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Barbra Bluestone Rothschild, M.D.
Lecturer, Core Faculty, Master's of Bioethics
Barbra Bluestone Rothschild, M.D. is an internist with a research interest in human subjects research ethics and in community engagement. Her research interests, in part funded with support from the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) ELSI program, have included early phase clinical trial research, the concept of ownership of biologic samples collected for research, and the notion of consent in human subjects research. In 2006 her involvement with community outreach regarding science, research, and ethics resulted in a year-long contract with NHGRI to develop a model community engagement plan around genetics. Dr. Rothschild taught medical ethics, healthcare financing, and research ethics in the School of Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2001 to 2008. She is currently a visiting scholar at the Hastings Center in Garrison, N.Y. studying the moral underpinnings of healthcare finance decision-making. She received her undergraduate and medical degrees from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
M.D., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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Popular Socialist Party (Cuba)
Cuban communist party
The Popular Socialist Party (Spanish: Partido Socialista Popular, PSP) was a communist party in Cuba. It was originally called the Communist Party of Cuba (Spanish: Partido Comunista de Cuba). It was formed in 1925 by a group including Blas Roca, Anibal Escalante, Fabio Grobart, Alfonso Bernal del Riesgo and Julio Antonio Mella, who was its leader until his assassination in Mexico in 1929. It was later renamed the "Communist Revolutionary Union". After the electoral victory of the Partido Auténtico in the 1944 elections, the party became less popular, and it eventually adopted the name "Popular Socialist Party" for electoral reasons. In 1961 the party merged into the Integrated Revolutionary Organizations (ORI). [1]
Popular Socialist Party
Partido Socialista Popular
Blas Roca Calderio (last)
Integrated Revolutionary Organizations
Labor Union wing
Confederación Nacional Obrera de Cuba
Democratic Socialist Coalition (1939–1944)
↑ Nohlen, Dieter (2005). Elections in the Americas A Data Handbook Volume 1: North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. Oxford University Press. p. 211. ISBN 978-0-19-928357-6.
Retrieved from "https://simple.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Popular_Socialist_Party_(Cuba)&oldid=6872128"
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Joint tribute: Montgomery congregations honor Rabbi Elliot Stevens by renaming religious school
John Ives, Kerry Bleiberg, Elana Hagler, Rabbi Scott Kramer and Joy Blondheim at the Jan. 28 ceremony
Rabbi Scott Kramer of Agudath Israel-Etz Ahayem stepped to the podium at Temple Beth Or on Jan. 28 with a bit of an apology.
“This event is only 49 percent of what it should have been,” because he did not have his colleague and friend, Rabbi Elliot Stevens, to consult with.
The event was to formally dedicate Kol Ami, the joint religious school between the two Montgomery congregations, in Stevens’ memory. Kramer said it was “in celebration and gratitude of an individual that we dearly miss, but he left a legacy of love and caring for the children of our community.”
Stevens died on June 21 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 69, and had been leading Beth Or for 10 years.
“It feels more than a little strange for me, standing up here without my partner,” Kramer said. “We were usually joined at the hip.”
Kramer and Stevens arrived in Montgomery a week apart in the summer of 2007. For each, it was his first pulpit, though they were at different parts of their careers. Kramer was just out of rabbinical school, but Stevens was looking for a change of pace after spending the previous 32 years at the Central Conference of American Rabbis in New York.
Stevens was associate executive vice president, overseeing the CCAR publications program, including the Mishkan Tefilah prayerbook now used in Reform congregations. He was also involved in deliberations over numerous thorny issues, including patrilineal descent and rabbinic involvement in interfaith wedding ceremonies.
The two rabbis would meet weekly at the Starbucks on Zelda. One of the first discussions was a solution for both of their religious schools, which each had limited enrollment. Both were using the Institute of Southern Jewish Life’s curriculum. “It was silly not to have a single religious school,” and another benefit would be to “have the Jewish kids at different synagogues get to know each other.”
With that idea, “we entered into a conspiracy to change the status quo,” starting by combining the Confirmation class, though they held separate ceremonies at the end of the year.
Then, they suggested combining the entire schools, alternating between the buildings, based on the Confirmation success. “It worked, and worked perfectly,” Kramer said, and was exactly what they envisioned.
They also started a joint service project, the Shabbat Box, decorated by the students and containing challah, grape juice, tea lights and other items for Shabbat. The boxes are given to Jewish patients who are hospitalized over Shabbat.
Another joint initiative is the combined Purim service for the congregations, which was just held for the third time.
Beth Or President John Ives said that three days after Stevens died, Agudath Israel-Etz Ahayem President Joy Blondheim called and asked for a meeting, where she told him that her congregation wanted to rename the school after Stevens. “I was admittedly awed by this expression and readily agreed even before presenting this to the board” of Beth Or, he said.
Ives added, “I can’t think of a more fitting way to pay tribute to Rabbi Stevens, our friend, our teacher.”
Kramer said the school’s name, Kol Ami, means “all our people” and is “an appropriate name reflecting our desire to unite all the Jewish children in our community… and eventually the adults.”
In recent years, there have been discussions exploring a merger between the Conservative and Reform congregations, but there has not been an agreement to merge.
At the dedication ceremony, Turia Stark Williams did several musical pieces, saying Stevens taught her to sing from the heart, “not just from the voice.”
One piece she did was “Lamdeini,” “Teach Me, Oh God.” She explained that Stevens “said he wanted me to have the opportunity to sing this song one day, in the right setting. I never got that chance, until now.”
Nathan McKinney was supposed to give a remembrance from a student’s point of view, but had the flu. His father, Jeff, delivered his remarks, saying his son reported that “If I could really write everything, it would be a book.” Current students demonstrated Hebrew yoga.
Kol Ami co-principals Kerry Bleiberg and Elana Hagler took part in the presentation of plaques that will be placed at each institution.
The closing song was “Shalom Rav,” which is translated “abundant peace,” but it was pointed out that it could also be translated as “farewell, rabbi.”
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We recently met with Luke Pritchard to discuss the band’s latest album, “Let’s Go Sunshine”. “Sunshine”—now we’ll be cheesy for short—seems like an apt title for the band’s brand-new record, and mirrors Luke’s facial expression to which he welcomed us when we met back in June. The severity of three years ago has given way to serenity: the frontman seems at peace with himself—and it seems as if this time round, Luke feels “no pressure”, which also happens to be the title of one of the songs on the new album.
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Tag: woodbury
The Walking Dead – Season Four, Episode Six
And we’re back with more of AMC’s The Walking Dead. This week, the sixth episode aired, with just more to go before the show takes another mid-season break. And it’s clear that they are working up to something climactic, given that the story involving the flu that’s sweeping the prison has finally come to an end. And it’s pretty clear at this point who’s going to be involved.
As expected, this week’s episode was all about the Governor, addressing what happened to him after the events of the last season. This would be everything that followed from the abortive attack on the prison, his subsequent breakdown and summary execution of his people, and his fleeing into the wilderness. And in all honesty, it was kind of interesting…
Live Bait:
The episode begins with a recap of what happened since the Season Three finale. After shooting his own people, the Governor and what was left of his henchmen drove to a spot in the wilderness where they set up camp. In the morning when the Governor awoke, he realized he had been abandoned by the last of them and drove to Woodbury. Finding it abandoned, he set the town ablaze and began walking the road.
After wandering for quite some time, he comes upon a community where a family is held up in an apartment complex. This consists of Lily (a former nurse), her daughter Megan, sister Tara (a police academy student), and father David (a former truck driver). After meeting with them and telling them his name is Brian, he takes the apartment across the hall and begins helping them.
Eventually, Lily asks for his help in obtaining more oxygen tanks from the nearby senior care center. Her father, who is dying of lung cancer, is running out, and she fears what will happen to her daughter if he dies. Brian goes to the center and finds a large stash, but is quickly set upon by a dozen or so Walkers and has to retreat with what he can carry.
Afterward, Lily begins to attend to his injuries and tells him that Megan initially thought that Brian was her father, who disappeared three years back. Megan is left to watch over him and asks what happens to his eye, and the two quickly begin to bond. He teaches her to play chess, and she draws an eye patch on the king to make it look like him.
Afterwards, he and Megan learn that David has died, and may have been dead for some time. He tells them to leave, but David comes back before they can, and Brian crushes his head with an oxygen tank. After burying him outside, Tara tells him that they understand what that their father had turned, and forgive him for what he did.
That night in his room, Brian burns a picture he has been keeping of himself with his wife and daughter and tells Lily that he’s leaving. Lily tells him they are coming too to find something better, and that he’s stuck with them. Grabbing the truck David commandeered, they begin to drive off. While on the road, Brian and Lily make love while the others sleep.
The next day, the truck won’t start and they begin walking. On the road, they are spotted by a herd of Walkers and are forced to ditch their gear and run. After clearing the forest by the side of the road, Brian and Megan fall into a trench and are set upon by several more and Brian manages to kill them with his bare hands. After reassuring Megan, he looks up and sees Martinez looking down at them.
Well, that’s part I of what happened to the Governor down. And judging from the sneak peak, part II is all about him and his new family being introduced to a new community, one which is run by Martinez himself. And of course, things go awry, and I’m guessing the Governor deciding to oust Martinez as leader has something to do with that.
But getting back to what happened this week, I would reiterate that it seemed interesting. After all he’s done and been through, it was kind of neat to see what the Governor got up to after his sudden disappearance. It’s always good in a series when a character who is considered evil and irredeemable is given a second chance at life and finds a way to carry on.
However, I would have to say that things began to fall apart for me when it became obvious that Lily, Tara and Megan are becoming his new family. The indications were many and obvious, and it seemed like the moment David died, it would prove to be the case. And if all those hints weren’t enough, he even burns the picture of his old family just to make it abundantly clear.
I did suspect that there might be some tension after Lily and he hooked up, but they pretty much nullified that with the 11th hour revelation that Tara is a lesbian. Kind of seemed a bit awkward and forced, but whatever. I guess they had their hands full with finding a way to both fill in the missing pieces of the story and bring it back to the point where he begins messing with the prison crew again.
Some things I did like is where the Governor takes out several Walkers with his bare bands. Not since Michonne had her hands bound and her sword confiscated have we seen such creativity at work. And I was also surprised to see Martinez at the end, and was intrigued by the idea of the Governor being forced to endure his leadership for a change. I imagine some interesting scenarios occurring in the episodes to come.
On the other hand, I do kind of worry that the Governor’s role in this season is going to last to the end. With just two more episodes before the season halfway mark, I’m thinking that the next two episodes will both involve the Governor, in full or in part. That way, he can remain in the background for the rest of the season as the prison crew’s antagonist, thus ending the season with a final battle.
Which means it won’t be until season five that they’ll be getting back to anything resembling the original plot. Still, should be interesting, and the prospect of a little action where the Governor is no longer in charge and fighting for some other than brutal, backstabbing revenge will certainly be worth watching! Until next week…
By storiesbywilliamsin Reviews, zombies November 19, 2013 1,100 Words2 Comments
The Walking Dead – Season Four, Episode Four
Welcome back for more of AMC’s The Walking Dead. Last time around, due to a combination of inexcusable procrastination and excusable travel plans, I had to review all three episodes of the season in one go. Henceforth, I hope to be more studios and cover episodes as they come. And with that mind, I was sure to watch this week’s episode just as soon as I could.
Indifference:
Picking up where things left off, this episode opens with Rick still looking into what Carol did to Karen and David – aka. the people she killed and immolated to protect the others. After talking to Lizzy, Rick takes Carol on a supply run, in part because they lost supplies after the initial outbreak of the flu, but also because Daryl and the others have yet to return.
A third reason Rick has chosen to bring Carol along is to keep an eye on her, as he clearly doesn’t trust her anymore. They come to a small town and begin combing houses, and find two young people – Sam and Anna – held up in one. They learn they are survivors from a refugee center who have been on the move ever since. The couple ask to come with them and help them search the neighborhood, and Rick reluctantly agrees.
While searching the nearby houses, Rick and Carol get a chance to talk about what she did, and she remains unrepentant. When they return outside, they see Anna’s remains being devoured by several Walkers. Carol dismisses it and suggests they go back to wait for Sam, but when he doesn’t show, she recommends they leave.
After loading up their car with everything they’ve found, Rick tells Carol that she needs to move on. In addition to Tyreese wanting blood, he knows the others in the prison won’t accept her once they know the truth, and that she’s now strong enough to survive on her own. After securing a car for her, Carol gives Rick the watch Ed gave to her on her their anniversary and drives off.
Meanwhile, Daryl and company have managed to find their way to autoshop that’s been overgrown by vines. After clearing it, during which time Tyreese nearly dies again, Daryl and Bob begin searching the store for supplies while Michonne and Tyreese clear a minivan they discover within the vines. She chides him for his anger, telling him that while understandable, it will get him killed.
With minivan working, they drive the rest of the way to the veterinary college and find all the medicine and supplies they need. On the way out, they are spotted by a group of Walkers that also died from the flu strain and begin running. After taking cover in a storage room, they find that the door to the exit stairwell is chained and there are many more Walkers on the other side.
Reasoning that the Walkers in the stairwell might not have died from the flu, they break open the doors and start fighting their way out. However, all exits up above are cut off as well, and they are forced to break a window and climb out. Bob nearly loses his bag to a herd of Walkers but manages to pull it up, and Daryl sees that it had a bottle of liquor inside. Daryl tells Bob that he if takes one sip before they get back, he’ll kill him himself.
They load up their minivan and leave, and Michonne tells Daryl that she’s decided to let the Governor go and move on. They and Rick both head back for the prison.
Clearly, this episode was all about moving on. In addition to Michonne telling Tyreese that he needed to let go of his anger, and her taking her own advice and letting the Governor go, Rick sends Carol on her way as a means of resolving their moral dilemma. But of course, there was also the aspect of the episode from which it derives its name.
Rick’s moral dilemma arises from the fact that Carol appears to have become indifferent to death and the suffering of others. And then there was the issue of Bob’s alcoholism, how he was willing to risk everything for a bottle of booze while the others were fighting to make sure they got out with the medicine they needed to save their people’s lives.
Taken together, these threads once again stress the larger theme of the story. On the one hand, people are forced to do what they have to to survive. But in the end, there is only so much which can be sacrificed before staying alive becomes meaningless. This episode managed to capture that quite well.
However, there were also a lot of things which were kind of annoying. For one, the way they’ve now written Carol out seems kind of weak, especially when one considers how she really died. In the comic, Carol tried to commit suicide after losing Tyreese, her lover, to Michonne. After that, she became somewhat erratic and dependent, and felt increasingly isolated as a result. She then let a Walker bite her and died tragically.
And let’s not forget that they’ve done this once before, let us think Carol was gone when in fact she wasn’t. But if this is indeed the end of her thread, I would have to say that it’s not too surprising. Given what they’ve done with her in the last two seasons, minimizing her role and then turning her into a sociopath, I’d say the decision to drop her makes sense.
However, there is another point of interest that fans of the original could not fail to notice. In this episode, Tyreese and Michonne began chatting and seemed to find they had something in common. Given their relationship in the original comic, one can’t help but wonder if this will evolve into something more. But of course, this could be simple projection, since she also appeared to be flirting with Daryl at one point. Not sure where their going with that…
But above all, I mainly got a bad feeling from this episode due to the fact that it kind of felt like filler and portends of how this season is likely to drag on like the others. I foresee next episode being a race to try and save all the infected, with lots of talking and introspection! And when all that’s done, I’m thinking the Woodbury people – save one or two new additions to the cast – will be dead and the core will finally decide to leave the prison behind.
Maybe then, they’ll finally get back on script! Sigh… Oh well, at least Issue 116 will be out in a few days!
By storiesbywilliamsin Reviews, zombies November 5, 2013 November 5, 2013 1,124 Words5 Comments
Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead – Part II
Welcome back! In my last post, I was able to cover the first two volumes of the Walking Dead comic series and how they differed from the television adaptation. This took us to the end of season two of the show, as each volume became the basis of its own season. And as I might have mentioned, the series producers and writers made some serious changes, not the least of which had to do with the introduction or substitution of characters. But there’s another big change which I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention.
While the first season did a pretty good job of adapting the material from the comics – that is to say, succinctly with 6 episodes – season two took what was also a six-issue volume and expanded it to fill a full 13 episodes. Basically, this meant that they dragged things out inexorably to make it all fit. Aside from Shane’s ongoing presence, this included throwing some additional complications and events into the mix before Rick and the other finally moved on to the prison.
Their arrival and attempts to make a life at the prison was the basis of volume three of the comics and season three of the show. But whereas the show expanded on volume two to make their second season, they did the opposite with volumes three through eight, which covered the story involving the Governor, Woodbury, and the fight between his people and Rick’s.
Whether they simply glossed over certain events or chose to minimize certain story elements, the show’s producers and writers left an awful lot of material out, substituting it with their own for reasons which seemed to have more to do with inertia than fitting the requirements of television. And between myself and other fans of the comic book series, this seemed like a real let down.
But I’m getting ahead of myself here! First up, let’s take a look at the next few volumes and see how they compare to the show…
Volume 3 – Safety Behind Bars:
The series opens again with Rick and the others arriving at the prison, where he, Tyreese and Andrea begin clearing out the front yard of Walkers. With that done, they camp out in the RV inside the gate for the night and wait on morning to enter. Once they penetrate inside the first cell block, they are surprised to find survivors who barred themselves inside the cafeteria.
Everyone comes in to share in some food, and the supply situation appears to be abundant, which puts everyone at ease. But things get a little tense as Rick and the others realize that the survivors are not guards, but inmates. Rick explains what’s been going on in the outside world, something they have been oblivious to, and they recount what happened to the prison when the outbreak hit.
The four inmates include Axel, an armed robber; Thomas, who claims his crime was tax fraud; Andrew, a former junkie; and Dexter, a man convicted of murder. After eating and doing their intros, Dexter agrees to show Rick and Tyreese around. This culminates in them going to the gym, which has its doors barred, and finding dozens of Walkers inside. Afterward, people partner up and take to different cells.
While burning the bodies in the front yard, Rick and the others notice a plume of smoke rising from down the road. Rick heads back to Hershel’s farm to find that they are also burning the bodies of Walkers. Glenn and Otis explain that with the weather turning, more attacks are coming, and Rick proposes that they relocate to the prison. Herschel agrees and apologizes for sending them out earlier.
Back at the prison, Julie and Chris have sex for the first time and, in keeping with their pact, agree to kill each other. However, Chris fired too soon and killed Julie, leaving him alive. Tyreese is on the verge of killing him, but is stopped when his daughter comes back tries to bite him. Chris shoots her again and she dies. The last remaining truth about the virus is revealed…
Tyreese strangles Chris in a fit of rage and grief and burns both their bodies on the following day. After checking up on him to make sure he’s okay, Rick commandeers a motorcycle and drives off, saying he has something to take care of. Meanwhile, people at the prison begin to settle in while Tyreese, Andrea, Glenn and Billy work on clearing the gym. Things go well until they are surrounded, and the others escape just as Tyreese is enveloped.
We then catch up to Rick, who has returned to where he buried Shane, and unearths him and finds that he too has turned. Rick explains that he now understands that the virus turns everyone once they’re dead, not just people who have been bitten. He tells him he had to come back to make things right and shoots him through the head. Back at the prison, Herschel looks for his two youngest daughters – Rachel and Susie – and finds their beheaded corpses in a cell!
Glenn is forced to deal with their remains as the heads come back to life, and news of their and Tyreese’s deaths spread and cause panic. Andrea and Lori grab their guns and lock Dexter, their chief suspect, in a cell with his companion Andrew. Emotionally distraught, Carol kisses Lori and apologizes. Rick returns to find things in chaos and returns with them to the gym where they find Tyreese exhausted but alive, lying amidst the corpses of dozens of Walkers. In the laundry room, Andrea is accosted by Thomas, who it turns out is the killer.
In the immediate aftermath, Rick and Herschel are distraught and blame themselves for his daughter’s deaths. Carol, relieved to see Tyreese alive and well, makes love to him on the gym floor while Axel try to clear the fence line of Walkers. They are all interrupted when Thomas chases Andrea out into the yard. Rick intervenes and beats Thomas to within an inch of his life. Rick decides that he must die, that “you kill, you die” is to be their system of justice from now on.
Rick lets Dexter and Andrew out of their cell, but the damage appears to have been done. Convinced that he and the others are not safe with Rick’s party, he tells Andrew to get some guns from the armory they’ve been keeping secret. The decision is made to hang Thomas, but Patricia (Otis’ girlfriend) tries to let him out of his cell, he becomes violent again, and Maggie is forced to shoot him. His remains are tossed outside the gate so Walkers can feed on them.
Dexter and Andrew enter the yard carrying shot guns, and he orders Rick at gunpoint to get “out of my house!”
Volume 4 – The Heart’s Desire:
This volume opens with a rather important introduction – that of the character Michonne. While walking across the landscape, her two chained Walkers in tow, she hears gunshots. She sees Otis using Hershel’s horse-drawn cart to haul supplies to the prison, and firing off a rifle to keep Walkers by the side of the road back. Curious, she picks up his trail and begins to head for the prison as well.
Back at the prison, the stand-off between Dexter and Rick continues. It is interrupted when Walkers pour out of A Block, where Andrew took the guns from the armory, and a gunfight ensues. In the confusion, Rick shoot Dexter in the head. On the other side of the fence, Otis arrives and is nearly overrun, but Michonne arrives in time and saves him by lopping the heads off of Walkers with her katana sword.
Sending off a patrol to clear out the rest, Rick opens the gate and lets Otis and Michonne in. Andrew, distraught over the loss of his companion, runs out into the wilderness. Once again, things begin to return to normal, the people busying themselves between clearing the fence line of Walkers and using the yard to plant food. Dale and Tyreese also find the generator in the basement and realize they could have electricity.
