Aleppo Document, click here:
“A Response of the Orthodox/Roman Catholic Consultation in the United States to the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church regarding the Balamand Document (dated June 23, 1993): ‘Uniatism, Method of Union of the Past, and the Present Search for Full Communion'” (October 15, 1994).
“Joint Statement of the United States Orthodox/Roman Catholic Consultation on Tensions in Eastern Europe Related to ‘Uniatism'” (May 28, 1992).
“A Joint Communique of the Orthodox/Roman Catholic Consultation in the United States on Current Tensions between our Churches in Eastern Europe” (October 20, 1990).
“An Agreed Statement on Conciliarity and Primacy in the Church” (October 28, 1989).
“A Joint Reaction by the Orthodox/Roman Catholic Consultation in the U.S.A. to the International Orthodox/Roman Catholic Commission’s Text: `The Sacrament of Order in the Sacramental Structure of the Church with particular reference to the importance of Apostolic Succession for the Sanctification and Unity of the People of God'” (October 28, 1989).
“A Response to the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church regarding the Bari Document: `Faith, Sacraments, and the Unity of the Church'” (June 2, 1988).
“Apostolicity as God’s Gift in the Life of the Church” (November 1, 1986).
“An Agreed Statement on the Lima Document Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry by the Eastern Orthodox/Roman Catholic Consultation, USA” (October 27, 1984).
“A Response to the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church regarding the Munich Document: `The Mystery of the Church and of the Eucharist in the Light of the Mystery of the Holy Trinity'” (May 25, 1983).
“Joint Recommendations on the Spiritual Formation of Children of Marriages between Orthodox and Roman Catholics” (October 11, 1980).
“An Agreed Statement on the Sanctity of Marriage” (December 8, 1978).
“Reaction of Orthodox-Roman Catholic Dialogue to the Agenda of the Great and Holy Council of the Orthodox Church” (September 29, 1977).
“The Principle of Economy: A Joint Statement” (May 19, 1976).
“The Pastoral Office: A Joint Statement” (May 19, 1976).
“An Agreed Statement on the Church” (December 10, 1974).
“An Agreed Statement on Respect for Life” (May 24, 1974).
“An Agreed Statement on Mixed Marriage” (Nov. 4, 1971). Note: An earlier version of this paper was approved at the sixth meeting, May 20, 1970; however, certain revisions were introduced and approved at the eighth meeting of the consultation on Nov. 4, 1971).
“An Agreed Statement on the Holy Eucharist” (December 13, 1969).
SPECIAL STATEMENTS:
“A Statement by the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Bilateral Consultation on Persecution of the Greek Orthodox Community in Turkey” (January 25, 1978)
“Reaction to the Anthimos/Medeiros Agreement” (May 29, 1982) | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line689 |
__label__cc | 0.554725 | 0.445275 | DAVE Talks
Disciple · Advise · Value · Energize
“I Am Canadian!”
July 18, 2016 ~ hellokcc
“I am Canadian!” What an honor to be able to proclaim that. I believe that we are truly blessed to be sons and daughters of this great land. We have a lot to be proud of. Say the word “Canadian” around the world, and it speaks loud about the values we hold dear: freedom, tolerance, opportunity, and so on.
Since the mid-1990s, an average of 220,000 immigrants have come into Canada every year and made it their home. Citizenship and Immigration Canada says that it has been aiming at a “long-term objective of immigration level approaching one percent of Canada’s population (annually),” so these averages will continue to increase.
Immigration has become an increasingly important component of net population growth in Canada. Statistics Canada reports that immigration represents close to 70% of current population growth. Given our nation’s below-replacement fertility rate, within 25 years immigration will be the only source of net population growth factor.
Every immigrant is needed. The facts are beginning to speak for themselves. The Conference Board of Canada stated that “Canada could experience a one million worker shortage by the year 2020, and for some sectors, shortages already exist.”
Canada Perspectives commented five years ago that “the proportion of the working-age population employed was 62.4%, the highest on record.” However, Canada is aging. The Globe and Mail’s investigation of our labour force led them to state emphatically that “the country’s labour pool is expected to shrink under the weight of an unprecedented retirement bulge….”
So, Canada has put out the welcome mat to the world.
Recently I had the honor of being asked to witness close to 60 people inducted into Canadian citizenship. Citizenship judge William L. Day presided over the proceedings, and gave a heart-felt introduction into the rights and the responsibilities that came with Canadian citizenship. Then each new candidate stood, pledged their Oath of Citizenship, and resounded a closing “I am Canadian!”
He compared citizenship to marriage, the only difference being that you are marrying 33 million people. The oath (or vow) was a promise: if each citizen kept their promise, the marriage would work well. They promised faithfulness to the Queen, obedience to the laws of Canada, and a commitment to work from within the legal system to change Canadian law.
He stated that Canada was different from most countries of the world. Most nations have law, religion, dress, and a language that distinguishes them. However, he strongly addressed the fact that Canada is a secular nation.
Interesting, eh? We are secular, multi-cultural, bilingual, a mosaic of the world’s ideas and beliefs. We are not a melting pot where people become Canadian first. That is the Canadian difference.
I am saddened by that glaring reality. Canada used to be known as a Christian nation, people pledged allegiance and swore on the Bible, prayer was prayed over new citizens, they were given a Bible as a gift, and when they sung the Canadian anthem they expressed gratitude to the God of the Bible who was asked to “keep our land glorious and free.”
Now, instead of singing “Ruler Supreme, who hearest humble prayer, hold our Dominion, in Thy loving care,” we now look to the rule of law as our saving grace. And, by the way, Canadian law is no longer based on the Common law which was based upon Biblical law: it is now based on the law of our own making.
There is no question that things have changed – a lot. Time will tell if they have changed for the better. What made Canada Canada is no longer at the base creating who we are becoming. That concerns me. Will it make Canada safer for all who desire to make this nation their home? I am not sure. I know that most of our families came here from a different past. The challenge I guess is whether we will have a common future.
Posted in Oh! Canada!
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Is Canada Tradition-phobic? | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line694 |
__label__wiki | 0.920682 | 0.920682 | Edward Judson's 1895 97 Crosby Street
In the 1840s the block of Crosby Street between Prince and Spring Street was still upscale. Commodious brick houses built in the 1820's and '30's were still occupied by well-to-do families.
George Loder and his wife lived in the 25-foot wide, three story home at No. 97 Crosby Street in 1845. A choir and concert master, he introduced America to Mendelssohn's symphonic cantata Lobgesang, or Hymn of Praise on February 22 that year. Among the three soloists that night was Loder's wife.
Tickets to the concert were not cheap. Single admission cost $1 (about $30 today); although family tickets, which admitted five, were a discounted $3. An advertisement in The New York Herald advised that they could be purchased at the Broadway store of Scharfenberg & Luis; "or at the residence of Mr. Loder, 97 Crosby street."
But the respectability of the neighborhood would erode by the time of the Civil War. No. 97 was owned by Andrew Campbell and his wife in 1864; and living with them was nine-year old Jane Ivers. When the girl's father, Joseph Ivers, attempted to regain custody that September, court papers revealed a disturbing situation. The Campbells insisted that "the child had been given them by its parents, and they had reared it and provided for it." Ivers, in turn, charged them with being "keepers of a house of assignation" (a brothel) where Jane was "exposed to improper and evil associations and companions."
Things did not improve as the years passed. On November 25, 1883 newspapers nationwide reported on the raid on the opium den which operated from the first floor here. The New York Times described the "opium joint" as being run by "an old Chinaman named 'Jim' Doo." It was a considerable operation. The California newspaper the Sacramento Daily Union reported that "twenty-six inmates" were arrested. Included were were actresses and a 15-year old bootblack, James Sullivan, who "admitted to the police that he was a frequent visitor to the place."
The residents on the upper floors were often no less susceptible to arrest. On December 1, 1886 Rosa Rosea was arraigned "for sending children out ragpicking." When she appeared before the judge, she carried a six-month old baby in her arms. Following the hearing (during which Rosa was committed to six months in jail) a court doctor inspected the baby. He found it was "dying of diphtheria," according to The Sun. The newspaper lamented "About a dozen women with infants in their arms had been sitting near Mrs. Rosea in the court room."
But the days of opium dens and brothels were drawing to a close as commerce engulfed the neighborhood. In the 1890s Edward Judson was highly involved in replacing vintage structures with modern loft buildings. He not only owned his own construction company, he acted as his own architect.
In 1894 he turned his attention to Crosby Street--purchasing the old house at No. 97 and filing plans for a seven-story "brick warehouse" to cost $22,000--about $890,000 today. Within a few months he could replace Nos. 45 and 47 Crosby Street with another seven-story loft building.
Completed early in 1895, Judson's brick-faced factory sat atop a cast iron storefront. He toned down the often beefy elements of the Romanesque Revival style with delicate stone eyebrows above the arched openings. Regimented stone quoins ran up the sides. An attractive cast metal cornice crowned the structure.
Judson was a builder and developer, not a landlord, and he immediately sold the new building in March 1895. It quickly filled with apparel and trimmings firms. In 1896 Alexander Spitzer's embroidery factory was here, employing 25 women; Trube & Isaacs produced "embroidered novelties; Hirschberg & Co. was also engaged in producing embroideries; while The Deutsch Bros. Mfg. Co. made dress trimmings and Joel I Hart & Co. manufactured men's trousers.
Cloaks and Furs, May 1897 (copyright expired)
Although the building remained filled, the tenants appear to have come and gone rather quickly. Just a year later The Columbia Cloak Co., was here, M. Oppenheim & Co. moved into the top floor with a new two-year lease, and in 1899 men's and boys' clothing retailers Chorosh & Rogers had its factory in the building.
Clothiers' and Haberdashers' Weekly, July 7, 1899 (copyright expired)
An interesting tenant at the turn of the century was the Strasburger Wax Figure Co. Department stores had begun using wax mannequins in their window displays only a few years earlier. The figures gave window-shoppers a realistic idea of how gowns and hats would look on the wearer. Strasburger Wax Figure Co. employed just two men and three teen-aged girls in 1901.
Within the next few years other non-apparel firms moved in, including the Art Novelty Co., makers of teddy bears; toy makers Holmac Mfg. Co.,. and in 1914 the newly formed Jeffs & Co., "makers of hand bags and leather novelties."
John McDonald had purchased No. 97 in November 1902 for $60,000. In 1917 he put in on the market; but no one was interested. The Sun noted "Nearly every broker in town has had the property for sale and no doubt offered it to many." But no one was interested until finally operator Daniel H. Jackson bought it in December for the cut-rate price of $15,500--essentially one fourth of what McDonald had paid 15 years earlier. And to seal the deal Jackson put down just $3,500.
Immediately McDonald was slapped with a fire code violation requiring him to install additional exits. Fatal tragedies in factory fires were not uncommon and the new requirements were not unreasonable. But McDonald had his architect, Louis A. Sheinart, petition the City to accept an exterior fire escape instead. Somewhat surprisingly, the City agreed to the much less expensive alternative.
McDonald's reticence to put more money into his investment soon became clear. Within the month he flipped the property, making a profit of more than $30,000--nearly half a million today. Later that year, on October 27, The Sun reported "Mr. Jackson...said that no property he ever purchased returned him greater profit than this neglected Crosby street building."
The post World War I years saw an even broader range of tenants. In 1922 The Combusto Chemical Co. moved into the ground floor store and Harry Walitsky, makers of leather goods, took the third floor. In 1929 the Novelty Case Company and the Elgin Silversmith Co. leased floors.
Change in the industrial neighborhood would come as the 20th century drew to a close and Soho's personality became one of artist studios and galleries. In 1987 the Roger Jazilex art gallery was in the building, and two years later the upper floors were converted to joint living and working quarters for artists--one spacious loft per floor.
The retail shop became home to Tess Giberson on May 5, 2011, where the designer's collection was sold. Giberson renamed the shop "No. 97" in 2016. Although the buildings on either side were razed in the late 20th century; No. 97 somehow survived--a conspicuous, suddenly free-standing relic of the 1890s when Crosby Street was changing from a neighborhood of drug dens and brothels to factories.
Posted by Tom Miller at 2:26 AM 1 comment: Links to this post
Labels: crosby street, edward judson, Romanesque Revival, Soho
The Samuel McMillan House - 327 West 42nd Street
On August 20, 1881 the New-York Tribune reported that four young children had been "rescued from a place called 'Hell's Kitchen'" at No. 551 West 39th Street. Calling the wooden building a "shanty," the article went on to say "The block in which this place is situated is considered one of the lowest and most dangerous localities in New York; across the street from 'Hell's Kitchen' is 'Battle Row,' and not far distant is 'Sebastopol,' two notorious resorts for criminals. It is made up of miserable huts and shanties built among the rocks."
While many of the ramshackle wooden buildings were given such monikers by the locals, it was Hell's Kitchen that would lend its name to the entire crime-ridden district from approximately 34th Street to 59th, and Eighth Avenue to the Hudson River.
But even as the Tribune printed its disturbing article, an effort to upgrade the living conditions of the poverty-stricken residents was underway. Among those involved in the charge was builder and developer Samuel McMillan. He was the president of the New York Building and Land Appraisement Co., a vice-president in the Mutual Bank, and the owner of his own construction firm, Samuel McMillan & Co.
McMillan not only purchased old structures throughout the district and replaced them with brick tenement buildings--a major step up for the residents--but in 1882 he made a move that no doubt astonished other well-to-do businessmen. He proved his confidence in the potential of the gritty area by deciding to move his family to Hell's Kitchen.
The block of West 42nd Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues was marginal at best. A few blocks to the east were banks and businesses; but here only the brick Holy Cross Church offered visual relief from the squalor. Peter F. Crouch owned the wooden house and store at No. 327 West 42nd Street in 1882. But the following year, on November 3, the Real Estate Record & Builders' Guide announced that Samuel McMillan "is about to tear own the frame dwelling at No. 327 West Forty-second street...and to erect on the site a five-story brick and brown stone dwelling and store." The article added "Mr. McMillan will occupy the new building, both as a residence and for business purposes."
For his architects McMillan chose the firm of Thom & Wilson, who were currently busy producing rows of houses on the Upper East and West Sides. For McMillan's structure, projected to cost $25,000 (more than $580,000 today), they turned to the highly popular Queen Anne style. Ignoring the sordid surroundings, they produced a handsome structure that would have comfortably fit into any other Manhattan neighborhood.
Above the two-story commercial front, where McMillan would install his business offices, the building was faced in red brick and trimmed in brownstone and terra cotta tiles. Each of the windows was provided a balcony--a means of relief on sticky summer nights. Thom & Wilson crowned it with a triangular pressed metal parapet and cornice containing a geometric sunburst, a common Queen Anne motif.
If McMillan intended the upper portion of the building to be his private residence as the Record & Guide suggested, he changed his mind. His wife's sister and her husband, Leon E. Baily, appear to have been living in an apartment here when Mrs. Baily died on Friday, August 24, 1888 (newspapers announced that she died "at the residence of her brother-in-law"). Leon E. Baily was a funeral director. His wife's funeral was held in the apartments on August 27 before proceeding to Holy Cross Church nearly next door.
By the mid-1890s Patrick F. Trainor and his wife were living in an apartment here. An American success story, he was born in Scotland in 1863 and brought to America as a child. After his public school education he worked for the American District Telegraph Company, later becoming manager of the Baltimore and Ohio Telegraph Company in Baltimore, then assistant general manager for that company in Washington.
Patrick F. Trainor was an Assemblyman when he lived here. New-York Tribune December 26, 1902 (copyright expired)
When he returned to New York in 1888 he turned to politics. He was elected in 1893 to the 17th Assembly District and was repeatedly reelected. He was well-known in political circles while living in the building. Later, in 1900, he would be elected State Senator. He died in Albany on Christmas Day 1902 at just 38 years old.
In the meantime there was trouble at ground level at No. 327. Samuel McMillan had two partners in Samuel McMillan & Co.--James W. Pacey and William Young. Pacey also ran Pacey & Whipple from the address, a finish carpentry firm that manufactured interior trim, window frames, sashes and doors. It may have been that perceived conflict of interest which resulted in what appears to have been a messy parting of the ways.
On July 29, 1899 the Record & Guide reported that not only had Samuel McMillan & Co. been dissolved, but "the 42d street property has been sold by Mr. McMillan." James Pacey and William Young partnered to form the general contracting firm of Wm. Young Co. Seemingly ignoring McMillan, the Record & Guide concluded, "Mr. Pacey has a host of friends, and his long experience and successful work are sure to secure him numerous contracts and success."
McMillan had sold the building to his brother-in-law, Leon W. Baily, who moved his funeral parlor into the ground floor. It was a short-lived arrangement and when Baily sold the building to William D. Grant in 1905, he moved his funeral parlor to No. 671 Eighth Avenue.
The apartments were rented to families of modest means in the first years of the 20th century. At least two of them sought secure city jobs. In 1907 Peter J. Smith passed the Civil Service test for "office boy," with a grade of 81.2, placing him 188th on the list of eligible applicants. And William R. McAuley, who was here at least by 1914, had been a Civil Service clerk since January 1, 1898. He was making the equivalent salary in 1914 of around $50,000 today.
William Melligan lived here in 1910 when he became a hero of sorts. He was far north at 131st Street and Third Avenue on the afternoon of May 29. Three men were in a runabout (a light, open buggy) when the driver lost control of the spirited horse. All three were thrown out, one seriously injured.
Melligan, described by newspapers as "a youth," was apparently as physically fit as the horse. He chased the rig to 157th Street, where it grazed and nearly overturned another vehicle containing three women. The New York Times reported "The horse continued to 164th Street and Washington Avenue, where Melligan overtook it and seized the animal by the bridle."
If the young man was winded by the long chase, he did not show it. "He threw it to the ground and sat upon its head until several policemen arrived."
In 1920 the building was purchased by the Zanesville, Ohio based Mosaic Tile Co. In reporting the sale, the Record & Guide announced "The structure will be remodeled and made into a permanent sample and show room for the company's exclusive use...The interior will be arranged in a manner to display the company's line of ceramic specialties to the best possible advantage."
Architect John H. Knubel remodeled the storefront with a two-story arch faced in Faience tiles. Its arcade show windows displayed the firm's ceramic tiles and drew the passerby in. Mosaic Tile Co. used the ground floor as its showroom, the second floor as its offices, while the top floors were listed as a "tenement."
Mosaic Tile Co.'s remodeled ground floor space can be seen at the far right of this 1931 photo. from the collection of the New York Public Library.
Mosaic Tile Co. remained in the building for 25 years, selling it in 1945 to the Schliftman Real Estate Corporation. For decades, at least until 1990, the store would be home to the Eagle Supply Co., dealers in art supplies.
In the meantime, the building's most interesting occupant since Patrick F. Trainor was Edward P. May. Better known as "Teddy," he had been Manhattan's Superintendent of Sewers and in 1903 he made the first comprehensive Manhattan sewer survey. One columnist said of him "A small man, Mr. May could get into a small pipe. He got to know every foot of the sewer network, even of the amazing brick sewers put down before 1850."
Throughout his more than 50 years in the position, he had helped the police repeatedly in retrieving guns and loot stashed in the sewers by gangsters and murderers. The New York Times purported on April 24, 1960 "Once Mr. May led a squad in clearing the sewers of a number of live alligators that, discarded in the sewers as tiny pets, had survived and grown large."
May retired in 1954 and was still living at No. 327 when he died at the age of 85 in April 1960.
As the end of the 20th century approached the 42nd Street block had greatly changed. The Port Authority Bus Terminal had opened directly across the street in 1950; and by the 1990s the neon-fronted restaurants and clubs of Time Square were spilling west. In 1999 a conversion of the lower floors commenced. The second floor was ripped out to create a mezzanine for a restaurant. The tiled storefront installed by Mosaic Tile Co. in 1920 was annihilated.
The ground floor space was home to B. B. King's Blues Club before Burger King took it over and added its own questionable storefront in 2015. A glance above reveals Thom & Wilson's handsome Queen Anne design that must have seemed so out of place in 1883.
Labels: hell's kitchen, queen anne architecture, thom and wilson, west 42nd street
The Mary Kingsland Mansion - 1026 Fifth Avenue
A delightful juliette balcony clings to the bowed bay.
Opened in October 1864, The Sheltering Arms received homeless children between 6 and 12 years old. The older children were trained to make their way in the world as servants or by crafts like woodworking. By the 1890's William M. Kingsland was its president.
In its October 1897 Annual Report the orphanage noted that "A delightful excitement was caused in September by the gift of one hundred dollars from Mr. and Mrs. William M. Kingsland to celebrate their Golden Wedding. First a feast of ice cream and cake was in order on the 16th, the wedding-day itself; afterwards each family of children made an excursion, the destination whereof was left to their own choice."
The $100 gesture was, of course, not the only celebration for the wealthy couple's 50th anniversary; yet there seems to have been no lavish entertainment. While they summered in Newport or in their country estates (Belaire was outside of Lenox, Massachusetts, and Incleuberg was near Scarborough-on-the-Hudson, New York), spent months abroad and hobnobbed with the socially elite; they apparently led relatively quiet lives.
Mary J. Macy was the daughter of William H. Macy, the president of the Leather Manufacturers' National bank and vice-president of the United States Trust Company. Her husband's ancestors had arrived from England around 1665. His uncle, Ambrose C. Kingsland, had been mayor of New York City from 1851 to 1853, and was a partner with William's father, Daniel C. Kingsland, in the importing firm of D. A. Kingsland & Co. (later D. A. Kingsland & Sutton). The company did "a large business with England, china and the East Indies, the firm's vessels being constantly employed between those countries and the United States," according to the Portrait Gallery of the Chamber of Commerce years later, in 1890.
William M. Kingsland was a trustee of the Seamen's Bank and the Leather Manufacturers' Savings Bank. His social position and interests were reflected in his memberships, including the Metropolitan, Union and Knollwood Clubs, the New York Yacht Club and the St. Augustine Yacht Clubs, the Ardsley Club and the Newport Casino. He was also a member of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Botanical Gardens, the American Geographical Society and the St. Nicolas Society.
The Kingslands lived at No. 116 Fifth Avenue at the corner of 17th Street, in what for decades had been one of Manhattan's most exclusive neighborhoods. The mansion had been in the Kingsland family since 1848. But as the turn of the century arrived, commerce was infiltrating the blocks of brownstone and brick mansions, prompting moneyed families to move further north.
In June 1902 speculator Benjamin W. Williams purchased the two empty lots at Nos. 1026 and 1027 Fifth Avenue from John W. Simpson. He commissioned the architectural firm of Van Vleck & Goldsmith to design two Beaux Arts-style mansions on the plots. Completed in 1903, they formed a striking ensemble with the other residences on the block, especially the Jonathan Thorne mansion on the northern corner, at No. 1028, designed by C. P. H. Gilbert and constructed concurrently.
No. 1026 (right) was the stepsister of sorts to the marble-fronted No. 1027. With the Thorne mansion (left) which faced the side street., the homes formed a striking grouping.
Viewed separately, No. 1026 presented a majestic bearing. Faced in limestone, it featured a two-story bowed bay that sprouted a charming cast iron balcony. Three tightly-grouped dormers punched through the copper-clad mansard. But Williams had focused more money and attention on its sister house. No. 1027 was faced in white marble and at 40-feet was wider by about four feet. The Real Estate Record & Builders' Guide called No. 1027 "the finest dwelling house ever erected in this city."
All this, coupled with the Financial Panic of 1903, caused No. 1026 to sit vacant for nearly three years. Finally, on February 7, 1906, it was announced that the Kingsland had purchased the mansion. The Record & Guide quoted the sale price at $510,000," or about $14.3 million today.
The couple sold No. 116 on February 21 and moved into their sumptuous new home. William would not enjoy it for long. Three months later, on May 30, he died at Incleuberg at the age of 86. His funeral was held at St. Mary's Chapel in Scarsborough, New York, three days later.
Kingsland's death resulted in a feeding frenzy of relatives. When his father died in 1873, he left his $3 million estate to William "for his lifetime." Now that that lifetime was over, "his will was declared invalid," according to the New-York Tribune. A court battle ensued that dragged on until January 21, 1910.
The following day the New-York Tribune reported "There will be divided at once among 147 beneficiaries $2,000,000." Mary, it explained, "inherits no part of the estate outright, but throughout her life will receive an income of $8,000 a year." The yearly stipend, worth about $213,000 today, added to Mary's own fortune and the substantial inheritance she had received from William directly.
Like her husband, Mary held memberships in exclusive organizations. She belonged to the Colonial Dames and the Mayflower Descendants' Club, for instance. While the aging widow continued her philanthropic activities, she lived quietly within the 32 rooms and 9 baths of the spacious Fifth Avenue mansion. She continued to spend her summers at her country estates.
It was at Belair on August 10, 1919 that Mary died at the age of 91. Her friendly relationship with her next door neighbor, George C. Clark at No. 1027, was evidenced in his being named the executor of her estate. But when he died on February 24, just six months before Mary, turmoil ensued.
Mary's estate was valued at just under $10.6 million. The Sun reported on November 25 "Soon after her death last August certain cousins filed objections to her will." While Mary had named "relatives, friends and old family retainers" in the will, she had overlooked two grand-nephews, Oliver J. Macy and T. Ridgeway Macy. They alleged that they "are entitled to a share in the estate."
Even while the estate was tied up in court, an attempt was made to sell mansion directly. The price was $10,000 less than the Kingslands had originally paid. New York Herald, March 14, 1920 (copyright expired)
The battle was finally settled in July 1922, with the disgruntled nephews unsuccessful. The original bequests went to specifically-named relatives, and large amounts went to institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Association for the Blind, and the Society for the Relief of Ruptured and Crippled. Interestingly, The Evening World pointed out that "The furnishings of Mrs. Kingsland's home at No. 1026 Fifth Avenue were valued at $52,741"--more than three quarters of a million dollars today.
In the meantime, in order to liquidate the estate's assets the Fifth Avenue mansion was sold at auction on June 17, 1920. While the heirs hoped to realize half a million dollars, it sold for what was most likely a disappointing $351,000.
The buyer, Dunlevy Milbank, was a member of the law firm Masten & Nichols. The son of Joseph and Ella Dunlevy Milbank, his family's fortune came from railroads and the dairy industry (his grandfather was a founder of the Borden company), and from banking.
Dunlevy was a chief supporter of the Children's Aid Society. His wife, the former Katherine Fowler, was a patron of the musical arts and a benefactor of young working women. Prior to moving into No. 1026, the family had lived at No. 39 East 68th Street, a wedding president from Katharine's parents in 1876. The couple had two children, Thomas and Ella.
Many of the entertainments in the Milbank house centered around music. On November 26, 1922, for instance, The New York Herald reported that Katharine would be hosting the a "lecture-recital, 'La Musique Russe'" given by Jeanne de Mare in the house the following Tuesday.
The vocalist was back three years later. On November 16, 1924 The New York Times reported "The first of a series of lecture musicals now being arrange for the Winter will be held early in January at the home of Mrs. Dunlevy Milbank, who has just returned to 1,026 Fifth Avenue, after having spent most of the Summer at Ridgelands, her country place at Port Chester. Jeanne de Mare will speak on modernist music."
When The People's Chorus of New York was organized in 1927, Katharine became its first chairman. The organization provided vocal training for the poor. She was a supporter of the summer outdoor Stadium Concerts, as well. But music would take backstage to debutante entertainments in the winter season of 1931-32. Ella had attended the exclusive Chapin School in New York City and the Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, Connecticut, before spending a year in Paris studying sculpture. Among her coming out fetes was a dinner dance at the Ritz-Carlton.
The demolition of No. 1025 Fifth Avenue revealed the depth of the Kingsland mansion.
Ella slipped into hostess mode along with her mother. On December 2, 1937 she opened the mansion for a tea for "a large group of the season's debutantes." Ella was chairman of the debutante committee for the annual December Ball at the Ritz-Carlton and her guests would be assisting in the arrangement for the event.
The heiress and her mother had other things on their mind at the time. On December 14 Ella's engagement to William Ward Foshay was announced. The wedding took place in the Collegiate Church of St. Nicholas on Fifth Avenue at 48th Street on February 24, 1938.
Katharine's entertainments continued to surround music. In December 1938 she hosted a reception and tea for Metropolitan Opera soprano Muriel Dickson.
In 1926, six years after the Milbanks purchased No. 1026, the former Thorne mansion was sold to the newly-founded Marymount School of New York. In 1935 the institution purchased No. 1027.
Dunlevy and Katharine lived on at No. 1026 until 1950, when they, too, sold to the Marymount School. Interestingly, they moved back to No. 39 East 68th Street where they had started out their married lives. Dunlevy died in 1959 and Katharine in April 1967 at the age of 82.
As the Fifth Avenue palaces fell to be replaced by modern apartment buildings, the Marymount School properties survived as a stunning slice of Gilded Age New York.
Labels: Beaux Arts architecture, Fifth Avenue, marymount school, van vleck and goldsmith
King & Keller's 1859 388 Broadway
By 1851 the brick house at No. 388 Broadway was both the home of George Maul, and the location of his guitar-making business, Schmidt & Maul. But he would have to relocate before long, In 1858 David A. Wood began construction on a modern replacement building.
The wealthy investor held, among his other positions, a directorship in the Broadway Bank. He commissioned the Brooklyn-based firm of King & Kellum to design the new building. Together and individually, Gamaliel King and John Kellum were highly responsible for changing the face of lower Broadway over the years.
While King & Kellum would create several structures using the increasingly popular cast iron facades; for No. 388 Broadway that material was reserved for the storefront. The four stories above were clad in white marble. Paneled piers, decorated between the third and fourth floors with carved medallions, ran the full height. The openings were grouped into two sets of double-story "sperm-candle" arches (taking their name from their similarity to the thin candles made from the fat of sperm whales). The spandrel panels of each arch were carved as blind balustrades; and leafy fronds formed the column capitals. Above a rhythmic corbel table was a bracketed stone cornice.
The building was completed in early in 1859 and soon filled with several businesses. Ten angry executives of the various firms joined scores of others in signing a petition to the State Legislature that year entitled "Remonstrance of the Business Men of New-York." The men were upset over proposed legislation that would regulate the railroads and their fees. It said in part it "is grounded on false principles of legislation, tyrannical in its provisions, and subversive of the best interests of this State."
Among those signing the petition were brothers William L. and James S. Wilde. Their firm, James Wilde, Jr. & Co., produced and sold men's furnishings--coats, trousers, shirts and such--on the second floor. Two other signers, William H. and Frederic S. Kirtland, ran Kirtland Brothers on an upper floor. The ground floor and basement were home to the Bliss, Wheelock & Kelly, a dry goods store.
The firms had barely moved in before trouble was narrowly averted. At around 7:00 on the evening of February 15 James Wilde, Jr. & Co. was still open; but Bliss, Wheelock & Kelly had closed shop. Three men standing shoulder to shoulder in front of the door raised the suspicions of a private watchman, Peter Noony. As he approached they ran off, abandoning their accomplice whom they had been shielding from view as he worked on the locks. The would-be burglar ran down White Street, but Noony was faster than he. He was arrested and turned over to the police.