Allen begins to recover from the trauma of losing Donna and joins Rick and the others as they conduct another sweep. However, he is bit on his Achilles heel when a Walker sneaks up on him, and Rick tells them to cut his foot off. Realizing that the virus is already in them, that everyone turns only after they die, he tells them they need to amputate and close the wound. With Hershel’s help, they manage to stop the bleeding and lay him to rest in a cell.
Carol is distraught when she hears of this and runs off to find Tyreese, who is in the gym trying to forget how things are going to hell. She arrived just in time to find him in the middle of an amorous encounter with Michonne. Glenn and Maggie, who’s courtship is growing, are away and oblivious to it all. And Andrea arrives in Michonne’s cell and hears her talking to someone, but no one else is there.
After catching him with Michonne, Carol becomes distraught and tells Tyreese to move out of their cell. Michonne takes him in and the two begin having a relationship of sorts. With Allen down, his boys begin to feel like they are about to lose him too, and Andrea and Herschel step in to look after them. After speaking to Lori about how he’s worried about Carol, Rick and Lori return to her cell to find that she has slit her wrists.
Rick comes to Tyreese and Michonne’s cell and tells him about Carol, and blames him for it. The two get into a terrible fight during, they accuse each other of becoming cold-blooded killers, and Rick falls over a rail and nearly cracks his skull. They are interrupted to learn that Allen has died from his wounds. Rick goes to his cell to shoot him to keep him from coming back, and then falls unconscious.
Rick wakes up to see Carol keeping watch over him. Having recovered from her self-administered cuts, she tells him she’s heard about how he confronted Tyreese for her, and proceeds to kiss him too. Dale shows up and tells Rick he needs to step back from being leader, and that a committee was formed that elected Tyreese to fill that role for the time being. Disheveled, tired and upset people are questioning him, Rick confronts them all and tells them how it is.
What follows is one of the most important and seminal speeches in the entire series. He tells them things have changed, that they will never go back to the way they were, and that killing is now the only way they will stay alive. He concludes it with the chilling words:
We’re surrounded by the dead. We’re among them, and when we finally give up, we become them. We’re living on borrowed time here. Every minute of our life is a minute we steal from them! …You think we hide behind walls to protect us from the walking dead! Don’t you get it! WE ARE THE WALKING DEAD!
As already mentioned, many of the changes that took place in season three, which were adapted from these volumes, seemed to be motivated by inertia. Having strayed from the source material in season two, they were now obligated to find ways to tie it together with material from the next volumes to make it all work. But there was still some serious minimizing and exclusions which I really can’t see the logic in.
For starters, Tyreese’s and his daughters absence from the cast at this point meant that a ton of important plot developments were not usable. His daughter’s death, his killing Chris, his affair with Michonne and how it led to Carol’s attempted suicide, and his big fight with Rick. This last one was especially important, in that it demonstrated how both men were effectively being pushed over the edge by their situation.
Sure, they found other ways to sneak some of the ideas in, but they were not nearly as effective in my opinion. What’s more, they did a total rewrite of the inmate crew. Instead of Dexter, Thomas, Andrew, and Axel, we got Tomas, Big Tiny, Oscar, Andrew and Axel, and their characters were switched up. Axel remained the trustworthy one of the group, but Tomas ended up merging Thomas and Dexter’s character into one short-lived bad guy who dies very quickly.
Rick killing him was true to the spirit of him murdering Dexter, but it was not nearly as dubious. And Andrew runs off in the book never to be heard from again, he doesn’t flee to go cause trouble down the road. Big Tiny and Oscar served no purpose either, being little more than stand-ins who also die pretty quick. And even Axel died off in the first half of season three. Once again, the term “highest paid extras” seems to apply!
And speaking of extras, the way they killed off Dale and Sophia in season two and – again! – left Tyreese out of the picture, meant that Carol’s character has effectively been reduced to a background person. Aside from flirting with Daryl, brushing Axel off, and popping in to help look after other people kids, she did very little in season three.
Oh, and Carl and Sophia also begin courting at this point in comic. But since she dies in season two of the show, they switch that romantic angle over to Carl and Beth, another character that doesn’t exist in the original. Yes, Herschel had several daughters – and four sons (one of whom was a Walker) – but none of them were named Beth.
Once again, some characters are dropped and other subbed in inexplicably. Oh, and you may think that Allen’s absence from the script may be the reason Herschel lost his leg in season three, but you’d only be half right. In truth, the amputation Herschel endured was reminiscent of a different character losing a foot, which comes up later. Yep, two amputations in one story!
Michonne’s introduction was also vastly different. Instead of finding Andrea in the wilderness and traveling to Woodbury with her, thus introducing both the town and Governor far sooner than took place in the comics, she shows up at the front gate of the prison and integrates with them quite quickly. Sure, they managed to capture her badassery in the show, but they completely glossed over her rich inner life, which included vulnerability and the fact that she’s also fighting to maintain her sanity. Some of this would be covered later, but in a very topical, in-passing kind of way.
Ah, and let’s not forget how Merle was part of the Governor’s crew, which was their way of reintroducing him after his departure in season one and explaining his whereabouts. This provided another connection between the two camps and a tie-in for a character that wasn’t in the original story. And this was one change I saw the value in, as it laid the groundwork for an eventual clash of loyalties for the Daryl family and was a chance for more character development.
At this point, I have to say that reading the comics has diminished my opinion of the show, which is exactly what I was afraid of! While I didn’t like season two much, I was a fan of season three right until that unsatisfying ending (more on that later). But now… between the way they chose to leave certain characters out, thus decapitating much of the story, and introduce different characters who are promptly killed off, I have to say I really don’t get what they were thinking.
Sure, the obvious explanation is budgets. But that argument falls flat when you consider that they dropped some leading characters in favor of ones they invented themselves. For the cost of Daryl and Merle – aka. Norman Reedus and Michael Rooker, both very talented actors! – they totally could have afforded a solid actor to play Tyreese as well as two perfectly decent teen actors to play Julie and Chris.
Of course, I can see the reason for keeping Shane around. Between the actor and the character, they felt they had something with him and didn’t want to lose that. But the early termination of Dale and Sophia is another matter. In Dale’s case, his relationship with Andrea was an important aspect of the plot, as was Sophia’s with Carl. Their deaths I can only assume were a matter of conflicts or money, as no other explanation seems to make sense.
But alas, the best is yet to come. As volumes 5 and 6 begin, we are introduced to the Governor and the seeds of the prison versus Woodbury confrontation are sown. And trust me when I say, compared to what the miniseries did with it, the comics version was far more interesting, and bloody! Stay tuned!
The Walking Dead Season 4: A Look Ahead
It’s no secret that fans were a little surprised with the season finale of The Walking Dead. What with from the rather abortive assault on the prison, the way the Governor just up and disappeared, and the way the people of Woodbury were then incorporated into the prison community, there appeared to be a lot of unanswered questions, unfinished business and untied loose ends.
Perhaps in response to this, Robert Kirkman, the cast and producers of AMC’s The Walking Dead have released a preview video of what lies in store for season four. Through the course of clips, snippets, and interviews, it is revealed that the new season will have plenty of surprises and promises that the various threads that were left open in season three would ultimately be tied. Given my disappointment with how season three ended, I certainly hope they are telling the truth!
[Spoilers Ahead! Cease reading if you haven’t seen the finale or don’t want to know what’s coming!]
First and foremost on people’s minds is the issue of the Governor. After snapping and shooting his own people, he kind of just took off into the sunset, didn’t he? And then there’s the matter of Carl Grimes, the budding psychopath who’s latest exploits include shooting a man in cold blood. Where is he heading? Toward redemption, or straight to the loony bin? Co-executive producer Denise Huth had this to say on those subjects:
The Governor is still out there. The war is not over. Rick and our group here won the first round and scared him off… Carl’s changing. It’s a huge wake-up call for Rick. And it’s a big fear for him moving into the next season. Is Carl going to be Rick, or is Carl going to be the Governor? And right now Carl could go either way.
In addition, Hurd was sure to indicate that there would be plenty of problems on the home front as well, not the least of which would arise from the way Woodbury and the prison had integrated at the end of season three:
What’s going to happen as these two groups who literally were at war with each other moments before, how are they going to integrate?
In an interview with IGN, Kirkman also had much to say, claiming that the prison will remain a major part of season four, but that there would also be some major changes. For starters, Rick will be facing some of the same issues the Governor dealt with since he now has to lead a larger group that needs more food and supplies than their tight-knit team. And of course, he let viewers know that the Governor would remain a threat.
A bigger group brings with it bigger problems. They are certainly going to need a lot more resources, and they already have a lot of rebuilding to do, just from the things that happened in this battle between Woodbury and the prison. I don’t think there’s going to be a shortage of conflict and danger coming into the fourth season, despite the fact that they are still in the prison…
I’ll say that there are a lot of familiar elements that are remaining. Michonne is still around, Rick and his group are still in the prison, the Governor’s still out there… so there are a lot of things that are carrying over from Season 3 to Season 4, but I can’t stress how different things are going to be.
There are going to be some radical changes to those elements that are going to bring in a lot of new storytelling. While [Season 4] does seem somewhat familiar, it’s going to be vastly different from Season 3.
In addition, Kirkman indicated that in the next season, the world will be expanded well beyond that of the familiar settings established in season three:
We will be getting into more world building, more civilization being brought back. A little bit more of a bigger sense of community.
Well, for those of disappointed in the ending of season three, but generally impressed with the direction the show has been taking since season two, I think it’s fair to say the intrigue level has gone up. Rest assured, there’s plenty of material to be adapted from the original comic, and even without the source material, the zombie apocalypse is some pretty fertile territory! Just seven months to go before the October 2013 premiere, people!
Sources: insidetv.ew.com, blastr.com
By storiesbywilliamsin News, zombies April 6, 2013 758 Words2 Comments
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Last Song on Radio Caroline!
(Please feel free to add your Comments at the end of this Post)
Gary: Well Russell, you have had time to think about this, what was the last song played on Radio Caroline November 5, 1990?
The singer was born in London in 1956, is one of the UK’s most multi talented singer, songwriter, actress and so on. It just so happens that even though you do not think I know anything about the Eighties, this is one of my Favourite songs of that period.
Pilot of The Airwaves / Island 49166 / Mar 1980 / #13 Billboard
http://rstrathdee.com/mp3s/oldRock/Charlie%20Dore%20-%20Pilot%20of%20the%20Airways.mp3
‘Pilot of the Airwaves‘ was the final track played by Radio Caroline * on 5 November 1990 as an unlicensed offshore radio station. *
In November 1991 hurricane force storms caused the ship to break anchor and drift onto the Goodwin Sands, a notorious “ships’ graveyard” in the English Channel. The crew were rescued by RAF helicopter. The Ross Revenge was later salvaged and brought into harbour in Dover.
Charlie Dore is most famous in the United States for her 1980 single, “Pilot of the Airwaves,” but is also known in Europe for her 1995 album, Things Change.
She was a drama student in Newcastle, and appeared on the TV show Rainbow briefly, but then dabbled in music. She formed a country band called Prairie Oyster, which attracted interest from Island Records, but the band imploded before terms could be finalized and she was signed as a solo act.
Her first album, Where To Now, recorded both in Nashville, Tennessee and in London, was released in 1979. “Pilot of the Airwaves,” the first single taken from it, hit #13 on the U.S. charts, and scraped up to #66 in her native UK. The follow-up single, “Fear of Flying”, did not take off and her performing career stalled after her follow-up album, Listen, failed to attract interest.
She then returned to acting, starring with Tim Curry and Jonathan Pryce in 1984’s The Ploughman’s Lunch, and appeared in other TV shows, include South of the Border and Hard Cases.
However, her songwriting career also took off, as she penned hits for Tina Turner, Celine Dion, Barry Manilow and other best-selling artists. She returned to performing music with Things Change, and in 2004, she released Sleep All Day and Other Stories.
Dore’s most recent release, Cuckoo Hill, appeared on the Black Ink Music record label, and was released in July 2006.
* See also our previous Post about Pirate Radio
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James Garner (1928–2014)
James Garner played cowboys, soldiers, detectives, astronauts, and race car drivers. He was, as Brandon David Wilson said on Twitter, “American manhood personified,” “a kind of ideal midpoint,” as Ned Raggett tweeted, “between laconic cool and comic vulnerability – like Steve McQueen plus Cary Grant.”
In a great piece for the Atlantic on the dearth of charm among American men, Benjamin Schwarz basically designates Garner – with his “casual wit,” “good-natured ease,” “liking for and appreciation of women,” and “quizzical detachment” – America’s last charming man. He writes, “Garner had a magical ability to convey his offscreen persona of red-blooded, hardworking, plain, and thorough decency, even as his charming onscreen persona didn’t fully jibe with it. He thereby made a light touch and an ironic stance qualities that men found not just appealing but worthy.”
Of the three mid-20th century male TV stars who made the jump to movies – Steve McQueen, Clint Eastwood, and James Garner – Clive James likes Garner the best, mainly because, unlike the more taciturn McQueen and Eastwood, Garner had a facility with words, a crucial component of charm. It doesn’t hurt that Garner was also, by all accounts, a pretty nice guy: married to the same woman since 1956, civil rights advocate, lifelong marijuana smoker.
Garner’s oft-remarked-upon charm is present from the beginning of his career in the late 1950s. Unlike Cary Grant, who didn’t hit his stride charm-wise until well into his career, Garner’s charm appeared more or less fully formed. This, I hypothesize, is partly due to the fact that he did stuff before becoming an actor. He lived life. The New York Times explains:
Mr. Garner came to acting late, and by accident. On his own after the age of 14 and a bit of a drifter, he had been working an endless series of jobs: telephone installer, oilfield roughneck, chauffeur, dishwasher, janitor, lifeguard, grocery clerk, salesman and, fatefully, gas station attendant. While pumping gas in Los Angeles, he met a young man named Paul Gregory, who was working nearby as a soda jerk but wanted to be an agent.
Years later, after Mr. Garner had served in the Army during the Korean War – he was wounded in action twice, earning two Purple Hearts – he was working as a carpet layer in Los Angeles for a business run by his father. One afternoon he was driving on La Cienega Boulevard and saw a sign: Paul Gregory & Associates. Just then a car pulled out of a space in front of the building, and Mr. Garner, on a whim, pulled in. He was 25.
The rest, as they say, is history, but Garner never really shed his “regular guy who works odd jobs” persona. I think this accounted for, insofar as it gave him a certain world-weariness, a fair chunk of his charm. World-weariness is, in fact, a key ingredient of charm according to Schwarz, who writes that “Only the self-aware can have charm: It’s bound up with a sensibility that at best approaches wisdom, or at least worldliness, and at worst goes well beyond cynicism.” “I was never enamored of the business, never even wanted to be an actor, really,” Garner told the New York Times in 1984 in a quote reproduced at the end of their obituary for him yesterday. “It’s always been a means to an end, which is to make a living.” Now, some of this may be false modesty on Garner’s part, but at a time when it seems like everyone and their mother wants desperately to be famous, Garner’s “take it or leave it” attitude, and the life experience that led to it, strikes me not just as indicative of charm, but of virtue. It’s usually stupid to try to emulate actors, but James Garner might be the exception to the rule.
This entry was posted in masculinity, movies, TV and tagged James Garner. Bookmark the permalink.
3 responses to “James Garner (1928–2014)”
Ovens | July 22, 2014 at 3:39 pm | Reply
I will miss “Ole Jimmy” and Rockford files is one of my favorite old shows. He was one of the oldies but goodies. I’m sad to hear he died. Another ‘end-of-an-era’. Rest In Peace! James.
Santamoniker (@Santamoniker) | September 27, 2014 at 8:43 pm | Reply
It will always be The Americanization of Emily for me. Sure I saw most of the Rockfords, and his other films. It’s the anti-war nature of the film and him filling the lead role so wonderfully that make it my favorite of Jim.
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Interviews, Reviews, ya contemporary, YA Mystery, YA Paranormal
ARC Review & Interview: Wake the Hollow by Gaby Triana
August 1, 2016 August 2, 2016 Liz Brooks
Tragedy has brought Micaela Burgos back to her hometown of Sleepy Hollow. It’s been six years since she chose to live with her affluent father in Miami instead of her history-obsessed eccentric mother. And now her mother is dead.
But while Sleepy Hollow was made immortal by literature, the town is real. So are its prejudices and hatred, targeting Mica’s Cuban family and the secrets of their heritage that her mother obsessed over. But ghostly voices whisper in the wind, questioning whether her mother’s death might not have been an accident after all, and Mica knows there’s a reason she’s here.
With the help of two very different guys—who pull at her heart in very different ways—Micaela must uncover the hidden secret of Sleepy Hollow…before she meets her mother’s fate.
So this review is going to be on the shorter side. I got the opportunity to interview Gaby Triana about Wake the Hollow. I’ll let her tell you more about the novel, but I was so enthralled with this book; I needed to know what happened and finished it in 24 hours.
Wake the Hollow’s plot is a nail bitter, chilling you to the bone. You don’t know who to trust- Bram, the childhood best friend, Dane, the handsome witty new teacher, Mica’s father, who is unavailable most of the time, or the voices leading Mica. It’s very clear that Mica has a complicated relationship with both her mother and the people of Tarrytown. Her mother has been considered the town “crazy” for a long time. Her mother is also accused of stealing valuable property from a historic society. So when her mother dies, Mica is forced to confront her own demons along with the town’s intolerance of her mother. Everything Mica has ever known she starts to question.
There are twists and turns that you don’t see coming as past and present are reconciled. The story is also educational. Triana pulls from Washington Irving’s real life to build suspense about a secret journal of his and a possible affair that could change everything people know about Irving. If you enjoy suspense, romance, and Sleepy Hollow give this book a read!
Thanks so much for joining us here at The Talking Bookworm. I’d first like to say that I absolutely loved Wake the Hollow and your portrait of the Sleepy Hollow. I finished it in about 24 hours; I was so enthralled and did not want to put it down.
Thank you! That’s the ultimate compliment for any author—“couldn’t put it down.”
Can you tell us a little bit about Wake the Hollow?
Wake the Hollow is a re-imagining of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow set in modern times. However, it was important to me not to write a straight retelling of the classic, since we all know how that story goes, so I took a different approach. I turned the love triangle of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow into a subplot, coupled it with the gothic elements and open-endedness of the classic tale, and created a completely new storyline. In the end, we have an homage to the classic with new things to think about.
In the acknowledgement section of your book, you said it took eight years to finalize once you had “finished” it. Why did it stew for so long?
Life changes made me put it aside for a while and move on. Also, it couldn’t seem to find a home with any publishers, and I realized it was because the story was hard to pinpoint. I had all these great elements that weren’t gelling the way I would’ve liked, but I couldn’t figure out what was wrong with them either. Several revisions later, the story started to sort itself out, I cut a lot of the noise distracting us from the root of the story, and Micaela’s real story started to come through. Sometimes, you’re too close to a story and have to step away for a while.
What was so interesting about the story of Sleepy Hollow that inspired you to write a retelling of some sorts? and the author Washington Irving?
I’ve always been fascinated by The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. It began with the Disney short cartoon from the 50’s, then I read the story as a child, and I’ve always been intrigued by the open-endedness. We think it’s about the Headless Horseman, but it’s not. It’s about an out-of-town schoolmaster named Ichabod Crane who tries to get the town coquette to fall in love with him, but her boyfriend isn’t having it, so he uses Ichabod’s superstitions to his benefit and drives him away dressed up as the legendary town ghost. I always loved how Irving left the story’s ending to your imagination.
You had to have done quite a bit of research on Washington Irving for this novel, can you tell us a little bit about that process? Did you actually travel to Tarrytown, New York?
Yes, in 2008 I took a 4-day trip to Tarrytown with my mother to scope out the area and get a feel for Sleepy Hollow. I tried to capture the feel of the fall season in Tarrytown without getting too technical about locations. I did a lot of research on Washington Irving and discovered lots of things that helped bring this story together. The man led a fascinating life—he was Ambassador to Spain, lived a long time in London, wrote most of his all-American stories while in Europe, and penned massive biographies, only to be mostly remembered for a couple of short stories he didn’t feel represented his best work.
Through the research I did after reading Wake the Hollow, because lets face it your novel is full of fun interesting facts I didn’t know and wanted to learn more about, what made you decide on the Mary Shelly plot?
Ha ha, I got you on Google, didn’t I? One of the things I learned while researching was that Washington Irving had been friends with Mary Shelley, the author of Frankenstein, and a few sources said he might’ve had a very brief relationship with her, even though he would’ve been about 30 years older than her. The first thought to go through my mind was one of those rap lyric battles—Frankenstein vs. The Headless Horseman…who will win?? Here you had two famous authors of Gothic literature possibly in a secret romantic relationship…it just doesn’t get better than that.
I loved that Mica was of Cuban descent. Did you decide upon her heritage after researching Washington Irving’s life? What about the other characters? What was your thought process for them?
I already knew from the beginning that I wanted to give the story a Cuban angle. I do this will all my books because my parents are from Cuba, and I pay homage to that in some small way every chance I get. But when I started planning Wake the Hollow, I thought, how the heck am I going to make anything Cuban in a story about an author as American as apple pie? Then I found a clue about Irving’s past and knew I had to follow it and use it to tie the whole thing together. All three main characters are modern-day parallels from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Micaela Katerina is the rich man’s daughter (Katrina Van Tassel), Dane Boracich is the worldly new schoolmaster from out of town (Ichabod Crane), and Abraham Derant is the handsome town hero (Brom Bones).
Which character is your favorite? I personally loved Dane!
Dane is my absolute favorite too. Without saying too much, he holds secrets, harbors quiet love he can’t express, and is a sworn man of duty.
Can we talk about that ending for a second? No spoilers, I promise! I had so many theories and you just destroyed them all! Will we be getting a second book or is Wake the Hollow the end of the story? If so, I need people to start some fan fiction for me!
Again, without saying too much, I will probably write a second book, because I want to see Micaela start a new life, one she lives for herself rather than others.
I know when you aren’t writing, you design whimsical cakes; what type of cake would you design for Wake the Hollow? What cake flavors would you assign Bram, Mica, and Dane?
I love this question! Let’s see…I would probably create a topsy-turvy Tim Burton inspired cake with black, purple, and green layers, a Headless Horseman on top carrying a flaming pumpkin, and lots of painted silhouettes of gnarly trees and tombstones. Bram’s layer would be Devil’s Food Cake, Micaela’s would be cinnamon cake with dulce de leche filling, and Dane would be marbled vanilla and chocolate, light and dark, good and bad all rolled together.
Best read of 2016… go!
I’ve spent 90% of my time this year so far writing, writing, and more writing, but I did manage to read a few great books, though they may not be from 2016. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin, Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins, and Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry.
What is the number one thing that helps you write? Music, a specific room, coffee? (note: I like knowing what helps writers write or like surpass the madness)
I have three kids, all boys, aged 15, 10, and 10. So what helps me write the most…is late-night silence.
I’d like to again thank Gaby Triana for taking the time to interview with us. I can’t wait for you all to read Wake the Hollow!
I hear the laugh once again, calm and satisfied. A solid wave of rage starts between my forehead and the back of my head, overtaking my entire body. Teeth clenched so hard, I hear them grind. I scream, “What’s so funny, you sick bastard!”
Then a new sound, so clear there’s no mistaking it. A horse’s neigh, followed by the woody, hollow sound of hooves galloping right toward me.
Thirsty leaves rustle on the ground like littered newspaper in the wind. I stand paralyzed over my mother’s grave, eyes roving, searching for the source of the sound. A horse in the cemetery? Seriously? But there’s no one here! Yet the galloping feels a blink away.
Run, Lela!
I break free of the invisible straitjacket immobilizing my upper body. I plunge through the woods, boots pounding the earth in time with my breath, eyes focused ahead, dodging grave markers, logs, rocks, and fallen limbs in my way. Who’s charging me on a horse? The Headless Horseman is only a character in a story. A legend.
Isn’t he?
I run straight for the bridge, my breath short and choppy. Isn’t the horseman supposed to stop chasing his victims once they cross the bridge? How ridiculous that I’m considering the logistics behind a work of fiction. Maybe it’s not a real spirit at all, but someone playing a trick on me.
It’s unnervingly dark inside the covered bridge, but I have no other choice. The galloping is right behind me. I’ll have to go through it if I don’t want to sense a horse’s hot breath prickling my neck. I avoid eye contact with whoever is chasing me, in case paralysis freezes my body again.
I charge through the bridge, my breath loud in my ears, panicked footsteps echoing against the siding, plowing along the musty planks until I blast out the other end, nearly tumbling onto the ground. I check over my shoulder. Nothing followed me through. But next to the bridge, a hazy mist hovers above the ground in the shape of what could be interpreted as a massive horse with a rider on top. It stands at the edge of the river, watching me escape.
That’s no trick.
GABY TRIANA is the award-winning author of six YA novels—Wake the Hollow (Coming 2016), Summer of Yesterday, Riding the Universe, The Temptress Four, Cubanita, and Backstage Pass, as well as thirteen ghostwritten novels for best-selling authors. Originally a 4th grade teacher with a Master of Science in Elementary Education and ten years teaching experience, Gaby earned Teacher of the Year in 2000, wrote her first novel, Freddie and the Biltmore Ghost, then left teaching to launch a full-time writing career. She went on to publish young adult novels with HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster, win an IRA Teen Choice Award, ALA Best Paperback Award, and Hispanic Magazine’s Good Reads of 2008. She spends her time obsessing about Halloween, Christmas, and Disney World, as well as hosting parties, designing mugs, making whimsical cakes, and winning costume contests. When she’s not writing, she might also be watching Jurassic Park movies with her boys, posting excessive food pics on social media, or helping run the Florida region of the SCBWI. Gaby lives in Miami with her three sons, Michael, Noah, and Murphy. She has one dog, Chloe, and two cats—Miss Daisy, and the reformed thug, shooting survivor, Bowie. Visit her at www.GabyTriana.com.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Entangles Publishing, LLC for the opportunity to review this ARC. Receiving this ARC for free does not sway my opinion.
Tagged Gaby Triana, Retelling, Sleepy Hollow, Supernatural, Suspense, Wake the Hollow, young adultLeave a comment
Reviews, YA, ya contemporary, YA Dystopian, YA Fantasy, ya romance
ARC Review: Refuse (Recoil #2) by Joanne Macgregor
July 30, 2016 July 29, 2016 Liz Brooks
Everyone wants Jinxy, except the one she loves.
In a near-future USA decimated by an incurable plague and tightly controlled by a repressive government, teenagers with special skills are recruited and trained to fight in the war against terror.
Now a rebellion is brewing.
All sixteen year-old expert sniper Jinxy James wanted was a little freedom, but now she’s trapped between the government and the rebels, unsure of who the real enemy is. When she uncovers appalling secrets and twisted motivations, Jinxy begins to question her allegiances. Soon she will need to choose between love and freedom, as she struggles to do the right thing in a world gone horribly wrong.
Refuse is the second book in the Young Adult dystopian romance that began with Recoil. This much anticipated sequel is filled with romance and heartache, shocking twists, and a thought-provoking examination of freedom, fear, loyalty and identity.
SO back in May I was read and reviewed the first novel in this trilogy, Recoil, and really enjoyed what Joanne Macgregor brought to the table. It was quite a realistic dystopian story. The same can be said for the second novel in this series as well.
Refuse starts exactly where Recoil left off. Jinxy is sort of in hell. She has to convince the government that she isn’t some spy working for rebellion. She also has to decide which side of the fight she is on and who she can trust.
Macgregor’s story telling definitely improved with this novel. In a series like this the first novel is the setup and has to introduce you to a lot of characters and plot, but the second one is always better. You can dive right into the story, get to the nitty gritty of the characters and really focus on their decision-making process and character growth. I don’t want to spoil anything, so I will just say this, I really enjoyed watching Jinxy grow as a person. In the first novel she was young and naive. In Refuse she has grown up. She sees the world for what it really is. She sees the government and her missions for what they truly are. She understands that her actions have larger consequences, effect more people, more families. She understands that not everyone can be trusted and that you should listen to your gut when it’s trying to tell you something isn’t right.
The follow up to Recoil really brings the themes of right and wrong to the forefront of the story. Nothing is black and white and the gray area is very hazy. It does not do to always assume your government has the best interest of the people in mind. You should always be watching and questioning.
Definitely check this novel out. There is cliffhanger after cliffhanger that will keep you wanting more.
I’d like to thank Joanne Macgregor for providing me with an ARC. Receiving this ARC for free does not influence my opinion in any way.
Tagged Joanne Macgregor, Recoil, RefuseLeave a comment
Book Review: Outspoken by Lora Richardson
July 7, 2016 July 6, 2016 Veronica Porras (TTB)
Penny Beck is a girl who says yes when she means no. She keeps to herself, follows the rules, and does what she’s told. After a disastrous experience with her boyfriend, she’s determined to change from the spineless person she’s always been into the strong woman she wants to become. All she needs is a little practice.
On a cross-country trip to check on her grandpa, she strives to become bolder and more outspoken with the strangers she meets. Penny’s plan is to practice saying and doing what she wants without worrying about what anyone else thinks.
Then she meets Archer, an introspective loner to whom she finds herself drawn. She realizes she does care what he thinks, very much. Will Penny be able to stick to her plan, or will she revert back to her people-pleasing ways?
Let me start with a PSA. If you start reading this book and you think it’s a little slow, please keep reading. That was my mistake the first two times I tried to read it. Once you’re past the first 20 pages, trust me, you will be hooked. Lora’s writing style gives off a Sarah Dessen vibe, so if you like Sarah Dessen, please pick up her books!
Outspoken is Lora’s debut novel. As you may have seen, earlier this month Liz reviewed Lora’s sophomore novel which she loved! If you want to check that out after this review please click here! (Also, Liz interviewed Lora so that is also something you’re not going to want to miss.)
Outspoken starts of with Penny, a yes girl so to speak. She can’t say no for the life of her, but after a life-changing moment she decides she will no longer say “yes” even if it disappoints those closest to her. Penny has always tried to lead a life where she can make everyone happy, but herself. At the beginning Penny may not be your favorite person, you may want to scream at her and tell her what the hell is she doing, but as you go on this journey with her she starts to grow into a person we start rooting for and hope she gets the happy ending she deserves.
I will keep this review short as to not to spoil you, but if you are looking for a coming of age story that will make you question your own life’s journey then you should read it. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Disclaimer: I’d like to thank Lora Richardson for providing me with a copy of Outspoken. Receiving this book for free does not influence my opinion in any way.
Tagged book review, Lora Richardson, Outspoken, ya contemporary1 Comment
Interviews, Reviews, ya contemporary, ya romance
Book Review & Interview: The Edge of Juniper by Lora Richardson
June 28, 2016 June 27, 2016 Liz Brooks
“You’re off-limits, so why can’t I stop thinking about you?”
Fay Whitaker, sixteen years old and yearning for adventure, is excited to spend the summer with her fearless cousin Celia in small-town Juniper, Indiana.
But Fay soon discovers that her summer home is not what she expected. She is alarmed by her uncle’s temper, and learns of the grudge he holds against the Dearing family. Celia handles the tension at home by escaping with her boyfriend, leaving Fay with time on her hands—time that leads her straight to Malcolm Dearing, off-limits because of his last name. Fay is captivated by Malcolm’s warmth and intensity. She finds that trying to stay away from him only makes her think of him more.
Fay and Celia are launched on a journey, and each must attempt to navigate the thrilling and unpredictable world of love. Everything Fay thinks she knows about love is put to the test, as relationships unfold and reveal themselves in ways she never before dreamed.
The Edge of Juniper is a contemporary romance that analyzes family dynamics, friendships, and romantic relationships.I absolutely loved Lora Richardson’s writing. She was thought provoking and honest. There is a lot going on with the main character Fay, but Richardson manages to bring all of Fay’s thoughts and emotions to the forefront. Fay doesn’t hide who she or what she wants, but also being 16, she still isn’t 100% sure of who she is what she wants.
I do have to say that because Fay is so open with her thought and emotions, her relationship with her parents is the kind I want with my kids. The aren’t afraid to discuss anything, and that includes sex. If/When I have children I want to make sure they can be honest with me. For example, Fay’s mother knows that teens have sex; instead of being crotchety about it, she literally buys her daughter condoms, explaining that Fay needs to be responsible and not just expect the guy to have them.
The Edge of Juniper is heartbreaking and eye opening. I absolutely loved it. Below is an interview I did with Lora. Guys she is fantastic and really gets into the nitty gritty of what the book truly represents.
So I want to start off by saying thank you for joining us today at The Talking Bookworm. We are super excited to have you and to discuss your book The Edge of Juniper, which I absolutely loved.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak with your readers. I’m happy to be here, and I am delighted that you enjoyed my book!
Can you tell us a bit about The Edge of Juniper?
Fay, a 16-year-old Northeastern city girl, is sent to live with her cousins in Indiana for the summer. She finds small town life charming, but she discovers some surprising things about her aunt and uncle’s home—not the least of which is the grudge her uncle holds against the Dearing family. Fay is close with her feisty cousin, Celia, but must come to terms with the circumstances in Celia’s life, and her different style of decision-making.
And then there’s Malcolm Dearing—strictly off-limits due to his last name. Fay knows she shouldn’t spend time with him, because doing so will upset the delicate balance in her aunt and uncle’s home. But the more she learns about him, and the more tumultuous Celia’s household becomes, the harder it becomes to stay away.
This is a book about first love, the complexity of families, and a girl learning to trust herself.
What was the inspiration behind the novel?
I got the first spark of an idea when my mom told me about the time she spent a week with her cousins. She had never been a houseguest before, and didn’t know what to expect. She was surprised by some of the ways their household was different from her own. I took that idea and ran with it, weaving in Fay—a strong character unafraid to speak her thoughts. I wanted Fay to be open and genuine, wholly unguarded in her response to the world, and a little bit naïve. I am curious about the various ways that households function, and how that can affect the behavior of the people inside them, especially teenagers who are making major life decisions, so I explored those thoughts in this novel.
I loved that Fay and Malcom have no problem talking about sex and don’t feel the pressure to have sex. This is a really important message to both girls and boys. What prompted you to bring this into the story?
I, too, feel like it’s an important message. I wanted to show a couple that is able to reveal their hearts, even when it’s scary. I wanted a relationship to progress on its own timeline, without outside pressure—to show how amazing it can be to savor the current moment rather than rush to the next step.
I liked the idea of juxtaposing Fay and Malcolm’s relationship with that of Celia and her boyfriend, Ronan. Celia is rarely honest with Ronan, and that mirrors the way she isn’t honest with herself. She often hides from her own feelings. Fay is someone who really examines her own thoughts, and shares them just as openly. That can backfire, but mostly it draws her closer to the people around her. Malcolm lives in a very connected, supportive household, where communication is paramount. Between the two of them, they are able to simplify complicated things just by putting them to words.
I also think the parent relationships and perception of other people’s families is super important. Can you talk more about that?
It’s amazing to think about all the houses in the world, each with its own group of people inside, all relating to each other and living in various ways. The way a family seems from the outside can be quite different from what goes on inside. That knowledge comes to a person slowly, beginning very young, in many big and small ways. Through childhood and the teen years, I began to notice things, such as: which households allow food in the living room, who has what curfew, which parents fight, who gets along with their siblings, who has a ton of chores, who always has both parents at the football game and who never has that parental support…and on and on. Our differences can seem endless, but at heart, so are our similarities. I think it’s important to think about how other people live, and to hold space and respect for those differences and how they influence a person’s behavior.
What was the hardest part of writing this book? I know I had a difficult time with Celia’s parents and Celia’s relationship with Ronan.
The hardest part was definitely creating Celia’s parents, Todd and Donna. Every story needs an antagonist, but I didn’t want them to be caricatures—I wanted them to be complex and for their relationship to ring true. I didn’t want them to seem evil, but rather, complicated—because those situations always are. I hoped to show that fear motivated a lot of their behavior.
Do you write more by logic or intuition, or some combination of the two? Summarize your writing process.
I definitely write by intuition. I had the bare bones of the story in my head, and thought it would be smart to make an outline before I began writing. It didn’t work for me. I know many writers love using outlines, but I only got through chapter two before I stopped trying to force it and just let the story take me where it wanted. Some key scenes stayed the way I imagined them in the beginning, but most everything else took shape as the words hit the page. What I do, is allow myself a truly messy first draft, which I write as quickly as I can. I just throw all my ideas on the page. Then I let it simmer in my head for a while before returning to it when the story has gelled in my mind.
If you were deserted on an island, which three people would you want to have with you? Why? Criteria:
One fictional character from your book
Marigold. I’m an anxious sort, and she would stabilize me and keep me calm when I started to spiral out of control.
One fictional character from any other book
Jamie Fraser from Outlander. Aside from being great company, he could build us anything we might need and would be great at finding food.
One famous person that is not a family member or friend
Betty White was the first person who popped into my mind. She has lived a fascinating life and would keep me entertained with her humor and the stories of her life.
Thank you so much for having me!
Thank you to Lora Richardson for joining us to talk about The Edge of Juniper today. You guys should go out and buy it cause it’s totally worth it. This is now is my top ten contemporary YA reads!
I’d like to thank Lora Richardson for the opportunity to read and review her novel.
Tagged Lora Richarson, The Edge of Juniper3 Comments
Historical Fiction, Reviews, YA Historical
ARC Review: And I Darken by Kiersten White
NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL.
And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.
Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, who’s expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.
But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.
And I Darken was quite an interesting book for me. It is a retelling of Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, or better know as, Vlad The Impaler. This story takes place in the mid 15th century when the Ottoman’s were trying to take Constantinople. It focuses on Lada (female version of Vlad), her brother Radu, and Mehmed- heir to the Ottoman Empire . It is a dual narrative, switching between Lada and Radu.
Lada Dragwlya is one of the strongest female characters I think I have ever read. She doesn’t take crap from anyone. She isn’t afraid to stand up for her beliefs and even tell the most power man in the world no. Her mind is a thing of it’s own. She is always calculating, planning, evaluating every situation, trying to figure the best way to get her agenda accomplished. She does everything in her power to show that she is equal to any man.
Radu Dragwlya is the opposite of his sister. Where she is night and terror, Radu is sun and calm. While he doesn’t start out as smart as Lada- by smart I mean calculating and conniving- through the teaching is Islam, his mentor, and watching the Ottoman Court, Radu learns to use his beauty and friendliness to develop relationships with the “right” people. Top use those relationships in the same way Lada uses strength and will.
I loved that And I Darken was more a setup for what is to come. In order to understand the end game the characters must be developed and complex. White does an exemplary job with Lada, Radu, and Mehmed’s growth. They start out as children, barely understanding the world in which they live. But over the ten to fifteen year period the novel takes place, each character grows into their traits. And by the end, they each know their purpose in life and do what is necessary to fulfill it.
I also want to applaud White on her research and detail to Islamic religion. It is quite clear she went above and beyond to understand the religion and portray it in the most realistic way possible. Our society judges Islam as a terrorist religion when, in fact, that is an extreme view of it. White showed the other side, the peaceful side, the true side.
Knowing nothing about Vlad the Impaler, the Ottoman Empire, and Islam I truly enjoyed this book and what Keirsten White had to offer us. Definitely give this novel a try.
I’d like to thank Random House Children’s and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC. Receiving this ARC for free does not sway my review.
Tagged And I Darken, ARC Review, Fiction, Islam, Keirsten White, Retelling, Vlad The Impaler, young adult8 Comments
Reviews, ya contemporary, ya romance
ARC Review: One Paris Summer by Denise Grover Swank
June 7, 2016 June 7, 2016 Liz Brooks
Most teens dream of visiting the City of Lights, but it feels more like a nightmare for Sophie Brooks. She and her brother are sent to Paris to spend the summer with their father, who left home a year ago without any explanation. As if his sudden abandonment weren’t betrayal enough, he’s about to remarry, and they’re expected to play nice with his soon-to-be wife and stepdaughter. The stepdaughter, Camille, agrees to show them around the city, but she makes it clear that she will do everything in her power to make Sophie miserable.
Sophie could deal with all the pain and humiliation if only she could practice piano. Her dream is to become a pianist, and she was supposed to spend the summer preparing for a scholarship competition. Even though her father moved to Paris to pursue his own dream, he clearly doesn’t support hers. His promise to provide her with a piano goes unfulfilled.
Still, no one is immune to Paris’s charm. After a few encounters with a gorgeous French boy, Sophie finds herself warming to the city, particularly when she discovers that he can help her practice piano. There’s just one hitch—he’s a friend of Camille’s, and Camille hates Sophie. While the summer Sophie dreaded promises to become best summer of her life, one person could ruin it all.
One Paris Summer is a delightful read full of teen angst, love, heartbreak, and revelations. Denise Grover Swank does a phenomenal job of show how tragedy and heartbreak can take a toll on a person; that when a person leaves you it has lasting effects on your life; that by forgiving them can you then move forward.
Sophie Brooks is forced to spend the summer before her Junior year in Paris. She is forced to live with her father who abandoned Sophie and her brother, Eric, in pursuit of his dream to restore an old Parisian church. She is forced to get to know a new step-mother, and, share a room with an evil step-sister, Camille. But as the summer progresses Sophie is faced with obstacles and has to decide if she can forgive the people who hurt her, and if she can make her dreams come true.
From the start of the novel, the teen angst and anger is at 200%. Sophie and Eric have a difficult time handling the abandonment of their father. They also have a difficult time understanding how their father can marry someone else so quickly, someone else they have never met. It doesn’t have that their father hasn’t talked to them in 10 months. Sophie stews on things in her mind and that gave me anxiety. But I can also related to who she is feeling. To have your whole word ripped apart is devastating and learning how to handle that is overwhelming. So while it did get annoying that Sophie stewed a lot, I understand and could move past it.
Her step-sister Camille on the other hand I wanted to punch in the face. She is rude and inconsiderate from the moment she meets Sophie. She is always trying to humiliate her in an attempt to get to go home- back to South Carolina. And it doesn’t help that she ropes her friends into this plot as well. However, there is a bright spot… or two bright spots as the book moves forward. Her brother, who has shown very little interest in her life, starts to take an active role in their Paris excursions. He stands up for when it is needed and can empathize with the hurt of their father.
The other bright spot is Matthieu. He opens her eyes to dreams she didn’t think possible. He is truly a great guy for her. However, as always, there are secrets and heartbreak. But as with any good YA Contemporary novel… it only lasts for a little while.
Swank’s summer through Paris is wonderful. Not only do we see Sophie’s character arc and growth, but we see secondary character’s growth as well, showing that everyone at any age can learn new things about themselves and others. Acceptance is the big theme throughout the book.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Zonderkidz-Books for the chance to read this ARC. Receiving this ARC for free does not influence my review in anyway.
Tagged ARC Review, book review, Denise Grover Swank, Love, One Pairs Summer, Paris, young adultLeave a comment
ARC Review: Invincible Summer by Alice Adams
Four friends. Twenty years. One unexpected journey.
Eva, Benedict, Sylvie and Lucien graduate in 1998, into a world on the brink of the new millennium. Hopelessly in love with playboy Lucien and keen to shrug off the socialist politics of her childhood, Eva breaks away to work at a big bank. Benedict, a budding scientist who’s pined for Eva for years, stays on to do a physics PhD, and siblings Sylvie and Lucien pursue more freewheeling existences–she as an aspiring artist and he as a club promoter and professional partier. But as their dizzying twenties become their thirties, the once close-knit friends, now scattered and struggling to navigate thwarted dreams, lost jobs and broken hearts, find themselves drawn together once again in stunning and unexpected ways. Breathtaking in scope, this is sure to be the book of the summer.