Oddly enough, just a year after Bliss, Wheelock & Kelly moved into their new space, they left, moving next door to the just-completed No. 390.
James Wilde, Jr. & Co. was a pioneer of sorts in that it had opened a branch operation in Chicago at a time when most Easterners and, perhaps, New Yorkers in particular, considered that city a cow town. The firm's business was enormously increased when, with the outbreak of the Civil War, it was awarded contracts to supply uniforms to the Union Army.
Seven months after the firing on Fort Sumter the firm placed help wanted advertisements which reflected the immense amount of garments being made here. One read "50 cutters wanted--On Pantaloons" and another read "1,000 tailors wanted--On Army frock coats and pantaloons. We pay the highest prices and will have work the whole year."
Another firm in the building which realized high profits at the time was the dry goods house of Harris, Hartley & Co. which did $1 million in sales in 1864. It was not the war, however, that was solely responsible for the huge sales. Two years after the war had ended, in the first quarter of 1867, it realized $287,000 in sales; an even higher annual percentage than during wartime.
By then the firm had been renamed Wentz, Hartley & Co. Although its business seemed exceptional, the firm dissolved on December 31 1870. Members of the firm, including Phillip S. Taggart who had been with it since 1867, reorganized it as J. M. Wertz & Co. and remained in the building.
James Wilde, Jr. & Co. moved to No. 314-316 Broadway around that time. The Great Chicago Fire a year later wiped out its Chicago store and factory; but it rebuilt. The firm continued on until the death of James D. Wilde (son of James Wilde, Jr.) in 1899.
No. 388 continued to house dry goods and apparel firms, like Meyer Jonasson who, in addition to "a number of suit finishers and pressers," needed 150 sewing machine operators making "ladies' linen suits" in May 1874. His ad promised that "experiences hands can make $12 to $15 per week." (As high as $300 today.)
Jonasson had just come to New York from San Francisco where he had opened a cloak and suit business in 1861. His stay in No, 388 would not be long. His business grew rapidly, requiring him to repeatedly find larger space before the end of the century. In 1897 he was doing $3 million annually (nearly $85 million today) and decided to "move uptown," as he described it. "But our new location was unfortunate," he later admitted.
Janosson's business failed and in 1911 the 82-year old shot himself in the head in his Central Park West apartment.
Seth B. Robinson, "importer and wholesale dealer in buttons," was here in the 1880s. The marble-fronted building was sold at auction in 1881; and resold in February 1886 to Sarah A. Starr, who paid the equivalent of $3,3 million today for the property.
Sarah's tenants continued to be apparel-related firms. In 1888 Bohm Brothers & Greenfield, cloak manufacturers were in the building, as was Charles Falkenberg & Brother, shirt manufacturers. When Charles Falkenberg tried to help out another businessman that year, he found himself behind bars.
Israel Levy's Excelsior Cloak Company did business nearby at No. 370 Broadway. When it became obvious that his company would fail that year, Falkenberg and three other businessmen signed notes saying they had loaned Levy significant amounts of money--Falkenberg's "loan" was $4,016. In fact, there was no money exchanged at all. The loans were fictitious.
So when the bankruptcy was settled, the men were awarded the money due them. They promptly handed it over to Levy. The scheme was uncovered and all four men involved arrested in October, 1890.
Also doing business here by 1890 was the wholesale apparel firm of Indig, Berg & Co. The company, composed of Benjamin Indig, Hart E. Berg and Max M. Schwarcz, employed 30 men by 1895 and manufactured an array of women's clothing. On advertisement on April 14, 1891 hinted at the many items made here, including "cloth box coats, tight-fitting and hip seam, single and double-breasted jackets, reefers and blazers; short and long capes with and without sleeves; V shape and Round-back wraps, with and without tabs--all of the above in every desirable style with and without silk linings; also an elegant variety of exclusive styles in lace wraps."
Charles Falkenberg & Brother remained in the building making its "fire shirts, flannel shirts and linen shirts," until 1905 when it moved to No. 840 Broadway; and Indig Berg & Co. was here at least through 1897.
That year John E. Parsons purchased the building from Sarah Starr. A well-known attorney and a founder of the Bar Association, he had already invested in several properties in the district. He quickly made a significant change by remodeling the ground floor retail space to a restaurant.
Naething Brothers had operated a restaurant in the Financial District since 1870. Now brothers Herman E., Arthur R., and Charles Frederick Naething opened another at No. 388 Broadway when they signed a 15-year lease in September 1898.
Parsons seems to have courted a different type of tenant as well. By the turn of the century attorneys' offices were replacing factories. In 1901 lawyer James Morgan was listed here, joined soon by attorney William Gratz. In 1903 the Building Trades Employers' Association had its offices in the building.
The Sun, March 7, 1909 (copyright expired)
In 1908, when Charles F. Naething went to court, New Yorkers were treated to what The Evening World called "a romantic story." Charles was asking the courts to declare John Philip Naething dead.
Newspapers retold the story of the brothers, saying "The boys lived with their mother at No 191 William street, when in 1872 John Philip went away." The boy was still in his young teens at the time and Charles described him as "always of a roving disposition."
The Evening World went on "An occasional letter came from the wanderer to his mother during the next year, and each letter dated from a different town. Then they ceased."
In 1861 John Philip, "a mere lad," had enlisted in the Union regiment known as "The Lost Children," but he was discharged when his father found out and complained that he was too young to fight. Undaunted, the boy joined the navy and his ship sailed before the family could find out. He served in that capacity throughout the war.
He briefly returned home, but soon "was restless." Charles testified "He went away without a penny, and being reckless, fearless and daring, it is believe he undertook some hazardous occupation, and so lost his life. All efforts to find him were futile."
The issue now was that when the Naethings' father died, "the nomad became heir to $2,634.52." Since no one knew where he was, that amount had been sitting in the City Chamberlain's office for years. The courts agreed to declare John Philip dead, and his inheritance was shared equally by the three surviving brothers and their two sisters.
Before long, the family would appear in print for more tragic reasons. Worried about the business, in 1912 Arthur R. Naething killed himself in his White Plains home. It was a shock because, as the New-York Tribune said, "For many years Naething Brothers' restaurant prospered."
But the brutal reality became evident a year later when Charles died. The brothers had invested heavily in mining ventures which did not pan out. They borrowed money from acquaintances to keep the restaurants going. An accounting of Charles's finances showed that "he had impoverished himself for his friends and his estate was insolvent." In June 1915 the Naethings Brothers' business was declared bankrupt.
Once again John Parsons made renovations. The following month architect Robert A. Fash began $6,000 in upgrades that included moving the location of interior stairs, installing new fireproof doors and relocating partitions.
The former restaurant space became home to the Walker Safe Company showrooms. The same day that company signed its lease, Bliss Laboratories, Inc. took space on an upper floor.
In March 1918, following John Parson's death, his estate sold the building to the Lawyers Realty Mortgage Company for $157,000, just over $2.5 million today. The firm quickly turned the property over, reselling it on December 7 to the Noyes Company.
The new ownership caused a potential conflict of interest when, four months later, it leased the store and basement to the Schulte Cigar Stores Co. The Walker Safe Company's leased was due to expire the following year and Noyes Company jumped the gun, more or less, in making the deal with Schulte Cigars.
Walker Safe Company, however, had only been in its location for three years and fully intended to renew its lease. In April 1919 a compromise was reached whereby Walker sublet the space from Schulte Cigar Stores for ten years. Walker Safe Company stayed on at least through 1927 and it does not appear that the cigar store ever did open in the space.
The building, in the meantime, had a variety of tenants in the upper floors. By 1917 G. J. Malloy, "woolens and dress goods," was here and in 1922 the Enegletaria Medicine Company, Inc. moved in. Run by Jose de Jesus, the firm was a "manufacturer of patent medicines." (Patent medicines, before the crackdown of the Food and Drug Administration and Federal Trade Commission, were over the counter products like liniments and tonics, highly touted by their makers as miraculous cures, but often with no medicinal properties at all.)
By the time the Textile Jobbers Company purchased the building in 1939 as its headquarters, the Merlin-Keilhoz Paper Company occupied a floor, as did Silvertex Mercantile Co., dealers in textiles. In 1940 another fabric company, Scheffres Textile Company leased a floor.
The decline in the lower Broadway neighborhood was obvious in the assessment of No. 388 at the time of the purchase. The New York Times reported it "is assessed for $69,000, of which $57,000 is on the land." Fully 87 percent of the value of the property was the site, not the structure.
In the 1960s Guild Electronics, Inc. and Dalamal & Sons, exporters and importers of Indian goods, were in the building. But change was on the near horizon.
By 1979 the Theater for Bodies and Voices had opened. Run by choreographer and modern dance instructor Beverly Brown along with Roger Tolle, the venue not only offered classes, but staged productions. Brown's Danensemble performed here as well as throughout the country.
On January 15, 1979, for instance, Alan M. Kriegsman of the Washington Post reported "The Beverly Brown Dancensemble: Theater [sic] for Bodies and Voices made its Washington debut at the Marvin Theater last night in a program that was fascinating in concept, elegant in its plastic contours, often beguiling, and withal somewhat wispy in emotional impact. As the group's name suggests, the dancers utter sounds as they move--chanted vocalizations and non-verbal syllables."
The Theatre for Bodies and Voices would remain until 1991 when a conversion of the upper floors to residential space began. The cast iron storefront, manufactured by Dandiel D. Badger's Architectural Iron Works 160 years ago has suffered understandable (albeit insignificant overall) damage and alteration. But, above, King & Kellum's handsome white marble facade survives virtually intact.
Labels: broadway, gamaliel king, george keller, italianate architecture, king and keller, tribeca
Moguls and a Movie Star--19-21 West 68th Street
The yellow brick Nos. 17 through 21 stand in stark contrast to No. 23 (left) built concurrently. The round fifth floor openings of No. 21 have been extended to become more functional, albeit less charming.
On April 28, 1894 the Real Estate Record & Builders' Guide announced that architect George F. Pelham was preparing plans for seven townhouses on West 68th Street for developer Peter Wagner. While four of the homes would be faced in brownstone and have high-stoops; the other three would be "American basement homes" of "buff brick." The American basement--whereby the houses were entered nearly at street level--was becoming increasingly popular. The Guide noted "all of the houses will be finished in a high-class manner.
The project was completed within the year. Nos. 17 through 21 sat on stone bases which supported four floor of beige brick. The circular openings of the fifth floors were handsomely framed in carved limestone. They trio was shockingly similar to a row of homes completed that same year on West 70th Street, designed by Clarence True.
Comparison to George Pelham's row and Clarence True's houses on West 70th Street (above) is unavoidable. photograph by Wurts Bros. from the collection of the Museum of the City of New York
No. 21 was purchased by real estate operator Beverley Ward and his wife, Caroline. It would be conveniently close to his new branch office at No. 344 Columbus Avenue, which he had opened earlier that year. In reporting on his new location The Record & Guide pointed out that he was "well known among the real estate men of 125th street during the building up of that thoroughfare into the handsome business street it now is" and presumed he "will undertake new business with the same are and courtesy that he has handled the old."
The original configuration of the low stoops can be seen in this 1936 WPA photograph. from the collection of the New York Public Library
No. 17 would become the home of Charles A. Baudoine, Jr. and his wife, Annie. The son of the wealthy and famous cabinetmaker, he took over his father's extensive real estate business following his death in 1895. His and Annie's romance were fodder for society gossip for years.
In 1894 he married Agnes M. Rutter, daughter of Thomas Rutter, president of the New York Central Railroad. That same year the pair became friendly with writer Casper W. Whitney and his wife, Annie, who lived nearby the newlyweds on West 58th Street. In December of that same year the Baudouines were divorced and a month later the Whitneys separated.
Six months later Charles and his new love were married and sailed off to Europe. Upon their return they found that Casper Whitney had sued to have his wife’s divorce decree set aside and he filed for his own divorce. Since the original divorce was no longer legal, neither was Charles’ and Annie’s wedding. The couple was remarried amid the glare of newspaper and society attention.
They remained in No. 17 until February 1902 when they sold the house to Judge Irving Lehman and his wife, the former Sissie Straus. Lehman was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1908, disappointing Tammany Hall which had lobbied hard for its own nominee.
No. 19 had been the home of Rosa E. Wormser until September 1903, when she sold it to Henry Silcocks. The well-to-do businessman was a partner in the United States Waste Company, which manufactured and dealt in "wool and cotton waste, lubricants and machine supplies," according to Steel and Iron magazine.
In the meantime, Otto Loengard had garnered a substantial fortune in, among other ventures, the Comstock Tunnel Company of which he was an officer. The firm provided drainage to the famous Comstock Load mines, where the blue mud had originally hampered miners' progress.
In February 1899 the Wards sold No. 21 to Otto and Emma Loengard. Emma wasted no time, apparently, in decorating her new home in the latest vogue.
Emma Loengard's decorating taste was the height of turn-of-the-century fashion. A machete would be helpful in navigating through the entrance hall (above). A glimpse of the carved details of the reception room mantel can be seen under layers of hangings. photos by Maugans N.Y., from the collection of the Museum of the City of New York
The Loengards remained in No. 21 for over a decade, selling it on April 4, 1900 to William Hawkins Clarke. His $30,000 mortgage--more than $900,000 today--hints at the substantial selling price.
The Loengards' dining room (above) featured velvet wall coverings, carved woodwork and handsome plaster ceilings. Below is the living room. photos by Maugans N.Y., from the collection of the Museum of the City of New York
Clarke and his wife, the former Virginia Vilas, had two daughters, Dorothy and Lois, and a son, Percival Vilas. Following the death of Virginia's father, Henry Chapman Vilas, in 1908, her mother Sophia moved into No. 21 with the family.
The engagement of Dorothy to Columbia graduate Clinton Gilbert Abbott on February 20, 1915 caused a stir in society columns. Following the wedding in St. Stephen's church in May, a reception was held in the 68th Street house.
Joy turned to grief six months later when Sophia Vilas died in her room on November 19, 1915.
Two years later, in February 1917, Clarke sold No. 21 to broker Joseph L. Lilienthal and his wife, Edna Arnstein Lilienthal. The couple had three children, Joseph, Jr., Philip and Ann. When Henry Silcocks sold No. 19 in 1922, the Lilienthals purchased that property as well, leasing it to Jared Flagg.
The Lilienthal family would remain in No. 21 until Lilienthal's death at the age of 55 on May 22, 1936; by which time the upscale tone of the neighborhood had eroded. Within two months Edna had moved out and on July 13 it was announced that she had leased Nos. 19 and 21. The New York Times reported "The lessee plans to remodel the buildings into one and two-room apartments."
By now No. 17 was home to Alfred H. Caspary, principal in the stock brokerage firm A. H. Caspari & Co. and world-renowned philatelist. While the Great Depression prompted owners along the block like Edna Lilienthal to convert their homes to apartments; Alfred and Margaret Caspary were little affected.
The couple's country estate was in Livingston Manor, New York. While they amassed a notable collection of ceramics, it was Alfred's stamp collection for which he would be remembered. Some items in his collection were unique--he owned, for instance, the only two 5-cent red Annapolis Postmaster's provisional stamps known to exist.
Mary died in 1953. Although Alfred remained in No. 17, he was by now nearly bedridden. In 1954 he donated $1 million to erect the Margaret H. Caspary Clinic at the New Hospital for Special Surgery. When he died the following January at the age of 77, he left an estate estimated at between $10 and $15 million to his friend, George Murnane "for distribution in his discretion."
Within the year No. 19 was converted to apartments like its neighbors. Do doubt the most celebrated of the tenants within the row was young actor James Dean, who moved into the top floor of No. 19 in 1953.
Famed photographer Roy Schatt snapped Dean walking in the middle of West 68th Street, in front of his home...
...and in the circular window of his apartment, #5-F. original sources unknown
Dean was still renting the 68th Street apartment when he died on September 30, 1955 in the now-famous California car crash. Despite the passage of more than half a century, fans still make the pilgrimage to West 68th Street to see the house where he once lived.
Dean's bachelor pad was perfectly 1950's in decor. His hi-fi speaker fits perfectly into the nook created for it in the bookcase. It would have been, nevertheless, shocking to Mrs. Henry Silcocks. original source unknown
The homes have undergone some distressing alterations, including gruesome entrance doors. Nevertheless the George Fred Pelham's 1894 elegant design subsists; a reminder of the time when the block west of Central Park was home to wealthy, prestigious families.
Labels: george fred pelham, renaissance revival architecture, upper west side, west 68th street
The Lost Bush Terminal Building - 100 Broad Street
A number of children play in the street around the recently completed building. Note the gargoyles that line up along the first and third floor cornices. from the collection of the New-York Historical Society
Irving T. Bush came up with an unexpected solution to shipping, storage and distribution costs in 1895. Under the name of The Bush Co., he organized six warehouses and a steamship pier on the South Brooklyn waterfront as a freight-handling terminal. The operation was successful despite of-- and, in fact, because of--its location outside of Manhattan. Directly accessible to railways and ships, the terminal was able to offer storage, receiving and shipping services to wholesalers, manufacturers and retailers.
The name of the firm name became the Bush Terminal Company in 1902. As the business grew, so did the complex. Bush built a railroad, added factory lofts and warehouses to what was becoming a massive operation.
On May 2, 1903 the Real Estate Record & Builders' Guide reported that Grace C. Snelling had sold the seven old buildings "at the junction of Broad, Bridge and Pearl sts." The historic location, directly across from Fraunces Tavern, had once been the site of Manhattan's first church, erected in 1633.
The unwieldy pie-shaped property would now become the new headquarters of the Bush Terminal Co., which commissioned the firm of Kirby, Petit & Green to design the structure. Completed in 1905, the completed edifice was like nothing in the Financial District. The architects had produced a striking brick-and-stone Jacobean style building that would have been more comfortable in 16th century England than 20th century Manhattan. Diapered brickwork, Gothic-arched openings, and diamond-paned windows, some with stained glass, added to the picturesque appearance. The narrow Broad Street elevation featured a two-story angled bay which supported a stone balcony.
Not all architectural critics approved. While The Architectural Record found no fault in the design itself, a June 1906 article derided the choice of styles for the location. It complained in part, "there can be no doubt at all as to the impropriety of turning an office building in a busy thoroughfare into a Jacobean manor-house. A house of this character, no matter how good it may be in itself, must necessarily look affected and out of place in the midst of a lot of office buildings; and when the offices of the Bush Terminal Company are surrounded, as they eventually will be, by skyscrapers, the impropriety will become still more conspicuous."
The Architectural Record, June 1906 (copyright expired)
J. Parker B. Fiske was kinder, focusing on the handsome brickwork. Writing in the the same periodical on January 4, 1908 he said in part that "The new office building of the Bush Terminal Company, at 100 Broad street, constructed of the dark rich red 'Devonshire' stretchers with 'Gun Metal' headers" exemplified "the beautiful soft effects which may be produced by brick with an extremely rough texture."
The New York Times, April 19, 1911 (copyright expired)
The Bush Terminal Company leased extra space in the building. The largest tenant was most likely the Jolly Mariner's Club. Like other downtown clubs, its membership was composed of businessmen and it offered a respectable venue for quiet luncheons. In the evenings the clubhouse restaurant was routinely used for meetings and dinners. On November 23, 1908, for instance, the American Institute of Architects held its "folly dinner" here; and five days earlier it had been the scene of a dinner and meeting of the Merchants' Association during which Senator Nelson W. Aldrich spoke for more than an hour on European banking.
The fact that the Merchants' Association exclusively held its dinners and meetings in the Jolly Mariners' Club was, no doubt, not a coincidence. Irving T. Bush was the chairman of the Association's Committee on Currency.
By 1911 a subsidiary company, the Bush Terminal Buildings Company, had been formed to handle the firm's vast real estate holdings. On June 16, 1911 The New York Times reported that the Bush Terminal Buildings Company intended to remodel the three old buildings behind No. 100 Broad Street into "a highly improved office building;" creating an annex of sorts.
"At the present time the various floors are being used for miscellaneous purposes, but it is the company's intention to equip them for the most pretentious office needs, and in doing so the Tudor-Gothic style of architecture, employed both in the exterior and interior construction of the Bush Terminal Building proper, will be carried out."
The article explained that the 19th century facades were being stripped off, "to be replaced by ornamental terra cotta, embellished with leaded glass windows and other accessories in keeping with the general style." The tallest building, No. 30 Bridge Street, would receive an "ornamental cupola" to match the Terminal Building. The cost of the renovations were projected at upwards of $100,000--more than $2.6 million today.
from the collection of the New York Public Library
In September that same year No. 100 Broad Street got a new tenant with a ponderous name: the newly-organized New York State Branch of the National Citizens' League for the Promotion of a Sound Banking System. The Branch boasted high-powered officers, including John Claflin, William Sloane, Isidor Straus, and George A. Plimpton. Perhaps not unexpectedly, Irving T. Bush was also an officer, serving as chairman of the Executive Committee.
The group had been formed partly in reaction to the devastating Financial Panic of 1907. Clafin told reporters on October 8, 1911, "The panic of 1907 was an unnecessary panic. It has disclosed certain weaknesses in our banking system which can and must all be corrected."
By 1928 skyscrapers were rising along the downtown skyline. from the collection of the New York Public Library
Another financial panic, the Stock Market crash of 1929 would hit closer to home for the Bush Terminal Company. On September 29, 1936 The New York Times reported that the directors of the firm had adopted a resolution "for a reorganization of the company" under the National Bankruptcy Act.
Happily for the company and for its thousands of customers, the plan worked and the Bush Terminal Company survived. And true to The Architectural Record's 1906 prediction, by the second half of the 20th century the Bush Terminal Building was hemmed in by towering skyscrapers.
In June 1961, three years before the demolition of Pennsylvania Station sparked New York City's historic preservation movement, the Bush Terminal Buildings Company sold No. 100 Broad Street. Raymond F. Ryan, the real estate broker who brokered the deal, told reporters "the Bush Building with its gargoyles and leaded windows will be replaced by a two-story-and-penthouse structure."
The Bush Terminal Company announced it would move its headquarters to Brooklyn. The New York Times headline on June 24 read simply "Bush Sells A Landmark."
The unique structure was demolished, to be replaced by the New York Clearing House Association's new building, designed by Rogers & Butler.
The newly completed New York Clearing House building in 1962. photograph via El Imperio Moderno
The building as it appears today. Real Estate Weekly, March 20, 2013
Labels: bridge street, broad street, financial district, Kirby Petit and Green, neo-jacobean revival architecture, tribeca
William S. Hunt's 1861 327 and 329 West 20th Street
As the Chelsea district developed around him, William S. Hunt lived in a narrow house at No. 211 West 20th Street, just west of Eighth Avenue, and operated his shop next door at No. 213.
Hunt advertised his finish carpentry and construction business in the 1851 edition of New-York; Past Present, and Future. (copyright expired)
In 1860 he demolished both buildings in order to erect two private dwellings. Somewhat surprisingly, at a time when some upscale homes in the neighborhood topped 30 feet in width, Hunt chose not to combine his 12.6-foot wide plots. Instead he erected two handsome but unusually skinny houses.
There is little doubt that Hunt acted not only as the builder, but the designer. The sometimes-architect was responsible for designing the nearby Eighteenth Street Methodist Episcopal Church, built in 1835-36 in the popular Greek Revival style.
Completed in 1861, the matching homes were clad in brownstone and were his own take on the Italianate style. The upper three floors wore expected Italianate details, like the elliptical arched openings and foliate-bracketed cornice. The parlor floor drew its in inspiration from the recently popular Anglo-Italianate style, doing away with the fussy entrance enframements in favor of keystoned arches and deep rustication.
Anglo-Italianate homes routinely were entered nearly at sidewalk level; their doorways sitting above two or three shallow steps. But Hunt continued his hybridization by placing the parlor floors above a deep English basement and utilizing the Italianate high stoop.
No. 213 became the parsonage of the Eighteenth Street Methodist Episcopal Church, home to Rev. J. F. Richmond. The family who moved in next door, like so many homeowners in the neighborhood, rented their extra space in the house. An advertisement in September 1865 announced "A private family can accommodate a gentleman and wife with a large pleasant Room and Bedroom and Closet adjoining, with Board."
In 1865 West 20th Street was renumbered. The houses received their new addresses of 327 and 329 West 20th Street. Throughout the rest of the century residents came and went, drawing no unwanted attention to themselves. By the 1870s No. 329, no longer a parsonage, was home to the Denman family. Asahel Homes Denman attended New York City College beginning in 1877.
No. 327 was lost in foreclosure in May 1905, and purchased by Susan H. Cudner for $8,000--about a quarter of a million dollars today. She rented rooms in the house, which was home to architect G. R. Joslin by 1907. Michael Duanno lived here in 1921, earning a living as a "painter and decorator."
Duanno was headed home on the 9th Avenue elevated train on the night of December 30 that year when disaster occurred. At around 7:05 a local train was stalled with motor trouble between stations at 40th Street. The next southbound train rammed into the stationary train, the two telescoping into one another.
"The impact was terrific," wrote The New York Times. Passengers were "thrown in heaps, the floor, ceiling, walls, seats and parts of the metal work shattered and twisted into a continuous mass of wreckage." One passenger was killed and at least 40 were injured, one losing a foot. Among the dead was 27-year old Michael Duanno.
Another roomer in No. 327 was James Nelson, who rented a furnished room in the late 1930s. A retired longshoreman, the 70-year old died in his room in June 1939. A policeman went to the scene and searched Nelson's pockets. He found two worn leather tobacco pouches containing "$3,300 in old, large size, gold-back treasury notes, mostly of $10 and $20 denomination," according to authorities. The surprising hoard would be equal to about $57,000 today.
In the meantime No. 329 saw renters come and go as well. Raymond Rufino Huna, who was a member of the United States Merchant Marines, left the West 20th Street house to fight in World War II. His wife received the terrifying news on April 17, 1943 that he was missing in action.
Perhaps because of their narrow proportions, neither house was significantly altered. In 1965 No. 329 was converted to a duplex at the basement and parlor level with a triplex above; and the following year No. 327 was altered to a single family home with one apartment in the basement.
Throughout their more than 150 year histories, both of William S. Hunt's hybrid homes retained their 1861 personalities--even retaining their elegant entrance doors.
Posted by Tom Miller at 9:28 PM No comments: Links to this post
Labels: anglo-italianate architecture, chelsea, italianate architecture, west 20th street
The 1901 Theodore Luling House - 118 East 70th Street
Theodore W. Luling, born in 1875, was admitted to the banking firm of the Fifth Avenue Trust Co. in 1898. He was, as well, a director in the large dry goods firm James H. Dunham & Co. John H. Dunham was the father of Luling's wife, Grace Louise Lathrop Dunham. The couple were living with the Dunhams in their comfortable rowhouse at No. 37 East 36th Street at the time.
It was most likely the arrival of their first child, Rosamund Elena, on November 23, 1899, that prompted the couple's search for a new home. In June 1900 they purchased the old three-story brownstone house at No. 118 East 70th Street from the estate of David Babcock.
The block between Lexington and Park Avenues had recently seen an influx of moneyed families; several of whom transformed the outdated Victorian houses into modern, upscale residences. The price the Lulings paid for the property, about $660,000 in today's dollars, reflects the growing exclusivity of the block. As was common at the time, the title was put in Grace's name.
The Lulings hired the architectural team of Trowbridge & Livingston to remodel the house--adding a floor, and expanding the building to the front and rear. The extensive renovations would cause a standoff of sorts between the architects and the Department of Buildings.
According to the New-York Tribune, "The plans for the improvements were submitted to the Department, and as they called for the practical rebuilding of the structure the architect was told to file plans for a new building." On September 15 the architects submitted the revised plans--now calling for a completely new structure.
It may be that the Lulings were reticent to advertise what they were paying for what had become an extremely expensive project; but for whatever reason when the Department official asked the Trowbridge & Livingston associate to insert the construction costs, which had been left blank, he refused. The Tribune reported "He refused to fill in the cost at first, but on being told that his plans would otherwise be rejected he placed the cost at $100." To this day the construction cost on record for No. 118 East 70th Street is a mere $100.
The 20-foot wide neo-Federal style residence was completed in 1901. With no stoop hogging real estate, the architects could have pulled the facade to the property line, thereby increasing interior floor space. Instead they used the former entrance to the basement as a fenced areaway which contributed to the stately tone of the house.
The entrance of the five-story residence sat with a planar limestone base. Leaded sidelights flanking the single door and an over-sized fanlight admitted sunlight into the foyer. A full-width iron balcony fronted the pair of French doors at the second floor, the tympana of which were decorated with delicate carved wreaths and ribbons. Burned headers of the Flemish bond brickwork, splayed lintels and double keystones added to the colonial flavor of the style. The top floor took the form of a steep mansard above a stone cornice.
It appears that one of Grace's maids came up with a clever way of seeing the world; or at least of getting free passage on a liner. On June 2, 1902 her advertisement appeared in the New-York Tribune:
Maid--A young, intelligent girl, going to Europe, desires position as maid to ladies or children while crossing. Apply to H. Sullivan. 118 East 70th-st.
If Miss Sullivan was unsuccessful in finding children to tend to on the Atlantic, she would have had a newborn to take care of on 70th Street. Theodore Dunham Luling was born on October 30, 1902.
Four months later the Lulings hired architect H. Davis Ives to design a two-story addition in the rear. This time the architect and the Department of Buildings did not butt heads. Ives filled in the construction costs at $5,000--around $145,000 today.
The Lulings had a summer estate in Ridgefield, Connecticut when the 70th Street house was constructed. By 1905 they had a "villa" in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. And while they continued to maintain that home at least through 1908, on August 6, 1905 The New York Times reported that they were building in Lenox, as well.
"Theodore W. Luling of New York, who last season bought a fine building site on the Cone estate, is preparing to build a costly Summer residence. Plans have already been prepared. Mr. and Mrs. Luling are in Stockbridge for the Summer."
Interestingly, while Theodore and Grace were busy with summer estates and garden parties, they appear to have been highly interested in the education of black children, as well. At the time both were writing back and forth with Booker T. Washington. While Washington enjoyed the patronage of several Manhattan philanthropists--John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, and Collis Huntington among them--the relationship between him and the Lulings appears have been personal.
Following the formation of the Union of South Africa, E. B. Sargant was appointed South African Commissioner of Education by Lord Milner. Charged with developing a "system of Public School education among the natives," he turned to Grace Luling to help in connecting with Washington for advice. Grace enclosed a list of Sargant's questions in a letter to the author and educator, which he answered. On February 12, 1909 she followed up, sending Washington a letter saying in part that "Mr. Sargant has successfully accomplished this work."
The Lulings sold No. 118 in September 1910 to Francis Leonard Kellogg and his wife, the former Emilie Baker. The couple paid the equivalent of $1.3 million for the house.
The Kelloggs had three sons and a daughter; Alexander, John, F. Leonard Jr., and Virginia. F. Leonard Kellogg had graduated from Princeton University in 1894 as an electrical engineer. By now he managed the Electric Storage Battery Company, and was a member of the prestigious Ivy Club of Princeton, the Union Club and the University Club.