Invincible Summer takes place over a 20 year period. Each chapter is a glimpse into Eva, Benedict, Lucien, and Sylvie’s every day lives. When I first read the synopsis for Invincible Summer it sounded in curious. I have been friends wit people I went to college with, going on 11 years now (whoa!) so a story about their lives felt like the right thing to read. It can be difficult to keep in touch with people, life drives you in different directions. Their growth over the novel mostly felt like small hills, but by the end it is clear that they have grown up, that the events that take place in their lives affected their life trajectory.
I had a difficult time connecting with the characters. I’m not sure if it was because of the location- London- or the language usage- not American slag- or the fact that this really took place during a time period when I was really only a child. As a twentysomething myself, I understand lost dreams, heartbreak (maybe not so much haha), change, world image, and ultimately happiness. These things change over the course of one’s life and can change one’s life as well. So while I did have a difficult time connecting with the character’s, the themes behind them I could understand. These things change over the course of one’s life and can change one’s life as well.
I will say that these character’s felt very selfish, self-centered, and it was difficult to watch them make choices… maybe that is the point. Not every decision is the right decision. Taking the easy way out can result in unintended consequences. Sometimes you have to fight for what you believe in, to fight for what you want. And what you want you can’t always have or aren’t meant to have.
It’s funny, when I started writing this (and it took several days to gather my thoughts) I had intended to give this novel a 2 out 5 stars. But while writing this review, I finally understood the purpose to the book. So while I may not have connected to the characters directly, their stories are engaging, the themes are responsive, the final product is meant to understand- not move mountains.
Rating: 4 out 5
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. Receiving this ARC for free does not sway my review.
Tagged adult fiction, ARC, book review, Contemporary Fiction, Review2 Comments
ARC Review: The Sound of Us by Julie Hammerle
Kiki Nichols might not survive music camp.
She’s put her TV-loving, nerdy self aside for one summer to prove she’s got what it takes: she can be cool enough to make friends, she can earn that music scholarship, and she can get into Krause University’s music program.
Except camp has rigid conduct rules—which means her thrilling late-night jam session with the hot drummer can’t happen again, even though they love all the same TV shows, and fifteen minutes making music with him meant more than every aria she’s ever sung.
But when someone starts snitching on rule breakers and getting them kicked out, music camp turns into survival of the fittest. If Kiki’s going to get that scholarship, her chance to make true friends—and her chance with the drummer guy—might cost her the future she wants more than anything.
The Sound of Us is an emotional and compelling story about a girl who goes to music camp and finally understands what she wants out of her life.
Kiki Nichols takes the summer between her Junior and Senior year of high school to attend a music camp and attain a scholarship that will help to pay to go to college and study music. While at camp she meets a variety of other talented musicians in her program as well as other programs. She meets a boy to helps to open her eyes, see what really matters. Her parents on the other hand hope she fails so they don’t have to waste money on her education, like they did with her older sister. Through out the novel she learns more about herself and what she wants. She strives for her dreams
Julie Hammerle did an excellent job of making this story and it’s characters very real and very relatable. Not many teens know what they want to study and do for the rest of their lives. Seeing these students really push themselves for their dreams is really engaging. The friendships and challenges Kiki faces are the same ones any teen does. Questioning who you are as a person, what you want, who you want to be friends with are all important during this stage of life. And just as important is love and heartbreak. Knowing that you may love someone, that they could break your heart- whether it’s a boy or your parents- and that you can move past it.
I hope readers come away from this story knowing that they can do anything, that they can reach for the starts, and bring their dreams to life.
I’d like to thank NetGalley and Entangled Teen for the opportunity to review this ARC. Receiving this ARC for free does not sway my review.
Tagged contemporary, Fictions, Love, Music, Romance, YA2 Comments
ARC Review: One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid
May 30, 2016 May 30, 2016 Liz Brooks
In her twenties, Emma Blair marries her high school sweetheart, Jesse. They build a life for themselves, far away from the expectations of their parents and the people of their hometown in Massachusetts. They travel the world together, living life to the fullest and seizing every opportunity for adventure.
On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter over the Pacific when it goes missing. Just like that, Jesse is gone forever.
Emma quits her job and moves home in an effort to put her life back together. Years later, now in her thirties, Emma runs into an old friend, Sam, and finds herself falling in love again. When Emma and Sam get engaged, it feels like Emma’s second chance at happiness.
That is, until Jesse is found. He’s alive, and he’s been trying all these years to come home to her. With a husband and a fiancé, Emma has to now figure out who she is and what she wants, while trying to protect the ones she loves.
Who is her one true love? What does it mean to love truly?
Emma knows she has to listen to her heart. She’s just not sure what it’s saying.
So I know this isn’t a YA novel, but when I read the synopsis I knew I had to have this book. Once I got it, back in February, I put off reading it. I think subconsciously, I wasn’t ready for the heartbreak and loss this book would bring… and it brought it hard and fast.
From the summary, you already know Emma had a husband who died. She eventually moved on, fell in love, and is engaged when news comes that Jesse, her husband, is alive. It’s quite a shock. And that is really what this novel is about- how to come to terms with your past and your future, recognizing the person you have become.
Moving through the novel, we experience Emma’s first true love, Jesse. Their relationship is a whirlwind romance. They are high school sweethearts, attend the same college, travel around the world together. You can see that their love could be a forever kind of love. But there comes a moment when Emma questions her future- kids, settling down, etc. And she is not sure of Jesse’s opinion. But in the end it doesn’t matter because he “dies”.
Emma eventually moved back to her home town and is able to move on with her life. Then she meets Sam Kemp. He is her second chance at love and she takes it. They have built a wonder life together, so when Emma gets the call that Jesse is alive, she is thrown for a loop. She now has the opportunity to go back to her travel life with hr first love. But when Jesse does officially come back, it’s different, he’s different, they are different.
When Jesse comes back into the picture, it broke my heart to see Sam believe that Emma would go straight back into her old life, forgetting about him. But Sam was gracious enough to understand that Emma needed sometime to work through her feelings and he gave her that (please go listen to Crash and Burn by Savage Garden– this is Sam and Emma’s song). And I got so mad at Jesse for assuming Emma would drop everything to be back with him, that he thought she shouldn’t have moved on with her life. He was very selfish and didn’t help Emma’s confusion.
Taylor Jenkins Reid does a wonderful job at showing the turmoil a person goes through when they lose someone they love. The book is fast paced, moving through Emma’s life quickly but also showing the most important parts of it. And the transition, that weird gray part of a person’s life right after tragedy strikes, is the most compelling piece of the novel. Reid hits the nail on the head of how the body and mind handles death and destruction. Her words are like a complicated musical, moving from moment to moment, heartache to heartache (please start singing Pat Benatar- love is a battlefield). These in between chapters flow and sway, a slow blooming crescendo to a new life, a new person.
The novel also shows that while tragedy and death do happen, you can move on, you can love again. Heartbreak is not forever.
Everyone should read this book.
I received this ARC from Washington Square Press and Edelweiss. Receiving this ARC for free doesn’t sway my review.
Tagged Adult, book review, contemporary, Death, Life, Love, One True Loves, Romance, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Tragedy4 Comments
Reviews, Special Review
ARC Review: Recoil by Joanne Macgregor
May 13, 2016 Liz Brooks
When a skilled gamer gets recruited as a sniper in the war against a terrorist-produced pandemic, she discovers there’s more than one enemy and more than one war. The Game is real.
Three years after a series of terrorist attacks flooded the US with a lethal plague, society has changed radically.
Sixteen year-old Jinxy James spends her days trapped at home – immersed in virtual reality, worrying about the plague and longing for freedom. Then she wins a war simulation game and is recruited into a top-secret organisation where talented teenagers are trained to become agents in the war on terror. Eager to escape her mother’s over-protectiveness and to serve her country, Jinxy enlists and becomes an expert sniper of infected mutant rats.
She’s immediately drawn to Quinn O’Riley, a charming and subversive intelligence analyst who knows more about the new order of government and society than he is telling. Then a shocking revelation forces Jinxy to make an impossible decision, and she risks losing everything.
Recoil is the first book in a Young Adult dystopian romance trilogy, and makes great reading for lovers of Rick Yancey (The Fifth Wave), Suzanne Collins (Hunger Games), and Veronica Roth (Divergent).
Recoil is the most recent work by Joanne Macgregor. It takes place in modern day United States, three years after a terrorist attack used biological chemicals to unleash a plague. The story is very realistic dystopian fiction. It’s full of elements that terrorist attacks cause- hyper-awareness of foreign residents, larger defense industry, mass media reporting on threats, politician comments about terrorists.
Jinxy starts out naive, playing a game that eventually leads to recruitment with the military. She takes the words of the media, politicians, and her unit commander Sarge for face value- believes they have the people’s best interests at heart. At 16, it makes sense that she would trust those older than her. It isn’t until Jinxy meets Quinn that she starts to question her missions, especially when he finds out she is a sniper. Jinxy understands why she needs to shoot the infected rats, but when she is required to shoot other animals, and eventually is given more classified missions, she has a difficult time, trying to reconcile herself and her values with the values of her unit and the military. Macgregor does an excellent job of showing Jinxy’s progression from being naive to doubting herself and her missions to taking matters into her own hands, making her own educated decisions.
Quinn is a fascinating character. He is also super hot with an Irish accent (swoon). He does what is required of him, but also has his own secrets that are kept from Jinxy. He helps Jinxy open her eyes and understand that her missions are not what she is being told. There is a strong attraction between them, but her missions separate them- pit on against the other. I will say I had a difficult time with the start of their relationship. It just sort of happens and I couldn’t figure out what drew them to each other. But by the end Macgregor had me rooting for their relationship. And the way the book ends, I just need to know what happens next.
There is a quote in the book- “We’ve repatriated hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions, of foreign residents, refugees, and workers. We’ve insulated ourselves, sealed our boarders against immigrants and imports and competition… And as a nation we’ve channeled billions into a defense industry that was sitting idle after the last wars fizzled out.” It is scary how closely it describes our current country. We have a presidential candidate who wants to build a wall on the US/Mexican boarder to keep illegal immigrants out; we have alienated anyone who looks middle eastern and have grouped all those who practice Islam into the terrorist stereo type. This novel is so realistic I can see something like this possibly happening.
If you enjoy dystopian settings, this is a great start to a fascinating realistic series.
Tagged ARC, ARC Review, book review, Dystopian, Joanne Macgregor, Recoil, Romance, YA, young adult, Young Adult Fiction5 Comments
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iPhone 6 Review: Meet The New Best Smartphone
Apple has two new iPhones debuting today, including the iPhone 6. The iPhone 6 is the heir apparent to the flagship line of Apple smartphones, as it comes in at the same price point as the iPhone 5s, but Apple has done something new this year by introducing a premium priced iPhone 6 Plus. The iPhone 6 is still plenty premium, however, and its 4.7-inch screen is likely going to be a better fit for most users, which is why it earns our vote as the best smartphone currently available.
4.7-inch, 1334 x 750 display, 326 ppi with 1400:1 contrast
16, 64 or 128GB storage
A8 processor (64-bit)
8MP iSight camera (rear) with 1.5 micron pixels, 1.2 megapixel FaceTime camera (front)
20-band LTE support
MSRP: 16GB for $199 on contract/$649 contract free; 64GB for $299 on contract/$749 contract free; 128GB for $399 on contract/$849 contract free
Product info page
The best mobile camera, made better
Industrial design beats all previous iPhones
Rounded edges could mean the phone’s a little less easy to grip
Apple has outdone itself with the iPhone 6’s design – despite gaining a significant amount of screen real estate, it doesn’t feel huge compared to its predecessor, and it’s still a very easy device to use one-handed. The new, thinner case means it weighs just over half an ounce more than the iPhone 5s, and the even weight distribution across a broader surface area means it isn’t noticeably heavier than the older phone. It manages to make the 5 and 5s feel downright chunky, in fact, which is incredible.
New also to this generation is the all-metal back casing, which replaces the glass top and bottom panels with thin connecting seams instead. This makes for a more unified look when you turn the phone around, and something that gets closer to the unbroken single plane of the iPad mini and iPad Air’s rear shell. The Space Gray version I tested benefits very much from this unbroken look, and the front of the device is no less impressive. It really makes the screen the star, which is crucial because Apple has created a display like no other with this generation, beating back its would-be Android usurpers – but I’ll touch more on that in the dedicated display section below.
The iPhone 6 is a much more comfortable device to hold vs. the iPhone 4, 4S, 5 and 5s, all of which preferred straight edges and right angles to the 6’s sloping curves. Its rounded edges call to mind the iPhone 3GS and earlier, in fact – and its closest design analogue might be the metal-backed original iPhone, which also had edges that rounded to a flat rear shell. Regardless of its inspirations, it fits more naturally in your grip, and will rest there more comfortably for longer periods, too.
The rounded edges all along the display help contribute to the near-seamless look that Apple was going for, but they also serve an ergonomic purpose. Using Apple’s swipe-back and swipe-forward gestures, which it began to use to replace back and forward button navigations in iOS 7, is much easier and more natural with the iPhone’s new front glass design, and when the device’s screen is darkened, these catch and bend light in a way that’s sure to appeal to a design fan’s eye.
If Apple has faltered anywhere with design, it might be that protruding iSight camera lens on the back, which sticks out a tiny fraction of an inch thicker than the rest. It’s something that hasn’t yet caused me any issue in daily use, but it does seem like a potential area for grit build-up, and it also means that the phone will be resting on its lens when placed face-up on a flat surface – though that’s somewhat mitigated by the use of sapphire in the lens cover.
Apple’s new A8 chip is the powerhouse behind the iPhone 6, and it delivers the kind of performance you’d expect from cutting edge processor technology. The A8 strains the limits of what you’d think was possible in terms of overall device speed and responsiveness, with the entire user experience feeling perceptibly quickened. It’s one of those situations where you don’t realize how the device you were using (iPhone 5s in my case) could get any better in terms of general speed, until you pick up the new device.
The iPhone 6 deals better with iOS 8’s various animations, transparency and other visual effects as a result, and can handle powering that larger, high-resolution display without breaking a sweat. It can handle more powerful games, and best of all, delivers better battery life even when tackling visually intensive tasks. Plus it enables new imaging features that really make Apple’s mobile camera far and away the best in the business, which we’ll discuss in more detail below.
Apple has also improved the motion coprocessor it introduced last year, which is a dedicated activity tracking chip. The M8 in the iPhone 6 offers continuous monitoring of not only accelerometer, compass and gyroscope data, but also introduces monitoring of information fed from the new barometer for determining changes in elevation. The M8 can also detect walking, running and driving activity. In practice, using it to monitor and display my daily distance travelled, steps and flights climbed worked extremely well, and didn’t seem to have a significant negative effect on my battery.
One of the big new features of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus is their ability to use Touch ID, the new Secure Element for storing payment info, and NFC to perform easy, contactless payments. They’re not currently available for use anywhere in my vicinity, and Apple isn’t launching the Apple Pay functionality until October anyway. However, I got the chance to see it in action in a demo capacity at the event, and it works just as you’d expect it would with payments authorized via a thumb scan in the same way they are with the current method of authorizing digital purchases from iTunes via Touch ID. You don’t even need to unlock your device for it to work, making it potentially the most convenient mobile payment solution I’ve ever seen.
Speaking of Touch ID, it seems improved over the version found in the iPhone 5s. By that I mean that it seems to recognize and unlock much faster (which could be related to improved processing power) and it also seems to have a lower failure rate than the older generation. If Apple has stepped up the tech behind Touch ID, it isn’t saying so, but the smoother experience should definitely help now that it’s being used for both Apple Pay and opening up to third-party developer integration.
Health is new to iOS 8, and in the iPhone 6 it’s already become a staple of my daily app check routine. It seems to do a decent job of accurately tracking my activity throughout the day (or lack thereof), and is at least on par with the kind of information you’ll get from wearables like the Fitbit line or the Nike+ Fuelband. So far, there aren’t many sources to choose from in terms of filling out a full profile, and I think Apple could do some work in terms of making it easier for users to drill down to individual day totals from their activity history, but this is a nice, passive feature that Apple has managed to make power efficient and accurate with the new M8.
Apple’s new iPhone line is capable of improved slow motion video, which technically means it can shoot at 240fps instead of 120fps. This slows down time when played back at the speed we’re used to viewing, and makes it possible to capture even fast action in incredible detail. The short clip below shows you this in action, albeit with resolution decreased as it was formatted and shared via Apple Mail, which automatically optimizes for a lower file size.
Reachability is a feature unique to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus which is designed to help compensate for their large screen sizes, and make it possible to still use the big phones one-handed, regardless of how large your mitts are. On the iPhone 6, it simply makes things more convenient, as I’ve found no difficulty in using the device one-handed even with the screen in its regular position. Reachability is an extremely pragmatic solution to the screen size issues, but luckily in the case of the iPhone 6, it’s generally just a tool you know is there should you need it, rather than something you’ll find yourself actually using all that often.
The iPhone 6 packs a higher resolution display than the iPhone 5s, with 1334 x 750 resolution. It also allows for deeper blacks, and uses something called “dual-domain” pixels to make it so that colors still show true regardless of the angle at which you view the phone. It makes for 38 percent more viewing area than the iPhone 5s, but it’s only 13 percent larger overall, and it matches the iPhone 5s’ pixel density at 326, which means you’re still not going to be able to make out any individual pixels.
Display Zoom will let you use this extra space to simply expand the size of individual interface elements and text, which is great for users who have vision issues or who simply find themselves squinting at their phone too often. If you’re not using Display Zoom, you get more breathing room for on-screen elements, and you get an extra row of icons per home screen, which is very useful if you’re having trouble deciding what makes the cut for page number one.
This is truly one of Apple’s most amazing technical achievements overall – it looks like a placeholder high-res print image placed expertly just behind the glass, until it springs to life. Leave it to other manufacturers to debate the relative merits of this or that kind of display tech; Apple’s is simply the best-looking and most pleasant to use, and the iPhone 6 reaffirms that with some of the best color rendering I’ve seen on mobile.
Apple has consistently delivered the best mobile camera experience in a smartphone – which isn’t to say it delivers the most megapixels, or the most trick features. Instead, the company looks at what’s most important in a mobile camera to most users, and delivers exactly that, again and again. The iPhone 6 adheres to this tradition.
It still shoots 8 megapixel resolution images, which is paltry compared to some of the other cameras built into phones these days. But these are large pixel images, which makes a big difference, and the 6 also boasts the power of Focus Pixels, which is the name Apple is giving to its new phase detection autofocus. The end effect, whatever the name, is much faster autofocus, which Apple has made more invisible by hiding the focus box unless you call it up yourself.
The camera also has better and more accurate face detection, which can pick up smaller faces and is also better able to pick up closed eyes and smiles when you’re using burst mode and it’s trying to suss out the best capture from a large series. The camera can also now create high-resolution panorama shots, which adjust exposure automatically as you go depending on variances in light, producing stunning results with total resolution of up to 43 megapixels.
Video capture on Apple’s iPhone 6 is also fantastic, and the stabilization techniques they use to make video shot in even the shakiest scenarios appear more stable are truly impressive, as you can see in the video sample below, which was shot while I walked my dog (with no effort to achieve a smooth gait).
The iPhone 6 uses improved battery tech, and it shows – in practice, I’d get about a day and a half, normal use. Overall, though, it’s rated by Apple pretty closely on most scores when compared to the 5s, offering similar hour ratings when it comes to media playback, browsing and standby, but claiming an additional four hours of talk time. In actual real-world use, it fared better than my iPhone 5s in terms of operating time on a single charge, but the iPhone 5s I was testing against is also a year old at this point.
Still, it doesn’t feel like you need to be miserly with respect to power when you’re using the iPhone 6, and even if you’re using all the background activity tracking bells and whistles, it should more than get you through the average day with juice intact.
The iPhone 6 is the best smartphone available. It offers improvements in almost every way that matters, and it delivers those in a striking new design that balances consumer demand for larger screens with a thin, light and durable case. It’s Apple’s most attractive phone, visually, and the 4.7-inch size is going to be more generally appealing than the iPhone 6 Plus’ larger proportions.
More than anything, the selling point here is that Apple has managed to recapture the energy and excitement that came with the original iPhone with the new iPhone 6. It feels like a return to form in all the right ways, in addition to packing a ton of new features like Apple Pay that light the path for what Apple as a company is to become. For users, though, it’s all about delivering the best computer you can keep in your pocket, and that’s exactly what the iPhone 6 is.
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Putin still plans to take part in G20 emergency summit — Kremlin
When asked how the summit would be organized from the technical standpoint, the spokesman explained that Putin would participate in the video conference from the Konstantin Palace in St. Petersburg
© Alexander Shcherbak/TASS
MOSCOW, March 25. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin still plans to participate in an emergency G20 leaders’ video conference on the coronavirus on Thursday, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Putin to take part in G20 emergency summit
"The president’s agenda includes a video conference, a virtual G20 summit, initiated by Saudi Arabia that is currently presiding over the group," he pointed out.
When asked how the summit would be organized from the technical standpoint, Peskov explained that Putin would participate in the video conference from the Konstantin Palace in St. Petersburg. "The president will sit in front of a screen in one of the palace’s halls, there will also be a camera, and he will see his colleagues on the screen," the Kremlin spokesman said, adding that technical aspects were under consideration.
According to Peskov, if the summit’s participants adopt a joint statement or a declaration, the Kremlin will make an announcement.
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MUDAI (No Title) ***CANCELLED***
© Tomoko Kosugi
Butoh has spread over the world and many knowledge and theories has been established around it, even butoh-fu (butoh choreographic notation) started to spread. But on the other hand, so much stereotypes have been developed unfortunately.
This piece “Mudai (no-title)” intend to take out such stereotypes and wishes that each audiences face with the piece with naked eyes. It wishes that the dancer's perception of the body from the unconscious level directly resonate with the body of the audiences. How to see, feel, imagine, perceive or resist, love or hate, deny... all depend on each audiences. The dancer will accept all reactions. In the same time, this means that the audiences are also being challenged and tested.