Emilie was an accomplished artist, having studied at the Art Students' League as a teenager. She now immersed herself in charitable causes, like the vaudeville entertainment at Sherry's in December 1912 for the benefit of the Convalescent Home for Babies.
The Sun reported that one act, which involved children, also relied on Emilie's artistic bent. "A series of Dickens tableaux in which young people will pose after illustrations of Cruikshank will be given under the direction of Mrs. F. Leonard Kellogg and will be accompanied by English glee songs."
On August 22, 1916 the funeral of Francis's widowed mother, Josephine Kellogg, was held in the house. Five years later, in November 1921, it was the scene of the funeral of Emilie's father, William Edgar Baker.
Much happier events would come as the children neared adulthood. The winter season of 1927 saw Virginia's debutante entertainments, the first of which was "a large luncheon," as described in The New York Times on December 9, at the Savoy-Plaza. The extensive guest list inluded the daughters of some of Manhattan's most prominent families.
Virginia's education reflected her privileged upbringing. She had graduated from the exclusive Spence School, and later studied at the Miss Sheldon and Miss Nixon's School in Florence, Italy. Like most debutantes, she was a member of the Junior League.
On June 15, 1928 the house was the scene of a double wedding. Virginia was a bridesmaid for her cousins Josephine Leonard Kellogg Reeve and Imogen Jewell Kellogg Reeve. The engagements of sisters had been announced just weeks apart and now they were married together in the Kellogg house.
F. Leonard Kellogg retired in 1929 after two decades with Electric Storage Battery Company. Two years later, on New Year's Day 1931, he and Emilie announced Virginia's engagement to William Kemble. The New York Times noted "Both Miss Kellogg and her fiancé come of distinguished ancestry," reminding readers that her great-grandfather was Cornelius Baker, the philanthropist and founder of New York University.
Virginia's wedding took place in Bedford Village, New York, where the family maintained their country home. It was there on December 20, 1941 that F. Leonard Kellogg died at the age of 74.
Francis L. Kellogg, Jr. would go on to an illustrious career. He would serve as special assistant to two Secretaries of State, William P. Rogers and Henry A. Kissinger, earning him the title of Ambassador. He was also chairman of the Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and head of the United States Delegation to the Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration in Geneva.
Emlie Kellogg sold the 70th Street house in the mid-1940's. It was home to Mrs. Charlotte Coursay Kulka in 1948. She was the victim of 38-year old George Feld, called the "Celluloid Burglar" by newspapers because he favored motion picture actresses as his targets. He was arrested after breaking into the apartment of actress, comedienne and actress Gertrude Neison on October 16 that year and making off with $10,000 worth of jewelry. The grand jury charged him at the same time with burglarizing the homes of actress Gene Tierney, Kay Long, and Charlotte Coursay Kulka.
While many of the mansions on the 70th Street block were converted to apartments in latter part of the 20th century, No. 118 remained a private house. It was purchased by the multi-talented director, screen writer, actor and musician Woody Allen in 2005 for $22.62 million.
Outwardly, the home which the Theodore and Grace Luling never really intended to build essentially unchanged.
Posted by Tom Miller at 9:38 PM 1 comment: Links to this post
Labels: east 70th street, Trowbridge and Livingston, upper east side
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__label__wiki | 0.978893 | 0.978893 | Box office report: 'Man of Steel' scores super $125.1 million
By Grady Smith
Faster than a speeding bullet, Warner Bros.’ $225 million franchise reboot Man of Steel has become a box office behemoth.
The superhero film began its run with a massive $125.1 million ($113.1 million over the traditional weekend, $12 million from corporate screening programs on Thursday), breaking the record for the biggest June opening weekend ever, ahead of Toy Story 3‘s $110.3 million bow in 2010. Among 2013 films, Man of Steel had the second best debut of the year behind Iron Man 3, which started with $174.1 million in May.
Man of Steel garnered a fantastic $29,731 per theater average from its 4,207 locations. The film grossed $13.3 million in IMAX theaters, and 41% of its business came from 3D ticket sales. Audiences were 56 percent male and 44 percent female, a more even gender distribution than Iron Man 3, which had a 61/39 percent male/female split on opening weekend. The dashing looks of Henry Cavill (and Amy Adams’ appeal) no doubt helped Man of Steel play well with women. Reviews were mixed, but crowds issued the film a strong “A-” CinemaScore.
For Cavill, Adams, and the rest of the cast — which includes Russell Crowe, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne, and Michael Shannon — Man of Steel became their best ever opening weekend. The same goes for director Zack Snyder, who formerly saw gigantic numbers when 300 bowed with $70.9 million in 2007.
Man of Steel also clobbered the debut of 2006’s Superman Returns, which opened with $52.5 million and earned $200 million domestically against a $270 million budget. Widely considered a box office misfire, Superman Returns did not, in fact, return. In about one week, Man of Steel will likely have surpassed that film’s domestic total.
The news couldn’t be better for Warner Bros., which — with the exceptions of The Great Gatsby and 42 — has badly struggled at the box office in 2013. Films like Jack the Giant Slayer, The Hangover Part III, Beautiful Creatures, Bullet to the Head, and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone have massively under-performed at the box office, so Man of Steel‘s success is a welcome change. “We’re thrilled,” says Dan Fellman, the studio’s president of domestic distribution, “and it will fly through the summer. We’re going to have legs on this film.”
Fellman also notes that Man of Steel‘s success brings Warner Bros. and DC Comics one step closer to creating a Justice League franchise that might rival Marvel/Disney’s Avengers. The exec wouldn’t confirm whether Henry Cavill has already been contracted to star in Justice League films, though he did coyly remark, “Henry will be around for a while.”
Internationally, Man of Steel soared with $71.6 million in its first weekend, including $17.6 million in the United Kingdom and $9.8 million in Mexico. The film has yet to open in a number of large markets, but it’s already clear that it will easily outdo Superman Returns $191 million international haul.
In second place, This is the End opened with $20.5 million, giving the raunchy R-rated comedy $32.8 million total since its Wednesday debut. While that’s not a huge start, Sony spent only $32 million on the comedy, which stars Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, and Danny McBride. This is the End started in the same range as Franco and Rogen’s hit Pineapple Express, which opened with $23.3 million in 2008.
Thanks to great reviews and strong word-of-mouth (the film earned a fair “B+” CinemaScore, but the polling service rarely favors edgy content), This is the End may find legs at the box office and could become a $100 million hit. Audiences were 60 percent male and 48 percent below the age of 25 — and considering Man of Steel provided direct competition for male viewers, This is the End‘s healthy start is commendable.
Now You See Me managed to hold strong in third place with $10.3 million, marking a drop of only 46 percent. Summit’s $75 million magician caper has now earned $80 million after three weekends, and if it can manage a few more slim holds, it could wind up passing $100 million.
Fourth place belonged to Fast & Furious 6, which fell 52 percent to $9.4 million in its fourth weekend. The $160 million Universal release has now earned $219.6 million total, surpassing Fast Five‘s $209.8 million cume and making it the highest grossing Fast film domestically. Worldwide, the same is true: Fast & Furious 6‘s $636.9 million haul is a franchise best.
Last weekend’s champion, The Purge, plummeted 76 percent to $8.2 million in its sophomore frame. The thriller, which earned a weak “C” CinemaScore has now earned $51.8 million and may have to settle for a finish in the $60-65 million range — a very low number considering The Purge opened with $34.1 million. Universal isn’t worried, though. The Purge cost only $3 million to produce.
1. Man of Steel – $113.1 million
2. This is the End – $20.5 million
3. Now You See Me – $10.3 million
4. Fast & Furious 6 – $9.4 million
5. The Purge – $8.2 million
For more box office updates, follow me on Twitter:
Follow @EWGradySmith
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Aquaman threepeats at the box office with $30.7 million | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line700 |
__label__wiki | 0.798554 | 0.798554 | NIGHTSCAPE!
Today I’m very proud to announce that my latest collection of horror short stories, NIGHTSCAPE, has been released by Parallel Universe Press in this glorious hardback edition!
In this collection of nine unsettling stories you will read about…
A man who returns to his childhood home to find that there’s something very wrong with the family pet…
A woman with schizophrenia who becomes enamoured with an abandoned children’s toy…
A Roman legion which marches into first century Scotland only to come face to face with terrifying creatures from ancient myth…
Three outcasts who are waiting to be sacrificed to a monstrous creature after a nuclear war has wiped out civilization…
A widower who turns to black magic to bring back the lover he lost in a horrific car crash…
A troubled married couple who inherit a cottage once owned by a legendary Leicestershire witch…
So if you love horror short stories in the vein of Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, and Clive Barker, you’ll enjoy NIGHTSCAPE. And who knows, maybe it will enjoy you!
Currently available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and direct from Parallel Universe Publications.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged books, british, fantasy, fiction, genre, horror, horror story, Lovecraft, Lovecraftian horror, science-fiction, short stories, short story, speculative, story, writing on July 31, 2017 by Eric Ian Steele.
10 Most Underrated Horror Films
We all know about mega-hit horror movies that have spawned whole franchises, such as “Halloween”, “A Nightmare on Elm Street” and “The Conjuring”. But what about the more obscure horror movies? Those which are critical successes but commercial failures, or films that were just plain overlooked? Here is my list of some of the best underrated horror movies.
10. They (2002)
Director Robert Harmon is best known for the seminal Rutger Hauer movie “The Hitcher”. However, this suspenseful supernatural thriller was released with just a whisper. The plot revolves around a woman who remembers that as a child she was afraid of monsters in the dark.. now the monsters are back! The film has some standout moments, including the opening and a very scary swimming pool scene that owes a debt to the Jacques Tournier classic “Cat People”.
9. Mean Creek (2004)
This could have been marketed as “Deliverance for kids”. Some bullied children decide to befriend their tormentor and, along with a much older sibling, take him into the woods where they plan to humiliate him. Things do not go as planned. Some terrific performances from the kids and some wonderful plot twists make this a classic. Yet somehow it failed to ignite moviegoers. Surely it deserves a second life on DVD.
8. Wolfen (1981)
Based on a Whitley Strieber novel, featuring an Oscar-winning cast that includes the likes of Albert Finney and Gregory Hines, and directed by none other than the director of “Woodstock”, this not-a-werewolf story is an eerie, atmospheric creature-feature. The distinctive night-vision “monster’s- eye point of view” shot would prefigure the Schawzenegger hit “Predator” years later. A must-see for horror lovers.
7. Fright Night II (1988)
The original was a hugely enjoyable breakout hit and the first of the 1980s vampire classics. Yet while it continues to delight audiences, the sequel proves much harder to get hold of. Which is a shame, because it’s a great film. There are some terrific vamps here, including one very ugly werewolf! Roddy McDowell once again is superlative as Peter Vincent, making this a great sequel. Sadly neglected.
6. Island of Lost Souls (1932)
Everyone knows the Universal Monster movies such as James Whale’s “Frankenstein” and Todd Browning’s “Dracula”. But this eerie adaptation of H.G. Wells’ tale “The Island of Dr. Moreau” gets less respect than it deserves. Charles Laughton gives a bravura performance as the mad doctor who turns animals into men. Nowadays the film might be a little creaky in parts, and you have to wonder why they didn’t use a thrilling soundtrack in places. But the beast-men are fantastic, and the whole mood is one of dreamlike terror. Well worth tracking down.
5. From Beyond (1986)
Fresh from the success of “Re-Animator”, director Stuart Gordon (who would later go on to direct “Honey I Shrunk the Kids”!) employed some of the same cast in this very loose adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s extremely short story. Sadly, it isn’t as well known as it deserves to be. Dr. Tillinghast invents a mahcine that allows you to see into another dimension. Unfortunately, its inhabitants also see into ours! Cue two hours of great pre-CGI SFX, and a plot that just keeps on getting darker. The movie is true to the spirit of the original story, but with added Barbara Crampton (for those who like that sort of thing)! The movie and the effects were much more “out there” in the mid-80s. But the acting and sardonic wit are enough to keep modern audiences interested as well.
4. Tenebrae
Dario Argento is a name horror fans will be familiar with, mainly for the classic “Suspiria”. However, in my opinion “Tenebrae” is actually the superior film. The plot is simple and echoes other Argento films: an American horror novelist travels to Italy where he finds someone is offing people in the manner of his own books. But this audacious horror/thriller contains some masterful set pieces, such as the single take shot of a murder on a multi-storey building, and the final twist is awesome. Add to that the music of Goblin, and this is a masterpiece of horror cinema that should be rediscovered!
3. Hellraiser II
“Hellraiser” was the film that launched Clive Barker’s career. Yet the second film is in many ways a better movie. The story takes off where the first film ended, with a power-crazed psychiatrist bringing back from the dead the first film’s memorable femme fatale, played by Claire Higgins. This time she’s more fatal than femme, lacking skin for most of the movie. Character actor Kenneth Cranham steals the show, however. We also get to see where the Cenobites come from, which is cool. Everything is bigger in this sequel, including the imagination, yet most people only remember the lamentable, straight-to-video sequels.
2. Prince of Darkness (1987)
John Carpenter made horror history with “Halloween” in 1978, and directed such cult hits as “The Thing”, “Starman” and “Big Trouble in Little China”. “Prince of Darkness” has all the hallmarks of a great Carpenter movie: it’s a siege in a building, there are great special effects, the cast is solid, especially Donald Pleasance as the priest, and it also features Alice Cooper! Yet for some reason it remains one of Carpenter’s more obscure movies. Perhaps a scathing review by UK film critic Barry Norman at the time did its box office chances some damage. Which just goes to show critics don’t know anything, because this film is one of Carpenter’s scariest, with a shock ending that will play on your mind for some time to come. You’ll never look at your reflection quite the same way again!
1. Martin (1978)
My final film on this list of underappreciated horror movies is by the King of the Zombies himself, George A Romero. George passed away recently, and with him passed a great horror director. Most people know him for his hugely influential “Dead” trilogy of zombie films, which virtually created the shambling, flesh-eating ghoul as a modern myth in popular culture. However, my favourite Romero film is actually the much quieter “Martin”. Played by a young John Amplas, Martin is a character study of a modern vampire… or is it? Amplas is superb as the cold, alienated killer who may or may not be one of the undead. The film itself is shot in documentary style. It has this wonderfully earnest quality to it, and will leave you guessing for a long time to come. If you haven’t seen “Martin” I recommend it. It’s an uncompromising movie, even in the rather uncomfortable opening scene. But it’s also one of the very best vampire movies ever made.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this selection of obscure classics. All of these movies deserve much more love, so go out and rent or buy them. Just don’t watch them alone in the house at night, and especially not in the dark!
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged DVD, film, genre, Hollywood, horror, movies on July 18, 2017 by Eric Ian Steele.
10 MARVEL SUPER-HEROES WHO DESERVE THEIR OWN MOVIES!
We’ve seen the X-Men, Spider-Man, Thor, Captain America, The Hulk, The FF, Guardians of the Galaxy, and even Ant Man. On TV we have Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Daredevil. But there are plenty of less well-known Marvel Super-Heroes who possibly deserve their own movies. Here’s a selection of some of the best candidates:
Teenager Richard Ryder (because every superhero needs an alliterated name) gets blasted with a space ray and turned into a human rocket! Nova was never much more than a Spider-man clone. In the Psychedelic Seventies he fought such far-out cats as The Sphinx, Megaman (whose key attribute was having no face), and The Condor (a guy with wings) amongst others before becoming a member of the less-than-super New Warriors. James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy introduced us to the Nova Core of Xanthar, the alien race that gave Nova his powers. But surely anyone with a costume this cool deserves his own movie?
Interesting fact: Dazzler was supposed to be a movie right from the start. The character was ushered into the pages of X-Men purely to plug an onscreen character who was to both sing and act! The movie and the songstress never materialized, but Alison Blaire, a disco queen who can shoot light out of her body, became a regular member of the X-Men. With the rocking ’70s soundtrack of Guardians of the Galaxy, and her discotastic costume, has the time finally come for the Dazzler to shine?
Of all the characters in the Marvel Universe, few have undergone so many changes as Moon Knight. Appearing in Werewolf by Night #32 as a mercenary who was given a silver costume to hunt down the titular werewolf, Marc Spector morphed into a caped crusader to rival even Batman, before becoming endowed with supernatural powers courtesy of Egyptian god Konshu, dying, being resurrected, being briefly possessed by a demon, infected with lycanthropy, and even suffering multi-personality disorder from the pressure of adopting too many disguises a-la Mission Impossible!
The good captain was designed by Marvell UK in the 1970s to be Britain’s answer to Captain America. Unfortunately, he had a shaky start. Given a magic staff by Merlin (yes, the King Arthur one) Brian Braddock becomes a superhuman powerhouse who fought the Red Skull alongside Steve Rogers. The series hobbled along until scribe Alan Moore reinvented the character in the 1980’s as a strapping blonde mimbo who survived rather than won his battles against foes far cleverer than himself. Later stories had him joining comedy superhero team Excalibur alongside several former X-Men. But maybe it’s time Cap had his own movie. Heck, it worked for Ant-Man. Interesting factoid: his sister is Betsy Braddock, aka Psyclocke!
The Son of Satan
Yes, you heard right. It’s fair to say that Marvel in the 1970s was… experimental. One of the better inventions of that time was Daimon Hellstrom, the son of Satan himself! Debuting in the pages of Ghost Rider #1 Hellstrom is constantly at war both with his own infernal nature and his demonic dad. He eventually got his own series before it was cancelled due to a panel that was considered too blasphemous ever to be reproduced! Surely a character this dark deserves his own TV show!
Louise Simonson and June Brigman created this unique superhero team of children. The Power family find themselves in the middle of a secret war between the warlike alien Snarks (who look like walking crickets) and the peace-loving Kymellians (who look like sea-horses). When a Kymelian sacrifices himself to save the kids, they each gain one of his super-abilities. The series was ground-breaking for its realistic psychology, showing the kids scared, brave, petulant and spoiled, just like real kids. I have a soft spot for Power Pack. It’s my very favourite comic, and I’ll personally love to see it become a live action movie, if only as an antidote to all the dark and depressing fare that’s been served up recently.
Here’s a character who’s better than he looks. Aaron Stack, a.k.a. Machine Man, is an unusual comic book superhero, because he’s a robot! X-51 is a sentient and rather sensitive android. When his creator is killed, he decides to go off and tackle crime, along with his Go-Go-Gadget arms and legs. Created by comics legend Jack Kirby in the back pages of “2001: A Space Odyssey” , X-51 was also memorably drawn by Spider-Man artist Steve Ditko. There’s something both moving and creepy about a character trying to pretend to be human, even down to wearing a latex face mask and dark glasses! One of Marvel’s more interesting characters.
I know what you’re thinking. But try and forget the sickeningly-sweet George Lucas aberration and think more along the lines of a rather adult ALF. Now you’re closer to Steve Gerber’s bizarre vision of a duck trapped in a world not of his own making. Hailing from another dimension, cigar-smoking, wise-cracking Howard finds himself in Cleveland and up to his feathers in trouble. The comic was a satirical take on superheroes that sometimes had to be read to be believed. Vegetarian supervillain, anyone?
Doctor Zero and Saint George
In the mid-1980s Marvel’s mature comics line, Epic, launched a series of titles outside the Marvel Universe. “The Shadowline Saga” involved a world where superheroes were non-existent, but where a second race lived alongside our own. Possessing awesome powers, some of these were sinister, others heroic, but none were what they seemed. Cue Doctor Zero, an immortal who pretends to be a superhero. Is he really a supervillain, or does he have a more Machiavellian scheme for the human race? Saint George, meanwhile, is a human priest who is given a suit of technologically advanced armour and sent on a crusade to rid the world of dangerous “shadows”. Each series, along with another about a super team called “Powerline” ran for a limited time before being wrapped up. But the series crated some memorable characters and had some interesting artwork by Klaus Janson and Bill Sienkiewicz (of TV’s “Legion” fame), and just might be something fresh and different compared to the existing Cinematic Universe. Time for a change, anyone?
So there you have it. Plenty of weirder options for Marvel to explore. And I haven’t even mentioned Alpha Flight, Ka-Zar, The Human Fly, Killraven, The Living Mummy, Skull the Slayer, or Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner! Do you agree with my choices or have I left out anyone you’d like to see? Maybe you have a burning desire to see a West Coast Avengers movie or to witness the Avengers clash with the Squadron Supreme? Food for thought for the movie gods at Marvel Studios.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged adaptation, british, characters, comic book, DVD, fantasy, film, genre, Hollywood, movies, sci-fi, screenplays, superhero, superheroes, writing on July 11, 2017 by Eric Ian Steele. | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line708 |
__label__cc | 0.612364 | 0.387636 | Byzantine Culture
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Byzantine comes from the word Byzantium, a Greek colony founded by a man called Byzas (Luttak, 2009). It was ideally located in the Mediterranean Sea to serve as a trade and transit point between Europe and Asia. Constantine 1 chose Byzantine as the capital of Constantinople, and Christianity was the official religion (Luttak, 2009). The citizens identified themselves as Romans and Christians even though the majority of the population spoke Greek and not Latin. After the death of Constantine 1, the Roman Empire split into East and West. The Eastern half developed what is called the Byzantine culture (Levack et al., 2013). The Byzantine had some strategic advantages that spurred its growth. The geographical location favored the East from attacks. It had high walls and its location in the sea made it hard to be attacked. Also, it had a stronger administrative centre, political stability and great wealth that enabled their Emperors to exert influence over economic resources and marshal their armies.
The education system was another factor. Students received education in Greek history, literature, culture and medicine (Luttak, 2009). There was a school of higher learning in Constantinople where medicine, law, and philosophy was taught. It is this school that produced great scholars and thinkers like Plato and Aristotle (Luttak, 2009). Also, it was ruled by codified Roman law &Roman political institutions and the official language was Latin, and thus enhancing national unity. The Emperor was the patriarch of Constantinople and head of church and state (Levack et al., 2013). He instructed priests to preach summons that supported imperialistic policy and encouraged obedience to those in authority. Art was another unifying factor. The production of icons, which were paintings of Jesus and other religious persons which were magnificent works of art solidified people as they paid homage and believed on those religious images (Luttak, 2009). All the above factors led to its growth. However, the rise of Prophet Mohammed and Islam marked the downfall of the Byzantine as it was finally conquered by Sultan.
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__label__wiki | 0.781193 | 0.781193 | In 1996, I published an article in the Ohio State Law Library on “vaporware” in Silicon Valley. Vaporware is the marketing ploy of preannouncing products that do not yet exist and may never come into existence in their described form. This was a common marketing practice in Silicon Valley at the time, but it carried the potential for antitrust liability, products liability, and securities fraud liability, both civil and criminal.
The thing about vaporware is that when software products did not materialize as promised by their companies, the damage was mostly financial—to disappointed consumers and investors. Unfortunately, when a company is rolling out a new product in the healthcare field that does not live up to promises, lives can be endangered and that is the scary story of Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes spelled out in John Carreyrou’s new book Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup.
The book tells a startling story. Elizabeth Holmes dropped out of Stanford to start a company she promised would revolutionize the health care industry by quickly, cheaply, and nearly painlessly allowing virtually every blood test known to man to be done with just a drop of blood pricked from a finger. Holmes was smart, confident, articulate, driven, and beautiful. She channeled Steve Jobs, dressing all in black and copying him in other ways. She affected a deep voice. She ran Theranos as her personal fiefdom, maintaining voting control while raising $900 million, and wrapping many very prominent old men around her finger—George Shultz, Rupert Murdoch, Henry Kissinger, James Mattis, David Boies, Sam Nunn, among many others. She held Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton in thrall. Holmes became the darling of Silicon Valley and a role model for all of us who were tickled to see the first female billionaire whose wealth derived from a company that she herself started. She was described as a genius with a heart.
At one point, Holmes held more than half of the stock of a company that private investors were valuing at $9 billion. But it was all a mirage. The firm never got close to creating the technology to do the tests that Holmes promised. And yet she kept promising and kept trying to roll out products that did not work. She sustained the fraud by fanatic security that kept employees in silos so that they didn’t know what other employees knew, by suing ex-employees with lawsuits if they talked, by threatening the press, and by being the consummate liar.
As a business ethics professor, I am most interested in how this happened. The most innocent explanation is that Holmes genuinely wished to change the world, but her enthusiasm coupled with overconfidence led her to overpromise. Because she was rapidly accumulating capital, employees, and good press clippings, loss aversion made it impossible for Holmes to admit the truth—that her products were nowhere close to living up to her hype. Like rogue trader Nick Leeson, rather than admit the truth, she kept doubling down. She desperately wanted to believe her own hype, but likely at some point realized the truth but saw no alternative but to keep lying. Incrementalism kicked in and little lies and small cheats slowly became more blatant lies and bigger cheats. Because she was so determined to change the world for the better and had deluded herself into thinking she was about to do so, Elizabeth likely gave herself moral license to tell the lies she deemed necessary to reach her goal. This behavioral ethics explanation is plausible, I think. [Naturally, Ethics Unwrapped has videos on all these concepts.]
Another school of thought mentioned by Carreyrou near the end of his book is that Elizabeth was under the influence of her lover, Sunny Balwani, who was rich, twenty years her senior, and a bully who summarily fired any employee who dared point out that the emperor had no clothes. Carreyrou points out, however, that Elizabeth had been lying to pharmaceutical companies for at least a few years before Balwani joined the company. And Elizabeth was nearly as big a bully in managing the firm as Balwani and shared his paranoia.
Carreyrou seems to believe a darker story, described in the last paragraph of his book:
A sociopath is often described as someone with little or no conscience. I’ll leave it to the psychologists to decide whether Holmes fits the clinical profile, but there’s no question that her moral compass was badly askew. I’m fairly certain she didn’t initially set out to defraud investors and put patients in harm’s way when she dropped out of Stanford fifteen years ago. By all accounts, she had a vision that she genuinely believed in and threw herself into realizing. But in her all-consuming quest to be the second coming of Steve Jobs amid the gold rush of the ‘unicorn’ boom, there came a point when she stopped listening to sound advice and began to cut corners.
Carreyrou points out that Holmes has never apologized or shown any remorse for her wrongs, which may make his theory the strongest. Whichever theory is correct, Bad Blood tells a riveting cautionary tale.
Ken Auletta, “Blood, Simpler,” New Yorker, Dec. 15, 2014.
Julia Belluz, “How Silicon Valley Got Played by Theranos,” VOX, June 12, 2018, available at https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2018/6/12/17448584/theranos-elizabeth-holmes-bad-blood.
Nick Bilton, “She Absolutely Has Sociopathic Tendencies”: Elizabeth Holmes, Somehow, is Trying to Start a New Company,” Vanity Fair, June 8, 2018.
Nick Bilton, ”Exclusive: How Elizabeth Holmes’s House of Cards Came Tumbling Down,” Vanity Fair, October 2016.
John Carreyrou, Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup (2018).
Marco della Cava, “She was ‘the next Steve Jobs.’ Now, Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes is Charged with Fraud,” USA Today,” March 14, 2018.
Avery Hartmans, “The Rise and Fall of Elizabeth Holmes,” Business Insider, May 25, 2018.
Robert A. Prentice, “Vaporware: Imaginary High-Tech Products and Real Antitrust Liability in a Post-Chicago World,” Ohio State Law Journal, 57: 1163-1263 (1996). | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line715 |
__label__wiki | 0.839232 | 0.839232 | Hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam was known for his savvy investments until an investigation found him guilty of insider trading.
In 1997, Raj Rajaratnam founded the Galleon Group, which would go on to become one of the largest hedge fund management firms in the world. Rajaratnam was a former lending officer at Chase Manhattan Bank and equity research analyst at Needham & Co., where he rose through the ranks to become president in 1991. He found success by investing primarily in healthcare and technology companies throughout the 1980s and 1990s. By the time he founded Galleon in 1997, he had developed a savvy reputation for finding promising technology investments and being on the cutting edge. Galleon invested rapidly in high volumes, and at its peak in the 2000s, managed over $7 billion. By 2009, Rajaratnam had a net worth of more than $1 billion. But by the end of 2009, Galleon closed its doors.
Rajaratnam was the subject of an insider trading investigation by the U.S. federal government. In 2009, he was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and charged with 14 counts of securities fraud and conspiracy. Electronic records and wiretapped conversations exposed numerous communications he had with insiders at companies including Intel, Advanced Micro Devices, Clearwire, Google, Hilton, Akamai Technologies, and Goldman Sachs. These communications included insider information which Rajaratnam used to trade these and other companies’ stocks. In advance of Goldman Sachs’ earnings announcement, for example, Rajaratnam was recorded telling an employee, “I heard yesterday from somebody who’s on the board of Goldman Sachs that they are going to lose $2 per share… So what he was telling me was that, uh, Goldman, the quarter’s pretty bad.” In another conversation, a tipster told Rajaratnam, “So I think, uh, you can now just buy,” referring to an upcoming deal.
Lawyers for Rajaratnam argued that all of his trading was based on publicly available information, including newspaper articles, analyst reports, and company news releases. Galleon had been known for extensive research into companies’ prospects as a part of its success and edge over other investment firms. Lead lawyer John Down said Rajaratnam’s success was from “shoe-leather research, diligence and hard work.” The defense presented evidence, for example, of 51 news articles and six analyst reports that speculated about a potential merger of Advanced Micro Devices and ATI Technologies. This was one deal for which prosecutors claimed Rajaratnam received insider information. The prosecution agreed that Galleon regularly performed legitimate research but argued that its employees often violated securities laws, as well. Prosecutor Reed Brodsky stated, “[Rajaratnam] knew the rules, but he did not care… Cheating became part of his business model.” A government investigation estimated that via insider trading, Galleon avoided losses or generated profits of $72 million in total.
In 2011, Rajaratnam was found guilty on all 14 counts of conspiracy and securities fraud. He was ordered to pay a fine of $10 million, forfeit $53 million, and sentenced to 11 years in prison. This was the longest prison term for insider trading at that time. At the sentencing, U.S. District Judge Richard Howell said that Rajaratnam’s crimes “reflect a virus in our business culture that needs to be eradicated.” Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara expressed hope that this would be a wake-up call. He stated, “Privileged professionals do not get a free pass to pursue profit through corrupt means.”
Raj Rajaratnam built a reputation for always being on the cutting edge of investing. At its peak, his hedge fund management firm Galleon Group managed over $7 billion. His firm was known for its strong research in making trading decisions, but soon it was discovered that Rajaratnam was involved in insider trading.
Insider trading is wrong, no matter which of the two classic philosophical lenses is applied – deontology or consequentialism. Deontology asserts that lying is wrong. A deontological approach condemns insider trading because lying is inherently bad and insider trading almost always involves fraud or some other form of deceit. Insider trading by what the Supreme Court calls “misappropriators” involves theft of information from those to whom the wrongdoer owes a fiduciary duty. Theft, like fraud, is also an intrinsic wrong.
A consequentialist approach decries insider trading, too, because the practice undermines trust in markets, and trust is vital to economic stability and growth. Indeed, positive economic outcomes are correlated with aggressive insider trading enforcement.
1. Do you think Raj Rajaratnam practiced a deontological approach to trading? Why or why not?
2. Can you make an argument that insider trading should not be considered wrong when viewed through a deontological lens?
3. How might Rajaratnam’s actions have differed if he took a consequentialist approach to trading? Explain.
4. Rajaratnam had a reputation for being on the cutting edge and using extensive research to make investments. Do you think Rajaratnam saw his tips as a part of his research, or that he knowingly traded with inside information? Why?
5. Assume that Tilly is CEO of ABC Company and learns that it is about to announce record annual earnings. Tilly calls her stock broker and buys ABC stock in advance of the public announcement. After the announcement, the stock price jumps and Tilly sells her shares at a quick profit. Does this seem unfair to you? Why or why not? Is fairness also an ethical value that we should preserve?
6. In Tilly’s case, the courts treat the information regarding the earnings to be a company secret that belongs to ABC’s shareholders, not to Tilly. Does that make sense to you? Discuss.
7. When Tilly trades in a market where other investors do not have access to the information about ABC’s earnings, no matter how carefully they do their homework, and yet Tilly does not tell these other investors about ABC’s earnings, Tilly is viewed as committing a fraud by omission. Does that make sense to you? Explain.
8. Let’s say Binny is a CPA and her firm puts her in charge of the audit of its client, ABC Co. During the course of the audit, Binny learns that ABC is getting ready to make an offer to buy control of XYZ Co. Binny buys XYZ shares in advance of the public announcement of the deal and sells the shares after the announcement at a profit. The law would treat Binny as a “misappropriator” who committed “fraud on the source” of the information about the acquisition. She stole information that belonged to ABC and used it for her own purposes in a way that might well cause ABC to have to pay more to complete the acquisition. Does this sound like theft that should be condemned under a deontological approach? Why or why not? Is there a way to justify Binny’s actions? Explain.
9. How might investment firms guard against insider trading? How could a firm’s code of ethics help this mission? What would a deontological code of ethics look like? What would a consequentialist code of ethics look like?
10. Rajaratnam’s case demonstrates the pitfalls of a number of biases and behaviors. Can you identify other behavioral ethics concepts at work in this case study? Explain and discuss their significance.
A Dirty Business
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2011/06/27/a-dirty-business
Hedge Fund Billionaire Is Guilty of Insider Trading
https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/rajaratnam-found-guilty/
Who Is Raj Rajaratnam?
http://www.wsj.com/video/who-is-raj-rajaratnam/2EA02808-54D3-4F3A-92A9-934C7D284722.html
Raj Rajaratnam, hedge fund billionaire, gets 11-year sentence for insider trading
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/hedge-fund-billionaire-gets-11-year-sentence-in-fraud-case/2011/10/13/gIQAa0PZhL_story.html?utm_term=.34aac3bd91e7
Rajaratnam convicted on all insider trading charges
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-galleon-rajaratnam/rajaratnam-convicted-on-all-insider-trading-charges-idUSTRE74A3XM20110512
Trader Draws Record Sentence
The Voices of the Galleon Trial
https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/the-voices-of-the-galleon-trial/
Graphic: The Rajaratnam Verdict
https://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/the-verdict-on-raj-rajaratnam/ | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line716 |
__label__wiki | 0.995755 | 0.995755 | Official Journal of the European Communities, L 286, 11 November 2000
* Council Regulation (EC) No 2474/2000 of 9 November 2000 establishing, pursuant to Article 1(7) of Regulation (EEC) No 3030/93, the list of textiles and clothing products to be integrated into GATT 1994 on 1 January 2002 and amending Annex X to Regulation (EEC) No 3030/93 and Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 3285/94 1
* Council Regulation (EC) No 2475/2000 of 7 November 2000 establishing certain concessions in the form of Community tariff quotas for certain agricultural products and providing for an adjustment, as an autonomous and transitional measure, of certain agricultural concessions provided for in the Europe Agreement with Slovenia 15
Commission Regulation (EC) No 2476/2000 of 10 November 2000 establishing the standard import values for determining the entry price of certain fruit and vegetables 21
* Commission Regulation (EC) No 2477/2000 of 10 November 2000 on the rate of interest to be used for calculating the costs of financing intervention measures comprising buying in, storage and disposal 23
Commission Regulation (EC) No 2478/2000 of 10 November 2000 fixing the maximum export refund on wholly milled round grain rice in connection with the invitation to tender issued in Regulation (EC) No 2281/2000 24
Commission Regulation (EC) No 2479/2000 of 10 November 2000 fixing the maximum export refund on wholly milled medium grain and long grain A rice in connection with the invitation to tender issued in Regulation (EC) No 2282/2000 25
Commission Regulation (EC) No 2480/2000 of 10 November 2000 fixing the maximum export refund on wholly milled round grain, medium grain and long grain A rice in connection with the invitation to tender issued in Regulation (EC) No 2283/2000 26
Commission Regulation (EC) No 2481/2000 of 10 November 2000 fixing the maximum export refund on wholly milled long grain rice in connection with the invitation to tender issued in Regulation (EC) No 2284/2000 27
Commission Regulation (EC) No 2482/2000 of 10 November 2000 concerning tenders submitted in response to the invitation to tender for the export of husked long grain rice to the island of Réunion referred to in Regulation (EC) No 2285/2000 28
Commission Regulation (EC) No 2483/2000 of 10 November 2000 fixing, for October 2000, the specific exchange rate for the amount of the reimbursement of storage costs in the sugar sector 29
Commission Regulation (EC) No 2484/2000 of 10 November 2000 on the issuing of A1 export licences for fruit and vegetables 31
Commission Regulation (EC) No 2485/2000 of 10 November 2000 on the issue of system B export licences in the fruit and vegetables sector 32
Commission Regulation (EC) No 2486/2000 of 10 November 2000 amending representative prices and additional duties for the import of certain products in the sugar sector 33
Commission Regulation (EC) No 2487/2000 of 10 November 2000 determining the world market price for unginned cotton and the rate for the aid 35
II Acts whose publication is not obligatory
* Commission Decision of 25 October 2000 amending Decision 97/467/EC drawing up provisional lists of third country establishments from which Member States authorise imports of rabbit meat and farmed game meat (notified under document number C(2000) 3093) (1) 37
* Commission Decision of 25 October 2000 on financial aid from the Community for the operation of certain Community reference laboratories in the field of public veterinary health (biological hazards) (notified under document number C(2000) 3094) 38
* Commission Decision of 25 October 2000 on withdrawing the references of standard EN 703 "Agricultural machinery — Silage cutters — Safety" from the list of references of standards in the framework of implementing Directive 98/37/EC (notified under document number C(2000) 3104) (1) 40
* Commission Decision of 27 October 2000 amending for the third time Decisions 1999/466/EC and 1999/467/EC establishing respectively the officially brucellosis-free and tuberculosis-free status of bovine herds of certain Member States or regions of Member States (notified under document number C(2000) 3133) (1) 41
* Commission Decision of 31 October 2000 amending Decision 2000/551/EC on certain protection measures with regard to equidae coming from certain parts of the United States of America affected by West Nile fever (notified under document number C(2000) 3161) (1) 42 | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line717 |
__label__wiki | 0.684573 | 0.684573 | Tamara Toles O'Laughlin
Chesapeake Regional Network
Website/Social Media:
Tamara hails from Brooklyn, New York. She is an environmental advocate focused on social and environmental justice issues. She holds degrees from The City College, City University of New York and Vermont Law School.
Tamara most recently served as Energy Communications Manager at the Maryland Energy Administration where she lead planning and development of programmatic communications, working primarily with Maryland state agencies and the Office of the Governor.
Tamara has been a proud DC EcoWomen Board Member, on the Professional Development team, since August 2014. Additionally, she is also a state representative on the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments: Air and Climate Public Advisory Committee, and recently accepted an invitation to join the Board of Women’s Voices for the Earth, based in Missoula, Montana. She is also a member of the Washington Council of Lawyers and the American Association of Blacks in Energy.
Prior to relocating to the DC Metro area, she served as the Senior Law Clerk to the Honorable Douglas A. Brady, and the (retired) Senior Sitting Judge Julio A. Brady at the Superior Court of the US Virgin Islands on St. Croix.
Tamara graduated from the Vermont Law School in 2009, with a Juris Doctor and Masters of Environmental Law and Policy. The defining characteristic of her budding career has been a desire to work in public service, with specific attention to environmentally focused community, and government relations. She has been fortunate to hold positions with the Advisory Council of Historic Preservation, The Environmental Protection Agency, the Center on Race, Poverty and Environment, Natural Resources Defense Council, and the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, among others.
Tamara is committed to environmental advocacy work for the poor and chronically underserved, and has worked for over fifteen years to promote the principles of environmental justice, with particular attention to community capacity building, mobilization, equity of enforcement, and environmental health.
Her hobbies include travel, yoga, reading boring books about politics and neuroscience, and subsequently writing diatribes about what she reads.
Tamara Toles-O'Laughlin was honored by The Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership at The City College of New York (CUNY) with their 2016 Rising Star Alumni award at Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, NY for her local, regional and national civic work on issues of environmental justice, access and equity.
Related Fellow
Linda Tsang
National Fellows, 2001
Find more fellows in our directory | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line723 |
__label__wiki | 0.510099 | 0.510099 | Castles of Ireland, inspiring dreams and legends for hundreds of years
04 Apr Castles of Ireland, inspiring dreams and legends for hundreds of years
Just like the castles in England and Scotland, the many castles of Ireland were among the results of the Norman Invasion in the 1100s. Before that, there had been no Irish castles, only “ráths,” or fortifications, which would not qualify as “castles” based on our modern understanding. As more and more royals, nobles, knights, and various other notables of the passing times staked their claim over one county or another, more and more castles also sprung up.Establishing motte-and-bailey castles over newly conquered territory allowed the Normans to control the area. Castle construction only began to evolve into the types familiar to us today during the end of the 12th century.
Some of these survived for a time, only to succumb to the ravishing forces of the ages; others have been steadily maintained and improved upon. Some passed hands and families so many times; others still belong to the same bloodline that had had them built generations ago.There’s no denying the strong hold that these Irish castles have over us. If you pause and think about it, the incredible sense of history and legend that these buildings give off cannot but stagger you.Following are only a mere handful of the most famous Irish castles and brief explanations of why they are notable.Cahir Castle (County Tipperary) Said to be well-preserved, the structure is only slightly different from how it had been around 1142 when it was built. It was the former seat of the Butler family who had been part of the Irish nobility.Ashford Castle (County Galway) This is one of those castles that give off the feeling you’ve stepped into a childhood daydream. It is literally the stuff that our favorite fairytales are spun from. It has been converted into a 5 star hotel and boasts of 800 rooms.Blarney Castle (County Cork) Considered by many as the most handsome-looking castle, it dates from 1446 and houses the much “talked about” (pun intended) Blarney Stone, an item from legend that when kissed a certain manner, could give the person the “gift of gab.”Dunsany Castle (County Meath) Construction for this castle began at about 1180-81 and had been occupied since that time by pretty much the same family or bloodline. The castle available to us for viewing is about four times bigger than the original.Malahide Castle (County Dublin) Up until 1975, this had been the oldest castle that had been inhabited by a single bloodline for the longest duration. The last of the direct descendants died in 2009, but not before giving up—due to financial constraints—the castle they have owned since 1185.Tullynally Castle (County Westmeath) The Pakenhams have grown their roots in this 120-room castle for 350 years. The castle itself is mostly restricted, but the beautiful gardens are always open for visitors.Emerald Island Casino may not be an Irish castle, but it’ll sure give you the vibe of being there! Especially with the Irish artwork by local artist Edwin Leishman. So come on down and check us out! | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line725 |
__label__wiki | 0.828017 | 0.828017 | Ingo Schwichtenberg
Find sources: "Ingo Schwichtenberg" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
Mr. Smile
(1965-05-18)18 May 1965
8 March 1995(1995-03-08) (aged 29)
Power metal, speed metal, heavy metal
Drums, percussion, guitar, bass guitar, clarinet, flute
Helloween, Gentry, Iron Fist
Ingo "Mr. Smile" Schwichtenberg (18 May 1965 – 8 March 1995) was a German drummer and one of the founding members of German power metal band Helloween. Schwichtenberg was famous for his high-energy drumming. His Helloween bandmates gave him the nickname, "Mr. Smile", because he often appeared to be cheerful and smiling.
Schwichtenberg was fired from the band in 1993 during the tour of the album Chameleon. Schwichtenberg was apparently somewhat dissatisfied with the direction of the band as well, even going as far as to refer to their song from the Chameleon album "Windmill", as "Shitmill".
After his ejection from the band, Schwichtenberg slid further and further into his schizophrenic episodes, culminating in his suicide in 1995 by jumping in front of an S-train.[1][2] Schwichtenberg's replacement in the band was Uli Kusch.
His friend Kai Hansen had dedicated the song "Afterlife", from Gamma Ray's Land of the Free to him. As well, Michael Kiske made a tribute to Schwichtenberg with the track "Always", from his first solo album Instant Clarity. Also the song Step Out of Hell from Helloween album Chameleon is written by Roland Grapow about Schwichtenberg's problems with alcohol and other drugs.[3]
with Helloween
Helloween (1985)
Walls of Jericho (1985)
Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1 (1987)
Pink Bubbles Go Ape (1991)
Chameleon (1993)
with Doc Eisenhauer
Alles Im Lack (1992) - Drums on "Pharao"
^ "Ingo Schwichtenberg". metalstorm.net. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
^ Dietmar Kröber. "Galerie verstorbener Musiker - Anno 1995" (in German). musikworld.de. Retrieved 2017-10-21.
^ Masterplan: We Want To Be Different Interview with Roland Grapow
A tribute to Ingo Schwichtenberg
A tribute to Ingo Schwichtenberg on Facebook
Official Helloween site
Michael Weikath
Markus Grosskopf
Michael Kiske
Andi Deris
Sascha Gerstner
Daniel Löble
Uli Kusch
Stefan Schwarzmann
Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part I
Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II
Pink Bubbles Go Ape
Master of the Rings
The Time of the Oath
Better Than Raw
The Dark Ride
Rabbit Don't Come Easy
Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy
Gambling with the Devil
7 Sinners
Straight Out of Hell
Mr. Ego (Take Me Down)
Live in the U.K.
High Live
Keeper of the Seven Keys – The Legacy World Tour 2005/2006
The Best, The Rest, The Rare
Karaoke Remix Vol.1
Metal Jukebox
Unarmed – Best of 25th Anniversary
"Future World"
"Dr. Stein"
"I Want Out"
"Kids of the Century"
"When the Sinner"
"I Don't Wanna Cry No More"
"Windmill"
"Perfect Gentleman"
"Sole Survivor"
"Power"
"The Time of the Oath"
"Forever and One"
"Lay All Your Love on Me"
"If I Could Fly"
"Just a Little Sign"
"Mrs. God"
"Light the Universe"
"As Long as I Fall"
"Are You Metal?"
"Nabataea"
Keeper of the Seven Keys
MusicBrainz: c5c03ade-85ca-484c-a77d-25cbccd7f6d4
VIAF: 101144648528772592663
WorldCat Identities (via VIAF): 101144648528772592663
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ingo_Schwichtenberg&oldid=886188350"
German heavy metal drummers
Male drummers
German male musicians
Suicides in Germany
German musicians who committed suicide
Suicides by train
People with schizophrenia
20th-century German musicians
20th-century drummers
Male suicides
Articles needing additional references from December 2008 | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line729 |
__label__cc | 0.744485 | 0.255515 | 353974 June 27, 2019 | by Tracy Coleman
Though the news of the royal baby being born has been circulating for a while, we are still missing many details that the newest couple in the British Royal Family hides. In the meantime, we can study another aspect of Meghan and Harry, their body language.
Parenthood is expected
We saw Prince Harry go through his rebellious teenage years, and no one imagined he could become the serious, devoted husband he is today. However, since the birth of Prince George, we have seen Harry as a doting uncle. As soon as his engagement to the actress, Meghan Markle, was announced, people have been dying to see him as a father.
Most couples are pressured to start a family as soon as they get married, but a royal female member is expected to deliver babies successfully. No one in the royal family stays without kids for long, and since they both are over 30, the pressure was even more pronounced, and thankfully people did not have to wait years for the new baby.
As you probably noticed, even Meghan is stealthy with secrets since the first three months of her pregnancy passed by without most people being the wiser.
The Duchess used strategic outfits to hide her growing baby bump until Kensington Palace was ready to make an official statement. Additionally. Unlike most couples these days, the couple cannot hold their own gender reveal party because that breaks royal rules. No one finds out about the sex of the baby until its birth, and the name could also be hidden.
Queen Elizabeth II revealed the name of Prince Charles a month after his birth, so we can imagine the people of Great Britain betting on both the gender and the name of the future child. Now, we cannot even know more about Meghan’s life because she had to leave social media to join the royal family, but we can always pay attention to their body language to uncover enigmas.
There are many things you can discover about someone when you take a closer look at that way they stand or move. In order to analyze someone’s body language, the first thing we have to do is understand the baseline, which is the typical way in which a person acts. Everyone has idiosyncrasies that make up their personalities, without which we cannot really examine this aspect of the couple.
Baseline – Affection
Despite the royal family being strictly against public displays of affection, Meghan and Harry are seen close to each other on many events. It seems like they cannot contain their love, even though they should. Several photos have captured the couple copying each other’s poses; experts call it mirroring, and it’s something most people do when they like someone.
We are more likely to copy people we admire, and it’s very common for the Duke and Duchess to engage in such actions. We can conclude that the couple has a deep connection, despite not being married for long. Maybe waiting past the age of 30 prepares you to be a better spouse to your significant other.
You might have also noticed that in many instances, Prince Harry extends his hands towards his wife like putting his hands on her back. It might not seem like something meaningful, but it actually signifies that the Duke feels protective of Meghan, knowing that even though she was a famous actress, this is still all new to her.
No one can deny that when this couple is out and about, their smiles could light up a stadium. Markle might be sporting luminosity because of her pregnancy, but this is something different, and we guess that it can only be the effect of love. Public figures often have to fake their happiness for the camera, but the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are not being phony.
Pregnancy changes everything
The couple showed very positive body language since the very beginning, but their baby news gave them a brighter outlook. Some of their movements have also changed. They used to walk next to each other, but now Harry walks in front. For most couples, this action could be a negative sign, and it could signify a rift in the union.
However, when Harry walks ahead, he is still holding his wife’s hand or touching her. On other occasions, the Prince puts his hand in front of her belly in a motion that shows his protectiveness again, especially now that he is a father-to-be. There is not really anything perilous in their way, and he might not be aware of his movement.
We already established that this royal couple makes contact with each other more often than it is proper according to their rules. However, the pregnancy has exacerbated their need to make sure they are close together. Despite everything Markle had to give up to marry Harry, it seems like they are enjoying their true love.
A loving mother
Most pregnant women begin touching their bellies at an early point of their gestation. We can see her with hand on her stomach at most events nowadays, but a few weeks ago, she had to stop herself from the gesture. Additionally, she was normally carrying a round purse or something that would prevent her hands from instinctively going to the bump.
It is lovely to see her fully embracing things while protecting holding the upcoming baby, and it also signifies that she will be a hands-on mother just like the Duchess of Cambridge. Plus, the movement also reveals her excitement about becoming a parent. We know that the Prince also desired children, but now it is evident that Meghan does too.
The way they hold hands
They hold hands like most couples. But the nuance of it has changed since the news of their pregnancy broke out. Prince Harry can be seen holding his wife’s belly more than her hand these days, and Meghan loves every minute of it. Even the tiniest movements reveal a lot about the way they feel about one another.
Angry couples tend not to touch each other, so that fact that Harry and Meghan keep doing it states that their bond is unbreakable and they will continue to build on it in the future. Furthermore, touching your significant other ups the levels of oxytocin in the body, a happy hormone, so physical intimacy is essential for all relationships.
When we are stressed, people tend to pull away from everyone around them, and this is a great mistake because touching could help calm the nervous system by releasing cortisol, a hormone that decreases stress and enables you to stay healthy. The best thing to do is to hold your partner’s hand or hug them for a few minutes, and things will seem better.
The role of fathers in a Royal Family
For many years, fathers would not attend the births of their children, and we know this happened for most couples back in the day. The husband would stay outside while the wife did all the work. Queen Elizabeth II had other ideas about this rule, and she was adamant about having Prince Philip join her in the birthing room for Prince Edward’s birth.
She had given birth to two children without her husband present already, but she changed the rules. No one really knows if Prince William was in the room with Kate for the birth of his children, but it looks like Harry will be with his wife once the time for the new baby comes. No one is happier than this prince about becoming a father.
Read more: Top 8 Most Expensive Things That Queen Elizabeth Owns
Laughter is the best medicine
Meghan Markle Is Set On Breaking Her Pregnancy Rules
Another way that his couple shows their closeness is the fact that they always make each other laugh. They say that women love funny men, and that is because laughing releases endorphins that make you feel good. When you see Harry and Meghan giggling while looking at one another, you can really tell that they are happy.
Completing each other
All these actions individually might not be much, but when placed all together, they signify the way the couple fits together as a whole. Remember that marriage is literally the union of two lives and turning them into one. Most of this couple’s movements are similar or complementary to each other, signifying their strength as a set.
It is evident that Meghan enjoys being touched and feeling Harry’s love, and she shows her love of these gestures by leaning on her husband even more. That strengthens the Prince’s provider and protector instincts, proving that she is a great wife to him and that their bond is stable even as they embark on a new adventure together.
What did you think about the nuances of the body language of that amazing couple? We would like to see your comments down below, and if you enjoyed reading about Meghan and Harry, share it with other people that believe in true love.
8 New Rules Meghan Markle Will Have To Abide Once The Baby Is Born
Everything To Know About The Duchess of Sussex’s Pregnancy Struggle
Meghan Markle reportedly revealed due date while chatting to well-wishers in a $1,200 coat
Meghan Markle Apr 09, 2019
Does Harry & Meghan’s Double Hand-Hold Mean Something More?
Prince Harry: Things That Led A Shy Boy To Posh Favorite of Millions | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line732 |
__label__cc | 0.703579 | 0.296421 | FNIGC launches new and improved version of popular Data Online tool, which includes updated features, improved usability—and twice the data
Mon, February 13, 2017
The First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC) is pleased to introduce a new-and-improved version of one of its most popular online services, FNIGC Data Online. The updated version of the online knowledge translation tool introduces a range of new features, such as a new mobile responsive interface, customizable charts and graphs, a more dynamic user experience, social media shareability, and twice as much data than ever before.
The new FNIGC Data Online,which launches today at www.FNIGC.ca/dataonline, represents months of rethinking about the functionality of the existing tool and how information is currently being accessed, used, and shared in today’s online environment. The result represents a reimagining of the original Data Online tool, which was launched in December 2013 as an easy, no-cost way for researchers, academics, policy-makers and students to access FNIGC’s significant data resources about First Nations reserve communities.
In the years since, FNIGC Data Online has grown to become the cornerstone of FNIGC’s knowledge translation efforts.
Since it was unveiled more than three years ago, the data tool has been one of FNIGC’s most popular online products, consistently placing in the Top 5 most visited pages on FNIGC.ca with annual user visits more than tripling.
The new FNIGC Data Online offers these users a fresh new experience that better reflects how we use the web today. These new features include:
a mobile responsive interface that performs seamlessly on smartphones and mobile devices,
customizable charts and graphs that can be modified according to the user’s needs,
a more dynamic user experience that is easier to navigate, more intuitive to use, and makes interpreting data much more straightforward, and
enhanced social media features, including the ability to share our data on Facebook or Twitter with the click of a button.
In addition, FNIGC is pleased to report that FNIGC Data Online is now also home to all published data from the First Nations Regional Health Survey Phase 2and The First Nations Early Childhood, Education and Employment Survey, FNIGC’s landmark First Nations survey processes. This amounts to nearly 400 charts, graphs and tables—twice as much as was previously available.
In the months ahead, FNIGC Data Online will continue to grow with the addition of all phases of the First Nations Regional Health Survey including Phase One and the soon to be released Phase 3. (Note that all previously published survey reports will continue to be available on FNIGC.ca.)
The premier source of information about First Nations reserve and northern communities in Canada, FNIGC is a First Nations-run non-profit organization mandated by the Assembly of First Nations to serve the information, research and training needs of First Nations people and communities. As such, FNIGC is committed to improving the health and well-being of people living in our 634 First Nations communities across the country.
data tool
first nations data | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line740 |
__label__cc | 0.549565 | 0.450435 | Argentine Military Cemetery - Похоронный портал
Argentine Military Cemetery
A hilltop collection of crosses remembering the hundreds of Argentine troops who fell during the Falklands War.
Simple white crosses stand in neat rows atop this somber sliver of land. They mark the eternal resting places of more than 200 Argentine soldiers killed during the Falklands War.
After the British reclaimed the Falkland Islands on June 14, 1982, many of the bodies of the fallen Argentine were left on the Falkland Islands in temporary graves rather than repatriated back to Argentina. Buenos Aires refused to let the British return the remains of these troops back to Argentina, claiming that they were already laid to rest in their homeland.
Since they were unable to ship the dead soldiers back to Argentina, the British commissioned the creation of the Argentine Military Cemetery in December 1982. Upon completion of the Military Cemetery, the British gave the fallen Argentine troops a Christian burial with full military honors. The British Armed Forces did their best to identify the remains of each individual member of the Argentine military buried at the cemetery and mark their graves accordingly. That said, a small number of the graves display the message “Argentine Soldier Known Only By God” due to them being unidentified.
The location of the Argentine Military Cemetery on the Falkland Islands in at the top of a hill. The hill acts as a natural barrier that protects the location from the harsh winds the Falkland Islands are exposed to. When walking up the hill to the cemetery, the lack of wind instantly becomes apparent, offering a calm final resting place for the 237 troops located there.
The cemetery is open 24 hours a day. Please remember your surroundings and act respectfully while visiting the graveyard.
CONTRIBUTED BY Shaunm | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line747 |
__label__wiki | 0.902175 | 0.902175 | EA Sports Madrid - UI Software Engineer
Gamasutra takes anti-SOPA stance
January 17, 2012 | By Kris Graft
More: Console/PC, Social/Online, Smartphone/Tablet, Indie, Serious, Exclusive, Programming, Art, Audio, Design, Production, Business/Marketing
Gamasutra staff will not be updating the website between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. PST on Wednesday, January 18, in protest of the Stop Online Piracy Act, which despite some recent changes, still remains a very real threat to freedom on the internet.
We realize that we do provide a service that many people count on daily. But we strongly believe that ultimately, our readership, which includes many professionals in the video game industry, would be greatly damaged by SOPA.
With that in mind, it's important that as the leading industry-facing game news website, Gamasutra takes a clear stance on this issue. So we've made the tough decision to symbolically cease normal news operations, and an ad-free version of this article will take the place of the front page.
We will resume normal updates on Thursday morning. Comments on this article will remain active, and we encourage our visitors to discuss this measure.
The act is a clumsy attempt to eliminate copyright and trademark infringement stemming from foreign "rogue sites" that are deemed by the U.S. government or private corporations as havens for piracy. It would give the U.S. government and copyright holders the ability to seek court orders to block U.S. internet users from accessing sites accused of being "primarily dedicated" to copyright and trademark infringement.
Recently, the bill's author, Texas Rep. Lamar Smith, made an attempt to clear up some vagaries of the bill's original language. For example, instead of targeting sites that supposedly "engage in, enable or facilitate" copyright and trademark infringement, the act now more specifically targets foreign sites that are "primarily dedicated" to copyright and trademark infringement. Last week, Rep. Smith also decided to drop the controversial Domain Name System (DNS) provision.
But those revisions are still not anywhere close to adequate. Even with those revisions, under SOPA, content rights-holders and the U.S. Attorney General have the ability to gain a court order to put supposed infringers on an internet blacklist, bypass due process, and target legitimate businesses with the threat of civil and criminal penalties. And even though "foreign sites" are now the direct target of SOPA, U.S. companies will bear a financial burden as a result of compliance and legal costs pertaining to this measure.
The bill is still all about internet censorship that's akin to the kind used in countries like Iran and China. For our non-U.S. readers who think this won't affect you, think of how much of the internet's power lies in the U.S., and the kind of precedent this could set for other governments.
SOPA is a particular threat to video game companies and their fans who partake in user-generated content, such as mods, videos and screenshots. In general, SOPA would place a chilling effect upon many ways that game companies interact with and foster their communities, and judging how the games industry has been taking its products online and worldwide for years, and positioning games as services, that's a bad thing.
So when your customers and fans are negatively affected, that also affects the business of game developers, killing fun, creativity and innovation, while hampering the industry's economic growth all at the same time. The measure is still overly broad and wouldn't actually stop piracy. It won't protect U.S. jobs, but rather put legitimate game industry businesses in the crosshairs.
Due to the vagueness of the act, experts have said that even in its current amended form, U.S. sites could become direct SOPA targets. Gamasutra currently has comments sections and blogs where users can upload content, and we're planning to expand community features. Depending on the kinds of material posted by our readers in these sections, will we be deemed a site that's "primarily dedicated" to trademark and copyright infringement? Shall we hastily delete anything that might bring down the mighty hammer of the U.S. government or some media conglomerate?
While the SOPA hearings originally slated for Wednesday have been delayed in light of Rep. Smith's revision to the act's DNS provision, Gamasutra and its staff are standing in solidarity with those in the game industry and other websites that oppose this measure.
Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court finally ruled that video games are protected speech under the First Amendment. Gamasutra supports no measure -- neither SOPA nor the similarly dangerous PIPA -- that will undoubtedly counteract any progress this industry has made towards the freedom to create and innovate within the art and business of video games.
Gamasutra.com
[Use the Electronic Frontier Foundation's website to easily send a letter to your congressman. Click here [PDF] for the bill itself.]
Disbelief — Chicago, Illinois, United States
iGotcha Studios — Stockholm, Sweden
University of Exeter — Exeter, England, United Kingdom
129105 newswire /view/news/129105/Gamasutra_takes_antiSOPA_stance.php Loading Comments | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line749 |
__label__wiki | 0.886281 | 0.886281 | Scores Killed In Blast At Afghan Army Base
FILE: An Afghan National Army parade in Khost.
An explosion inside a mosque at an Afghan military base in the volatile eastern province of Khost has killed at least 27 people and wounded 50, officials say.
The blast occurred on November 23 in the Ismail Khel district of Khost. The victims had all gathered to attend Friday Prayers, officials said.
Abed Ahmad Zia, a provincial government official, said there were fears the death toll could rise further.
It wasn't immediately clear whether the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber, but Khost is a stronghold of the Taliban-linked Haqqani network.
The Taliban, however, has in the past decried attacks on religious gatherings.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line751 |
__label__cc | 0.745986 | 0.254014 | Ask a Mustachian
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by arebelspy | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line752 |
__label__cc | 0.742391 | 0.257609 | Feedback about Fear
A few days ago I asked generally about the fears that people have. Lots of people shared theirs and here is a brief roundup of what they said (all put here anonymously). Do you share any of those below? Can you add anything?