To question again butoh from the fundamental level is the strong wish and theme for Saga Kobayashi, who has been engaged in Butoh over half century since 1968 with the encounter with Tatsumi Hijikata, and she is being challenged to confront with her own stereotypes and traces that has been developed and became habitual patterns in herself. This is an extremely difficult and dangerous challenge, and she wishes to take out any kinds of intentions and plots, and let the universal essence of human emerges.
Thursday, June 18th 2020 | 8:30 pm
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Saga Kobayashi was born in Mie, Japan in 1946. After studying modern dance in Nagoya, in 1969 she begun to study Butoh with Tatsumi Hijikata. She became one of the main members of Hijikata's choreographic pieces and appeared in many of his works from the end of the 1960s to the early 1970s.
She played an important role in establishment of Hijikata's Butoh in the 1970s by joining in his important work “Twenty-Seven Nights for Four Seasons”, which is called as a culmination of Hijikata’s Butoh. In 1983 she went on the tour in Europe with Yoko Ashikawa to bring the piece choreographed by Tatsumi Hijikata.
Afterwards she became independent and founded the butoh company, Comet Club, in search of her own Butoh. Beside her own performances, she makes wide range of activities beyond genre, such as collaboration with music, video, theater and so on. She is also cooperating with data compilation activity of Tatsumi Hijikata Archive at Keio University Art Center, and has been giving lecture and workshop at several Universities of art and theater.
Lately, she started “Butoh AURA series”, in search of the boundary of human consciousness and unconsciousness with the text Aura Hysterica.
kobayashi-saga.holy.jp/
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By Terry Virts | July 1, 2019 | 0
Mission Directors
A GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title attempt
On July 9-11, 50 years after man first walked on the Moon, Action Aviation Chairman Hamish Harding and former International Space Station Commander Col. Terry Virts will attempt to break the Round-the-World record for any aircraft flying over the North and South poles in a Qatar Executive Gulfstream G650ER ultra long-range business jet. They will push the boundaries of human ingenuity – just like the Apollo 11 mission half a century ago.
One More Orbit is a multinational attempt to break the world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the earth via both poles, in a Qatar Executive Gulfstream G650ER ultra long-range business jet.
Qata Executive Gulfstream G650ER
The record is being attempted during the 50th anniversary celebrations of the Apollo 11 moon landing, as a tribute to the past, present, and future of space exploration.
The team will launch the record attempt from, and return for the finish to, Space Florida’s Launch and Landing Facility (the former Shuttle Landing Facility) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, from where Apollo 11 launched their historic mission 50 years ago. The mission will start at 09:32 EDT – the same time as Apollo 11.
The speed record will be certified by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) and GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5QkzQGLF0r88u5KaH8DVJg/liveu5KaH8DVJg/live
Follow the mission as it happens at www.onemoreorbit.com or on our livestream in real-time, and engage with me in the comments below – look forward to hearing from you!
Posted in SPACE, TRAVEL and tagged OMO, One More Orbit, World Record
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Home NASCAR Track News Preston James to headline Go Bowling at The Glen NASCAR weekend entertainment
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (July 18, 2018) – Watkins Glen International announced that Preston James and the Preston James Band will headline the Friday night concert and weekend entertainment offerings during the Go Bowling at The Glen weekend, August 2-5, 2018.
In 2016, Nashville, TN native, James secured a Top 48 spot on Season 11 of NBC’s The Voice on Blake Shelton’s team beating out nearly 300,000 who auditioned, while this year, he auditioned for Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan for American Idol on ABC, where he made it to the “Hollywood Rounds”.
Currently the youngest in-house artist at the legendary honky-tonk Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville, James’ band consists of prodigy players aged 16-28 with diverse musical backgrounds and influences ranging from blues, bluegrass, jazz, country and rock.
Fans with a weekend ticket to the Go Bowling at The Glen, will be admitted to Friday’s concert, which kicks off at 7:00 p.m. just after the conclusion of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race, at the Jack Daniel’s Summer Stage. Syracuse, New York’s Small Town Shade will serve as the opening act.
“Watkins Glen International is excited to have Preston James headlining our weekend entertainment,” WGI President Michael Printup said. “We are thrilled to have some very exciting acts planned for this popular event leading up to Sunday’s running of the Go Bowling at The Glen.”
The entertainment continues on Saturday night following the conclusion of the NASCAR XFINITY Series Zippo 200, with the Pete Frank Band taking to the Gate 7 stage at 7:00 p.m., located near the Riesbeck grandstand. Also at 7:00 p.m., the Devon Franks Band will appear in Gate 1.
For more information and to purchase your tickets to catch the action of the Great Outdoors RV Superstore 100, Zippo 200, and the Go Bowling at The Glen at America’s “Best NASCAR Track” from Thursday, August 2nd through Sunday, August 5th, visit www.theglen.com or call 1-866-461-RACE.
Located within five (5) hours (~300 miles) of 25% of the US population, Watkins Glen International is the premier road racing facility in North America, twice voted “Best NASCAR Track” by readers of USA Today. Keep up with The Glen on Facebook and Twitter. For tickets, camping, and additional information, call 1-866-461-RACE or visit www.theglen.com.
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THE STORY OF AN EFFECTIVE CAS MISSION PROVIDED BY TWO USAF F-16 PILOTS TO SPECIAL OPS IN AFGHANISTAN's NANGARHAR PROVINCE - The Aviation Geek Club
THE STORY OF AN EFFECTIVE CAS MISSION PROVIDED BY TWO USAF F-16 PILOTS TO SPECIAL OPS IN AFGHANISTAN’s NANGARHAR PROVINCE
Dario Leone Jul 4, 2017 Nov 17 2020 0
A mere 60 seconds after arriving on scene, Andrle used his first bomb to destroy an insurgent-infested building. Less than 20 minutes later, Andrle “cleared the rails” and delivered all his F-16’s remaining bombs
The following article, titled Finding a way to win and written by Tech. Sgt. Nathan Allen, 20th Fighter Wing Public Affairs, gives you an idea of what it’s like providing close air support to Special Operations in Afghanistan’s Nangahar province.
It was a temperate day at Bagram Air Base (AB), Afghanistan when Lt. Col. Craig Andrle and his wingman, Capt. Adam Fuhrmann, began walking across the flightline to their soon-to-be airborne F-16CM Fighting Falcons.
Andrle’s calm, focused demeanor both in the cockpit and in command was habitual at this point – equal parts due to nature and nurture. The ever present weight of leadership sat lightly on his shoulders but heavy on his mind. Andrle’s unflappable will to win was pervasive to those in his sphere of influence – a fact repeatedly demonstrated by both Andrle himself and his unit during their recent deployment.
After all, numbers had been on Andrle’s side throughout his squadron’s six-month tour providing close air support (CAS) to U.S. Special Operations and Afghan National Army commandos in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province.
As commander, Andrle had brought 45 “Tigers” from the 79th Fighter Squadron at Shaw Air Force Base (AFB), South Carolina with him to Bagram AB, not to mention 300 Shaw maintainers to keep the squadron’s F-16s armed and airworthy.
A few of these maintainers drove up to him now on the flightline, beckoning Andrle haste in delivering numbers of a different kind. Quickly but collectedly, Andrle and Fuhrmann readied their weapon-laden jets for take-off, armed to the teeth for the latest round of whack-a-mole being levied against the forces of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.
“(Fuhrmann) and I go to step, we’re out at the jet getting ready to get them started, and maintenance drives over in their truck,” he said. “They tell us ‘hurry up, the F-16s on station have dropped all their bombs, and they need bombs out there now.'”
Now taxiing and positioned at the end of the runway, Andrle received a clear indication of what he was getting himself into as he witnessed an AC-130 gunship returning from the same conflict he was headed toward. The gunship, described by some as a fabled, feared, flying bomb truck, was now “Winchester” – a term used in aviation circles to describe a gunship when it has spent all its munitions.
“The AC-130 gunship landing was bad news because that meant they were no longer on station to support the guys on the ground. They had employed all their weapons, which is a lot,” Andrle said, laughing at his own hyperbole the same way someone in Antarctica might when describing the winter as cold. “They were coming back to reload and rearm the gunship, so that was our first indication that a lot was going on.”
Not long after takeoff, Andrle received a nine-line transmission from the Bagram AB operations desk – a system designed to allow a Joint Terminal Air Controller on the ground with “eyes” on a target to pass the nine critical pieces of information needed for a pilot in order to employ weapons.
Each aircraft was armed with two standard 500 pound bombs and one 2,000 pound GBU-31 joint direct attack munition (JDAM) – a weapon not dropped by an F-16 at Bagram AB for three years until the 79th’s latest return. A mere 60 seconds after arriving on scene, Andrle used his first bomb to destroy an insurgent-infested building. Less than 20 minutes later, Andrle “cleared the rails” and delivered all his F-16’s remaining bombs.
With only one munition remaining between them, Andrle and Fuhrmann began to “yo-yo” with a nearby KC-135 Stratotanker, sending one pilot to refuel while the other continued to provide close air support to forces on the ground, switching as necessary. Despite being nearly emptied of bombs, Andrle knew he and Hawk’s F-16 airpower presence couldn’t be removed from the fight – at least not until the AC-130 returned.
This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. AC-130U Spooky II 1st SOW, 4th SOS, 88-0163
“(Maj. Joseph Miranda) calls me back, says ‘come (return to base)’ and we’ll send you out in a new jet… loaded with the same loadout,” he said.
The timing of Miranda’s news couldn’t have been better. As the operations supervisor, Miranda was aware of Andrle’s plight. Of course, in what Andrle would describe as true Tiger fashion, Miranda and the F-16 maintainers there had already “found a way to win.”
What Miranda didn’t mention at the time was the new jet was none other than “Flagship 379”…the tail flash’s final two digits designating it as the 79th FS’s signature aircraft, and the name on the side naturally displaying the squadron’s current commander. In this case, it is Lt. Col. Craig Andrle.
In an effort he credited as a combined “will to win,” F-16 maintainers and weapons specialists put Andrle back in the air exactly 39 minutes after landing – a process Andrle estimated would normally take 33 percent longer to complete.
Now with fresh bombs, Andrle rejoined Fuhrmann at the scene of the conflict. His 2,000 pound GBU-31 and one of his 500 pound bombs were delivered in short order, destroying enemy occupied buildings and chasing insurgents farther and farther into the tree line.
The AC-130 returned at this point, joining with the Tigers to win the day by delivering a coordinated symphony of destruction any operations group commander could appreciate– one such as 20th OG commander, Col. Doug Thies, Andrle’s boss.
This print is available in multiple sizes from AircraftProfilePrints.com – CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS. F-16CM Fighting Falcon 20th Fighter Wing, 77th Fighter Squadron “Gamblers”, SW/94-0044 – Shaw AFB, SC
“(Andrle is) such a leader,” Thies said, commending his ability to help the 79th FS overcome unprecedented challenges in Afghanistan. “For the first time since 9/11, the 79th (FS) served as the only fighter squadron in theater, and the number of fighter jets available to them dropped from 18 to 12.“
Despite this reduction in aircraft, Thies said the squadron was still remarkably productive, executing 1,900 flights, 9,000 hours, 29 troops-in-contact, 104 priority targets and 610 weapons employments without a single civilian casualty.
“They lost 33 percent of their hardware, but dropped almost double the amount of weapons,” he said. “That tells you how busy they were. That’s a great testament to the leadership of Lt. Col. Andrle.”
This leadership, Andrle said, was made easy by the laser focus and will to win of every Airman who made the 79th FS’s mission successful.
“I have a great squadron,” he said. “From the people that are supporting us to go make the mission happen to my pilots that are flying the jets out there and my maintainers out on the line, every person wanted to find a way to win. To me, that makes leadership easy because you just let people do what they need to do to go find a way to be successful that day.”
While Andrle acknowledges his personal accomplishments that day were “unheard of,” he credits them to common Airmanship – rising to the occasion and simply doing what was required to win at the time. However, despite his unit’s impressive statistics and his own personal exploits, there is one accomplishment that Andrle treasures more than any other – zero Tigers lost under his watch.
“That’s not a given,” Andrle said. “I think we tend to think deployments are just a part of Air Force life. Everyone’s going to deploy and everyone’s going to come back, but not everyone comes back. To me, that was the most important thing…when we got the last group of folks back to Shaw (AFB) all in one piece.”
Now, Andrle is back home enjoying the company of his wife and four children he missed while away. His battle now won. He has since relinquished command of the Tigers – a duty he described as the honor of his career – to find new ways to win and lead others in doing the same. He charges on, driven by the words echoed back to him by faithful members of the 79th FS upon hearing their commander say the honored phrase “Tiger Tiger.”
“All for freedom.”
Photo credit: Airman 1st Class Michael Cossaboom, Tech. Sgt. Frank Miller, Airman 1st Class Krystal M. Jeffers, Senior Airman Tabatha Zarrella / U.S. Air Force
AC-130 gunship Bagram Airfield close air support F-16CM Fighting Falcon GBU-31 Shaw Air Force Base U.S. Air ForceShareFacebookTwitterPinterestWhatsappTelegramEmail
LOCKHEED MARTIN WILL SELL 440 F-35 STEALTH FIGHTERS TO ELEVEN COUNTRIES OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS
JAPAN TO RECEIVE ITS FIRST V-22 OSPREY TILT-ROTOR AIRCRAFT IN SEPTEMBER
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Ministry of Finance seeks help to launch $3 billion bond, IMF nears approval of disbursement of $2 billion in December
Finance Minister Mauricio Pozo announced on Thursday that the country is negotiating the support of multilateral organizations to issue a bond in the international markets to support the private productive sector.
Ecuador is in negotiations to issue an international market bond that will allow it to raise around $3 billion to support the recovery of the private sector. Regarding the bond, the Minister was very specific in saying that the bond “is not sovereign debt.”
The resources would be channeled as credits through the Ecuadorian financial system and public banks, according to statements by Minister Pozo.
The role of multilateral credit organizations, such as the Development Bank of Latin America (CAF), would be to act as guarantors of the country for the issuance of the bond. It would not be the first time that Ecuador has sought to issue this type of bond. In January 2020, the country issued a social bond for $400 million with a 15-year term, with a guarantee of $300 million from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
The resources obtained with the issuance of the so-called social bond would be to finance credits to activate the Government’s social interest housing program.
Reactívate Ecuador not working
The minister acknowledged that the Reactívate Ecuador program, whose objective was to especially support small and medium-sized companies after the economic blow suffered by the COVID-19 pandemic, has not worked as expected.
There was an exaggerated expectation that the program would provide $1.15 billion in loans to companies, but Pozo clarified that only about $500 million of the full amount was to support businesses.
The rest of the money, the Pozo explained, was part of a broader economic revival program.
The Reactívate Ecuador program in fact has four components, according to the Finance Ministry:
$300 million provided by the International Financing Corporation of the United States, is to be used to fund loans through the private banks of Ecuador.
$260 million from the World Bank, was provided to the National Finance Corporation (CFN) for second-tier loans, of which $120 million have already been delivered but not yet placed on the market, and $140 million will be disbursed when CFN places the first section.
$93.8 million from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has been directed toward the National Corporation for Popular and Solidarity Finance.
$150 million for this year and $300 million for 2021, was directly allocated for Reactívate Ecuador credit, channeled through Banco del Pacífico.
Minister Pozo admits that all these credit lines have been approved, but that the loans are not being disbursed.
Reactívate Ecuador “has not worked well because not all the planned money has arrived, and because the conditions are not attractive for the financial system. We are about to announce a second part of the program, under another more appropriate mechanism,” he said.
The credits would be directed especially to small and medium-sized companies and to sensitive sectors of the economy, such as commerce, entertainment activities (which include tourism) and agribusiness.
The other big problem is that there is liquidity, but due to political and economic uncertainty, companies are not demanding loans and “the conditions must be created to reactivate the demand for credit.”
“I am optimistic”
In the midst of the crisis in Ecuador, Minister Pozo gave signs of optimism. He also announced last Thursday that the “goal review” with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was successful and that the IMF technical team felt Ecuador had met its requirements for further disbursement of the loans agreed to in October.
Ecuador will have access to financing of approximately $2 billion from the IMF once the executive board of the organization completes the review of the economic program.
In a press release on Tuesday,the UMF reported that “the agency’s technical staff and Ecuadorian authorities reached an agreement at the technical level, on the first review of the 27-month SAF program.”
According to the IMF, between October 28th and November 20th, there were virtual meetings to discuss the progress of the reforms and the policy plans of the authorities in response to the impact of COVID-19 and the price of oil.
Ceyda Oner, who led the meetings of the IMF mission, said the agreement is subject to the approval of the agency’s management and the board of directors and the implementation of actions.
The IMF projects that the economy will contract 9.5% in 2020 instead of the 11% initially projected.
Ceyda said the fiscal balance goal was exceeded by a wide margin, with 63,764 additional low-income families having been incorporated into social assistance programs.
“In the remaining months of the current administration, the authorities plan to implement key reforms to strengthen Ecuador’s institutions and legal frameworks. In the short term, they are actively exploring amendments to its penal code to criminalize corruption and align its anti-corruption framework with the best international practices,” she said.
She also highlighted that Ecuador is working on modifications to the Organic Monetary and Financial Code—in order to strengthen the foundations of the dollarization regime—and is also operationalizing the Organic Code of Planning and Public Finance, that will improve the audit capabilities of the Central Bank of Ecuador.
“I am optimistic that we will be able to close the year as it should be,” said Pozo, pointing to some indicators that show that Ecuador’s economy is recovering, such as the increase in tax collection between October and September.
Minister Pozo believes that the country could grow close to 3% in 2021, although the ideal would be growth rates of 4% in the coming years to repair the damage caused by the crisis.
Housing market slows, rents fall and construction of new homes collapses
Overall hospitalizations fall while ICU patients and deaths rise
I hope you all can be thankful this year
Ecuador plays an unfortunate role in South America’s drug trade
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$2.4 billion in Chinese loans tied to oil sales not likely to happen in 2020
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Why Is Suzanne Somers Talking About Obamacare?
When you want a political issue debated properly, who better to call in than celebrity dietitians? Suzanne Somers, author of "Sexy Forever: How to Fight Fat after Forty" has weighed in on the Obamacare debate with an op ed in the Wall St Journal calling the President's signature achievement "a socialist Ponzi scheme".
When you want a political issue debated properly, who better to call in than celebrity dietitians? Suzanne Somers, author of Sexy Forever: How to Fight Fat after Forty, and Bombshell: Explosive Medical Secrets That Will Redefine Aging has weighed in on the Obamacare debate with an op ed in the Wall St Journal blasting the President's signature achievement, calling the Affordable Care Act "a socialist Ponzi scheme".
Her evidence? Somers husband's sister had to wait two months to get health care for an unknown illness in Canada, and her husbands Canadian cousins are doctors and they have moved to America because they can make more money from privatized healthcare.
If only Somers had brought this up when the bill was up for debate in 2009!
Her article, titled "The Affordable Care Act Is a Socialist Ponzi Scheme" has been ripped apart by pretty much everyone who a) knows anything about the Affordable Healthcare Act, and b) can read.
Here's Somers on her Canadian in-laws:
My sister-in-law had to wait two months to get a General Practitioner. During this period she spent her days in bed vomiting continuously, unable to get any food or drink down because she couldn’t get an appointment with the doctor. When she finally did, the doctor said, “Oh you don’t need me, you need a specialist.” That took another two weeks until she got a pill that corrected the problem.
Really, is this what we want?
While anecdotes are perfectly acceptable when crafting an argument, actual statistics on waiting times and access to care would have bolstered her argument if she wanted to be taken seriously. Somers is right that waiting times in Canada are longer than average, but she doesn't take into account the fact that 1. 30 percent of health spending in Canada comes from private sources - around 2/3s of Canadians buy private health insurance (Perhaps if Somers' sister-in-law was as fabulously wealthy as she was, a private doctor could have sorted it out on the spot), 2. The country has better overall healthcare outcomes, and 3. it is cheaper than US health care by a considerable margin.
Here's Somers on the cost of Obamacare:
So far, all you are hearing on the news is how everyone’s premiums are doubling and tripling and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to recognize that the whole thing is a big mess. Plus, even after Obamacare is fully implemented, there still will be tens of millions of people not covered. So what’s the point? Medical care will be degraded, the costs will skyrocket, and most frightening of all, your most intimate and personal information is now up for grabs.
Yes, we've heard how everyone's premiums are doubling and tripling, but that doesn't mean it's true. Obamacare will mean costs go up for some people and down for others. The biggest (legitimate) hike is predicted in Indiana (an average of 72%), but that only accounts for the actual cost of healthcare, not the premiums themselves. As a report in CNN states:
All of these rate hikes must still be reviewed by the federal government and do not take into account the fact that Americans with incomes up to $45,960 for an individual and $94,200 for a family of four will be eligible for federal subsidies.
What does this actually mean? While costs might go up in some instances, the federal government will step in to mitigate the burden. New regulations also ensure that out of pocket costs are capped, and insurance companies will have to compete in state run markets where plans can be evaluated side by side (so costs are likely to go down over time, as lower than projected premiums are already showing). As for Somers dark warning that "your most intimate and personal information is now up for grabs", it's total and utter horse shit. There's a hub, that as Politifacts describes, "pulls limited data from other agencies to verify eligibility and determine how much an individual will actually pay for an insurance plan on the exchanges" (the same system that allows Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program to query the government databases used today in the eligibility processes for lots of state and federal programs). So no, the government doesn't have access to anyone's personal information.
Then, Somers moves on to retirees:
Is affordable care a good thing for retirees? Perhaps over time, it might work if you don’t get too old and you don’t get too sick, and you don’t live too long. But frankly, the economic ramifications with our already swollen debt load don’t add up. Retirees who are on Medicare will suffer the consequences of 700 billions of Medicare dollars instead being used to cover the skyrocketing cost of Obamacare. In essence, less dollars for seniors, means less service. Not fair. The Boomers are going to take the “hit.” In Obamacare, “too old” has limitations of service.