My own:
Heights and the prospect of falling, including gravity being reversed and falling into the sky, a certain type of insanity in other people, the idea of being buried alive. Probably lots of other things I haven’t thought of. Ghosts fascinate me, but I’ve never seen one, and I’m sure I’d be terrified if I did.
Random fears kindly supplied by others:
‘Being sick (vomiting)’
‘Living forever as the world gets dumber and more reliant on technology’
‘Flying daddy long legs’
‘Dogs, liver, clowns, beards, evening dress, gas fires and celery’
‘9PM at night, I walked thru the nursing home my mum was at, all the Red call-button lights on, with no responding nurses’
‘Brash colours, loud noises and all things garish are a huge assault on the senses’
‘I think my greatest fear is my imagination. Once I start to imagine a bad scenario I find it impossible to let it go until it is proved that it is just my imagination’
‘Heights, I feel is a very logical fear – you know, you could fall and be in a lot of pain for quite a while if it didn’t kill you. I think all of us fear the possibility of inescapable excruciating pain. And many, if not all of us, fear the unknown’
gdwest123 Uncategorized 8 Comments May 31, 2013 May 31, 2013 1 Minute
This post is all about fear. Not so much the fear of being late for an appointment, of making a mistake, or of getting sacked from your job.
I’m talking about the kind of thing that makes you absolutely, gut-churningly, terrified.
There was a recent TV programme about the amazingly brave Frenchman who specialised in walking across trapeze wires attached to high buildings. After weeks of work and surveillance and reconnaissance, he contrived with the help of friends to throw a rope between the twin towers in New York (in the 70s, long before the disaster of course) and trapeze-walked across the two of them, simply carrying a long pole as a balance, to the consternation of the watching crowd below.
How on earth must he have felt? As I watched I tried to glean myself into his mind, and I just couldn’t do it. The very idea of it absolutely chills me to the bone. That man has to be the bravest man on earth.
What are the things that terrify you? When I was a child I was afraid of seeing the figureheads on old sailing ships, they looked so huge and scaring. But it wasn’t just the horror of the giant carved wooden face, so savage and dominating, with the horrible garish colours. I remember it was more the terror of all the things that the figurehead would have seen, what’s underneath the sea, the thought of all those terrifying nightmare things there must be: drowned people, skeletons, old shipwrecks with slimy fish darting in and out of portholes, horrifying monsters, rotting timber and blackness and green nightmares of sheer liquefied terror.
There’s another kind of fear: the one of being enclosed in a tiny space that just gets smaller and smaller. I once had a ‘death mask’ made of my face in a sculpture class. John, the teacher, was a really nice lovable guy, who was kind and considerate. He rubbed Vaseline over my face, then wet plaster was applied progressively, and I had a straw to breathe through. I’m not nervous by nature, but words cannot describe the feeling of sheer terror as the light through your closed eyelids gets darker and darker, the pressure of the drying plaster gets more and more heavy and you feel as if you’re literally in your grave. I kept calm, but if I’d had an overactive imagination I might easily have pulled the drying plaster from my face, just to be able to breathe and see and feel as if I was back in the world again.
And did anyone reading this see the Kill Bill films? In one of them there’s a scene where Beatrice Kidder, the heroine, is beaten badly, and her legs and hands bound and she’s placed in a coffin that’s nailed securely shut, then she’s buried in a grave: the works, 6 feet of soil shovelled on top of the coffin lid. Before incarceration, her killer/torturer, takes delight in telling her that he’s leaving her a torch so she can see for those last moments before she runs out of air. The horror as Beatrice is alone in her grave, the sheer terror of her knowledge that nothing can save her is heart-in-mouth time at its most sublime. Needless to say she gets away, and it’s absolutely spellbinding to see her escape. But those moments, where we’re actually ‘with her’ alone in the coffin are timeless slivers of fear that are hard to replicate in your worst dreams.
There’s another thing that lots of people are afraid of, me included. Insanity. In ourselves of course, but more usually in others. Here’s a story that illustrates what I mean. Years ago I went to a portrait-painting class. The model was a bit strange, in fact truth to say she was weird, sinister, but not so much so that you could actually pin things down, just someone you’d steer clear of. One of the painters, a friend, was a very straightforward likeable unimaginative character, a middle aged man, let’s call him Arthur. Arthur had painted the model and took his painting home to work on in his studio. He came back the following week without the portrait, and started all over again. “Where’s the one you were working on,” someone asked, “the one you were doing was really good.” “Well,” said Arthur, “I got it home, and I was alone in my studio working on it. And her eyes bloody well terrified me, I don’t know what it was but I hated that look in her eyes. I just had to burn the portrait, I couldn’t stand looking at it.”
I think that insanity in other people goes beyond the obvious fear for our own personal safety. There can be a gleeful madness that we can reecognise are stark pure evil and that’s what scary, a hidden malevolence that razor blades your mind. Yuk.
I’d say that most of our fears are rational and reasonable. Most people dislike or are terrified of spiders, perhaps because of the poisonous variety that are hard-wired into our system to be afraid off, same goes for snakes. But how about those irrational phobias? Some people are terrified of open spaces, or to put it more accurately they’re scared of the unreasonable reaction that they might experience whilst out in crowds or in wide-open spaces. Claustrophobia, yes a pretty natural fear, but of course many people can’t stand lifts or any kind of confined space at all. There are phobias for all kinds of things: birds, leaves, the underground, dentists, nasty brown envelopes with bills inside, probably dozens of other things I haven’t even thought of. But for those people who suffer from rare phobias those things are no doubt as terrifying as being attacked by a knife-wielding killer.
There’s also that fear, maybe we all have it, of losing control somehow in a public place. As a schoolboy I had an irrational dread of standing up in school prayers and shouting out ‘God is a stupid fool’. I didn’t think it, I wouldn’t have done it, but the terror that some ridiculous force might make me do stand up and make a fool of myself in such a ridiculous way, scared me stiff until I thought about it rationally. The idea of standing alone in a crowd and being the object of ridicule is a very real fear for so many of us. Just think of the number of people who tell about their dreams of being in a crowded office, school, or public place with no clothes on, and everyone else is fully clothed.
And what about walking through a cold deserted graveyard at midnight? How many of us would want to do it? However irrational it might seem, the idea of the sheer spookiness of such a place is something we’d avoid if we can.
It’s interesting how we can actually almost enjoy our fears to some extent: that’s where writers of novels and film makers come in to their own. Horror film makers combine the element of surprise, the great old trick that always works of building up the tension: the monster stalking the heroine through the house, seen from the monster’s point of view, the heroine being unaware. And then, it’s forgotten until completely without warning the shrieking ghoul puts in an appearance as it does its worst.
Film-makers work hard to terrify us. Remember the scene from The Exorcist, where the little girl’s head swivels through 180 degrees, and she projectile-vomits and swears in a deep deep voice? It was too over-the-top to scare me. I prefer more subtle stuff, such as ‘Tales from the crypt’, where 7 victims who’ve met terrible ends all recount their experiences. And at the end each one starts all over again, as if their suffering just goes on and on in perpetuity. Now to my mind that is scary.
As for real life the prospect of evil people, truly evil people, can always send a shiver down our spines. There was a recent TV production, based on fact, where a social worker acted as the ‘responsible adult’ , helping killer Fred West give his statements to the police. West’s horrid mixture of childlike charm and almost innocent ghastliness apparently got under this poor woman’s skin to such an extent that she was deeply affected. And I’ve read books about West, where it was reported that Fred West’s father referred to forcing a child to have sex with an adult was ‘something that a man wants to do’. To think that a child can have that sort of twisted unspeakably awful, evil thinking inculcated into its psyche at an early age, now that’s scaring too. There again, it’s pure undiluted evil and it’s as if the evil is a disembodied thing with a life of its own that scares us; because we hate to think that it exists (if it does exist, who knows?)
Other things that have scared me? The sight of the shrivelled yellow-face of a woman in a morgue drawer when I worked as a theatre porter and had to help deliver my ‘first’ body. Stepping off scaffolding onto a house roof to dismantle a ‘stack chimney’ and feeling my foot begin to slip along the tiles. Throwing a huge sheet of lead from a high up roof and just that split second of blind panic when the heavy weight almost pulled me with it. Being shown around the crypt beneath Kensal Rise cemetery and seeing the rows of shadowy cobwebbed coffins stretching out into the darkness, or, on that same day, seeing a long cortege of black-leather clad rockers on Harley Davidsons, decked out in mourning gear, doing some kind of creepy funereal ceremony that I didn’t understand.
So what else scares you? Walking home alone in the dark and hearing footsteps behind you? The sound of a lonely dog howling in the night, à la Hound of the Baskervilles? The feeling that you’re being followed in the darkness, yet you know you’re on your own?
I’m not a scaredy cat. If anything unexplained happens I look for the obvious answer, I don’t think of ghosts and ghoulies. If there are such things as ghosts I suspect that I wouldn’t be particularly sensitive enough to be aware of their presence anyway, deep empathy isn’t exactly my thing.
I live alone, or rather alone with two cats. In the night they often knock things off tables, clunk about, even meow out loud for no reason. One night when I was in bed recently I heard a loud clonking somewhere, reasoned it was one of the cats larking about, thought nothing of it and fell asleep again. Then I woke up.
Both cats were outside in the garden!
My mind span into gear. What had made the noise? My heartbeat cranked up high.
I knew all the likely answers: wood contracting due to variations of temperature, something falling off a shelf that wasn’t securely put there in the first place. With both doors locked and no open windows I knew a burglar would have made much more noise. But alone in the middle of the night the rational explanations take a hike and your imagination spins out of control.
You know what? I think I’ve changed my mind.
Maybe it’s not so nice to think about what makes us scared.
But go on tell me. What really makes you scared? I’d really like to know.
gdwest123 Uncategorized 9 Comments May 27, 2013 May 27, 2013 8 Minutes
What happens in the bedroom?
In my opinion the so called ‘bedroom tax’ is the most pernicious and terrible idea that has come about in the last 15 years. I read some time ago that Ian Duncan-Smith, who is undoubtedly a well meaning, decent and highly intelligent and accomplished individual, had been researching and doing in-depth studies into the welfare system with a view of overhauling it for the good of everyone. I respect his abilities and ideas.
Which is why it’s so astonishing that he’s brought in this new tax that has been rolled out in several boroughs, and will presumably become ubiquitous very soon.
A friend, who is currently unemployed, lives alone in a flat that has two bedrooms. She is at rock bottom financially and has been told that her housing benefit is being reduced (effectively charging her a tax) by £17 a week. £17 a week, when you have literally no money to spare, is, frankly, impossible to find. With thousands of people in the same impossible situation it wouldn’t surprise me if many of them chuck morals out of the window and embark on any kind of illegal activity they can to bridge the gap. And I wouldn’t blame them. What else can they do?
Okay, the idea in principle: that people in council accommodation that have more space than they actually need, should move into somewhere smaller, is one point of view, albeit a cruel one. That, presumably, was the original intention of the legislation. Even allowing for the fact that it is surely cruel and wicked to expect someone to give up the home they’ve lived in for years, the cold hard and relevant reality is that in many areas (perhaps most) there simply is not the option to move into somewhere smaller. So local authorities tell a council house tenant that they have to find extra money every week if they stay where they are – their other option, presumably, to sleep in the street.
I have heard otherwise apparently highly plausible radio presenters on LBC saying, quite seriously, to callers to their programme “What are you worrying about? All you have to do is let a room!” For heaven’s sake, no one wants to let a room in their own home, unless it’s of their own free choice. Most people value their privacy, and why shouldn’t they? To be railroaded into taking a stranger into your home, your only refuge in times of trouble, is the ultimate indignity. And if you are unemployed, having to go through the indignity of declaring every penny you earn to the authorities, you would have to declare this ‘rent’ anyway, and presumably your income would be reduced accordingly.
It makes me angry when I hear fatuous rich people in lovely rewarding jobs, mouthing on about how good working is for you, and that if you are unemployed it would ‘do you good’ to get into the habit of employment. I have had long periods of unemployment in my life, and I can tell you that going into the job centre to sign on is the most horrible, miserable, ghastly experience you can have. I loathe the kind of people who say that ‘I have never been unemployed. If I was I would be parking meter attendant, do cleaning, do anything at all rather than sign on.’ I bet. Perhaps they have never faced the indignity of having to do a ‘restart course’ (as it was called years ago), when you are told how to go to a library and find a book, how to prepare e a CV, and how to be ‘motivated’. Most people want to work in order not to have financial worries and to have the lifestyle they enjoy, and they want to do a job that suits their intellect, their interests and also so as to have the company of like-minded people. Above all to have the things they want in life, and to have a measure of freedom.
More to the point, I would also guess that the majority of people in council accommodation are in employment anyway. Perhaps doing hard, low paid jobs that they heartily dislike, for long long hours. Or part-time work in reasonably paid jobs, because there simply is no full time work in their field. I met a man in Staples who told me that because the branch of Staples where he worked full time had closed he was taking any work he could: in his case part-time work in another branch of the retail store. He was being hit with having to pay an extra £20 a week. I am sure this is the kind of situation replicated all over the country, to people with families, who are doing the utmost to get by.
Kicking people when they are down is degrading and disgusting, and anyone who has hardly any money needs help, encouragement and support, not to have a splinter of terror inserted underneath their fingernails. Your home is your home, whether it’s owned by the council, a private landlord or your great-great-great grandfather in 1700. It’s the place where you ought to be able to feel safe.
It’s time for the government to have some compassion and to face the reality of their mistake. If Mr Cameron does not see sense soon the ‘bedroom tax’ will be for him what the council tax was for Mrs Thatcher. His downfall.
Generally I like Mr Cameron, and on the whole I support what he’s doing. Let’s hope he realises that this is possibly the biggest mistake of his coalition government, before the people who have no voice are defended by those that have.
Because the French revolution was not started by those that had nothing. It was begun by the middle classes who cared for those at the bottom who had no bread.
Second class citizens in a warm cosy club
I’ve been trying to sell my two books, Rock’n’Roll Suicide viewBook.at/B009XA5SQ4 and Doppelganger viewBook.at/B00B6U64B2 (both on Kindle for 77p) for around 6 months now, and I feel as if I’ve been blundering around in the control cabin of an old steam train, trundling along on an interminable journey that never seems to end.
I started off thinking lower the price – even try doing the free (KDP) offer, just get the first book out there, the more people see it the better my chances of it catching on. And it was rewarding, because lots of people seem to like the first, and the second book , I’m building up good reviews (and one resoundingly bad one that Amazon put right at the top of the am.uk page as a comparison). The reality is though that it seems as if you can only get so far and there’s a kind of ceiling you can’t break through. I don’t mind admitting that I’ve sold very few copies – what’s the point in lying? I’ve heard that lots of other people are seeing low sales too. Whether it’s because of the recession, or maybe there are just so many people out there doing it and there’s such competition I don’t know.
My idea of the Jack Lockwood Diaries http://jacklockwood.wordpress.com/ seemed as if it might be a way of selling the books: I write a short story every now and again, put it on the blog and hope people like it, and be inspired to buy one of the books because they like the character. John Locke’s book (How I sold a million copies on Kindle) gave me this idea of creating a ‘brand’ around a character. And I like doing it – there’s not so much work involved as writing a complete book. But do I have lots of followers? No. I have 11.
But aside from all the effort and enthusiasm, I get the feeling that us independent authors – or maybe a more honest way of putting it is ‘authors who can’t get a publisher or agent’ – are viewed as second class citizens in the publishing world. The successful Dan Browns are out there really doing it, and we are trying this, trying that, helping push each other’s books on twitter. But as writers we are still treated as second class citizens, and it seems sad, when so many independent authors are clever, talented and really good writers. What’s even more relevant is, we are like wanders in a storm: some of us probably need editorial guidance to improve the work, which we’d get if professionally published, but we go ahead and put out our work, and someone ‘in the business’ might easily spot snags that could easily be eradicated and improve the product. But we are all on our own, having a go, like architect, builder’s labourer and planner building an office block, with no rule book to guide us and no one to help.
Of course lots of people are doing it for vanity. Some are doing it purely for fun. But I’m doing it because I like telling stories, I’m sure that if I could only reach a certain type of reader, I could give up my other work and make enough from writing to do it all the time – not a fortune, not riches, just enough to live on. This is probably what we all aim for, and let’s hope some of us achieve it.
A very unexpected thing that had happened in all this ‘adventure’ is meeting via twitter so very many kind, generous, lively and helpful people, who genuinely want to help me and other people by doing nice reviews, offering encouragement and support, and sharing their journeys and experiences. It’s nice to feel that if you’re on a long journey, at least you’re not alone, and I must say the company is the best you could ask for. Like the person (you know who you are) who has spent ages giving me lots of helpful advice and suggestions of what approaches to take, who to follow etc etc, when I was new to it all, and still helps me out if I have a problem. Or the other twitter friend (who I’ve now met and is a ‘real life’ friend) who spent ages telling me about the formatting process, pitfalls and mistakes to avoid. Or the friend who is famous for championing other writers’ work, who produces a newsletter and gives as much help as she can to anyone who needs it, and has helped me particularly. And the many other twitter friends in the UK and in other countries, who offer nice words and praise and make me feel as if people enjoy what I’m doing and it makes it all worthwhile. Following blogs is something I never even knew about but now I do it and it’s very interesting.
The generosity and kindness of twitter active writers is incredible. Other writers want their work to succeed, but it seems that they’re; keen for you to succeed too, there’s no competitive spirit, just mutual support. Many people catch sight of someone who’s doing a free offer and go all out to help them if they can – I certainly do.
So we might all be second class citizens when it comes to the world of professional writing.
But we are in a warm cosy international club.
gdwest123 Uncategorized 13 Comments May 22, 2013 May 22, 2013 4 Minutes
JACK LOCKWOOD DIARIES
Watt’s wrong with Wattpad – or is it just me?
Walking on Sunshine Blog Party
Here is my interview with Stuart Keane | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line757 |
__label__wiki | 0.64039 | 0.64039 | released-in-xxxx-on-usa Keywords?
So I noticed somebody has been adding "released-in-xxxx-on-usa" keywords. I have multiple questions regarding this.
First of all, is this really a necessary keyword since that information is already easily available? Secondly, why is it "on usa" instead of "in usa"? Finally, why do many titles have this keyword for multiple years? For example, why does the 1999 film Black & White have *both* "released-in-1999-on-usa" and "released-in-2000-on-usa" as keywords? As has been mentioned countless times before, there is already rampant Keyword abuse. This just seems to encourage worthless clutter so somebody can get credited for enough submissions to make the Top 250. Or am I being unfairly cynical? Thanks for the assistance.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0165643/keywords?ref_=tt_ql_stry_4
Brett Erik Johnson
Hi Brett -
To clarify the keyword text "on usa" verses "in usa", this is actually referring to the 'USA network' (a popular television station in the US), so the keyword is implying that the titles were released on that television network, verses released in the US.
Concerning these keywords you reported, "Released In 2000 On Usa" and "Released In 1999 On Usa", we are accepting of these keywords as they are a useful way to link titles and promote title discovery, which serves the purpose of keywords (to allow visitors of the site to easily search and discover titles).
I hope this helps clarify!
The downfall of the IMDb keyword section is complete. So now everybody can add "released-in-xxxx-on-tbs" and "released-in-xxxx-on-tnt" and "released-in-xxxx-on-hbo" and do that for every major network in the world *and* multiple years are allowed on the same title so if a film is shown on a network during 15 different years then it can have 15 keyword entries for that? Sorry to be so snippy but that is beyond ridiculous! Also, you have that keyword for years before the USA Network even existed. What a joke...
It would make more sense to make sure that the planned upgrade of the company search in the Advanced Title Search lets users search for which titles were released on which channels and when.
I second this completely.
Vincent Fournols
moodri
I "third" this completely (unless you count Vincent Fournois as "thirding" it, in which case, I "fourth" it).
gromit82, Champion
Michelle: I want to support what the other commenters in this thread have written. There are numerous problems with the "released-in-XXXX-on-usa" keywords.
From the way they are used, it does not appear that they are meant to refer to the USA cable network. Many of the films were still in theatrical release at the end of the years in question and thus would not have aired on cable television in that year. For example, The Godfather: Part III (1990) was released to theaters on December 25, 1990, yet it has the "released-in-1990-on-usa" keyword.
In fact, there is even a film with a "released-in-1968-on-usa" keyword, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968). There are also "released-in-1971-on-usa" and "released-in-1973-on-usa" keywords attached to other films. But the USA Network didn't even exist under that name until 1980 (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_Network).
So it seems much more likely that whoever is adding these keywords meant that these films were released in the USA, the country, as opposed to the cable network, during the years in question. But doing so creates problems of its own.
1. Saying that the films were released "on-usa" is ungrammatical. The proper preposition to use in this context is "in", not "on".
2. Furthermore, these keywords are, or should be, redundant to the Release Date section of the database. Currently, it's only possible to do an Advanced Title Search based on a film's first release date anywhere. But if IMDb wants people to be able to search for films released in, say, the USA in 2018 (whether or not those films were released in other countries in an earlier year), it should be possible to program the software to do such a search. After all, every Release Date listed in the database has a country attached to it already.
In addition, if IMDb wants to enable searches by television distributors and years, then the proper way to do so would be to expand the capabilities of the Advanced Title Search for Distributors, since all distributor entries in the database have years attached to them.
Hi All -
Thanks for all your comments.
Following-up on our flexibility to allow keywords for television networks, ideally we would like to have better Advanced Search options, however, there are no planned updates on the roadmap for this feature and it's unlikely that these kinds of options will be prioritized. In the meantime, until the Advanced Search feature has this capability using keywords in this way is the next best option; I would encourage you to post a new Idea thread within the Get Satisfaction community to share your feedback about listing these keyword types.
Concerning the mention that these keywords are in fact referring to the country USA and not the Television network, this usage is against policy and we would not allow these to be listed on the site, as such our editors have now removed the two mentioned keywords ("released-in-1999-on-usa" and "released-in-2000-on-usa"), if you are aware of others on the site that are listed incorrectly in this way, please request the removal through the online Update form (if there are hundreds it's acceptable to report these to IMDb staff here to remove manually).
Michelle: I found the keywords in question by searching keywords for "released-in": https://www.imdb.com/find?ref_=nv_sr_fn&q=released-in&s=kw
Here are the problematic keywords from the list generated that way:
released-in-2000-on-usa (870 titles)
released-in-2006-on-usa (70 titles)
released-in-1981-on-usa (5 titles)
released-in-1971-on-usa (1 title)
Even after the "released-in-1999-on-usa" and "released-in-2000-on-usa" keywords are removed, the other keywords still amount to 1,240 titles. So I am requesting that the staff handle these removals.
Hi gromit82 -
Thanks for reporting these additional keywords, they have now all been removed and the changes should be reflected on the site shortly. Cheers!
Thanks for getting these keywords removed Michelle! | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line758 |
__label__cc | 0.527948 | 0.472052 | Back to Tips & News
Guangzhou, a magnet city for new wealth
The latest issue of Fortune Magazine carries the article "When Guangzhou Meets Fortune, a Magnet City for New Wealth" on its American, European and Asia-Pacific versions. The article introduces that Guangzhou, the host city of the coming 2017 Fortune Global Forum , is now positioned to build itself into one of China's important hub cities.
This article presents Guangzhou’s fast development in Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Bio-medicine industries as well as its achievements made in establishing international shipping, aviation and science & technology innovation hubs. Meanwhile it is also foretelling its readers the Fortune Global Forum to be held on December 6-8 in Guangzhou.
Speaking of fortune, Guangzhou has a long list to show off, especially after Foxconn Technology Group and city authorities recently laid the foundation stone to kick off a project with an investment of US$ 8.8 billion. The tech giant will produce the latest 10.5 generation 8-k electronic display here. The entire negotiation, contract signing and ground-breaking were completed in an incredibly quick 100 days, which was widely acclaimed and summarized as the “new Guangzhou speed.”
With that same rapid pace, the city is eager to catch up and expand in the new generation of information technology, artificial intelligence and bio-medicine (IAB), signing numerous projects worth billions in U.S.dollars. Together with other recently signed projects like Cisco Guangzhou Smart City, GE international Bio-industry Park and IDG Southern Center, Guangzhou is well poised to see a cluster effect of new development deals.
Guangzhou, the forefront city of the nation’s nearly four-decade long reform and opening-up, is now positioned to build itself into one of China’s important hub cities. China’s southern gateway city has ambitions to become a hub in international shipping, aviation and science and technology innovation.
With a millennia-long history of leading China’s business and foreign trade, Guangzhou has established trade relations with more than 200 countries and regions around the world. And 288 of Fortune Global 500 companies have operations in the city.
That explains why Guangzhou was chosen to host this year’s Fortune Global Forum. As the Fortune Editor-in-Chief Alan Murray said at the September press conference, “Guangzhou is both a renowned symbol and a modern manifestation of China’s participation in global commerce. ”
The Month of December, when the forum will be held, is the finest season in this sub-tropical and ever-green city. With that in mind, Guangzhou is in the process of readying itself to meet Fortune.
Tags: Guangzhou, 2017 Fortune Global Forum, Foxconn, Cisco, Information Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Bio-medicine industries, translation service
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HEALTH CARE: Love is the Best Medicine—Sometimes
By Mark T. Harris in Health Care on July 15, 2013 July 16, 2013
Thoughts on Psychotherapy, Natural Medicine, Marilyn Monroe, Alice Miller and the Legacy of Child Abuse
The emotional legacy of childhood resonates in the melody of countless small incidents and moments. They echo through our lives like a faint soundtrack set to the drama of the adults we have become. There are the tender moments, the memorable birthdays and Christmas parties, the simple wonder of seeing your first snowfall or taking your first bike ride. There are also the more painful memories: the drunken, angry parent, being slapped or hit or otherwise mistreated by people who are stronger and bigger than you. There is bullying at school. There is sexual abuse. In this world there are far too many of the hurtful memories.
I am interested in understanding the emotional experience of childhood. Not just my childhood, but the human experience of childhood. The book, The Drama of the Gifted Child by psychotherapist Alice Miller (1923-2010), first opened my eyes to the idea that even in our supposedly modern age what most people consider a normal, healthy childhood is often rife with hidden psychological trauma and abuse. In these hidden emotional wounds can be found the seeds of an adult world where violence and cruelty exist as seemingly eternal aspects of human culture.
We’ve learned a lot about healing in recent decades. In Love and Survival, Dean Ornish, MD, talks about how important loving relationships are to healing. Love is always the best medicine, he declares, noting that heart patients living in resilient relationships have better survival rates than unattached patients. It would appear to be a truism. But sometimes patients cling to the very “loving” attachments that contribute to their disease. In her book, The Truth Shall Set You Free, Miller cites as an example the story of Jean, a young mother who suffered from severe, recurrent depression over the course of 20 years.
At various times confined to bed, refusing to eat, and not having the strength to get up, Jean was treated with medication and talk therapy. Accordingly, she would recover for a time only to fall back sooner or later into the dark ravine of her wounded soul. Yet Jean was very much loved by her husband and daughter. Unfortunately, she was also deeply blocked from her true feelings, and thus remained essentially alone.
Only when Jean found a therapist interested in exploring her childhood, the course of which exploded the illusion that her authoritarian parents had loved her, did she genuinely begin to get better. At last she could “feel herself” rather than being alienated from herself, numbed by medication and well-meaning but misinformed family members and doctors who had believed her too frail to face the raw truth of her childhood. In Jean’s story therapy brought not a magical, lasting relief from depression, but rather simply a stronger frame of personal reference, one supportive of a growing understanding of her emotional self and capacity to maintain equilibrium in her life.
Yet how insidiously inventive can be the means of psychological denial, says Miller. In fact, sometimes making peace with child abuse can even read like an exposé of the harsh realities of child abuse. That’s her take on the very popular Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt’s graphic description of the misery and troubles of his Irish childhood. As Miller paraphrases, rebuking the fatalistic acceptance at the heart of the book’s perspective, “My childhood was awful, but it had its moments, and the main thing is I survived it all and can write about it. It’s the way of the world.” How much better to rebel against this kind of childhood, instead of using a kind of defeatist irony and humor to explain away a family’s suffering and pain.
In her 2005 essay, “Depression: Compulsive Self-Deception,” Miller discusses the long-term harm childhood neglect and trauma can have on the human psyche. But long-term effects are a given only if the pain remains repressed and denied. As she writes, “Suppose someone setting out on a long walk sprains an ankle right at the outset. That person may decide to ignore the pain and to soldier on because he/she has been looking forward to the outing, but sooner or later others will notice that they are limping and will ask what has happened. When they hear the whole story they will understand why this person is limping and advise him/her to go for treatment. But in connection with the sufferings of childhood, which play a similar role in our lives to a sprained ankle at the beginning of a long hike, then things are different. Those sufferings cannot be ‘played down,’ they will leave their mark on the whole enterprise. The crucial difference in this case is that normally no one will take any notice.”
As she also notes, often children whose integrity was violated as children have no memories of what was done to them. “If they have to spend their whole lives with people who play down the traumas of childhood, then they have no choice but to connive in this self-delusion. Their lives will progress in much the same way as the outing of the hiker who has sprained his ankle but pretends that nothing has happened.”
In the case of some famous celebrities, it might be easier to see that depression is indeed often rooted in the past. At the time of her death, Marilyn Monroe (born Norma Jeane Baker) had wealth, a distinguished career, and was admired by millions. Yet she continued to be plagued with depression rooted in her traumatic childhood.
“We may recall the fate of the enchanting Marilyn Monroe, who was put in a home by her mother, was raped at the age of nine, and was sexually harassed by her stepfather when she returned to her family,” writes Miller. “Right to the end she trusted in her charm, and finally she was killed by depression and drugs.”
For Miller, depression “is the suffering caused by the separation from one’s own self, abandoned early on, never mourned for, and accordingly doomed to despair and death.” What does a person need to get better? What does the body need? “It needs the free flow of emotions in constant flux: rage, grief, joy. If these are blocked by denial the body cannot function normally.” Without this free flow of authentic emotions people instead may resort to other remedies: Drugs, alcohol, nicotine, pills. They might become workaholics. Or they become violent themselves and abuse others. Unconsciously, they fear their traumatized feelings will kill them, not realizing their feelings, experienced in a different, more therapeutic context, could potentially free them from their mental prison.
It’s an interesting word: flow. In Traditional East Asian Medicine, treatment with acupuncture and other techniques often concentrates on opening up the body’s energy, breaking up blocks or patterns of stagnation in the system to allow the body’s energy to more freely move and flow. This makes sense. For isn’t the opposite of depression not so much happiness as vitality?
In my view, it’s possible through psychotherapy or other body-centered natural therapies to reawaken old, blocked feelings of helplessness or unhappiness, to re-experience the early sense of powerlessness associated with traumatic feelings and hopefully light a path to psychological healing. In these newly awakened feelings, as well as in related physical symptoms, it becomes possible to discover clues to the enigmas of our childhood stories and the emotional truths they hold.
As I’ve written elsewhere, Alice Miller threw a spotlight on the psychological dynamics of child abuse in a way unlike anyone before her. Taking the psychology of modern home life to task, Miller made targets of mainstream psychiatry, traditional morality, organized religion, dictators, politicians, and parents who spank their children. In the end, this bold, innovative thinker spoke of the possibilities for creating a new world based on a deeper understanding of what children need to grow into healthy, creative, engaged and compassionate individuals.
• Alice Miller Website
Published by Mark T. Harris
Mark T. Harris has contributed to Utne, Dissent, Z, The Oregonian, and other publications. He is a featured contributor to "The Flexible Writer," fourth edition, by Susanna Rich (Allyn & Bacon/Longman, 2003); and "Guide to College Reading," sixth edition, by Kathleen McWhorter (Addison-Wesley, 2003). For several years he was the Choice Books columnist for Chicago's Conscious Choice magazine. View all posts by Mark T. Harris
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“Here is a voice of great clarity and conviction. Mark Harris writes convincingly, even beautifully, of the possibilities for a transformed world.” — Riane Eisler, Center for Partnership Studies
Mark Harris is a Portland, Oregon-based writer. His essays and other writing appear in Utne magazine, Common Dreams, Counterpunch, Truthout, The Oregonian, Z, and other publications and news sites. Harris is a featured contributor to “The Flexible Writer,” fourth edition, by Susanna Rich (Allyn & Bacon/Longman, 2003); and “Guide to College Reading,” sixth edition, by Kathleen McWhorter (Addison-Wesley, 2003).
Contact: MarkHarris.media@gmail.com
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__label__wiki | 0.781015 | 0.781015 | Liberal Billionaire George Soros Attacks Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand?
Based on this report, billionaire George Soros is not a big fan of New York Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. He has not liked her since she pulled on in the push to oust Senator Al Franken from office. Franken’s ouster or forced resignation was based on allegations of sexual misconduct. While not the first to call for his scalp, Senator Gillibrand was quick to join the #MeToo action against Franken. Will this cost her in the 2020 elections? What are her goals?
As Written and Reported By Emily Zanotti for the Daily Wire:
Billionaire Democrat financier, George Soros, lashed out at one of the Democrats’ top 2020 contenders — and Hillary Clinton’s heir apparent — Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), for her role in Sen. Al Franken’s fall from grace.
In a Huffington Post article clearly aimed at rehabilitating Franken’s public image — something that seems to be a cause celebre among progressives at the moment — writer Amanda Terkel notes that some of Franken’s most prominent critics have fallen out of favor with the party’s godfather, including Gillibrand.
Soros reportedly accused Gillibrand of going after Franken, “whom I admire,” to “improve her chances” at becoming the party’s 2020 presidential contender.
He’s not wrong. Gillibrand was an early adopter of the #MeToo movement and saw a way to curry favor with the same feminists who backed her mentor and predecessor Hillary Clinton, in embracing a call to rid Congress, and not just Hollywood, of sexists. She was the first to call on Franken to resign, and has touted that fact repeatedly in speeches she believes will endear her to the progressive left.
She said as much to the Huffington Post.
“If standing up for women who have been wronged makes George Soros mad, that’s….
KEEP READING THERE IS EVEN MORE AT THE LINK BELOW:
CIVIL WAR: George Soros Attacks Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand Over ‘Firing’ Al Franken | Daily Wire | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line769 |
__label__cc | 0.582796 | 0.417204 | Category Archives: Free Expression
That Chewing Sensation…
Life occasionally offers us delicious examples of comeuppances to our enemies. Recent events have provided two in quick succession:
I hope you weren’t eating. But we need a reminder. This is Dianne Feinstein, U. S. senator from the State of California. Those of us who care about rights are well versed in her dedication to tyranny, but just in case some of my readers have missed the memo, here’s what she told 60 Minutes:
More recently, she’s taken time off from pushing gun control to criticize the actions of Edward Snowden, accusing him of treason. She has no problem with the NSA spying on American citizens.
But in the last few days, she’s swung around so fast that I’m surprised her hair isn’t on backward. It seems that the CIA had the nerve to spy on the Senate. And that’s too much for her highness. Has she become a born-again good citizen, ready to protect our rights? I doubt it. But it is pleasant to see her cooked in her own sauces.
This story recalls the tale of the frog and the scorpion. The scorpion asks the frog for a ride across a river, and though the frog is suspicious, he allows the scorpion on his back. The scorpion stings the frog in midstream, explaining that such an act is in its nature. The characteristic of spy agencies is that they spy. It’s the job of legislators to provide oversight, not carte blanche, but when someone like Feinstein falls down in her duty, she has only herself to blame when she is on the receiving end of violations.
She’s not alone, though, in experiencing a comeuppance. Blowhard British loudmouth, Piers Morgan–this fellow:
is set to have his show, Piers Morgan Live, cancelled by CNN. Morgan developed a reputation for telling Americans how we should run our country and for shouting over his guests who didn’t meekly agree with his every comment. And lo! his ratings plummeted.
Now he’s welcome to express himself however he chooses, but at the same time, we’re not under any obligation to listen to him.
These two deserve each other:
With any luck, they can buy an island and inhabit it together, monitoring each other’s activities and explaining to each other how they are superior to the rest of us.
Barring that, we can enjoy seeing them wake up to the chomping sensation in their bums. Feinstein and Morgan, what you’re feeling is called life biting you in the arse. Since sitting will be difficult for you, how about joining us in standing up for our rights?
This entry was posted in American Values, Citizens or Serfs, Free Expression, Gun Rights and tagged 60 Minutes, California, CIA, CNN, comeuppance, Dianne Feinstein, Edward Snowden, frog and scorpion, Greg Camp, gun control, NSA spying, Piers Morgan, Piers Morgan Live, U.S. Senate on 2014/03/13 by Greg Camp.
In discussions about gun violence on news sites and gun control blogs, I’m often asked what my solution to the problem is.
The incident at Newtown, Connecticut brings particular poignancy to this question.
First, let’s put this problem into perspective. The current U.S. population is somewhat over 318,000,000, according to the Census. Adding in non-resident visitors and uncounted aliens and rounding for ease of calculation, I’m calling it 320,000,000. Of that number, roughly 30,000 die per annum from gunshot, of which deaths two-thirds are suicides. That works out to 4.7 / 100,000, a rate that we hadn’t seen since the early 1960s.
The chart here shows data from 1976 on.
This means that your chances of dying by gunfire in America in raw numbers are one in about 10,600. If you don’t shoot yourself, your chances improve to one in 32,000. The numbers vary from city to city, but in our centers of population, murder victims tend in large percentages to be people with criminal records themselves, so if you’re not a criminal, your odds get even better.
But certainly, 30,000 is too many. The answer to this problem in the eyes of some is gun control, but as regular readers know, that is something that I regard as a violation of the rights of good people. Is there another answer?
Submitted for your consideration are my suggestions for reducing violence of all types, including firearms violence, in this country:
1. End the War on Drugs.
We’ve had a number of efforts at prohibition of substances, going all the way back to attempts at drying up the nation in the nineteenth century, but our current efforts at banning classes of entertaining drugs other than tobacco and alcohol got going for serious in the 1970s. In the forty years since, we’ve wasted a trillion dollars, and half of all federal prisoners are in for drug crimes.
As we saw in the 1920s during the Prohibition of alcohol, we are seeing again: Banning a substance only encourages criminal smuggling, gang warfare, collateral damage, and the ruining of lives of many who merely possess the forbidden fruit. Addiction should be treated as an illness, not a crime, and all recreational substances should be regulated in the manner that our two legal drugs, tobacco and alcohol, are. All who were convicted for mere possession should be immediately released and pardoned to remove the stigma of a criminal record.
2. Incarcerate violent offenders for longer terms.
Once drugs cease to be a criminal matter, we will solve the problem of overcrowded prisons. This will create room for violent offenders. Criminals who use a firearm in the commission of a crime can have extra time added to their sentences.
3. Improve schools.
As a teacher, I’ve gone on at length here about education reform. To sum up, we need to spend more money to pay teachers what they’re worth, to reduce class sizes, to repair and upgrade facilities, and to offer a wider selection of classes. The goal here is to provide all students with a chance to succeed. It seems obvious, but the more educated a population is, the less crime that population commits.
4. Improve access to mental health services–with the caveat that privacy must be protected.
In these incidents of mass shootings, some shooters are seeking revenge against those whom they perceive as having wronged them, but the typical case is a young, white, male, loner with mental health problems. Unfortunately, such individuals don’t often see themselves as needing treatment. I suspect that part of their reluctance involves a fear of being reported, so making privacy a guarantee is important. Of course, young men who head down the road to becoming a mass shooter reach a point of no return. That leads me to the next two points.
5. Stop making these shooters stars.
As author and space scientist, David Brin, argues, we should treat these mass shooters in the same manner as the Ephesians wished to treat the arsonist who burned down the Temple of Artemis. His name was to be erased and never recalled again. This, of course, will require the voluntary cooperation of news organizations, since we cannot do right by violating rights. But as long as America has a love affair with wacko killers, those nutcases will have motivation.
6. Address bullying.
Here in America, the intellectual loner is not a popular type. But a core value of our nation is that we all should be free to express our own individuality. That is one of the key messages that should be taught until the concept is absorbed. We can be ourselves without demeaning others. At the least, it should be clear that attacking others will not be tolerated.
But there’s more. We’ve created a culture in schools where someone who acts in self-defense is treated the same way as the person who started the fight. One solution to this is to teach martial arts–Krav Maga, for example, since it’s free of the religious overtones of Eastern systems–and make it clear that human beings, even students, have the right to stop physical violence used against them.
These are my answers to the problem, realistically assessed, of violence in our society. We will not eliminate all of it. Violence is in human nature, and Americans are more violent as a culture than other societies, but we can go a long way along reducing it. And we can do so without violating our rights.
This entry was posted in American Values, Education Reform, Eleutherianism, Free Expression, Gun Rights and tagged alcohol, America, bullying, criminal record, criminal records, David Brin, education reform, Ephesus, gang violence, Greg Camp, gun control, gun rights, intentional homicide rate, martial arts, mass shooting, media frenzy, mental health services, Newtown, overcrowded prisons, population, Prohibition, suicide, Temple of Artemis, tobacco, violent offenders, War on Drugs on 2014/01/29 by Greg Camp.
If It Quacks Like a Duck…
The news reports that Duck Dynasty star, Phil Robertson, has been suspended from his A&E program indefinitely for comments he made regarding homosexuality. Now I can remember when A&E was more arts than entertainment, and I only became aware of the program in question when I figured out that the pictures I was seeing in stores were not of ZZ Top.
But let’s consider this matter in detail. This is what Robertson said to GQ Magazine:
It seems like, to me, a vagina — as a man — would be more desirable than a man’s anus. That’s just me. I’m just thinking: There’s more there! She’s got more to offer. I mean, come on, dudes! You know what I’m saying? But hey, sin: It’s not logical, my man. It’s just not logical.
Everything is blurred on what’s right and what’s wrong. Sin becomes fine. . . . Start with homosexual behavior and just morph out from there. Bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men. Don’t be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers — they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right.
In other words, he takes a point of view held by many in this country. It’s a position that I disagree with, as I’ve said many times before. At the same time, I support his right to express his beliefs.
Some have said about this incident that Robertson still gets to say what he pleases. He just won’t be appearing on a corporation’s television show. This raises the question of how corporate image is affecting our understanding of free speech.
There’s a concept here that we need to understand. It comes from statements of the pope that are taken to be infallible. Those are called ex cathedra, or from the chair. (A cathedral is the seat of a bishop, by the way.) The idea here is that the pope is speaking as the pope, not as an ordinary human being. If Francis I, for example, looks at the sky and says that it’s going to rain, that’s not infallible. If he declares in an official statement that rain is the gift of God, that will be taken by Catholics as the way it is. (Sort of…)
The same notion should be applied to other famous people. In fact, it should apply to us all. As regular readers of this weblog know, I teach composition and literature at a college. I don’t name that institution here because I’m not speaking as its representative. My views expressed here are solely my own. What I say in these articles should be taken as my private expression, not something that I’m saying as a part of my job.
If Robertson had said what I quoted above on the A&E show, that network would have some claim to making an objection. Or perhaps there should be the standard disclaimer at the start, telling viewers that the opinions expressed here are not the network’s, so don’t sue us. But when he speaks to a separate magazine, he should be seen as speaking for himself.
I realize that this requires some sophistication of thought. Peter Jackson once told Charlie Rose in an interview that the reason he didn’t select someone like Tom Cruise to play Aragorn was that he didn’t want the audience to see Tom Cruise instead of the character. And that’s a problem with a lot of people. But the actor is not the character. That’s true of scripted fiction, and it’s true of “reality” T.V.
Besides, what was the network expecting? A duck hunter from New York City? (New York City?)
This entry was posted in Free Expression, Gay Marriage, Gay Rights and tagged A&E, Catholicism, Charlie Rose, Duck Dynasty, ex cathedra, free expression, gay rights, GQ Magazine, Greg Camp, Peter Jackson, Phil Robertson, Pope Francis, reality television, Tom Cruise, ZZ Top on 2013/12/19 by Greg Camp.
First or Second?
The Huffington Post continues its several-weeks-long rant against gun rights today in an article titled, “Protecting Second Amendment While Trampling the First.” The author, one Ken Toltz, claims that those of us who defend gun rights are violating the free speech and free press rights of those who are against us.
His argument is that we gun-rights supporters have been too loud in our opposition to gun control. He reminds us that Dick Metcalf, once of Guns & Ammo was let go because he pushed gun restrictions in an editorial, and he brings up the open carry protest that was organized outside a restaurant that some Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America whiners were visiting.
Really? That’s all?
Metcalf wrote an article in a magazine devoted to guns and gun owners. Should it come as a surprise to him that the readers didn’t appreciate his support for gun control? But in what way has he been prevented from expressing his opinion? His story has been told by the news media again and again, and he remains free to speak his mind on blogs, in magazines that will have him, and anywhere else that he cares to speak. All that he was denied is the one outlet where his views don’t match the readership.
Regarding the Moms for Gun Bans, if you can’t stand a counterprotest, too bad. The attitude of gun control freaks, one that I have observed repeatedly in debates with them, is that anyone who disagrees with their position is either too stupid for consideration or a bully. It’s the same kind of thing that gets stereotyped in movies about Southern mamas. Whenever someone says something that mama doesn’t like, she gasps and faints. Fortunately, we do not live in that matriarchal tyranny any more. Moms have to provide the same facts and logic that everyone else must offer to win a debate.
But the strangest claim of all of Toltz’s screed is that gun-rights supporters are shutting down the debate. Seriously? Has the media been silent about gun control? Have gun control blogs disappeared? Has The Huffington Post been prevented from advocacy? A short survey will show you that the answer to these questions is no.
Over the years of writing this weblog, I’ve declared my love of both the right of free expression and free speech and of gun rights. I find it bizarre for someone to use one right to call for the violation of another, but that’s what you must be able to do in a free society.
And that’s the limit of what you should be able to do. When it comes to making laws that violate the rights of others, talk is all you have a right to. We who support gun rights will talk. Some of us, myself included, more than others. But action, when it is correct, defends rights.
This entry was posted in Free Expression, Gun Rights, Speech Rights and tagged Dick Metcalf, First Amendment, free speech, freedom of the press, Greg Camp, gun control, gun rights, Guns & Ammo, Huffington Post, Ken Toltz, Moms Demand Action, open carry protest, Second Amendment on 2013/12/14 by Greg Camp.
Have Your Cake and Speak It, Too
There’s a case out of Colorado that has the left and the right of our political spectrum in a stew. A bakery near Denver, one Masterpiece Cakeshop, refuses to sell wedding cakes to gay couples. Administrative law judge Robert Spencer says that the business will be fined if it continues this policy.
Regular readers of this weblog know that I am a supporter of equal rights for all, straight, gay, or in between. I see it as necessary for our society to give official recognition to the marriages of gay or lesbian couples. But there is more here that just one set of rights.
The owner of the bakery believes that gay marriage is wrong. He sees it as going against his Christian beliefs. So be it, and I don’t feel qualified to comment on that. But he is in a creative business. His cakes are his speech, in the same way that a musical composition, a photograph, or a sculpture is speech, as we understand the concept today. To require him to bake a cake in celebration of something he disapproves of is to force speech.
If Masterpiece Cakeshop sold oil changes, there would be no question here. It should change the oil of anyone who can afford that service. If the bakery sells pre-made cakes, those should be offered to anyone who has the money. But if the business is using the creative skill of its employees to make products to suit its customers, it has to be free to do that in whatever manner those creators see as right. When the business and the customer can’t come to an agreement in that situation, the two must be free to part company and seek others.
This entry was posted in Free Expression, Gay Marriage, Gay Rights and tagged Administrative law judge Robert Spencer, Christian beliefs, Colorado, Denver, First Amendment, free expression, gay marriage, gay rights, Greg Camp, Masterpiece Cakeshop, wedding cakes on 2013/12/07 by Greg Camp.
Fishing for the Fellow under the Bridge
In my time writing and commenting on discussion boards and weblogs, I’ve run across a disturbing word: troll. Commentors are cautioned not to feed the troll, and anyone who expresses an opinion different from the majority’s risks being given that label. The term has two possible origins:
1. In Norse mythology, “troll” is a word used as a synonym for the Jötunn, the giants who are the equals and rivals of the Æsir and the Vanir. Readers of The Hobbit know of them as the monsters that confront Bilbo and the dwarfs before being tricked into staying out past dawn and turning into stone. Trolls also show up in the Harry Potter series. Then there’s the troll who lives under the bridge and eats travellers who try to cross.
2. The French verb, troller, means “to quest.” It’s used in English to refer to dragging bait through the water in hopes of catching fish.
The second of those is probably the origin of the term in Internet usage, since the offending commentor was someone who threw out silly or unrelated remarks in hopes of derailing the discussion, but it’s come to have both meanings, as seen by the idea of avoiding feeding said creature.
What disturbs me is the notion that a discussion must only be conducted by people who already agree on the main points. I’ve seen far too many cases of dissenters being called trolls for merely offering a contrary view. Our kind of society depends on a lively debate and a respect for the right of everyone to hold individual opinions. Yes, there are obvious cases of someone whose sole interest is to disrupt the conversation, but too often, moderators or participants label opposition as disruption.
This kind of attack is akin to the ad hominem fallacy. It’s directed at the person, while ignoring the points being presented. It’s also a sign of a small mind that is unable to address outside thoughts. I’ve said before that we get the society that we deserve. We shape that society by our participation in the marketplace of ideas. It should also be remembered that some of the Jötunn–Skaði, for example–live with the gods and are their friends. Odin himself consults Mímir, the giant guardian of the Well of Highest Wisdom. We dismiss trolls lightly at our peril.
This entry was posted in Advice for Living, American Values, English Diction, English Usage, Free Expression, Norse mythology, On-line discussions, Troll and tagged ad hominem fallacy, blogs, discussion, echo chamber, French verbs used in English, harry potter series, Norse mythology, troll on 2012/09/26 by Greg Camp.
Innocence and Experience
Over the last week, the world has seen film criticism turned into violent protest. The movie in question, The Innocence of Muslims, portrays the prophet Muhammed as a child-molesting, adultering, homosexual thug. In doing so, it has offended many, some of whom attacked U.S. embassies in North Africa. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three members of his staff in Libya were killed in one of those incidents.
I didn’t want to watch the film, but for the purpose of writing this article, I saw it on YouTube. It’s some thirteen minutes of inept acting, bad dialogue, pathetic effects, and an absence of character development or a coherent plot.
But the protests aren’t over the fact that it’s a lousy movie. The problem that some see in it is that it depicts Muhammed as a bad person. It calls into question the origins of the Islamic religion. Is it offensive? Certainly. Is violence an acceptable response? Certainly not.
The implication of the protests is that the religion in question is too weak to survive criticism or insult. Ideas cannot be defended by violence. Those who accept ideas do have the right to defend themselves against physical harm, but offense doesn’t qualify. People have the right to live and to believe, but ideas do not.
Understand the point that I’m making there. A person has the right to be a Muslim or not, but the religion itself has no right to special protection. Ideas have to stand or fall on their own strengths and flaws. As we’ve seen time and again, nonsense gets the protection of swords and shields, but that doesn’t make it true. Good ideas are often suppressed, but that doesn’t make them false.
So what makes a religion true or false? It’s not scientific evidence or historical events, no matter what some believers may say. Religion isn’t subject to those considerations. What makes the difference is the narrative power of the religion and the meaning that it gives the lives of its participants. In terms of social utility, we can consider whether the religion makes a person better, but that goes beyond the validity of the religion itself.
I’ve seen questions asked about how a film like this could have been allowed. This comes mostly from countries that don’t respect freedom of expression. Those countries also don’t typically respect freedom of religion, either. America has extraordinary religious freedom and no official religion and a high rate of participation in religion. Those two facts are connected.
With that in mind, the right response to an offensive movie is to speak out, to make a new film, to preach, and to argue. If the religion in question has good ideas, it will survive. If not, it’s not worth fighting for in the first place.
This entry was posted in Advice for Living, American Values, Film Criticism, Free Expression, Islam, Libya, Speech Rights and tagged current-events, Film criticism, free expression, free speech, freedom of religion, human-rights, Innocence of Muslims, Islam, movie protests, Muhammed, politics, prophet muhammed, religion, violent protest on 2012/09/14 by Greg Camp. | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line770 |
__label__wiki | 0.631585 | 0.631585 | Motion Like a Grrl
written by Ruby Liles
There are a lot of Tennessee rules that I feel, as a teenager and a girl and a person, need to be broken. In Tennessee, it’s totally legal to own a personal semi-automatic firearm (aka the sort of weapon used to massacre innocent people at Sandy Hook, a number of the 142 school shootings since then, and now the Orlando shooting); it’s totally legal for therapists to refuse LGBTQ+ patients for “religious reasons”; and it’s totally legal for tampons to be taxed as a luxury.
Yeah, that’s right. Tennessee’s primarily male congress has decided that menstruation is a luxury and those of us with vaginas should have to pay 20 extra dollars a year for being allowed the joyous luxury that is shedding our inner organs for roughly 7 days consecutively. They’ve decided that tampons will be expensive as heck but sure, they’ll give out condoms for free, even though periods are a lot harder to refrain from than sex. Even though Tennessee has a 17% poverty rate, and for 17% percent of our state, that extra $20 is nearly impossible to come by.
I’ve done Youth Legislature for 2 years. For those who don’t know, in Youth Leg. you get to be a mini-Congressman for a year, in which you design and write a bill, pro/con debate it, and then ultimately go to a city-wide conference where you and other youth get to present and pass/fail all the bills. It’s one of my favorite things on the planet.
The funny thing is that though the actual Tennessee Congress and the US Congress are primarily male, at least half of the kids in the Memphis Youth Legislature are girls and all but 1 of the bills that got out of committee in my House were created by girls. One of these bills was by my good friends Jessica and McKinley, and was to take off the luxury tax I was talking about earlier. It passed! It makes me so happy that the youth of Memphis (particularly the female half) are realizing that government is for them. Why leave it to the old guys when we’ve all got so much to say as well? Girls in government are becoming more and more common, active, and aware, and are making more and more of an impact by the second.
Young women aren’t taken seriously in many political fields, and I have been a victim of that. I had a bill about guns last year, and my knowledge on the subject was seriously questioned and scrutinized since “guns aren’t girly”. I’ve been told to shut up because it’s unladylike, but that’s only made me raise my placard to speak more. I’ll keep on raising my placard until people quit focusing on the controversy of my existence in a male-dominated field and start focusing on the controversy my actual bills propose, because I’m here to change the game.
I’ll wrap up with this Paul Wellstone quote: “Politics that does not speak to and include all people is an intellectually arrogant politics that deserves to fail.” In America, there are a lot of issues to be solved that are selectively permeable in that certain voices are overplayed while others are muted. If you think that that’s wrong, there’s no way better to fix it than to act. I love youth legislature because I feel like we live in such a sensitive culture in which bringing up anything even remotely political in everyday conversation can be dangerous. In government classes, I’ve gotten to meet and work with people that love challenging that. I’ve gotten to be in an environment where controversy is encouraged and rewarded rather than shut down. For a really long time, we females have been locked out of that environment and that world, and it’s time we take it by storm. The all-girls St. Mary’s team took home the most wins at the 2016 Memphis Youth Legislature conference. Some people will deny it, but the world needs girls; and we’re giving it to them.
proud Outstanding Delegate Award winner, Outstanding Bill Award winner, and Grrlpuncher,
Ruby is in a passionate love affair with espadrilles and spends the majority of her time anticipating a second Roman Holiday movie. She likes coffee less than she thinks she does. | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line772 |
__label__cc | 0.727223 | 0.272777 | The 12-Steps » Addiction Recovery » Articles
Audience » Educators
Denial and Sex Addiction
by Linda Hatch, PhD (See all authors)
Denial is a form of distorted thinking. In fact, it is a masterpiece of distorted thinking. Breaking through denial marks the beginning of addiction treatment. This is just as true for sexual addiction and behavioral addictions generally as it is for chemical dependency.
Without treatment, the set of ideas, rationalizations, and beliefs that constitute a system of denial become more and more entrenched and tend to spread, becoming a world view which supports a deceptive and disordered way of life.
Even for a practicing sex addict, there are moments of clear-headedness when he or she suspects that they are engaging in a problematic or pathological pattern of behavior. But that awareness does not hold up. Why? Because denial is distorted thinking in the context of a semi-dissociated (i.e. “checked out”) state. The distorted thinking creeps back in when dissociation provides an opportunity. And the greater the awareness in recovery, the greater the dissociation needed to overtake it. But let’s begin at the beginning.
Denial During addiction
Addicts in the grip of an addiction have a set of beliefs that support that addiction. That is beliefs which protect them from the need to examine their behavior. These can look absurdly deluded to a non addict. When challenged in any way, the practicing addict uses these ideas or “theories” to defend against the idea that they have a problem.
These may take many forms such as rationalization:
“It’s normal behavior”,
“It’s harmless”,
“I need it”,
“I have a high sex drive”,
or minimization:
“Everybody wants what I want”
“I’m not that bad”,
“I’m cutting down”,
“It’s not bad enough to need treatment”
or projection:
“So-and-so is the one with the problem”,
“I’m being judged unfairly”,
“My wife/husband makes me the way I am”
The practicing addict at this point is considered to be in the stage of “pre-contemplation” in the stages of change framework, meaning they have not even consciously contemplated the idea of change.
Usually, something rather dramatic happens to bring the addict to the point of contemplating change. The sex addict may be found out by a partner, lose a job, neglect a career, get/transmit a disease, become impotent in intercourse (as happens with many teen porn addicts) or get arrested. At that point, the addict may begin to suspect that the behavior is destructive and compulsive. But this dawning awareness is not enough to impact the addiction in the long run. Neurologically, addiction is a pathological form of learning. The distorted thinking which surrounds it provides a powerful undertow. If the crisis somehow passes without the addict getting some serious help, the behavior will return.
Denial in Early Treatment
The addict who has actually made an initial foray into treatment will often come up with a different set of distorted beliefs. These beliefs serve to justify the addict’s natural urge to escape from treatment. These may involve ideas like
“Maybe sex isn’t really an addiction”
“I’m not sure I belong in this kind of treatment”,
“Treatment is ineffective”,
“Treatment works for other people but not me”,
“I tried it once and it didn’t work”,
“I’m hopeless so why bother.”
In early recovery, the addict tends to be in crisis. His or her world feels like it is crumbling and the addict is prone to extreme emotions. Emotionality can stand in the way of rational thinking and rational examination of the situation. With treatment, the addict’s delusional beliefs are challenged and he/she gradually replaces them with more reality based thinking and becomes more fully engaged in recovery.
Denial and dissociation in relapse
Dissociation is a mental state in which some of our rational decision-making and impulse control functions are off line. What seemed like a terrible idea this morning can seem like a great idea tonight. What we rationally knew is no longer engaged; we are no longer mindful i.e. we are not present. And in place of rational self-awareness is a set of thought distortions that make no sense but which we are unable to critically examine.
The dissociated or semi-dissociated state then becomes the context in which the delusional thinking can lead the addict into acting out. This context is one in which decisions are not realistic, consequences are not considered and impulses reign supreme.
Some examples of the kinds of circumstances and thought patterns that lead to this dissociation and to “slips” and relapses might be:
Alcohol or drugs which lead to an altered “I don’t care” state. The higher centers being temporarily offline makes way for the distorted thinking and addictive behavior.
Being alone with no one around to inject a note of reality into the situation. In this situation pessimism and self-put-downs can take over; the addict “forgets” that he has people he can call; he grabs for relief.
Being in stressful or unfamiliar situations such as business travel which can feel disorienting and threatening. This makes it difficult to hold onto a mindful, self-directed state. The addict may find it easy to slip into unreality.
Dissociation is the opposite of mindfulness. Any situation which threatens the addict’s ability to return to a mindful, self-aware state can open the door to thoughts and behaviors that make no sense. Is it any wonder that the core mindfulness skills we stress so much in treatment are ones that must be practiced and reinforced even into the later stages of recovery? | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line773 |
__label__wiki | 0.798863 | 0.798863 | Fraud Watch: Bay Area Doctors, Home Health Employees Indicted in Kickback Scheme
By Kaitlyn Mattson | September 6, 2018
A federal grand jury in San Jose indicted three doctors and three employees of Milpitas Home Health Agency for conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks for referrals.
U.S. Attorney Alex G. Tse and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett announced the medical professionals were charged at the end of August. According to the indictment, three doctors received payments in exchange for referring Medicare patients to Medics Choice Home Health, a Milpitas home health care agency.
Prosecutors say Medics Choice Home Health received $4.2 million from Medicare for the care of patients by the doctors, according to an Easy Bay Times report.
The alleged kickbacks reportedly ranged from $250 to $700 for each Medicare beneficiary referred to home health services, according to court documents obtained by East Bay Times. In some cases, kickbacks were paid as a flat monthly rate of about $2,000 to $3,500.
An indictment alleges that crimes have been committed and all defendant are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment and a fine of $250,000 for the conspiracy to pay and receive remunerations for the referral of Medicare beneficiaries.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick R. Delahunty is prosecuting the case.
Prosecutors also charged a Milpitas Home Health Agency employee with one count of obstruction of justice, alleging she obstructed an FBI investigation by threatening former employees who were voluntarily interviewed by agents, East Bay Times reported.
There are no reliable estimates of fraud in Medicare, but alleged improper payments for Medicare in 2017 reached nearly $52 billion, according to a recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the watchdog arm of Congress.
In its report, GAO made three recommendations to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services: require and provide fraud-awareness training to employees, conduct fraud risk assessments and create an anti-fraud strategy for Medicare, including an approach for evaluation.
The California kickback case is not the only example of fraud within the home health industry within the past few months. In Boston, the owner of Harmony Home Health Care was sentenced to two to three years in state prison for stealing millions of dollars from the Massachusetts Medicaid Program, known as MassHealth.
“The defendant stole millions from MassHealth and took advantage of patients and taxpayers,” Attorney General Maura Healey said in a press release after the sentencing announcement in early August.
Elena Kurbatzky, 45, was convicted after a jury trail in Suffolk Superior Court on charges of Medicaid false claims, larceny over $250 by false pretenses and Medicaid member eligibility fraud.