This is flat out nonsense. The Affordable Care Act specifically protects seniors and drives down costs. In a detailed report at the Center For American Progress, they found that "The Affordable Care Act clearly is good for Medicare and its beneficiaries. The law ensures higher-quality, lower-cost care for all enrollees and extends the life of the program, while shifting payment methods and altering various provisions of the program to reduce both our federal deficit and the extent that special interests play a role in funding Medicare."
And if Somers is so concerned about socialized medical care, why does she care about money being taken away from a genuinely socialistic program, Medicare?
Apparently an economist as well as a health care expert, Somers claims that "the economic ramifications with our already swollen debt load don’t add up", without offering any statistics/evidence whatsoever. The truth is, Obamacare is projected to save money in the long term - a projected $190 billion over 10 years from lower than expected premiums, and potentially far, far more as more people are absorbed into insurance programs and tax payers won't have to fork out for the uninsured.
"Boomers are smart. They see the train wreck coming" writes Somers. "Most I speak with think the Affordable Care Act is a greater Ponzi scheme than that pulled off by Bernie Madoff."
Bernie Madoff took billions of dollars of other people's money and spent it on himself. Obamacare forces insurance companies to cover more people, lowers costs for millions of vulnerable Americans, and stops people going bankrupt from medical bills.
The parallels are obvious.
Affordable Care ActObamacareSuzanne Somers
Quote of the Day: This Is Why We Suck
Paul Ryan's Disastrous Obamacare Interview Shows Republican Ideology is Officially Bankrupt
Paul Krugman: Republicans Risk Revealing The Awful Truth if Obamacare is Repealed
Sarah Palin is Back With Idiotic Obamacare "Death Panel" Scare Tactics
Republicans Threaten Up To Three Million Jobs With Obamacare Repeal
MEMBERS ONLY: My Personal Obamacare "Horror Story"
MEMBERS ONLY: On the Fifth Anniversary of Obamacare, Here are Ted Cruz's 11 Biggest Obamacare Lies
Quote of the Day: The Truth About the Obamacare Tax
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The whole industrialized world followed Reagan’s lead on taxes
The Laffer Curve, Part I: Understanding the Theory
Uploaded by afq2007 on Jan 28, 2008
The Laffer Curve charts a relationship between tax rates and tax revenue. While the theory behind the Laffer Curve is widely accepted, the concept has become very controversial because politicians on both sides of the debate exaggerate. This video shows the middle ground between those who claim “all tax cuts pay for themselves” and those who claim tax policy has no impact on economic performance. This video, focusing on the theory of the Laffer Curve, is Part I of a three-part series. Part II reviews evidence of Laffer-Curve responses. Part III discusses how the revenue-estimating process in Washington can be improved. For more information please visit the Center for Freedom and Prosperity’s web site: http://www.freedomandprosperity.org
After reading Milton Friedman’s book “Free to Choose” in 1980, I had the opportunity in 1981 to hear Arthur Laffer speak about what great economic expansion we were about to have in the USA because of Reagan’s 25% across the board tax cuts on income taxes and sure enough he was right. In fact, our economy expanded so much that the world took notice. Basically from 1980 to 2007 we dropped our top income tax rate from 73% to 39% which is a decrease of 34% and the world saw what we did and followed along. The drop of the industrialized countries during this same time was 26% (from 68% to 42% on average).
Take a look below at this chart:
Top Individual Income Tax Rates in the OECD (percent)
Country 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2007 1980–2007
Australia 62 60 49 47 47 47 45 17
Austria 62 62 50 50 50 50 50 12
Belgium 76 76 58 61 60 53 53 24
Britain 83 60 40 40 40 40 40 43
Canada 64 57 49 49 48 44 44 20
Czech Rep. n.a. n.a. n.a. 43 32 32 32 11
Denmark 66 73 68 64 59 59 59 7
Finland 68 67 60 57 54 53 52 16
Greece 60 63 50 45 43 40 40 20
Hungary n.a. n.a. 50 44 40 38 36 14
Iceland 63 56 40 47 45 39 36 27
Ireland 60 65 58 48 42 42 41 19
Japan 75 70 65 65 50 50 50 25
Korea 89 65 64 48 44 39 39 50
Luxembourg 57 57 56 50 47 39 39 18
Mexico 55 55 40 35 40 30 28 27
Netherlands 72 72 60 60 52 52 52 20
New Zealand 62 66 33 33 39 39 39 23
Norway 75 64 51 42 48 40 40 35
Poland n.a. n.a. n.a. 45 40 40 40 5
Portugal 84 69 40 40 40 40 42 42
Slovakia n.a. n.a. n.a. 42 42 19 19 23
Spain 66 66 56 56 48 40 39 27
Sweden 87 80 65 50 55 56 56 32
Switzerland 38 40 38 37 36 34 34 4
Turkey 75 63 50 55 45 40 40 35
United States 73 55 38 43 43 39 39 34
Average 68 64 52 49 47 43 42 26
SOURCE: James Gwartney and Robert Lawson, Economic Freedom of the World (Vancouver: Fraser Institute,
2007), as updated to 2007 by the authors. Data includes the national and average subnational tax rates.
NOTE: n.a. not applicable.
I know that Max Brantley and many of his friends over the Arkansas Times like to say that the Reagan tax cuts increased the deficit but that clearly is not true.
Peter Sperry noted:
President Ronald Reagan’s record includes sweeping economic reforms and deep across-the-board tax cuts, market deregulation, and sound monetary policies to contain inflation. His policies resulted in the largest peacetime economic boom in American history and nearly 35 million more jobs. As the Joint Economic Committee reported in April 2000:2
In 1981, newly elected President Ronald Reagan refocused fiscal policy on the long run. He proposed, and Congress passed, sharp cuts in marginal tax rates. The cuts increased incentives to work and stimulated growth. These were funda-mental policy changes that provided the foundation for the Great Expansion that began in December 1982.
HOW DID THE REAGAN TAX CUTS AFFECT THE U.S. TREASURY?
Many critics of reducing taxes claim that the Reagan tax cuts drained the U.S. Treasury. The reality is that federal revenues increased significantly between 1980 and 1990:
Total federal revenues doubled from just over $517 billion in 1980 to more than $1 trillion in 1990. In constant inflation-adjusted dollars, this was a 28 percent increase in revenue.3
As a percentage of the gross domestic product (GDP), federal revenues declined only slightly from 18.9 percent in 1980 to 18 percent in 1990.4
Revenues from individual income taxes climbed from just over $244 billion in 1980 to nearly $467 billion in 1990.5 In inflation-adjusted dollars, this amounts to a 25 percent increase.
The Laffer Curve, Part II: Reviewing the Evidence This video is second installment of a three-part series. Part I reviews theoretical relationship between tax rates, taxable income, and tax revenue. Part III discusses how the revenue-estimating process in Washington can be improved. For more information please visit the Center for Freedom and Prosperity’s web site: http://www.freedomandprosperity.org.The Laffer Curve, Part III: Dynamic Scoring
By Everette Hatcher III, on October 11, 2012 at 4:29 pm, under Milton Friedman, Ronald Reagan, Taxes. No Comments
« Romney: “Milton Friedman understood…Government does not create prosperity. Free markets and free people create prosperity.”
The real truth about the financial condition of Social Security can be seen on the www.thedailyhatch.org »
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Ranking The Conjuring Films
With The Nun currently in cinemas and doing the best of all The Conjuring films at the box office so far, I thought now would be a good time to rank the films in the series so far. Whilst The Nun itself is very disappointing and the general consensus negative as well, these films have clearly made a big enough impression to draw dedicated audiences in to watch them. Certainly of all of the cinematic universes that studios have tried to start up post-Marvel, The Conjuring series is unquestionably the most successful so far. Unlike other big-budget films that studios hope will be successful enough to start their own series, with The Conjuring a horror franchise and their budgets relatively low, they all easily make a profit so perhaps this is one reason why it has had more success than others.
Here is my ranking:
5) Annabelle
Annabelle is unquestionably the worst of the series and has virtually no redeeming qualities to it whatsoever. Riding off the success of The Conjuring a year before, it is a blatantly unoriginal, preposterous cash grab that save for one very well orchestrated scare and beautiful cinematography, is a dud. Annabelle lacks any of the sense of dread The Conjuring has and the jump scares are obvious and uninspiring. The cast are uniformly terrible, in particular Ward Horton and the script is cringeworthy. Its ending is particularly offensive where characters make irrational and stupid decisions and I actually laughed at the film. It’s a film that looks like it should have gone straight-to-DVD. I struggle to think of how a horror film can be worse and this was a complete U-turn in quality for the series.
4) The Nun
The latest in the series, perhaps the simplest way of describing The Nun is by calling it a ‘beautiful disaster’. The film is an absolute trainwreck – the film is edited extremely badly, its overreliance on jump scares mean that it isn’t scary and the story is borderline incoherent. However, it would be very easy to just completely dismiss this film and rip it apart and unlike Annabelle, there are some redeeming qualities to The Nun.
Director Corin Hardy is clearly a horror aficionado which shows in the film’s cineliteracy (there are allusions to some of the Hammer horror films for instance) and the film is quite atmospheric and establishes a chilling setting. For instance, there are some breathtaking shots of the exteriors of the monastery which really portray the grandeur and influence it has on its characters. This is by far, the most frightening aspect of the film and leaves a lot to audience interpretation. It’s strange then that Hardy resorts to jump scares, which are all poor and there is not a single memorable one in the film. It’s also strange that Hardy chooses to punish the characters in the worst possible way towards the beginning of the film. There is an extended sequence where a character is stuck in a grave, which is a horrifying scenario but anything that happens to this character afterwards is never as bad. Surely, this sequence would have worked better towards the end of the film? Despite these fatal mis-steps, all of Hardy’s good work in the film’s atmosphere is undone and squandered by how the film has been edited. Every scene films too brief and this really hinders in creating a creepy atmosphere. Somewhere here is a good enough film, but the way it has been edited completely undermines this and this results in The Nun ultimatelby being very disappointing. (My full review here)
There is now a big step up in quality…
3) The Conjuring 2
The Conjuring 2 isn’t as strong as the first film – it is overlong which severely impacts the pacing and just isn’t quite as interesting a story as the first one was. However, horror-maestro James Wan delivers in spades on the scare-front and the film has some truly frightening sequences and there are also some great performances from the cast. Only Wan could have made or been given permission to make this film as 134 minutes for a horror film is uncommonly long and whilst there is a lot of character development (and self-indulgence), 20 minutes could fairly easily have been chopped off and the film would almost be as strong as the original. This is definitely its main problem which is to its detriment. The film bears many similarities to William Friedkin’s The Exorcist and there are a couple of moments where the film leaves a bit of a sour taste as it reiterates many of the clichéd elements of superior horror films. Coming off a near-perfect original, it’s a shame The Conjuring 2 isn’t a knock-out, but that was always going to be impossible and there is still a lot to like in this film. (My full review here)
2) Annabelle: Creation
Annabelle: Creation is a marked improvement over its predecessor and is suitably scary, features good character development and is shot beautifully by cinematographer Maxime Alexandre. It also ties itself nicely into the wider universe but not enough to detract from the film – director David F. Sandberg still manages to satisfy on a standalone level. One must applaud Sandberg for having a go at crafting many different types of scares and seeing what sticks and there are several sequences which are superbly crafted. Unfortunately, the film does stick to convention at times and there are a few sections bordering on comedy but it is so, so much better than its predecessor in every level. When the film works, it’s superb and it’s nice and tightly paced. It’s astounding how much of a shift in quality this is from the first film which had no hope. (My full review here)
1) The Conjuring
The Conjuring is by far and away the best film in the series and also represents a career best for director James Wan, which this film really helped to propel his career. The film is suitably scary, very atmospheric and has a fascinating narrative. Wan develops the characters superbly, in particular Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, who are great as The Warren’s. Although the scares aren’t the most original, it’s in the execution which allows this film to really deliver and some of the set pieces in this film are mesmerising. The Conjuring is a film that is even better on rewatches and when we come back to look on the horror genre in the 2010’s, this film will definitely be remembered.
Overall, although there is certainly variation between the best and worst in this list, this is ultimately a series that has generally been strong and with another Annabelle sequel, a third Conjuring film and another spin-off, The Crooked Man, I hope these are also worthy of the franchise’s name and I hope The Nun was just a blip.
October 9, 2018 October 9, 2018 hucko003 Tagged Rankings Leave a comment
← The Nun (Review)
The Predator (Review) →
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Wildly inaccurate speculation
This is apparently what we are all guilty of if we oppose the sell-off of our forests to private investors, according to our Environment minister, Mrs Spellman. She is claiming that scare stories are being circulated such as the New Forest is to be made into a golf course and that is why we oppose the sell-off.
I don’t agree with her. The track record of this and previous administrations regarding the disposal of our national assets into the hands of people who have no right to own them has been nothing short of despicable, and has made me deeply cynical of any political claims that moves such as this are in the public interest.
It’s difficult to imagine how guarantees of public access or indeed any other guarantees will be, or can be, enforced in 10, 20 or 30 years time, regardless of promises made now. And the notion that millions of wonderful trees like the enormous horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) below, which have taken hundreds of years to evolve into mini ecosystems in their own right, will end up pulped to be made into loo paper, or even worse, The Daily Mail, is one I find profoundly upsetting
I fear we’ll lose many views like this if the forests go. What a magnificent tree!
There was mixed news on the sell-off today. The BBC were reporting that government sources had told the Politics show the plan was to be largely watered down or possibly even dropped, which is very good news if it is true. But on the other hand, the Daily Telegraph were reporting that many environmental charities will be unable to provide the financial guarantees required by the Government within the 28 day timeframe necessary to enable purchase of the forest.
This beatiful creature, a goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis), needs the trees…
…and this one too, a waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus), especially after a long and dangerous flight from north Norway
I’ve seen a document from the Forestry Commision in which the financial value of all the woodland in the east of England has been assessed. Whilst it’s depressing that everything has to be reduced to a figure on a balance sheet in order that anyone with any influence will take notice, there are some big numbers quoted which will hopefully help people to realise the true worth of our forests to the country. Fingers crossed.
Whilst I think there are significant chunks of Forestry Commission land which have been mismanaged I think it is better that they are managing the forests for the general good. And after the current, very public, debate, if the forests are saved I hope it paves the way for more constructive dialogue on how best to maintain the forests for the benefit of all organisms that require them.
Addendum 09/02/2011
On a global level regarding forests, some good news. Golden Agri-Resources, the worlds second largest palm oil producer has teamed up with The Forest Trust, a worldwide forest conservation organisation, to work together to find ways to prevent rainforest destruction in Indonesia. It sounds like a long uphill struggle but at least global agri-business and environmental organisations appear to be working constructively together. Long may it last.
Tagged Aesculus hippocastanum, BBC, biodiversity, Bombycilla garrulus, campaign, Carduelis carduelis, conservation, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, forest, Forestry Commission, Golden Agri-Resources, goldfinch, Government, horse chestnut, Indonesia, Nature, palm oil, rainforest, sell-off, The Forest Trust, waxwing
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Single Celled Organism – “Splinter in the Eye”
October 17, 2017 · by The Prog Mind · in Album Reviews. ·
I’m always excited to see a new musical project from an artist I already know. I’ve reviewed the last couple Isgaard albums, and Jens Lück has been a contributor and producer on both of those albums. His new progressive rock project is called Single Celled Organism, and the debut album “Splinter in the Eye” is set to release on October 20th.
SCO has been described by Jens as progressive rock, and that is definitely what it is, in all its glory. The music is in the vein of Pink Floyd or Porcupine Tree, but it feels much more modern and refined. The album features fantastic guitars (always expected from something Jens produces), sublime keys, and some twists here and there that you might not expect. Jens provides vocals, as does Isgaard, as she plays one of the main characters. Both of them put in a wonderful and convincing performance. The album also features Jens on bass, drums, keys, and programming; along with several guests on various types of guitar, recorder, viola, and violin.
Any review of this album, however, must first begin with the concept, as it is a character in and of itself. The concept is an intriguing, though familiar idea. The album revolves around a scientific experiment in which a human girl is kept secluded for her entire life; fed and raising by robots, and taught by screens. The concept, however, does have an added twist where the outside world experiences catastrophic bio-weapon deployment, and this girl is left to uncover the world outside her cage on her own after the rest of humanity dies. I have to say that this is one of the best concepts I’ve heard this year, and it is delivered with poetry, excellent lyrics, and great pacing. The ending to the story gives me goosebumps just thinking about it. This poor girl finally gets a chance to experience the world, but what she finds is nothingness. It is sad and thought-provoking end to a well-structured concept.
This album is a complete package, and you can tell much heart and soul went into creating it. Jens masterfully combines the longings and dreams of the imprisoned girl with the heartache and despair of the humans that are watching their world collapse. All of this is played out alongside music that can be hopeful or somber, adventurous or claustrophobic. The performances are top notch, with splendid vocals and soaring guitar work that accents the emotional content of the album. Jens’ keys are outstanding, with several enjoyable solos and lots of atmosphere. His bass, too, complements everything with feeling and darkness. I also love the strings and recorders that are used, as they bring brightness and clarity when they appear.
The album begins with “The Mark of Cain”, which is mainly a way to present the concept through the scientific presentation of one Dr. Abbott Barnaby, the one performing the experiment. “Growing Up” follows and is a wonderful song with catchy melodies and a great synth solo to show us the poor girl’s world as she matures.
Other favorites are “Flying Home”, which has a nice folksy twist; and “New Horizons” (my favorite), in which Jens and Isgaard trade vocal lines while the girl’s emotions start to wonder about what might be outside her little world. Another favorite is “I Can’t Feel”, a genius track that contrasts the status of the outside world with the world inside the girl’s head. It is very well written and pivotal to the album.
“Splinter in the Eye”, the title track, is perhaps the centerpiece of this album: It is emotional and somber and is one of those songs that will grow on you every time you hear it. The album closes with a couple tracks that solidify the concept and its finale where the world is dying and the doctor decides to release his experiment as he himself dies from the weaponized disease. “I See You” is an emotional song where Dr. Barnaby writes a farewell note for the girl as he prepares to release her into the world, and the subsequent “Her Poem” is a fitting and haunting end to an album that already pricks my heart strings. The words of the newly freed girl are hopeful and also despairing. She is finally free to pursue her dreams of the outside world, only to find nothing at all. The writing here is masterful and the music ends off on a thoughtful note.
Single Celled Organism is a project that I hope to see produce another album someday. Jens has crafted an experience, not just an album of songs, that strikes a chord in me, both lyrically and musically. While the music is somewhat familiar and beautiful in style, the concept is what brings it all together into a riveting work of art. You need to hear this album!
Find Single Celled Organism online:
Tags: Isgaard, progressive rock, Single Celled Organism, Splinter in the Eye
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Vuur – “In This Moment We Are Free – Cities” →
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International Biometrics and Identification Association Draft Privacy Best Practices for Commercial Biometrics
The following draft best practices for privacy in the commercial use of biometrics were released by the International Biometrics and Identification Association and posted to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration website on June 17, 2014.
IBIA Privacy Best Practice Recommendations for Commercial Biometric Use
This IBIA document has two (2) parts:
IBIA best practice recommendations for commercial applications of biometric technology incorporate the following essential findings:
o Transparency and protection of data are IBIA’s fundamental privacy tenets.
o The biometric industry lacks any legal authority to impose rules of conduct on users of the technology and the industry, therefore can only recommend best practices.
o Given the variety and numerous existing uses, as well as potential uses, it is not feasible or practical to develop specific /detailed practices.
o The general guidelines are intended to provide a roadmap that will enable users and customers to tailor appropriate privacy practices to their specific contexts.
IBIA findings and perspective on privacy risks in the digital age that form the basis for its recommended best practices. The key findings are:
o Privacy is vulnerable to abuse by many means and methods in our digital age.
o IBIA’s primary privacy policy is that all data should be protected.
o The level of protection should be consistent with the level of risk associated with its use and the consequences of abuse. The level of protection should also be applicable and tailored per the context of the specific biometric use.
o The easy availability online and offline of vast amounts of detailed personal information is the greatest privacy risk.
o The pervasive privacy risk in our society is the result of the advent of the digital age and big data and is completely independent of biometric technology, let alone a single modality.
o As has been the case throughout human history, new methods of authenticating identity are necessary to augment existing conventions and meet current needs. Today, biometric technologies do this and, as a major privacy‐enhancing technology, preserve privacy at the same time.
o The commercial application of these best practices enhances and strengthens personal privacy protections.
These findings, coupled with the Fair Information Practice Principles1 of transparency and protection of data and the reality of numerous and diverse biometric applications, provide the framework for implementing biometric technologies in commercial applications. Specifically, the IBIA’s Privacy Best Practice Recommendations for Commercial Biometric Use incorporate general guidelines for commercial use of biometrics, leaving it to implementers and operators to determine what is most appropriate given the application, the risk and consequence of abuse, the non‐biometric data used, and the purpose of the undertaking.
IBIA Findings and Perspective on Privacy Risks in the Digital Age
Following is a list of the key privacy risks that should be considered:
o Privacy in our society is vulnerable to abuse by many means and methods.
o The primary privacy risk today is the ready availability online and offline of vast amounts of detailed personal information that needs to be protected. This is completely independent of biometrics (including facial recognition).
o Privacy of our personal data has been defined and limited by the rise of the digital age that incorporates big data, completely independent of biometrics.
o Anonymity and privacy are not synonymous terms. The former is forfeited if one chooses to live in society.
o Covert surveillance methods are already widely deployed, again independent of biometrics.
o Biometric identification is filling today’s void in the need for security and privacy in uses throughout the government and commercial /consumer sectors; in law enforcement and national security; protection of health care records and financial records; to prevent imposters in professional and competency testing; in computers, mobile devices, and home door locks and safes; in school lunch programs and to protect child care facilities; and to make payments at retail establishments.
o In authentication applications like physical security access control and logical security access control for computers and networks, biometrics are privacy‐enhancing factors that provide higher security as well as privacy.
o In both one‐to‐one verification and one‐to‐many identification applications biometrics merely provides an identity result for the questions “are you who you claim to be?” or “who are you?” These results do not necessarily diminish privacy or profile a person. Instead, these applications can enhance system integrity through positive identification, can provide a higher level of user convenience and can augment privacy.
Biometrics: A Privacy Enhancing Technology
One fact should not be lost in this discussion. As has always been the case, new methods of authenticating identity, like biometric identification, are necessary to augment existing conventions and meet current needs. Biometric technologies do this and, as a major privacy‐enhancing technology, preserve privacy at the same time.
The facial template itself, like other biometric templates, provides no personal information. Indeed, protecting the non‐biometric personal information is enhanced through the use of biometric verification of identity to limit data access to only authorized persons.
Biometrics can provide a unique tool to protect and enhance both identity security and privacy and to protect against fraud and identity theft, especially as a factor in identity verification. When your personal data are protected by access mechanisms that include one or more biometric factors, it becomes much more difficult for someone else to gain access to your personal data and applications because no one else has your unique biometric attributes. This enables legitimate access and reduces the risk that a person can steal your identity and, posing as you, collect benefits; board an airplane; get a job; gain access to your personal data, etc.
Facial Recognition, Big Data, Anonymity, Surveillance, and Privacy
The perceptions that biometrics, such as facial recognition and templates generated from facial images, need to be regulated and strongly constrained because they will destroy anonymity and increase surveillance are more imagined than real, and pale in comparison to the other electronic methods that can be exploited in the digital age in which we live.
1) There is no anonymity if we choose to live in society. Anonymity and privacy are not the same. Unless we disguise ourselves, our faces are public. In society, many services are dependent on user identity. Routinely, data are used to offer goods and services to us. Anonymity cannot be used as a means to avoid accountability. Those who choose to opt in to personal offers are simply acknowledging that they want the benefits they might gain by giving up anonymity. Privacy is a different matter and surrendering a right to anonymity is not tantamount to a surrender of privacy.
Contrary to public statements, simply having access to a facial image or its template does not destroy the anonymity of a person walking down the street. This does not directly reveal a name, Social Security number, or any other personal information.
It is true that tagged photos on a social media Web site could lead you to a name or address. However, that is only one of a hundred tools that can provide the very same data. With a name alone, one can find addresses and phone numbers in public phone directories and then undertake surveillance, of a person seen on the street.
2) Surveillance is a product of the digital age, not biometrics like facial recognition. Surveillance is already a part of our daily life, thanks to the digital age and tremendous increases in computational power. Facial recognition does not increase its use.
There are two major classes of security surveillance technology in use today. One class is owned and operated by commercial businesses or individual organizations, and the other is owned or operated by local, state, or federal governments.
Commercial businesses and other non‐government organizations routinely have security cameras in and around their facilities for physical security and employee/visitor safety. Contrary to their portrayal on television programs like “24” and “Person of Interest,” among others, surveillance cameras owned by various businesses and organizations are NOT uniformly or even frequently interconnected and available to anyone with an Internet connection.
They occasionally (but rarely) run “video analytics” to automatically alert security personnel to inappropriate or unsafe activities, but almost never use automated facial recognition. If an event of interest (a crime) occurs, recordings of the event can be analyzed after the fact, and are sometimes made available to police as evidence, in accordance with the law. Images extracted from such surveillance recordings can contain faces, and these can sometimes be extracted (if the image has sufficient resolution) and converted into templates for comparison against a gallery of suspects using automated facial recognition. However, this latter process is also subject to legal rules and constraints.
There are some cities where there are a great number of centrally accessible surveillance cameras. These are of great utility in traffic management, and emergent situation assessment from a central operations center. However, resolution of the video cameras is such that they can’t practically be used for continuous facial recognition technology. The possible application of facial recognition technology is therefore generally confined to post‐event analysis, where resources can be focused on only video captured that is germane to the event being investigated, again, according to law.
Under either class of common security surveillance video technology, it isn’t practical or possible to conceive of a “face stalking” application that can be accessed and run across all the video cameras in a surveillance system. Stalking, although thankfully infrequent, occurred before the advent of facial recognition technology, and unfortunately will continue to occur, whether facial recognition becomes a factor or not. To this point, facial recognition technology has not been a factor, and likely will continue to be a non‐factor for stalking.
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Justin Kramon, author of Finny, on tour August/September 2010
June 23, 2010 By trish Leave a Comment
About Finny
• Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks (July 13, 2010)
Before I started writing my novel, I fell in love with some great coming-of-age books: The World According to Garp, Great Expectations, Catcher in the Rye, and several others. For me, these books brought back the excitement of reading. I loved their intricate and suspenseful plots, the slightly-larger-than-life characters, the humor, and the sense of bigness and adventure I got from even the opening sentences. I felt like these classic novels were treasure chests of funny characters and surprising moments and beautiful insights about the world.
And I realized: These are the kinds of books I want to write, books filled with unforgettable characters, books that make me laugh and cry (even at the same time), books that give me an almost childlike sense of wonder.
But one thing I noticed about a lot of these books is that they’re about young men. So I was interested in what it would be like to tell one of these big classic stories about a young woman coming into the contemporary world. And that’s how the idea for FINNY started.
Finny herself is a lonely, defiant young woman, with a wonderful sense of humor, and a great ability to cut through other people’s pretensions. She’s a character I’ve loved from the moment I met her, and I wrote this book that follows her over twenty years because I wanted to find out everything that happened to her. The book is a love story, about Finny’s relationship with a young man named Earl, but I also wanted Finny to live in a rich and detailed world, full of interesting and lively and sometimes mysterious characters, such as a narcoleptic pianist, a seductive New York heiress, and an unlikely mother figure with tastes for exotic Asian fruits and Irish fiddle music.
I hope this book will allow readers to completely immerse themselves in Finny’s world and her adventures, and leave them with the sense of enchantment I’ve found in my favorite books.
Check out the book trailer for Finny.
“Justin Kramon’s moving and engrossing, Finny, is as refreshing as it is unusual: Dickensian in its span and generosity, contemporary in its exuberance and furtive humor, timeless in its assessment of family and friendship, innocence and love, this is a debut novel of exceptional achievement and considerable rewards.” — Jim Crace, National Book Critics Circle Award-Winning author of Being Dead
“Justin Kramon has written a magnificently odd and fantastic book, bursting with whimsy and humor. Finny is a heroine you will never forget.” — Cristina Henriquez, Author of The World in Half
“[A] story pervaded…with a flavor of Alice in Wonderland…Kramon’s taste in quirky minor characters – a screaming headmistress, a sneezing undertaker – lends the story a surreal air…” –Kirkus Reviews
A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, he has published stories in Glimmer Train, Story Quarterly, Boulevard, Fence, TriQuarterly, and others. He has received honors from the Michener-Copernicus Society of America, The Best American Short Stories, the Hawthornden International Writers’ Fellowship, and the Bogliasco Foundation.
He teaches at Gotham Writers’ Workshop in New York City and at the Iowa Young Writers’ Studio.
He lives in Philadelphia.
Find out more about Justin on his website.
Justin’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS
Monday, August 16th: English Major’s Junk Food
Tuesday, August 17th: The Lost Entwife
Thursday, August 19th: The Bluestocking Society
Tuesday, August 24th: Rundpinne
Wednesday, August 25th: Tales of a Capricious Reader
Monday, August 30th: Dolce Bellezza
Wednesday, September 1st: Jenny Loves to Read
Friday, September 3rd: Raging Bibliomania
Tuesday, September 7th: Lit and Life
Wednesday, September 8th: Reading on a Rainy Day
Thursday, September 9th: Café of Dreams
Monday, September 13th: Age 30+…A Lifetime of Books (author visit)
Tuesday, September 14th: My Reading Room
Thursday, September 16th: Jo-Jo Loves to Read!
Wednesday, September 22nd: Fizzy Thoughts
Filed Under: authors, authors on tour, blog tours, books, fiction, virtual book tours, writers Tagged With: dickens, finny
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Jamie Stitt serves as Assistant Commissioner of Business and Workforce Development. She assists Deputy Commissioner Allen Borden in overseeing all expansions of existing companies and the recruitment of new companies to Tennessee. Additionally, she leads the FastTrack incentive team, vetting each company and project as it moves through the pipeline.
Since Jamie joined the business development team, the department has had record-breaking job commitments, shattering previous records with over 200,000 jobs committed at a close rate of 70 percent. Jamie continuously channels the department’s focus of creating net new jobs in Tennessee’s key clusters with a focus of those being high-quality paying jobs.
Prior to her current role, Jamie served as TNECD Regional Director for Southern Middle Tennessee where she led her team in assisting companies in the creation of more than 6,200 jobs and nearly $700 million in capital investment. She has also fulfilled the role of ThreeStar Program Director and Regional Economic Development Specialist where she assisted communities in implementing economic preparedness best practices.
Prior to joining TNECD in 2007, Jamie was the Director of Joint Economic and Community Development for Marshall County where she focused her efforts on new business creation. Jamie earned her master’s degree at Illinois State University and her bachelor’s degree at University of Illinois at Springfield.
Jamie resides in Nolensville, Tennessee with her husband Jimmy, their two kids, Jayden and Jaycie, and their dog, Wrigley.
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Inner-shell photoelectron angular distributions from fixed-in-space OCS molecules
A. V. Golovin, J. Adachi, S. Motoki, Masahiko Takahashi, A. Yagishita
The photoelectron angular distributions (PADs) for the OCS O 1s, C 1s and S 2p1/2, 2p3/2 ionization have been measured in the shape resonance region. The experimental results have been compared with multiple scattering Xα calculations. It is found that the position of an ionized atom plays a significant role. For a central position (C Is ionization) the PAD is relatively symmetric. In the case of S 2p and O 1s ionization, electrons are emitted highly preferentially in a solid cone directed from the molecular centre to the respective S or O atom. For the OCS O Is ionization the S-C fragment plays a very effective role as a 'scatterer' and in the shape resonance region nearly all intensity in PAD is concentrated in the lobe between θ = 50° and 80°, but not along the molecular axis.
Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics
https://doi.org/10.1088/0953-4075/38/3/L03
10.1088/0953-4075/38/3/L03
Fingerprint Dive into the research topics of 'Inner-shell photoelectron angular distributions from fixed-in-space OCS molecules'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
photoelectrons Physics & Astronomy
molecules Physics & Astronomy
atoms Physics & Astronomy
cones Physics & Astronomy
Golovin, A. V., Adachi, J., Motoki, S., Takahashi, M., & Yagishita, A. (2005). Inner-shell photoelectron angular distributions from fixed-in-space OCS molecules. Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, 38(3). https://doi.org/10.1088/0953-4075/38/3/L03
Inner-shell photoelectron angular distributions from fixed-in-space OCS molecules. / Golovin, A. V.; Adachi, J.; Motoki, S.; Takahashi, Masahiko; Yagishita, A.
In: Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, Vol. 38, No. 3, 01.02.2005.
Golovin, AV, Adachi, J, Motoki, S, Takahashi, M & Yagishita, A 2005, 'Inner-shell photoelectron angular distributions from fixed-in-space OCS molecules', Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, vol. 38, no. 3. https://doi.org/10.1088/0953-4075/38/3/L03
Golovin AV, Adachi J, Motoki S, Takahashi M, Yagishita A. Inner-shell photoelectron angular distributions from fixed-in-space OCS molecules. Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics. 2005 Feb 1;38(3). https://doi.org/10.1088/0953-4075/38/3/L03
Golovin, A. V. ; Adachi, J. ; Motoki, S. ; Takahashi, Masahiko ; Yagishita, A. / Inner-shell photoelectron angular distributions from fixed-in-space OCS molecules. In: Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics. 2005 ; Vol. 38, No. 3.
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title = "Inner-shell photoelectron angular distributions from fixed-in-space OCS molecules",
abstract = "The photoelectron angular distributions (PADs) for the OCS O 1s, C 1s and S 2p1/2, 2p3/2 ionization have been measured in the shape resonance region. The experimental results have been compared with multiple scattering Xα calculations. It is found that the position of an ionized atom plays a significant role. For a central position (C Is ionization) the PAD is relatively symmetric. In the case of S 2p and O 1s ionization, electrons are emitted highly preferentially in a solid cone directed from the molecular centre to the respective S or O atom. For the OCS O Is ionization the S-C fragment plays a very effective role as a 'scatterer' and in the shape resonance region nearly all intensity in PAD is concentrated in the lobe between θ = 50° and 80°, but not along the molecular axis.",
author = "Golovin, {A. V.} and J. Adachi and S. Motoki and Masahiko Takahashi and A. Yagishita",
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N2 - The photoelectron angular distributions (PADs) for the OCS O 1s, C 1s and S 2p1/2, 2p3/2 ionization have been measured in the shape resonance region. The experimental results have been compared with multiple scattering Xα calculations. It is found that the position of an ionized atom plays a significant role. For a central position (C Is ionization) the PAD is relatively symmetric. In the case of S 2p and O 1s ionization, electrons are emitted highly preferentially in a solid cone directed from the molecular centre to the respective S or O atom. For the OCS O Is ionization the S-C fragment plays a very effective role as a 'scatterer' and in the shape resonance region nearly all intensity in PAD is concentrated in the lobe between θ = 50° and 80°, but not along the molecular axis.
AB - The photoelectron angular distributions (PADs) for the OCS O 1s, C 1s and S 2p1/2, 2p3/2 ionization have been measured in the shape resonance region. The experimental results have been compared with multiple scattering Xα calculations. It is found that the position of an ionized atom plays a significant role. For a central position (C Is ionization) the PAD is relatively symmetric. In the case of S 2p and O 1s ionization, electrons are emitted highly preferentially in a solid cone directed from the molecular centre to the respective S or O atom. For the OCS O Is ionization the S-C fragment plays a very effective role as a 'scatterer' and in the shape resonance region nearly all intensity in PAD is concentrated in the lobe between θ = 50° and 80°, but not along the molecular axis.
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New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Today, mission-driven Canadian rock duo, Crown Lands, release their powerful new single, "End of The Road" with Universal Music. "End of The Road" pays tribute to the Indigenous womxn, girls, and two-spirits who have gone missing or have been murdered on Yellowhead Highway 16 in British Columbia, which is referred to as the Highway of Tears. With this release, Crown Lands introduce themselves as allies, sharing "End of the Road" as reflective address of the disproportionate violence and ongoing injustices experienced by Indigenous communities with hopes to encourage education, discussion and action surrounding this national crisis. Guitarist Kevin Comeau (he/him) remarks, "We don't claim to have any answers, but we want to use our voice to bring awareness and help make a difference."
From 2001 to 2015, the homicide rate for Indigenous Womxn in Canada was almost six times as high as the rate for non-Indigenous women (Statistics Canada). Lead vocalist and drummer, Cody Bowles (they/them) expresses the personal experience that influenced the creation of "End of The Road" explaining, "End of the Road is an outcry for awareness and action surrounding the colonial horrors of the missing and murdered Indigenous Womxn, Girls, and Two-Spirits that still haunt Indigenous communities today. Violence against Indigenous people is something I have witnessed firsthand throughout my life. I am half Mi'kmaw and grew up spending of a lot of my childhood in and around Alderville First Nation. I identify as Two-Spirit and dream of a better world for the brilliant Indigenous womxn, girls and 2SLGBTQ+ people who face adversity every day for their very existence. It's up to all of us to make this world a better place for future generations, and this song is a small message of hope adding to the rising wave of Indigenous resistance throughout this land."
The accompanying video for "End of the Road" also released today, opens with a narration by Canadian Inuk singer Tanya Tagaq, contextualizing the devastating facts of this ongoing issue. The video was co-produced by Sage Nokomis Wright, co-directed by Tim Myles, alongside Alex P Smith, and features a cast of Indigenous dancers with drone footage from The Highway of Tears in B.C. . The dancers represent the souls of the missing and murdered womxn and the red dresses are inspired by the work of The RED Dress Project, a collection of 600 red dresses by community donation that is installed across Canada as a visual reminder of the staggering number of womxn missing and to draw attention to the gendered and racialized nature of violent crimes against Indigenous womxn, girls, and 2SLGBTQ+ people. "End Of The Road" was choregraphed by Teineisha Richards, a Mi'kmaq artist from Bear River First Nations, Nova Scotia, raised in Toronto. Teineisha explains her process, "To create the choreography I had to go to a pretty deep and dark place and put myself in the shoes of both the women who went missing and the families of those women who suffered with their loss…I wanted to express the desperate feeling of someone fighting to escape, but with no redemption. Additionally, I aimed to generate a sense of self-empowerment and unity within a shared struggle, by my use of staccato, aggressive, and synchronized movement during the group sections of choreography. Most of the choreography derived from that dark, yet powerful place, and the overall message and feeling I received from the song."
"End of The Road" follows the release of their acoustic EP Wayward Flyers Volume 1 and will be featured alongside the band's previously released tracks "Spit it Out" and "Howlin' Back" on Crown Lands' upcoming debut album which they've announced is set to be released on August 13 with the pre-order available now. Working in Nashville with six-time Grammy winner Dave Cobb (Rival Sons, Chris Stapleton) who produced the album, helped the duo in both refining their writing and following their gut. "Dave pushed us to listen to ourselves and really trust our initial instinct with a song," says Bowles. See below for full track listing.
After meeting six years ago and bonding over their shared love of music Bowles and Comeau became "instant best friends" and started jamming together in a local barn, switching up instruments, but never straying from a two-piece set-up. Crown Lands have released two EPs Mantra (2016) and Rise Over Run (2017). Making music that brings together a range of influences from folk and blues to psychedelic to prog rock, and drawing on their own intense personal chemistry, Crown Lands are a startlingly fresh jolt of energy.
The group's name is indicative of their musical ambitions: "Crown Land" is territorial area belonging to the monarch—or, as Bowles puts it: "Crown Land is stolen land and we are reclaiming it." Crown Lands are on a mission to represent a sense of empowerment for marginalized communities through their music and the weighty subject matter of their lyrics. "People are going to listen to you, so you may as well say something that matters," says Comeau.
CROWN LANDS ALBUM TRACK LISTING:
Howlin' Back
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MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 04: Labour Candidate for Mayor of Manchester Andy Burnham arrives to vote at the Goldborne Sure Start Children's centre in Goldborne on May 4, 2017 in Manchester, England. Six new metro Mayors will be elected today in areas including Greater Manchester, West Midlands and the West of England. (Photo by Anthony Devlin/Getty Images)
Devo Manc: unions will be hitting the ground running with the new Mayor
05 May 2017, by Lynn Collins in Politics
As expected, Andy Burnham has been elected as the new Mayor for Greater Manchester. Whilst the result may not be a great surprise, it is nonetheless important. With a population of 2.7million, Greater Manchester has the biggest set of devolved responsibilities in England (outside of London), and the new Mayor’s set of powers are likely to grow.
Now though, it is about devolution in practice – not the theory.
First, let’s be honest – the devo deals are far from perfect and not all that people might have hoped for. Yes, a greater local say on decision making is important, and it may well deliver better economic outcomes for local communities. But deciding where to spend the money is restricted by the cash available.
For example, the flagship £6bn integrated health and social care budget given to Greater Manchester still leaves the region facing a £2bn deficit by 2021. And having local voices help make decisions on how the annual £30m housing fund should be spent for the people of (for example) Bury or Rochdale is welcome, but it will be more about doing things differently than doing it with significant amounts of extra money.
However, as trade unions we can be more constructive than just complaining about the shortcomings. Being on the outside looking in, and limited engagement with the wider population about what they want from this unique opportunity, is not an option. That’s why at the North West TUC we have supported projects such as the People’s Plan in Greater Manchester, and why we worked with our public sector unions to re-establish our Public Services Committee, to ensure we are able to act and speak as one in devo decisions that will affect hundreds of thousands of our members.
These massive decisions – like how different local authorities in Greater Manchester might work together to deliver better transport, or on the integration of health and social care – could dramatically alter the delivery of public services and the working lives of our members. So we haven’t waited until Andy’s first day in office: we’ve been working with the Combined Authority and the Interim Mayor, Tony Lloyd since the devolution deal was announced.
In December 2015 we signed a ‘Joint Working on Workforce Matters’ Protocol with all Greater Manchester local authority leaders – Labour, Lib Dem and Conservative. This Protocol has given trade union representatives a seat at the table alongside senior management and political leaders. Working together, we are able to address issues before they become problems. We are able to raise concerns on behalf of working people, and reach agreements. We can freely share ideas and thoughts for the betterment of Greater Manchester and the public services we provide. We are already working together on issues such as procurement, commissioning, and employment standards. And since this Protocol came into force, we have brought together our health unions to talk to Andy about his plans for health and social care, meaning that the voice of those who deliver these services is heard at the top.
We aren’t naïve. We don’t expect our relationship with the Combined Authority to come without disagreement. But these positive steps have been important in putting trade unions at the heart of discussions and decisions and making sure that this devo deal isn’t about just devolving responsibility for cuts but a tangible opportunity to change how things are done.
In the coming weeks and months, the North West TUC will continue this work on behalf of our members. We will bargain and speak up for their concerns and issues. We’ll be focusing on issues like industrial strategy, inclusive growth, public service reform, community voice, and equalities. We will also take this partnership model to the newly elected Metro Mayor for Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram. And of course, in areas that don’t yet have a devo deal, we will also look for partnership opportunities so we can best speak up for workers in the region.
Written by Lynn Collins
Lynn is the Regional Secretary of North West TUC.
One Response to Devo Manc: unions will be hitting the ground running with the new Mayor
yet another layer of neocon development – the unions should be ashamed – but they’re not – they’re part of the problem – have you not noticed austerity is here forever except for the rich????
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Former Mexican president’s son sells Coconut Grove home for non-waterfront record of $5M
Deal also breaks a per-square-foot record, trading for $818 psf
The son of former Mexican president Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de Leon just sold his Coconut Grove home for $5.08 million, marking a total price and a per-square-foot record for non-waterfront properties in Coconut Grove, The Real Deal has learned.