“We will continue to investigate and take action against those who commit fraud against MassHealth and take health care resources away from people who need them,” Healey said.
Written by Kaitlyn Mattson
Kaitlyn Mattson | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line777 |
__label__wiki | 0.852477 | 0.852477 | Dj Law
Dj Law Biography
Timeline of Dj Law
2016 Signed a contract with University of Albama
2017 Total Salary
Facts of Dj Law
1994 , November-6
5 Feet 11 Inch
View moreless Facts of Dj Law
DJ started playing football from his school life and developed his career as the footballer. As a running back, he made a contract with UAB out of East Mississippi Community College. After that, he was selected for the start of the fall semester, but during spring roster, he suffered a knee injury and tried to maintain academic eligibility.
Later he appeared as a central figure in the Netflix channel's documentary, Last Chance U. For this reason, the head coach of UABt Bill Clark told to AL.com, that DJ wouldn't get a chance to play for UAB next season.
In 2016, Dj made a contract with University of Alabama at Birmingham's football team. After joining this University, he came into the limelight and began the rugby as well.
Talking about his personal life, DJ is the holder of an American nationality and belongs to the white ethnicity. DJ is an unmarried man and has no girlfriend till date.
Besides his sports career, there are no any rumors of his personal life. He seems planning to do best on rugby and focusing on it.
Being the popular footballer, DJ earns a tremendous amount of money from his career. His lavish lifestyles indicate that he has a good salary and net worth. Though, his current net worth is yet to reveal. By Looking at his career, we can assume that he might have a net worth in seven digits.
An American rugby player earns salaries on average of $25,000. The other players who play for national team, making close to $40,000 and top players in the competition earn nearly $70,000. So being an American rugby player, Dj doesn't earn less than $25,000.
Dj Law facts on timeline
November 4 , 1994
DJ was born in Haines City, FL, the United States and raised there. Currently, he is 23 years old and his birth sign is Scorpio. He attended his high school in Haines City, Florida.
DJ's lavish lifestyle indicates that he has a good salary and net worth. Though his current net worth is yet to reveal. By Looking his career, we can assume that he might have net worth in seven digit.
Signed a contract with University of Albama
Dj made a contract with University of Alabama at Birmingham's football team. After joining this University, he came into the limelight as well as playing rugby.
Total Salary
American rugby players earn an average salary of around $25,000. The other players who play for national team, making close to $40,000 and top players in the competition nearly $70,000. So being an American rugby player, Dj also earns no less than $25,000. | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line780 |
__label__wiki | 0.906333 | 0.906333 | 1999: Falcons Stun Vikings in Overtime for NFC Championship
The 1998 Minnesota Vikings certainly appeared to be a championship team in the making as they rode a powerful offense to a 15-1 record that easily topped the NFC Central and set a mark with 556 points scored along the way (since topped by the 2007 Patriots). Head Coach Dennis Green’s team had benefited from the revival of 36-year-old QB Randall Cunningham’s career; after a year’s retirement and a season as a backup, he took over for the injured Brad Johnson and proceeded to lead the NFL in passing, with 3704 yards and 34 touchdowns against just 10 interceptions. He had outstanding targets in veteran WR Cris Carter (78 catches, 1011 yards) and rookie sensation Randy Moss (69 receptions, 1313 yards, and a rookie-record 17 TD catches) at the other wide receiver spot. RB Robert Smith accounted for 1187 rushing yards as well.
The Vikings easily disposed of the upstart Arizona Cardinals in the Divisional round and hosted the Atlanta Falcons at the Metrodome on January 17, 1999 for the NFC Championship.
The Falcons had won the NFC West with a 14-2 tally under Head Coach Dan Reeves. They didn’t dazzle in the ways that Minnesota did, with a run-oriented offense keyed by RB Jamal Anderson (1846 yards). Veteran QB Chris Chandler had a steady season in which he achieved career highs in passing yards (3154) and touchdown passes (25) as well as a 100.9 passer rating. Wide receivers Terance Mathis and Tony Martin both had over 60 catches and 1100 yards. The defense was unspectacular but opportunistic, leading the league in takeaways (44). Atlanta defeated the 49ers in the Divisional round to move to the NFC Championship game, where they were an 11-point underdog.
The Falcons scored on their first possession, marching 76 yards in 15 plays and getting a touchdown on a five-yard pass from Chandler to Anderson. Minnesota came right back with a 31-yard TD pass from Cunningham to Moss, evening the score at 7-7 after one quarter. The Vikings appeared to take control of the game in the second quarter, taking advantage of fumbles by Atlanta RB Harold Green and TE O.J. Santiago as they added two field goals by Gary Anderson and a one-yard touchdown run by Cunningham for a 20-7 lead.
Momentum shifted back to the Falcons late in the second quarter, however, when Cunningham fumbled the ball away. Chandler threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Mathis on the first play after the turnover and the deficit was cut to 20-14 at the half.
Atlanta pulled closer in the third quarter thanks to a 27-yard Morten Andersen field goal. But the Vikings got on the board again early in the fourth quarter after a 15-play, 82 yard drive that ended with a 5-yard TD pass from Cunningham to WR Matthew Hatchette.
The Falcons came back quickly thanks to Chandler’s 70-yard pass to Martin that set up a 24-yard Andersen field goal. The Minnesota offense stalled in its next two possessions, but when they went 55 yards to set up a potentially game-clinching field goal with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter, it appeared that they were on the way to the Super Bowl. However, Gary Anderson, who had not missed any of his 35 field goal attempts during the season or his four thus far in the postseason, was wide to the left on the 38-yard attempt.
Atlanta’s offense had shown great poise throughout the game, particularly in the loud Metrodome venue, and with the Vikings fans in full roar, proceeded to drive 71 yards in eight plays that culminated in Chandler’s 27-yard pass to Mathis that tied the score at 27-27 and sent the contest into overtime (pictured at top).
Minnesota received the kickoff in “sudden death”, but in two possessions was unable to effectively move the ball. Mitch Berger punted 52 yards to the Atlanta nine yard line after the second possession. Chandler, now limping from an ankle injury, provided more heroics as he hit Santiago on passes of 15 and 26 yards to move the Falcons to the Minnesota 48. The offense drove the ball in deliberate fashion down to the Vikings 21, and Morten Andersen kicked a 38-yard field goal (pictured at bottom) to give Atlanta a 30-27 win and the conference title.
The Falcons offense accounted for 427 yards to Minnesota’s 356 in the stunning victory. Chris Chandler (pictured at left) had an outstanding performance as he completed 27 of 43 passes for 340 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. Tony Martin gained 129 yards on 5 pass receptions, while Terance Mathis caught 6 passes for 73 yards and two scores and Jamal Anderson, who also led the running attack with 67 yards on 23 carries, also caught 6 passes, for 33 yards and a TD.
Randall Cunningham (pictured above right) completed 29 of his 48 passes for 266 yards and two TDs, also having none picked off. Randy Moss and Cris Carter both caught 6 passes, with Moss gaining 75 yards and scoring once, and Carter accumulating 67 yards. Robert Smith rushed 21 times for 71 yards against the tough Falcon defense.
Afterward, many of the comments pertained to the shocking missed field goal attempt by Gary Anderson. “There's no such thing as a guarantee in football in any way, shape or form,” said Coach Dennis Green. “We had such tremendous expectations. That makes it ten times more disappointing,” added Anderson, who had not only had an outstanding season prior to the miss but was one of the great placekickers in NFL history over the course of his long career (the same could be said of Atlanta’s Morten Andersen).
Jubilant Atlanta LB Jessie Tuggle, leader of the defensive unit that performed so well, exclaimed, “We shocked the world! No one thought we would be where we are right now, playing in the NFC Championship. But not only did we come here to play in it, we came here to win it.”
The jubilation failed to extend into the Super Bowl against the Denver Broncos – the Falcons lost convincingly, 34-19. They dropped to 5-11 in 1999 and didn’t return to the playoffs until the 2002 season.
The stunning loss in the ’98 NFC Championship game cast a pall over what had arguably been the Minnesota franchise’s greatest season. The Vikings were back in ’99, but the team wasn’t as dominating and made it into the postseason as a wild card, losing in the Divisional round.
Labels: 1998 NFL season, Atlanta Falcons, Cris Carter, Dan Reeves, Dennis Green, Gary Anderson (PK), Minnesota Vikings, Morten Andersen, Randall Cunningham, Randy Moss
1999: Falcons Stun Vikings in Overtime for NFC Cha... | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line781 |
__label__cc | 0.515813 | 0.484187 | MVP Profile: Bill Dudley, 1946
Tailback/Defensive Back, Pittsburgh Steelers
3rd season in pro football & with Steelers
College: Virginia
Height: 5’10” Weight: 172
Prelude:
Despite questions about his size, Dudley was drafted in the first round by the Steelers in 1942, ran for a 55-yard TD in his first pro game, and went on to lead the NFL in rushing as a rookie with 696 yards. He also led the league in punt return yardage (271) and kickoff return average (27.1) and accumulated a league-leading 1349 all-purpose yards. Despite his nickname, Bullet Bill was not particularly fast, but had outstanding instincts. Playing halfback and tailback in a single-wing offense, he was also not a particularly adept passer, but his all-around skills made Dudley a star and he was an outstanding ball hawk in the defensive backfield. Due to World War II, Dudley missed the 1943 and ’44 seasons completely, but returned for the last four games of 1945.
1946 Season Summary
Appeared in all 11 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]
Attempts – 146 [1]
Yards – 604 [1]
Yards per attempt – 4.1 [7]
TDs – 2
Pass Receiving
Receptions – 4
Yards – 109
Yards per catch – 27.3
TDs - 1
Attempts – 90 [10]
Completions – 32 [10]
Yards – 452 [10]
Completion percentage – 35.6
Yards per attempt – 5.0
TD passes – 2 [12, tied with five others]
Most TD passes, game – 1 vs. Chicago Cardinals 9/20, vs. NY Giants 10/6
Interceptions – 9 [8, tied with Tommy Thompson]
Passer rating – 20.5
Field goals – 2 [9, tied with Roy Zimmerman]
Field goal attempts – 7 [8]
Percentage – 28.6
PATs – 12 [9, tied with Joe Stydahar]
PAT attempts – 14 [9]
Longest field goal – 34 yards vs. Boston Yanks 10/13
Punts – 60 [2, tied with Howard Maley]
Yards – 2409 [2]
Average – 40.2 [7]
Punts blocked – 1
Longest punt – 69 yards
Interceptions – 10 [1]
Return yards – 242 [1]
TDs – 1 [1, tied with six others]
Returns – 14 [3]
Average per return – 20.0 [7]
Longest return – 34 yards
All-Purpose yards – 1378 [1]
TDs – 5 [8, tied with ten others]
Field goals – 2
PATs - 12
Points – 48 [5, tied with Hugh Gallarneau]
Also led NFL with 7 fumble recoveries
NFL MVP: Joe F. Carr Trophy
1st team All-NFL/AAFC: Chicago Herald-American
1st team All-NFL: UPI, Pro Football Illustrated, NY Daily News
2nd team All-NFL: AP
Steelers went 5-5-1 to finish in a tie for third in the Eastern Division with the Washington Redskins.
Aftermath:
Despite his outstanding play, Dudley clashed with Pittsburgh Head Coach Jock Sutherland as well as teammates. Threatening retirement, he was traded to the Detroit Lions prior to the 1947 season, and while his rushing numbers dropped, he caught far more passes as a T-formation halfback and continued to be an outstanding kick returner and defensive player – he scored 11 TDs in four different ways in ’47 (2 rushing, 7 receiving, 1 punt return, 1 kickoff return). After three seasons with the Lions, he moved on to the Washington Redskins in 1950 and was chosen to the first two Pro Bowls following the ’50 and ’51 seasons. Continuing to be a versatile performer, he led the NFL in field goal percentage (76.9) in 1951. After missing the ’52 season, he played primarily as a placekicker in 1953, his last year. Overall, he rushed for 3057 yards, caught 123 passes for 1383 more, intercepted 23 passes, returned 124 punts for a 12.2 average and 78 kickoffs for a 22.3 average, punted 193 times with a 37.8 average, and kicked 33 field goals and 121 extra points. Dudley was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1966.
MVP Profiles feature players who were named MVP or Player of the Year in the NFL, AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization (Associated Press, Pro Football Writers Association, Newspaper Enterprise Association, United Press International, The Sporting News, Maxwell Club – Bert Bell Award, or the league itself).
[Updated 2/14/14]
Labels: 1946 NFL season, All-Purpose Yardage Leaders, Bill Dudley, Interception Leaders, MVP Profiles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Player Profiles, Punt Return Leaders, Rushing Leaders | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line782 |
__label__cc | 0.545396 | 0.454604 | ← US Presidents in the News: President Warren G. Harding
Thanks to a MOOC, I Don’t Miss Taking College Classes Anymore →
Two Gentlemen from Virginia: Surprising Facts about US Presidents Thomas Jefferson and James Madison
Posted by Heather Voight
The third President of the United States had a personality that was similar to George Washington’s in many ways. Like Washington, Jefferson was fond of dancing at parties and tended to be shy. Instead of addressing Congress in person, Jefferson sent his messages in writing. This tactic showed off his writing skills and helped him avoid his fear of public speaking. Known as an intellectual for his scientific and architectural pursuits, he thought he was also a good violin player, though some people who heard him play thought otherwise!
Official Presidential Portrait of Thomas Jefferson, 1800
Official dinners were conducted in a manner different from the presidents who preceded him. He insisted on dressing simply to the point that one guest thought he was a servant. The dinners were served on a circular table so that no guest would feel superior or inferior to another. Jefferson did not eliminate all luxury in the executive mansion, however. Fancy French food was served regularly during his presidency.
As many people know, he sent Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore “Louisiana country” west of the Mississippi River. Jefferson and Lewis had been neighbors in Virginia, so Jefferson already knew how seriously Lewis would take the job. With Lewis and Clark’s help Jefferson purchased the Louisiana territory. While Jefferson added land to the United States, he also scaled back on some government departments. In a move that would delight many people today, he temporarily got rid of the Internal Revenue Service.
Like his close friend Jefferson, James Madison also tended to be shy in public. Madison had the additional disadvantage of being the shortest president in history (he was 5’4″). He was also one of the skinniest, which led some people to believe he was always at death’s door.
His personal qualities may not have made him noticeable to others, but his wife Dolley made up for Madison’s awkwardness. The outgoing Dolley was Thomas Jefferson’s hostess while the widower was president. This gave her opportunities to mingle with members of Congress who would decide whether or not to elect Madison when he ran for president. When Madison was elected, he and Dolley held the first inaugural ball at a hotel on Capital Hill.
Portrait of James Madison, 1815
In many ways Madison served as Jefferson’s junior partner. He kept Jefferson informed of political matters in the states while Jefferson served as minster to France by writing coded letters to his mentor. Madison told Jefferson, “I shall always receive your commands with pleasure.” Yet Madison had his own opinions. While Jefferson was away, Madison helped draft the U.S. Constitution. His belief in a strong central government ran in opposition to Jefferson’s preference for individual rights. Madison did, however, have a flexible personality, which allowed him to see both sides of an issue. Just as he helped write the Constitution, Madison helped create the Bill of Rights that supported Jefferson’s individualistic views.
Posted in Presidential History, US History, US Presidents
Tagged Bill of Rights, congress, Dolley Madison, George Washington, inaugural ball, James Madison, Louisiana, Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, U.S. Constitution, William Clark
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__label__wiki | 0.879865 | 0.879865 | Close to Home: The Critical Importance of State Advocacy
Determined advocates are building relationships with lawmakers to protect the healthcare and quality of life of people with bleeding disorders
Author: Matt McMillen
Meet a few of the dedicated state-based advocates building strong partnerships to protect and improve the lives of people with bleeding disorders.
Tracking new proposals
In Idaho, the bleeding disorders community has always been able to count on the state legislature. The community’s main concern—access to clotting factor and other treatments—has never been a pressing issue. So the Idaho Chapter of the National Hemophilia Foundation (NHF) State Advocacy Day, held each winter, was a pretty laid-back affair. A small contingent of volunteers traveled to the legislature in Boise, where they set up a table and offered box lunches to passing lawmakers. “That was about all that our advocacy consisted of,” says Zach Walker, a volunteer patient advocate with the Idaho Chapter who lives in Meridian, Idaho, just outside Boise. “Until this year.”
This year, for the first time, Walker, 44, and his colleagues made appointments with several state senators and representatives. They wanted to meet the people responsible for making healthcare decisions in Idaho, particularly those that concern Medicaid, the joint federal-state program that helps pay for healthcare for low-income people and many people with disabilities. In those meetings, the Idaho team learned of a bill the state legislature was considering to authorize a Medicaid waiver proposal (specifically, a “Complex Medical Needs Waiver Application”) from the governor that would move some people with rare diseases such as hemophilia from commercial insurance to Medicaid. Walker’s group then scrambled to determine if the proposed bill would help or hurt the bleeding disorders community.
In the end, the Idaho bill did not pass, but it taught Walker, a civil engineer who has severe hemophilia B, a valuable lesson: the need for active and engaged state advocacy. “We have to watch out for similar bills in the future and determine what they mean for our community,” says Walker. “If we hadn’t gone there and talked with them, we would not have even known that it was happening.”
Given recent challenges to healthcare coverage at the federal level, national advocacy such as NHF’s annual Washington Days remains critical. But local action is just as, if not more, necessary, say patient advocates and chapter executive directors across the country.
Tackling ‘little fires’
“The state level is where the real work of healthcare change is going to happen in the next few years, and it’s an easier place to work in many regards,” says volunteer advocate Bob Graham, 53. “You have a smaller population, a more focused legislative body, and the ability for patient communities such as ours to organize more effectively and efficiently.”
Graham, who has mild hemophilia A, lives in Varysburg, New York, about four hours from Albany, the state capital. He’s been active in the bleeding disorders community for the past 30 years and focused on legislative advocacy for more than a decade. As public policy coordinator at the New York State Bleeding Disorders Coalition, much of his work has been done in partnership with other patient groups that share similar goals.
“A lot of the issues tend to affect more than just the bleeding disorders community,” says Graham. He spent about six years, for example, collaborating with 20 other patient organizations, including the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, to reform step therapy policies in New York. Step therapy, also known as “fail first,” allows insurance companies to override a doctor’s prescription in favor of other, often cheaper, medications that patients must try first. Only if that medication fails to treat an illness successfully will the insurance company consider authorizing more expensive medications.
“But there were no limits to how many drugs they could make you fail on,” says Graham. “All the while, you’re not getting the right treatment.” In 2016, the New York state legislature passed a law limiting the use of step therapy. That law, the product of state advocacy efforts by a coalition including Graham, went into effect last year. “That was huge,” says Graham. “But there’s always something else, always lots of little fires all over the place.”
A new generation
On the other side of the country from Graham, Madonna McGuire Smith serves as executive director of the Hemophilia Foundation of Oregon, in Corvallis, about 45 minutes south of the state capital, Salem. When Smith started in 2013, she made state advocacy a top priority. Her chapter held its first State Day in 2015.
“At the time, nobody in Salem had ever heard of us,” she says. “Now legislators know who we are. They call me to ask what’s going on, to set up meetings and to find out if we support a bill. The more active we become, the more they want us on their side.”
Last year, the Oregon chapter focused a lot of attention on what Smith calls midyear switching, in which insurance companies, often with little or no warning, change their coverage of medications. Here’s what can happen: A patient signs up for a health insurance policy that requires only a $10 copay for prescription drugs. Then the insurer informs the patient that his or her medications now require a 25% to 50% coinsurance payment, potentially costing them hundreds of dollars or more.
“We want patients to be able to sign up for a year and have no changes during that year—no midyear switching,” says Smith, 55, who has three teenagers with von Willebrand disease and a 10-year-old with severe hemophilia A. “Otherwise, how can you plan financially? Not to mention that patients can’t change their policies except during open enrollment.”
So far, the Oregon chapter is still seeking a legislative win on issues such as midyear switching, but success comes in many forms. In a few short years, Smith says, advocates have formed valuable relationships with state legislators that likely will bear fruit down the line. And she especially singles out the chapter’s strong cadre of teen advocates.
“Four years ago, we started our teen advocacy program, and it’s taken off by leaps and bounds,” Smith says. Each year, about 15 teen advocates spend the weekend before State Day preparing to train adults and families on how best to communicate with state senators and representatives. The teens themselves meet with legislators as well.
“They have truly become the face of advocacy for Oregon, and the elected officials love to talk with them,” says Smith. “These kids come in well-educated and know how to tell their stories, they know what the legislation says. They are so prepared for that Monday morning when we hit the Capitol.”
Success in Ohio
Storytelling is an essential part of being an advocate, says Randi Clites, associate director of the Northern Ohio Hemophilia Foundation and advocacy coordinator of the Ohio Bleeding Disorders Council. It conveys the daily challenges of life with a bleeding disorder to lawmakers who make decisions that impact people’s lives. “Everybody has a story to share,” says Clites.
This year, Clites and her Ohio colleagues introduced a state advocacy ambassador program. Ohio’s bleeding disorders community is organized into five regions, and two ambassadors were selected from each region to sit on statewide committees and to testify before state legislative committees.
As in other states, advocacy in Ohio involves identifying key legislators and getting to know them. “We’re very strategic in finding champions for our issues,” says Clites, 42, whose 16-year-old son, Colton, has severe hemophilia A. “Then we build relationships with them and give them information that supports what we think is important to our community.”
It’s a strategy that’s worked. In 2017, lawmakers proposed changes to a special medical needs program that assists Ohio families with their healthcare expenses. The changes would have moved that program from the Department of Health into the Department of Medicaid, which focused solely on managing costs. Together with a grass-roots network of families, Clites organized a campaign that directed letters and calls to legislators and provided written testimony to both the Ohio house and senate.
“We not only saved the program from being moved,” says Clites, “we got an increase in the program’s budget from $7.5 million to $10.5 million.”
Protecting the community
In South Carolina, advocates are currently focused on two related issues: access to care and standards of care.
“If you are a person who lives in South Carolina and are affected by hemophilia or von Willebrand disease, there should be a blanket standard of required services to which you have access,” says Sue Martin, executive director of Hemophilia of South Carolina. “We’re working with our state legislators on that.”
Such access, Martin says, needs to include treatment at federally funded hemophilia treatment centers (HTCs), insurance plans that include HTCs in network and specialty pharmacies that can meet the needs of those with bleeding disorders.
Like her colleagues around the nation, Martin emphasizes the importance of relationships and storytelling. “The biggest thing is being able to sit down at the table and explain the uniqueness of bleeding disorders and what that looks like at the patient level,” says Martin, 60, who has three children with moderate hemophilia B and two grandchildren with von Willebrand disease.
Advocacy efforts in South Carolina have led to a safety-net program that helps people without insurance, and advocates are pressing lawmakers to reinstate a premium assistance program for those who can’t afford monthly health insurance payments.
“The state has been very good to us in terms of those programs, and we’re working to make sure that they stay,” says Martin. This year, advocates made their eighth trip to the state capital, Columbia, for the South Carolina chapter’s State Day. “They know who we are down at the statehouse,” says Martin. “They know our community.”
NHF State-Based Advocacy Coalition
Now in its sixth year, NHF’s State-Based Advocacy Coalition (SBAC) program supports 17 NHF chapters and coalitions. When it began in 2012, five original grantees (California, Florida, New York, Ohio and Texas) received funds and assistance to respond to challenges affecting the bleeding disorders community, particularly access to care.
In 2015, five additional states—Colorado, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri and Oregon—joined the program. These chapters partnered with NHF to create strategic plans, held state advocacy days at their Capitol buildings and laid the foundation for sustainable year-round advocacy programs. In 2017, the two Pennsylvania chapters, Hemophilia of South Carolina and the New England Hemophilia Association, joined the coalition.
“The team felt strongly about finding creative ways to bring more chapters on board while maintaining relationships with current participants,” says Nathan Schaefer, senior policy director at NHF. “We created a new component to the program—more competitive advanced grants for chapters who want to further their programs. Capacity building is still at the core of what we do, and we are excited to bring on three more chapters in 2018: Nebraska, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.” In addition to financial support, grantees receive strategic guidance from NHF’s national policy team, networking opportunities, grass-roots advocacy training and policy analysis.
Over the past six years, NHF chapters’ increased involvement in state policy-making has led to important progress. In 2017, 30 NHF chapters hosted a state advocacy day and 22 chapters secured a state proclamation/resolution declaring March as Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month. The SBAC program will continue to grow and help chapters advocate for the health and well-being of the bleeding disorders community.
Learn more about NHF’s Advocacy and Healthcare Coverage initiatives at the NHF website.
6 Ways to Celebrate Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month
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6 Things to Think About When Choosing a Nonprofit to Support
NHF’s Washington Days Advocacy Event Mobilizes on Healthcare | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line786 |
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“Biosafety of forest transgenic trees and EU policy directives”
Guest Editors: Cristina Vettori, Matthias Fladung
Risk assessment of GM trees in the EU: current regulatory framework and guidance
J. Aguilera (1) , K.M. Nielsen (2-3), J. Sweet (4)
Abstract: The use of genetically modified organisms - their release into the environment, import, and utilisation as food/feed or food/feed ingredients - is regulated in the European Union (EU). For placing onto the market, current legislations require a comprehensive and science-based risk assessment. This risk assessment (RA) is performed by applicants and then evaluated by national authorities in close cooperation with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The EFSA Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO) has published a comprehensive set of guidance documents for applicants and risk assessors for the RA of GM plants (GMP), their products for food and/or feed use, and their cultivation. In those documents, the strategy and the criteria to conduct the assessment are explained, as well as the scientific data to be provided by the applicant. The assessment starts with the molecular characterisation of the GMP. If the GMP or products derived from it are to be consumed, the evaluation of its composition, potential toxicity and/or allergenicity, and nutritional value constitute further cornerstones of the process. The environmental risk assessment (ERA) considers biotic and abiotic interactions and the impacts of the management of the GM plant when it is intended for cultivation. In the case of GM trees special emphasis would be placed on assessing their characteristic features such as their longevity, ability to disperse and their ecological significance in a range of environments. The outcome of the assessment is reflected in a published opinion from the EFSA GMO panel that indicates whether the GMP and its products raise any safety issues. This scientific opinion constitutes one of the elements taken into account by the different European regulatory authorities prior to a decision regarding authorisation to commercialise the product.
Keywords: GM Trees, Genetically Modified, Transgenic, Recombinant DNA, Risk Identification, Risk Characterization, Exposure Assessment
Two genetically modified trees (GMTs) have been commercialised outside Europe and the application of genetic modification techniques to trees is currently at an advanced stage of research in the EU, with experimental field trials in some countries ([14], [22]). Traits introduced to GMTs include modification of lignin and cellulose composition, optimised biomass for biofuel production and resistance to pests and diseases, among others ([16], [17]). Hence, GM technology is expected to be part of the toolbox for the future breeding of trees for agriculture and forestry use.
Apart from the expected benefits, the cultivation and use of GMTs may have environment impacts where the GMT and its products are released. These impacts can be caused by the new trait conferred to the GMT and/or by the recombinant DNA/transgenes introduced. For instance, if the transgenes are not part of the gene pool of the tree species and they transfer to wild counterparts, relatives or to other species, they may impact other biota and ecosystems. In addition, the genetic modification might lead to unintended changes in the characteristics of the modified tree that can also affect the environment. If the intended use of the GMT is agricultural (e.g., fruit trees) there is also a potential for changes to the food safety characteristics of the products derived from it.
Different national and international authorities have established regulations to ensure the safe use of GMOs, including GMTs ([19]). In addition, there are internationally agreed standards ([20], [4]) on how to assess the potential health and environmental risks caused by such organisms. In the European Union (EU), different legal documents regulate all aspects related to GMOs including their safety assessment, labelling, marketing, transport, sampling and detection, and post-market environmental monitoring. In accordance with relevant legislation, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) assesses all GMO applications for marketing and or cultivation in the EU. Here we review the existing regulatory framework and the principles governing the risk assessment of GM plants in the EU, with special focus on GMTs. We highlight particularities of GMT that may require particular considerations in the assessment, and for which further guidance might be needed.
Among the existing legal mechanisms affecting GMOs in the EU, there are two legislations that focus specifically on safety issues. These are Directive 2001/18/EC on the deliberate release into the environment of GMOs ([6]) hereafter referred to as the “GMO Directive”, and Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 on genetically modified food and feed ([8]), the “GM FF Regulation”[1]. For GM plants such as trees, the scope of the GMO Directive includes environmental safety issues derived from cultivation practices, but also covers other cases of (unintended) release as a consequence of the transport and processing of seeds or other parts of the plant. The GM FF Regulation attends to food and feed consisting of, containing or derived from GM plants, and covers food and feed safety issues, as well as environmental risks potentially posed by such food and feed.
As common principals, these two legislations establish that in the EU, products that are, contain, or are produced from GMOs must: (i) be subjected to a risk assessment prior to authorisation; (ii) be safe for humans, animals and the environment; and (iii) gain an authorisation to be placed into the market. Those who intend to release or market a GM plant or derived product must submit an application, being the main part of it a dossier that compiles all the scientific data necessary to characterise the risks, followed by a safety assessment. Then, EFSA and the Competent Authorities of Member States (MSs) undertake a re-evaluation of the information and the assessment submitted by the applicant. If the GM plant in question is intended to be both cultivated and used for food/feed purposes, a single application under the GM FF Regulation, containing all the data requested by both legislations, will be enough to pursue authorisation under both the GMO Directive and the GMFF Regulation. Authorisations are valid for 10 years. After this period, permit holders must submit a new application (including a new dossier, which will be again evaluated) in order to pursue a renewal for another 10 years.
Cultivation of GMTs for non-food and feed purposes
The use of GMTs for forestry and other purposes not involving food or feed is regulated by the GMO Directive as mentioned above. The Directive considers two types of deliberate releases: those for placing the product on the EU market (e.g., cultivation) and those for experimental purposes (field trials). In the latter case, both the assessment of the application and the authorisation occur at national level only, and will not be covered in this review.
In case of cultivation (or of any other way of placing the GMT in the market), applications must include an must include an environmental risk assessment (ERA), whose structure is outlined in the Directive. EFSA ([9]) has provided specific guidance to applicants on the “ERA” of the cultivation of plants for non-food/feed use which complements the guidance for the risk assessment of the cultivation of plants for food and feed use ([10]) and the Guidance on the risk assessment of GM plants for food and feed ([11]). These documents provide detailed guidance on the data required for the ERA of GM plants intended for cultivation (see below). Applications must be submitted to a MS. The Competent Authority (CA) of this MS assesses the application, with the possibility to request to the applicant additional information it deems necessary to complete the evaluation. Then, the MS issues an assessment report on whether the GMO should be placed on the market and under which conditions. This MS report is distributed by the EC to all other MSs, who can raise comments or reasoned objections. If there are no objections or the objections can be solved between the MSs themselves, then the MS who received the application takes a decision on the authorisation, which would apply to the rest of the MSs by mutual recognition. In case of reasoned objections that cannot be resolved between the MSs, the application is forwarded to EFSA, who conducts a further assessment and issues an opinion on the safety of the GM plant. EFSA is also empowered to ask the applicant for further information as needed. Finally, EFSA issues a scientific opinion on the ERA, which is sent, together with the initial ERA report of the lead MS, opinions and comments of the MS, to the European Commission (DG SANCO). The opinion is then considered by the EC, who (assisted by the MSs) decides on whether to authorise the cultivation of the GMT.
Cultivation of GMTs for food/feed purposes
When the GMT or its products are destined to enter the food chain (e.g., fruits), applications should be submitted under the GM FF Regulation. In addition to the ERA, such dossiers must also contain a safety assessment of the food and/or feed derived from the GMT. In this case, the application is forwarded directly to EFSA, who delegates to one MS the task to do the initial evaluation of the ERA submitted in the dossier. In addition, EFSA makes the full application available to all MSs for comments. Then, taking into account the assessment report of the delegated MS and all the comments received from the MSs, EFSA performs an assessment of the application that covers both food/feed and environmental safety issues, and publishes its scientific opinion with its conclusions. All opinions of the EFSA Panels are published and freely available in the EFSA journal (⇒ http://www.efsa.europa.eu/ ⇒ en/publications/efsajournal.htm). Likewise for non-food/feed cases, the EFSA opinion is considered by the EC and the MSs for their decision on whether to authorise the GMT for both cultivation and food/feed use.
Key principles of the GMO risk assessment
The principles of risk assessment of GMOs and the different steps in the ERA are outlined in the GMO Directive and its implementing guidelines ([7]). The starting point of the ERA is the identification of the characteristics of the GMO that are different from the corresponding non-modified organism (conventional counterpart), and the evaluation of the potential adverse effects of such differences. This principle, known as the comparative approach, is internationally accepted as a useful starting point for the risk assessment of GMOs ([20]). The ERA should also be transparent and scientifically sound, i.e., based on scientific evidence obtained through experiments, from laboratory tests to field trials. All uncertainties identified and assumptions made should be clearly stated. Moreover, the ERA should be conducted case-by-case, taking into account the particularities of each GMO and its intended uses, which will determine the nature and extent of the information needed. Finally, the ERA should take into account direct, indirect, immediate and delayed effects of the GMO, as well as cumulative long-term effects, which would be caused by the accumulation of effects during long periods of time.
The six steps of the ERA
Based on the above principles, the ERA should be constructed following six steps:
identification of the characteristics of the GMO, which may cause adverse effects (hazard identification);
evaluation of the potential consequences of each adverse effect (hazard characterisation);
evaluation of the likelihood of the occurrence of each potential adverse effect (exposure assessment);
estimation of the risk posed by each identified characteristic (risk characterisation);
application of management strategies for the characterised risks, and
determination of the overall risk of the GMO.
After conducting the ERA, the applicant should conclude on the potential environmental impact of the GMO, in terms of invasiveness, gene transfer, effects on target and not-target organisms, effects on humans, animals, and biogeochemical processes, and impacts on cultivation and crop management techniques.
Available guidance in the EU
In order to provide details on how the risk assessment of GM plants should be performed by the applicant, the EFSA GMO Panel has produced a set of guidance documents that cover in detail different aspects of the assessment, identify methodolo- gy and criteria to be followed, and provi- de rationales for the data requirements (⇒ http://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/gmo/gmoguidance.htm). The most relevant are the Guidance on the environmental risk assessment of GM plants ([10]), the Guidance for risk assessment of food and feed from GM plants ([11]); and the Guidance on the ERA of the cultivation of GM plants for non-food/feed purposes ([9]), which are developed to support in the preparation and evaluation of applications.
Guidance documents on the environmental risk assessment of GM plants for cultivation
These documents ([9], [10]), hereafter referred as the “ERA Guidances”, provide guidance for assessing the potential effects of GM plants on the environment via their cultivation and also through the transport and processing of imported plant material not cultivated in the EU. These Guidances are relevant for GM tree applications under the GMO Directive, and also for applications submitted under the GM FF Regulation if the GM tree and its products are intended for food/feed uses and for plant-derived products and timber products such as chemicals, biofuels or paper.
Seven areas of concern in the ERA
Based on the potential risks outlined in the GMO Directive, the ERA Guidance document identifies seven specific areas of concern to be addressed in the assessment, which are as follows:
persistence and invasiveness including plant-to-plant gene flow;
plant to microorganisms gene transfer;
interactions of the GM plant with target organisms;
interactions of the GM plant with non-target organisms (NTO);
impacts on the specific cultivation, management and harvesting techniques;
effects on biogeochemical processes;
effects on human and animal health.
Each specific area of concern is developed in a structured and systematic way through the six steps of the ERA as described in the GMO Directive (see above); with indications on the information to be provided. In addition, the ERA guidance document considers cross-cutting issues to be taken into account in a horizontal manner during the assessment of each area of concern. These issues include the choice of the comparator (non-modified plant), the receiving environment(s), the statistical principles for the analyses, the long-term effects, and the particularities of GM plants containing stacked transformation events, for cases where relevant.
Guidance for risk assessment of food and feed from GM plants
This document hereafter named the “FF Guidance” is focused on food and feed consisting of, containing, or derived from GM plants, and is relevant for applications under the GM FF Regulation. Some parts of this document are also relevant for the ERA of the GM plants, such as the molecular characterisation of the genetic modification, and the compositional, phenotypic and agronomic analyses. Cross-references between the two documents are provided where necessary.
The FF Guidance presents in depth the general principles of the risk assessment of GM plants and how they should be applied for products within its scope. As for the ERA, the comparative approach is recognised as the best principle for the safety assessment of GM plant-derived food/feed products. This principle should therefore be applied for the assessment of the intended effects of the genetic modification, and also for the detection and evaluation of any possible unintended effects. The document also provides guidance on the choice of the appropriate comparator. In addition to this comparator, the FF Guidance recommends the use of a set of commercial non-GM reference varieties, in order to estimate the range of natural variation of the different endpoints to be compared. The compositional and phenotypic parameters to be analysed are described in detail, as well as the optimal design of the field trials and the statistical tests to be applied for the comparisons. For cases where the comparative approach is not possible, alternative strategies are proposed. Particular guidance is also given on how to structure the assessment of stacked events, including sub-combinations of events in cases where 3 or more unlinked inserts are present in the GM plant.
The FF Guidance covers all aspects of the safety of food and feed products that should be evaluated, such as potential changes in toxicity, allergenicity, and nutritional composition. Animal feeding trials for toxicological studies are recommended on a case-by-case basis, depending of the outcome of the molecular characterisation and the compositional, agronomic and phenotypic analyses. Guidance is provided on when and how to assess the toxicity of either the newly expressed protein, other constituents of the GM plant, or the whole GM food or feed. Depending on the scope of the recommended study, the FF Guidance refers to the appropriate protocol for toxicological test according to the OECD ([21]). For the assessment of allergenicity, a weight-of-evidence approach is recommended, and considerations are given to the currently available methods to obtain relevant data. With respect to nutrition, both the nutritional relevance of the newly expressed protein(s) and any possible change in the levels of endogenous constituents of the GM plant should be considered in the light of normal dietary exposure; or any intended alteration of use of the GM food or feed. On a case-by-case basis, guidance is provided on possible livestock studies to be performed with model or target species.
Post-market environmental monitoring
The GMO Directive establishes that, once a GMO is authorised for marketing, it must be monitored on a yearly basis. Therefore, applications under the GMO Directive (and under the GMFF Regulation when cultivation is foreseen) must be accompanied by a post-market environmental monitoring (PMEM) plan outlining how the potential environmental effects of the GMO will be monitored.
The PMEM has two objectives:
confirm that any assumptions regarding the occurrence and impact of potential adverse effects of the GMO or its use in the ERA are correct;
identify the occurrence of adverse effects of the GMO or its use on human health or the environment which were not anticipated in the ERA.
The first objective is directly dependent on the outcome of the ERA, and therefore is to be fulfilled on a case-by-case basis. If, after conducting the ERA, there is still significant level of uncertainty or risks are identified, a case-specific monitoring (CSM) plan needs to be provided. This CSM will enable studies to be conducted on the cultivated plants to provide more information on the potential risks identified in the ERA, to reduce the level of uncertainty and to evaluate the efficiency of any management measures that might be applied to minimise the identified risks. The second objective is mandatory for all GMOs, and requires a strategy for general surveillance (GS) of the GMO, once released into the environment. The ERA Guidance Documents and the Guidance on the PMEM of GM plants ([12]) provide information on designing CSM and GS studies in order to achieve the objectives of PMEM. Plans for CSM are hypothesis-driven based on the identified uncertainties and knowledge gaps of the ERA, and should therefore be designed to obtain the necessary data. GS is not hypothesis-driven, and therefore more difficult to plan. The Guidance proposes GS to be considered within a framework of general environmental protection monitoring, focusing on defined protection goals. Different tools and approaches to implement a plan for GS are discussed in the Guidance documents, starting from a comprehensive review of the existing scientific knowledge, to surveys to farmers and monitoring systems for environmental data collection.
Challenges to the RA of GM trees
Although applications for marketing of GM trees in the EU are not expected in the near future, it seems that they can be expected within the next decade. Although GM trees will be a novelty in the EU landscape of biotechnological applications, the already existing EU regulatory system will provide applicants, risk assessors and risk managers with adequate legislation and useful guidance. However some of the data requirements for the risk assessments in the EFSA guidances have been formulated with a view on GM annual crops, as these are the subjects of almost all applications already submitted or expected to be submitted to the EU in the near future. However, trees have several characteristics that differ from crop plants and can influence some of the data requirements for the risk assessment, for which more focused guidance might be needed. Trees are generally perennial, woody, long lived species with long life cycles taking several years to reach sexual maturity and commence reproduction. When mature some can produce large amounts of seed and pollen that can disperse over long distances ([18]).
The type and purpose of the tree cultivation will influence the specific aspects to be considered in the ERA, and therefore the information requirements. In case of forest and plantation trees, species are not normally “domesticated” so that the cultivated types can be similar to wild types and exchange genes with them ([5]). In addition, forest trees can come in many forms that are adapted to a range of environments. They can form pioneer and climax vegetations and exist as a range of different components in environments. Furthermore, they have complex interactions with a range of biota often supporting large diverse communities and food webs ([23]). They also have important roles in geographical and physical features of landscapes e.g., in stabilising hillsides, preventing erosion or influencing microclimates.
In the risk assessment it is important to understand the characteristics of the tree that is being transformed and its role in its range of environments. OECD ([20]) has now produced descriptions of many of the major species, which can provide a starting point for this evaluation. The risk assessment should then determine the impacts of the newly introduced GM traits on the tree and whether the traits will affect any of the environmental interactions associated with the non-GM tree or introduce new interactions with biota or receiving environments.
Risk assessments will need to carefully consider the likelihood of gene flow and spread of GM trees into the broader environment and the consequences for the ecology of potential receiving environments ([18]). In doing this, risk assessors will have to consider the time scale for these effects to occur and may have to develop models in order to assess potential outcomes ([5], [3], [2]). Some of these factors have also been taken into consideration in the risk assessment of GM trees under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (see ⇒ http:// bch.cbd.int/onlineconferences/guidance_ra. shtml).
In order to restrict gene flow and manage impacts on natural and semi-natural environments, GM forest trees are most likely to be grown in specific plantation systems where flowering and seeding are managed. However, the environmental impacts of any new cultivation and management systems will need to be assessed and compared with the traditional systems they are replacing ([13]). In addition, GM orchard fruit tree cultivation techniques may also differ from conventional systems and any management changes require assessment for their environmental consequences.
The characteristics of trees also have implications for design of field trials for the purpose of determination of the stable expression and heritability of the modified trait etc. In addition, the choice of tree comparators and spectrum of available tree varieties with commercial use may be more limited. Therefore, there are methodological challenges to be solved in the data generation for the ERA such as the number of generations needed to test the genetic stability of the inserts ([1]), the number and design of field trials for compositional, phenotypic, protein expression analysis and environmental impacts, and the use of different varieties or provenances to estimate current variation in commercial systems.
It is likely that further discussions will be needed on the types of studies required for providing safety data to be used in the RA of GM trees and their products, in order to provide further clarifications and guidance that complements the already existing EFSA guidance documents ([15]).
In conclusion, the current EU regulatory framework on GMOs also applies to GM trees. The GM plant guidance documents developed by EFSA provide useful information on risk assessment of GM trees for applicants and risk assessors. However, the biology of GM fruit and forest trees and their management practices may call for some changes in the data types, collection, and analysis to support the risk assessment. Given the long generation time of GM trees, it becomes particularly important that hazard identification is initiated at an early stage and that data are collected that are relevant to the time scale of tree life cycles.
We acknowledge the EU Cost action FP0905 “Transgenic trees - The science behind future EU policy, regulations and safety assessments” for providing a forum for discussion on the biosafety of GM trees, and Sylvie Mestdagh for providing comments on the manuscript.
Part of this work has been presented at the “Fourth Biosafety Workshop” of the COST Action FP0905, held in Brasov (Romania) on October 25th, 2012.
The views or positions expressed in this article correspond to the authors and are not, and cannot be regarded as representing the position, the views or the policy of EFSA.
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EC (2003). Regulation (EC) No 1829/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 September 2003 on genetically modified food and feed. Official Journal of the European Union, L 268, pp. 1-23.
EFSA (2009). Scientific opinion on guidance for the risk assessment of genetically modified plants used for non-food or non-feed purposes. EFSA Journal 1164: 1-42.
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Fladung M, Altosaar I, Bartsch D, Baucher M, Boscaleri F, Gallardo F, Häggman H, Hoenicka H, Nielsen K. M, Paffetti D, Séguin A, Stotzky G, Vettori C (2012). European discussion forum on transgenic tree biosafety. Nature Biotechnology 30: 37-38.
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Harfouche A, Meilan R, Kirst M, Morgante M, Boerjan W, Sabatti M, Scarascia Mugnozza G (2012). Accelerating the domestication of forest trees in a changing world. Trends in Plant Science 17: 64-72.
Hoenicka H, Fladung M (2006). Biosafety in Populus spp. and other forest trees: from non-native species to taxa derived from traditional breeding and genetic engineering. Trees 20: 131-144.
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OECD (2012a). Safety assessment of transgenic organisms: OECD Consensus Documents. Web site, OECD, Paris.
OECD (2012b). OECD guidelines for the testing of chemicals. Web site, OECD, Paris.
Walter C, Fladung M, Boerjan W (2010). The 20-year environmental safety record of GM trees. Nature Biotechnology 28: 656-658.
Whitham TG, Bailey JK, Schweitzer JA, Shuster SM, Bangert RK, LeRoy CJ, et al. (2006). A framework for community and ecosystem genetics: from genes to ecosystems. Nature Reviews Genetics 7: 510-523.
In the EU system, a Directive is a legislation whose objectives must be achieved through national legislations developed independently by each Member State. In contrast, a Regulation sets out the means to reach its own objective and does not require any implementing measures at the national level.
J. Aguilera
European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), v. Carlo Magno 1/a, I-43126 Parma (Italy)
K.M. Nielsen
Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Tromsø, N9037 Tromsø (Norway)
Genøk-Center for Biosafety, Science Park, N9024 Tromsø (Norway)
J. Sweet
Sweet Environmental Consultants, 6 Green Street, Willingham, CB24 5JA Cambridge (UK)
jaime.aguilera@efsa.europa.eu
Aguilera J, Nielsen KM, Sweet J (2013). Risk assessment of GM trees in the EU: current regulatory framework and guidance. iForest 6: 127-131. - doi: 10.3832/ifor0101-006
Accepted: Mar 01, 2013
Publishing Date: Jun 01, 2013
Article citations are based on data periodically collected from the ISI-Web of Science web site (last update: May 2019)
Fifteen years of forest tree biosafety research in Germany
Fladung M, Hoenicka H
Categorization of field trials with GM plants in the Netherlands: applicable to field trials with GM forest trees?
Glandorf DC
Technical Advances
Gene flow in poplar - experiments, analysis and modeling to prevent transgene outcrossing
Bialozyt R
Early flowering and genetic containment studies in transgenic poplar
Hoenicka H, Lehnhardt D, Polak O, Fladung M
Exploring the potential behavior of consumers towards transgenic forest products: the Greek experience
Tsourgiannis L, Kazana V, Iakovoglou V
Identification and molecular characterization of LTR and LINE retrotransposable elements in Fagus sylvatica L.
Emiliani G, Paffetti D, Giannini R
Wildfire risk and its perception in Kabylia (Algeria)
Sahar O, Leone V, Limani H, Rabia N, Meddour R
Comparative analysis of students’ attitudes toward implementation of genetically modified trees in Serbia
Nonić M, Radojević U, Milovanović J, Perović M, Šijačić-Nikolić M
GM Trees
Genetically Modified
Recombinant DNA
Risk Identification
Risk Characterization | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line789 |
__label__cc | 0.737866 | 0.262134 | Union Minister N S Tomar launches Coffee Table Book commemorating 5 decades of partnership with UNWFP
New Delhi: Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar launched a Coffee Table Book on 8 Jul, along with Dr. Hameed Nuru, Representative and Country Director, United Nations World Food Programme (UNWFP) in India. The launch took place to commemorate 50 years of partnership between the Ministry and the agency towards addressing food and nutritional security in India.
“Given the importance of rural India and linkages of agriculture with multiple targets of Sustainable Development Goal 2, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare continues to play a critical role in achieving the collective target of ‘ending hunger, achieving food security, improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture”, said Tomar.
The organisations like UNWFP are the prime partners of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in this endeavor.
“UNWFP’s journey in India has been a long and successful one. It has been fortunate to witness significant positive changes in the food and nutritional security status of people, and substantial efforts made by the Government to address malnutrition”, said Nuru.
He further added that the success achieved is due to the strong relationship between Government of India and UNWFP, and the commitment of the Government and people of India towards uplifting the nation.
‘The Coffee Table Book – 50 years of Partnership for Change’ showcases key milestones achieved by the Government of India in its efforts to make the nation free from hunger and malnutrition and UNWFP’s role in this attempt.
Some of the significant turning points in India’s journey towards food and nutrition security captured in the book include the Green Revolution, the White revolution, improvements in livestock and dairy development and digitization of food safety nets.
Tags: Agriculture and Farmers’ WelfareGreen RevolutionlivestockMalnutritionMinistry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfarenutritional securitySustainable Development GoalsThe Coffee Table Book – 50 years of Partnership for ChangeWhite revolution
No data on farmers below poverty line, says Agricultural Minister
Kalamandir Foundation felicitates 10 unsung heroes as a part of their CSR initiative
CSR Leaders
HealthXP and CRY join hands to fight rising malnutrition in India | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line791 |
__label__cc | 0.667624 | 0.332376 | “Women’s Rights Group Petitions Subaru to Stop Selling in Saudi Arabia”
Following up on the effort to get women the right to drive in Saudi Arabia (see Women Take Control by Taking the Wheel in Saudi Arabia), activists have started targeting car companies who market to women, but sell their products in Saudi Arabia.
“Considering 62 percent of new-car purchases are made by women, and almost 80 percent of purchase decisions are influenced by women, appealing to the female buyer is critical to any automaker’s success. But Subaru, with all its female marketing, may have slighted some living in Saudi Arabia.
“Saudi Women for Driving, a group of activists fighting for Saudi women’s rights (particularly the right to drive), wants Subaru to stop selling its vehicles in Saudi Arabia. While Subaru is busy thinking of more ways to appeal to the female market, it is making millions selling its vehicles in a place where women can’t even benefit from them. The desert country is the only place in the world that bans both Saudi and foreign women from driving, among other things—a direct result of the country’s strict interpretation of Sharia Islamic law. Not having the ability to drive makes the most basic errands a burden, while imposing safety risks for women needing to rely on strangers as drivers.”
Read the full article: http://rumors.automobilemag.com/women%e2%80%99s-rights-group-petitions-subaru-to-stop-selling-in-saudi-arabia-55709.html
Visit the petition on change.org: http://www.change.org/saudi_women_for_driving_
Entry filed under: Uncategorized. Tags: Helping Women Helps the World, saudi arabia, Saudi Women for Driving, Subaru, women, women's development, women's rights.
Cecelia Doe: Persistence Pays Off in Liberia #DTDW: “Business Development for Democracy” | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line797 |
__label__cc | 0.619077 | 0.380923 | Vasco Ispirián is an electronic engineer and a professional DJ, producer, sound designer and music technology tutor. He studied classical guitar when he was young and first became interested in electronic music in the early 1990s.
He has been involved in various bands, a resident of The Room in Madrid for more than eight years and many more residencies apart from gigs in clubs and festivals worldwide. Those experiences, combined with his study of electronics at the university, helped him develop his love of music and technology. Since then, he has been involved in music production and live performance using computers and other hardware.
Vasco has released his own music regularly since 2005 under various labels such as TEAM, Dubhe, Lessismore, Pong and Playgroundlabel and has work on remixes for Minuendo, Redsonja, Alma and Unclosed to mention a few. Now, he is focusing on his own label ‘Made in Green Records’.
He discovered Ableton Live in 2005 and it immediately became the centerpiece of his production studio and live performances, as a result he gained extensive practical knowledge of the software. Vasco has taught Ableton Live at Playground Studios and Microfusa in Madrid in different languages since 2008, for groups and in one-on-one sessions. Since April 2014 he continues his teaching career where he now resides in Manhattan, NY at the renowned electronic music school, Dubspot. Vasco offers general or customized courses for all skills levels, from beginner to expert, including techniques for DJing, sound design, arranging, music theory, recording, production, and live performance.
Contact him for further information: info@ispirian.net | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line799 |
__label__wiki | 0.582447 | 0.582447 | Italy to set up tighter barriers against GMO imports
SOURCE: La Stampa, Turin, in Italian 30 Nov 03 p 25
BBC Monitoring Europe - by BBC Worldwide
Monitoring December 2, 2003, Tuesday
Text of report by Gian Paolo Marro:
GMOs, Italy puts up barriers against imports" by Italian newspaper La Stampa on 30 November.
The Italian government is going to be launching a decree as soon as possible to confirm zero tolerance on GMOs "until tests have been conducted on their impact on neighbouring crops", Agricultural Policies Minister Gianni Alemanno announced at the 23rd International Conference on Biodynamic Agriculture that is due to wind up in Sabaudia today.
The minister stressed that the decree is both necessary and urgent "because seeds have already been approved in other countries in the European Union, that may contain genetically modified parts varying from 5 per cent to 10 per cent, and we are in danger of finding them on the market".
The issue was addressed also by EU Commissioner Fischler in Venice. So that is how the man in charge of agricultural policies has responded, by his actions, to an appeal launched by FAI Italian Environment Fund Chairwoman Giulia Maria Mozzoni Crespi when she asked him to "save us from the transgenic catastrophe which has not been sufficiently well explained to people".
In connection with the benefits that GMOs are supposed to bring, Alemanno remarked: "When a genetically modified organism comes into contact with the environment, we do not know what it may generate. But what we certainly do know is that seven years after an experiment conducted on a terrain in Italy for a single season, powerful traces are still being found of genetically modified material that tends to transfer to subsequent crops. What are the consequences of this? Well, that terrain cannot be used for any other kind of crop because we absolutely do not know what might happen."
The minister went on to criticize "Europe, which has made only generic recommendations", noting that the EU Court of Justice has set a procedure in motion "against Austria that declared itself GMO-free, and it is getting set to do the same against Puglia and Tuscany". The struggle against GMOs once again confirms that the organic option is a strong line for the protection of the environment and of health (some 54 per cent of Italians have purchased organic products in supermarkets over the past year). But while the consumer is increasingly oriented towards healthy and organic produce, the situation is not so rosy for farmers, at least not in economic terms. In this connection, biodynamic farming (the history of which goes back to 1924 here in Italy) is attempting to come up with an answer and to identify the paths to pursue. Many farms follow this method, but despite their enthusiasm and despite the fact that they have achieved excellent results, they are forced to close down because they are defeated by distribution-and market-related problems. Retail prices are high, while prices are unjustifiably low and nonremunerative at source.
But organic farming can make a major contribution to reducing social costs linked to the use of chemicals and to an increase in the use of fertilizers in conventional farming. However, a farmer who adopts the principles of biodynamics inevitably has to sustain higher management costs. Addressing the difficulties being encountered by biodynamic farming, Alemanno said: "We are devising safeguards in connection with traceability, providing for fines for those who cheat and recognition for quality. This has already got under way in the Italian food and farming industry, and there is determination not to allow fraudsters any lebensraum because quality and honesty are the right weapons for imparting a fresh thrust to our agriculture." | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line801 |
__label__wiki | 0.639475 | 0.639475 | 3 Books You Should Be Reading Right Now
By Lauren Epstein | May 3, 2018 | Culture
Visually striking and creatively captivating, these are the new books you need on your shelf right now.
Photography - Personal Best
There’s something about Elliott Erwitt’s photographs that stops you in your tracks. Perhaps it’s his instantly recognizable black-and-white aesthetic, or the fact that each image makes you feel like a fly on the wall in an inexplicably (or obviously) significant moment in time and place. You’ll get that sense each time you turn the page of Personal Best (teNeues), a comprehensive retrospective of the photographer’s work. Incorporating primarily photos he shot for himself, rather than for commercial purposes, New York City-based Erwitt, 89, gathers his most captivating images from some 70 years of incredible captures all over the world. $65, teneues-books.com
Illustration - Donald: The Book
Punchy and playful, bold and brilliant, Donald Robertson’s illustrations have taken the fashion world by colorful storm. And his story is as compelling as his work: The father of five, who was based in New York at the time, started an Instagram account in 2012 called @drawbertson, and in no time earned himself the unofficial title “The Andy Warhol of Instagram,” grabbing the attention of Beyoncé and landing collaborations with Smashbox and Bergdorf Goodman, among others. Six years after his Instagram debut, Donald (Assouline) celebrates Robertson’s splashy creations, sprinkled with lighthearted narratives from industry leaders, fashion designers and celebrity muses. $85, assouline.com
Design - Please Do Not Touch
“In 1994 MOSS opened. In 2012 MOSS closed. Many, many things happened in between,” writes Franklin Getchell in the foreword of Please Do Not Touch (Rizzoli), a new tome that tells the fascinating story of the legendary, though relatively short-lived, design gallery in Soho. Founded by Murray Moss and Getchell, his partner, MOSS changed the way New Yorkers— and visitors around the world—viewed design. Notorious for its opening-night parties, iconic collaborations and installations, and melding the worlds of art, design, technology and theater, MOSS was an institution. Please Do Not Touch delves into the duo’s personal archives of never-before-seen photographs and tales of an industry changing time. $55, rizzoliusa.com
Manuel Rodriguez Releases a New LGBTQ Photography Book | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line805 |
__label__wiki | 0.792109 | 0.792109 | ‘Unbelievable’ Mohamed Salah can take Liverpool all the way in the Champions League
Mohamed Salah scores his and Liverpool’s second goal against Roma on Tuesday night (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
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You have to feel for Liverpool’s defenders, with Mohamed Salah a team-mate. Never mind opposition players who have to face the unstoppable Egyptian a couple of times a season, maybe three or four maximum. Liverpool’s defenders have to try to impress manager Jürgen Klopp, prove their worth of a place in the starting line-up, facing Salah every day in training.
During the week it’s a nightmare because you’re up against him. That’s what he does day-in day out. It’s just become second nature and it’s a credit to him. We’re really happy to be playing with him rather than against him Trent Alexander-Arnold
Even greater sympathies are due to Trent Alexander-Arnold, only 19 and in his first full season as a regular, yet finding the best player is one he has to face on the Melwood training pitches most days, with that disarmingly calm grin and impossible-to-predict talent. “During the week there are some times I don’t really like him because he does that stuff to me,” Alexander-Arnold said. “During the week it’s a nightmare because you’re up against him.
It’s just become second nature and it’s a credit to him. We’re really happy to be playing with him rather than against him. Trent Alexander-Arnold
“That’s what he does day-in dayout. It’s just become second nature and it’s a credit to him. We’re really happy to be playing with him rather than against him.”
On the flip side it also means that when Saturday comes around, or Tuesday or Wednesday nights in the Champions League, it is unlikely that Alexander-Arnold will come up against a more challenging forward. The matches are the easy part – training less so. “That’s the good thing,” he added. “You know during the week you’re preparing well for the opposition and you know this is the level you’re going to be up against, if not higher. It’s good preparation.”
Two more astonishing goals
The astonishing goals – two more against Roma on Tuesday night in the Champions League semi-final first leg – at increasingly important moments have transformed the view of Salah’s exceptionally high level from the welcome-but-unexpected earlier in the season to commonplace now.
When he started knocking goals in regularly at the start of the campaign, even Liverpool supporters did not believe he could sustain it. Now spectators expect that something out of the ordinary will happen when he is anywhere near the ball Trent Alexander-Arnold
When he started knocking goals in regularly at the start of the campaign, even Liverpool supporters did not believe he could sustain it. Now spectators expect that something out of the ordinary will happen when he is anywhere near the ball.
Liverpool’s players have started knocking balls long down the right because they know, more often than not, that Salah will beat his marker to it. Two of the five goals against Roma – the two he set up rather than the two he scored – came via that route.
That last finish [when he dinked over Roma goalkeeper Alisson] he’s done three times in the last few weeks now so maybe keepers may be getting onto it. To have that composure in front of goal – he was outside the box when he hit it and running at speed – it was an unbelievable finish. Trent Alexander-Arnold
“He’s a credit to himself and he works hard in training. We see it on a daily basis in training so we’re getting used to it,” Alexander-Arnold said. “It is world-class stuff from him and the whole team to be honest. That last finish [when he dinked over Roma goalkeeper Alisson] he’s done three times in the last few weeks now so maybe keepers may be getting onto it. To have that composure in front of goal – he was outside the box when he hit it and running at speed – it was an unbelievable finish.”
There are six months until the 30-man Ballon d’Or shortlist is revealed, then another two until the announcement in December. “There’s still a long way to go until the ceremony, so he’s another six months to carry it on,” Alexander-Arnold added. “I think the team back him.”
Must win trophies to win Ballon d’Or
Pep Guardiola, the Manchester City manager, believes that players have to win major trophies to stand a chance of winning the Ballon d’Or and that the Champions League carries particular weight. Two more performances of the kind he has produced in almost every match recently in Rome in next Wednesday’s second leg and against Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the final would surely earn Liverpool another unlikely Champions League triumph.
Read more: World Cup heartbreak as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ruled out for rest of season
Alexander-Arnold, the youngest regular starter for Klopp this season, was only eight when Liverpool last reached the Champions League final, in 2007 and lost to AC Milan. “I remember watching, I was at my mate’s and he had a big projector,” Alexander-Arnold said. He was at home with his family two years before that, as speechless as the rest of them at half-time with Liverpool trailing 3-0, before that famous comeback. “Miracles happen, don’t they?”
The kid is spoilt: he has grown up with miracles as a young Liverpool supporter, now he sees them everyday in training – and plays alongside one on matchdays. | cc/2019-30/en_head_0035.json.gz/line807 |
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