The custom-made “Hammock House” sold to a wealthy South American businessman, Douglas Elliman’s Michael Light said. Light, of the Miami Luxury Homes Group, along with Rafael Montejo, also of Elliman, represented the seller. Light declined to comment on the seller’s identity, but property records show Ernesto Zedillo Velasco sold the house.
Riley Smith of EWM Realty International represented the buyer. He could not immediately be reached for comment.
The 6,212-square-foot house, at 3503 Banyan Circle, is in the gated Camp Biscayne neighborhood of the Grove. It traded for $818 per square foot, beating a record set weeks ago, Light said. It’s also the first non-waterfront home in the Grove to close for more than $4.77 million, the previous record, he said. The deal, which closed on Monday, has not yet been recorded online.
Zedillo Velasco’s father was president of Mexico from the December 1994 to November 2000, and is currently the director of a globalization center at Yale University in addition to being on the board of directors at Citigroup.
Zedillo Velasco paid $795,000 for the 18,633-square-foot lot in 2012, and built the six-bedroom, seven-and-a-half-bathroom home with a guest house in 2014. Light said his client was adamant about building the tropical modern house inside the hammock. The property includes a Boffi kitchen and master bathroom, marble flooring, a heated salt-water pool, summer kitchen, Jacuzzi and smart-home features.
It hit the market in August for about $6.95 million, and Light took over the listing in January, reducing the price to $5.95 million, according to Realtor.com.
Nearby on the bayfront is Casa Bahia, a three-story, newly completed estate that hit the market in September for $50 million. That was also reduced earlier this year to $43 million as buyers and agents shift their pricing in response to a slow market.
coconut groveMichael LightResidential Real Estate
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Greenberg Traurig chairman pays $7M for One Park Grove condo
Miami developer Metronomic files for bankruptcy
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Flint water crisis continues despite settlement
by Kim Brown September 18, 2020 September 22, 2020
Protestors marched outside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Monday, August 26, during the MTV Video and Music Awards to bring attention to the water crisis currently gripping the city. Newark, New Jersey currently has drinking water lead levels higher than Flint, Michigan. Children are testing positive for lead in their blood and water bottles are being distributed to residents, yet the local, state, and Federal government are doing little to address the root cause of this issue: lead corrosion contaminating Newark's drinking water. Participating community organizations include Extinction Rebellion, the Newark Water Coalition, the Green Party of New Jersey, the Newark Water Coalition, and the New Afrikan Black Panther Party. (Photo by Karla Ann Cote/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
In 2014, the water source of the city of Flint, Michigan, was switched from Lake Huron to the untreated and polluted Flint River, tainting the city’s water supply and setting off a chain of events that led to at least 12 deaths from Legionnaires disease, as well as miscarriages, brain and developmental damage to children, and lead poisoning for the 100,000 residents of Flint.
In late August, the state of Michigan offered a $600 million settlement to those affected. Activist Melissa Mays of the Flint advocacy group Water You Fighting For says that the settlement does not go far enough to compensate the residents of Flint.
“$600 million sounds like a lot, I know that it does from the outside, but you got to figure there are 100,000 people in Flint,” Mays said.
Mays argues that even over 2,300 days since the start of the crisis, the city of Flint still does not have safe water, and most residents are still buying bottled water for their daily needs. Thousands of damaged water service lines have not yet been replaced. Every time a community water line bursts, chlorine, which is necessary to kill residual bacteria, is lost from the system. In addition, the corrosive water that went through Flint’s pipes did not stop at the city-provided ones—It affected every pipe and fixture in residents’ homes, making them all a source of danger until they are replaced.
The city of Flint was part of an austerity effort by the state of Michigan to appoint emergency managers to handle cities’ “fiscal crises.” Emergency managers have been appointed in 89% of Black majority cities in Michigan and no white majority cities. These managers are able to ignore citizens and city councils, and have privatized many of the cities’ resources. In 2014, Flint’s emergency manager, Darnell Earley, was responsible for switching the water source to the polluted Flint River. This decision was made knowing the potential grave consequences for residents’ health. Later in 2015, a new emergency manager, Gerald Ambrose, overruled a unanimous decision by Flint’s city council to stop using the water from the Flint River.
Because of this history and the continuing problems in Flint caused by emergency managers, Flint residents do not have much trust in the government officials who are supposed to help them.
“The minute they stop saying ‘everything is fine and they are going to move Flint forward,’ that will be a good step to earning our trust,” Mays said. “Just because we don’t have Ph.D.s doesn’t mean we didn’t learn quick.”
The original lawsuit in this case was filed in January of 2016 and is only being settled now with one party (the state of Michigan). According to May, this is evidence that everyone involved has not been interested in the welfare of the people of Flint. The coalition Flint Rising (Mays’ organization is a member) has been the only group talking to the residents of Flint about what action they actually want to resolve the crisis, by going door to door and interviewing them. Flint Rising found out that the people of Flint want all pipes and fixtures impacted by the crisis replaced, residents hired to make the necessary repairs, every water bill to be refunded, and full holistic health care for life.
“We should be full of federal and state supports because people are supposedly sorry for what they did to us, but where are the resources?” Mays said. “This is a huge disaster, everyone in the world knew about it, why isn’t it getting fixed?”
The settlement, which has yet to be finalized, is mainly structured to go to children who will likely have a lifetime of health issues resulting from this crisis. Approximately 25,000 children will be awarded an average of $16,000 each by the state. The settlement does not stop the lawsuit from going forward against the other parties in the case, which include the Environmental Protection Agency, the city of Flint, and the private engineering companies who were all involved in the decisions that caused the water crisis.
Mays feels like the settlement is the first time the state has admitted any fault for what happened in Flint. The state has dodged responsibility and has failed to criminally prosecute anyone for the series of decisions that were made that caused this poisoning. Initially the state brought charges against 15 individuals, including emergency managers Earley and Ambrose, but in July of 2019 those charges were dropped by new Attorney General Dana Nessel (a Democrat). Since dropping the charges, Nessel has not communicated with Flint residents about whether any new charges will be brought. Mays worries that the criminal prosecution was dropped in order to make it easier for the state to settle with residents for less money.
“Everything is about money,” Mays said. “Everything is about saving money and cutting corners and not about giving Flint anything except poisoned water and excuses.”
Since the COVID-19 pandemic started, Flint has been even further devastated. Many of the people of Flint are immunocompromised. Flint has a 9.5%—12.5% death rate from COVID-19, which is higher than the rest of the country. The water crisis has made it difficult because people cannot even safely wash their hands—one of the most effective steps in fighting the virus. High water bills mean many residents face shutoffs, and have no water at all.
Mays says that Flint is being ignored because it is a majority Black and poor city, but she cautions other communities who think that what happened in Flint can’t happen to them.
Austerity measures like the ones that were used to take control away from Flint residents are being employed across the country. Many places like Lowndes County, Alabama, the Navajo Nation, and Inez, Kentucky, have water problems just as severe as the ones in Flint.
“I don’t know where I would move to,” Mays said. “I’ve travelled all over the country… and nowhere is safe. They either are on the verge of becoming Flint or they already are in the same boat as us.”
With additional reporting from Molly Shah
Kim Brown has been covering national and international politics for over 10 years and has been a sought-after voice on issues on race and culture.
More by Kim Brown
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Victorious Pennsylvania Progressives Shun the Democratic Party Playbook
by Aaron Maté June 1, 2018 September 23, 2020
Kristin Seale is one of four women candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America to win their recent primaries in Pennsylvania. Seale says that a bold progressive message, coupled with authenticity, can reach swing-state voters
AARON MATE: It’s The Real News. I’m Aaron Mate.
That is talk of a blue wave in 2018, with Democrats looking to take midterm races across the country. But blue, like any color, has different shades. And one of those shades, you could say, is bold, for bold progressive; the bold progressives who are challenging races across the country, inspired by Bernie Sanders. One of the states where they have won a key victory is Pennsylvania, where earlier this month, four progressive women candidates to the state General Assembly swept the Democratic primary. They were endorsed by the leftist group the Democratic Socialist of America, or DSA. One of them joins me now. Kristin Seale is running for the state General Assembly in the Philadelphia area. Welcome, Kristin.
On your website you call yourself a bold progressive. Explain the message that you brought to voters, and how you think that contributed to your victory.
KRISTIN SEALE: Absolutely. Thanks for having me. I think that I brought a progressive platform to voters. The DSA canvas, which is a really big part of how we notched this win, was based around a Medicare for All message. We went to the doors also to listen to voters in the district about what’s affecting their health and lives, what’s working for them and what’s not.
And so I think that the combination of bringing a social security net message with some really strong active listening about what people want and need is, is really the message. You know, I, I stand for a lot of left progressive issues, and it really starts with making sure that working families and struggling families are acknowledged and that we’re doing what we need to do to support these people in our communities, some of which are myself and my family.
AARON MATE: So your background, as I understand it, is in public health. And from what I know your area is the only one in Pennsylvania that doesn’t have a public health department. Is that right?
KRISTIN SEALE: That’s correct. We live in a really interesting County in Pennsylvania. We have had a Republican war machine that has controlled every level of office in this county since the Civil War. And one of the effects of that is that we are currently the only county in Pennsylvania without a public health department. That’s got incredible impact on the health and lives of people in my community, including we’ve got an outsized, you know, opioid epidemic is huge in this state, and it’s, we’ve barely scratched the surface of the supports necessary to help families that are suffering and prevent excess death. But in my community we have a completely outsized rate of overdose deaths from opiate addiction, as well as a completely outsized rate of children, infant mortality, of children born to women of color. We’ve got a lot of work to do, and that’s one of the places we can start.
AARON MATE: I know on the issue of health care you backed single payer. I’m wondering also, as a former delegate for Bernie Sanders, if you’ve struggled with the issue that many progressives in the Democratic Party have raised, which is whether or not to try to work within the Democratic party system.
KRISTIN SEALE: Right. So, I have come around to a big tent way of thinking. I am convinced that there is a place for us in the Democratic Party. And I know that we don’t see eye to eye with everyone in the party, but I do work every day to build bridges between parties and between people. So I feel like there are ways that we are, even in this cycle in primaries, I think we see across the country, dragging the message to the left. There are things that we adopted as platform planks in 2016 with the participation of Bernie delegates and Sanders and Ellison before the convention that I think have really built some progressive values into the heart of the Democratic message in a way that we never done before.
AARON MATE: And you are running as an openly out LGBTQ candidate. That’s a big part of your platform, rights for LGBTQ people. And you’re also running in a district which has never elected a female representative. Can you talk about just the history you’re making on that front?
KRISTIN SEALE: Absolutely. So, I would be the first Democrat and the first woman to hold this seat in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in the General Assembly. I would also be the first out queer woman to ever hold a seat. There is currently one out gay legislator in that body, so we’re really excited about the idea that there would be more than one person in the current LGBTQ caucus that’s an actual out LGBTQ legislator. We’re working really hard to build that bench cross the state. I currently hold a school board seat, and I have a friend that made excellent news, Tyler Titus in Erie, winning a school board seat. The first transgender person to win a school board seat, in what is a very conservative area of our state. So I think that both our history making identity politics and our progressive values are really resonating with voters in this state in a way that is surprising people.
AARON MATE: Finally, as I mentioned in the intro, you were part of this wave of four female progressive candidates backed by the DSA. Can you talk about that overall group, which has grown national attention, and what you think all your victories say about the viability of progressive candidates in key states like Pennsylvania?
KRISTIN SEALE: Absolutely. I, we’re talking about my friends Elizabeth Fiedler, Sara Innamorato, and Summer Lee. Ssummer And Sara are in the western part of the state, which couldn’t be more different than where Elizabeth and I are. Elizabeth is in Philadelphia, and I’m in the Philadelphia suburbs. People know Summer’s district, Braddock, I think because of John Fetterman, to a degree. And both Sara, Elizabeth, and Summer and I have one thing in common, which is all of us have some kind of an organizing background.
So part of what I think you’re seeing is that all of us had a grassroots mentality and are the kind of people that went directly out to the electorate, to community and to the voters, to find out how we could serve them through servant leadership. And I think that something that’s different about the four of us that maybe hasn’t been seen in previous cycles is that we’re very committed to being authentically ourselves. And I really think that’s what voters are responding to, that sincerity and authenticity, that standing on principle and standing firm, not just for our values but for the things that our voters are telling us, our constituents in the future, that they need to happen in order to fulfill their human potential, basically, in order for them to actually have the rights that are due to them. I think that we’ve done outreach in a really direct way to people that lets them know that we’re here for them and we’re ready to serve them.
AARON MATE: And Kristin, finally, your website, if people want want more information?
KRISTIN SEALE: Absolutely. It is KristinSeale.com, two Is, no Es in my first name. Or you can find it at ServeThe168th.com.
AARON MATE: Kristin Seale, running for the state General Assembly in Pennsylvania, thanks so much for joining us.
KRISTIN SEALE: Thank you for having me.
AARON MATE: And thank you for joining us on The Real News.
Aaron Maté is a former host/producer for The Real News and a contributor to the Nation. He has previously reported and produced for Democracy Now!, Vice, and Al Jazeera, and written for the Toronto Star, the Intercept, and Le Monde Diplomatique.
More by Aaron Maté
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Horror’s “Worst” Films – Troll 2 (1990)
This review is part of the Horror’s “Worst” Films: Tasteless Entertainment or Endurance Test? series.
So much has already been said about Claudio Fragasso’s Troll 2 (1990) that I won’t go too in depth in talking about this film. When I first saw Troll 2 I was too young to recognize that it was a bad movie, but old enough to discern that it had no trolls in it (there’s goblins) and that it bore no connection whatsoever to 1986’s Troll, which I had seen on television quite often. At age nine I was able to focus on the main character’s perspective without irony, especially as he spoke to his dead grandfather, and I even recall thinking that “Nilbog,” being “goblin” spelled backward, was a clever word puzzle. Please believe me, I’ve come a long way. I say this because, like 1953’s Robot Monster, Troll 2 does work on some level “when viewed as a child’s eye monster fantasy.” Though even then I knew that the goblin masks were shit. When seen through the perspective of a mature, rational human being, however, it’s a hilarious piece of accidental surrealism.
Fragasso is an Italian filmmaker, and language barriers and cultural misunderstandings only partly explain some of the bizarre choices found upon the screen. The amateur cast is able to do little with Fragasso’s poor approximation of American dialogue, and the confused story-line, cheap special effects, and questionable choices only serve to heighten the fever-dream nature of the film. There is only overacting or no acting at all, no in-between, and one of the “actors” was actually a real life mental patient… and it shows. The characters never act like natural people and instead come off like alien impersonators, such as when the mother, who is the unintentionally creepiest element of the film, tells her son, “Joshua, start singing. Come on, sing that song I like so much,” and they proceed to awkwardly sing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” What? Or when the daughter, Holly, tells her boyfriend, “If my father discovers you here, he’d cut off your little nuts and eat them.” WHAT!? Truthfully, this is one of the more technically competent films on the list, but the writing and artistic choices are so fucking bananas that not a minute goes by without some oddity leaving the viewer scratching their head or laughing aloud at the absurdity.
Troll 2’s infamy has developed a dedicated cult following and has even become the subject of an endearing documentary, Best Worst Movie (2009), directed by Micheal Stephenson, the actor who as a child played Joshua. The film helps to give a lot of perspective on what ended up being on screen, and helps to answer or at least reaffirm various aspects that devotees of Troll 2’s awfulness only suspected. With this pedigree, Troll 2 is the epitome of tasteless entertainment.
Horror’s “Worst” Films – Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966)
Poor Stirling Silliphant, the Academy Award-winning screenwriter. We thought we had left him behind after his vicarious relationship to 1964’s The Creeping Terror, but the trickster Deities of Terrible Movies were not done with him. While in a Texas coffee shop he happened to bump into local fertilizer salesman and amateur thespian Harold P. Warren, with whom he was friendly. Warren declared to Silliphant that anyone could make a horror movie and went so far as to bet him that in fact he could do so, and he immediately began sketching his ideas on the coffee shop’s napkins. His story, taking some obvious cues from Dracula, involves a family who becomes lost while on vacation and end up at a remote home which houses a nefarious cult. The film was tentatively titled The Lodge of Sins, however, during post-production Warren changed it. The first clue for viewers that what they are about to see is incompetent is the movie’s final title, Manos: The Hands of Fate, which translates with ludicrous redundancy to Hands: The Hands of Fate.
Warren set about gathering his cast from the local theater, including John Reynolds as Torgo and Tom Neyman as The Master, and young women from a local modeling agency to play The Master’s wives. Also prominent is the beautiful Diane Mahree as Margaret. Warren, not surprisingly, cast himself as the film’s hero, Hal. Not having enough money to pay his cast, he instead promised them a share in the profits. Warren’s hand-wound camera could only record 32 seconds at a time and sounds were added, incompetently, during post-production, by only a very few people.
The resulting film is one of the most tedious cinematic experiences of my life. Never have 70 minutes felt so long. Manos abounds with slothful driving sequences (which Warren had intended to use for credits, but never did), frustratingly poor editing (with the clapper visible at one point), and the camera lingering uncomfortably long on actors, who sometimes appear just as frustrated. The plot is largely incoherent, especially as Hal bullies his way into a clearly dangerous situation, and as I write this shortly after seeing the film I’ve already forgotten most of it. The pacing is dull and the experience soporific. I felt that had I been dying while watching it the result would be similar to the effect which mesmerism had on the title character of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” (1845), with me also in a permanent hypnotic state upon the edge of oblivion, unable to leave consciousness, but instead of talking with surrounding physicians I would be forever watching Torgo’s maddeningly twitching face.
John Reynolds as Torgo
I’d take the fate of the Lament Configuration over this any day. The Beast of Yucca Flats (1961) was a disjointed snooze, but at least it was brightly lit enough to see what was (or wasn’t) happening. Add to this a superfluous scene of two teens making out (one of the models broke her leg so Warren reused her here) and being hassled by the cops, and other shots that are confounding in their unnecessity, and the experience becomes ever more trying. At the least the mind-boggling cat fight between the wives is sort of entertaining.
However, I’ve yet to fully explain the worst aspect of Manos. John Reynolds’s Torgo is one of the most infuriating performances I have ever watched, with his erratic mannerisms and his awkward waddling with cartoonish swollen thighs (he’s supposed to be a satyr, but that never comes across in the film). Reynolds is like a man on drugs – in fact, he is a man on drugs. He was high on LSD while filming, and it shows. The aggravating, stuttering voice-over work doesn’t help matters. As I watched Torgo I couldn’t help but be reminded of a porn VHS tape from the early 80s I somehow once got a hold of when I was young. There was a scene in which the performers were clearly out of their minds with drugs, saying their lines over each other with no rhyme or reason. One of the women forgot all about the set up dialogue and began immediately fellating the delivery guy while he was still trying to remember and deliver his lines in pathetically slurred speech, swaying drunkenly in the doorway. It took him five minutes to realize the sex had already begun. At that pubescent age my libido was on a hair trigger, but even then I could only look on uncomfortably until I finally shook myself from my stupor and hit the fast-forward button. Watching Reynolds struggle through his lines produced a very similar effect.
Reynolds was ultimately a tragic figure who didn’t live to see the film’s premiere. As Bob Guidry, the Director of Cinematography, once explained: “He killed himself about six months after the movie was finished. John was a troubled kid; he didn’t really get along with his dad, who was an Air Force colonel, and he got into experimenting with LSD. It’s a shame, because he was really a talented young actor.”
Because at rare moments the universe is a just place, the local premiere of Manos: The Hands of Fate was not met with glowing reviews and the film fell largely into obscurity until Mystery Science Theater 3000 resurrected it for their show in 1993. If one is as morbidly curious as I was to see this film, I strongly suggest you do so with the help of the MST3K team, because even if with their remarks this film is still an absolute endurance test.
Horror’s “Worst” Films: Tasteless Entertainment or Endurance Test?
An Introduction to the Review Series
The horror genre has been host to many (dis)honors, and one would be remiss to not include among them the recognitions for Worst Movies Ever Made. The genre has more entries than any other due to its ability to consistently churn out profitable films which have little-to-no artistic merit. Certainly, the horror genre is rich with great art and meaningful metaphors and examinations of personal and societal woes, and all those things that attract the intellect and enrich the soul. This is why horror matters. But sometimes, we turn to the genre for baser reasons – blood, beasts, and boobs (what Harley Poe refers to as “them sacred triple-Bs”). This is why horror is fun.
But there’s another reason we turn to horror. We adore the classics and we allow them to become a part of our psyche, but we recognize that those great films are few and far between. Over the years we’ve developed thick skins, enduring countless hours of on-screen disappointments, becoming savvier and more discerning with each viewing. We’ve seen scares done wrong more times than right, but we persevere knowing that the next film might be the one to crawl beneath our skin and latch onto our brain, just like we want it to. Along the way we’ve tasted the bitter salts of bad filmmaking and have developed a tolerance, and sometimes an acquired preference, for it.
Let’s face it, as dedicated horror fans, no matter how shitty a film might be, we tend to take certain joys in reveling in their awfulness. Horror (and to a lesser extent sci-fi) is the only genre that when it fails it crosses over and becomes a comedy, albeit of the unintentional variety. We sift through countless hours of dreck in order to find that glitter of treasure, and to not find humor in what can at times feel like a fruitless endeavor would drive a lesser viewer to insanity. We laugh so as not to cry.
Entertainment can be found in anticipating the tired beats and ogling at the awkward dialogue, hopefully while in the company of some friends and judgment impairing beverages. These palate cleansers allow us to appreciate masterful craft when we see it, keeping us from becoming jaded, pretentious hipsters. Let us take a moment to thank them for that. Lesser films can also serve, as Stephen King has written, as junk food. We know there’s no nutritional value there, but it’s satisfying to indulge the Id over the Superego at times. Junk food has its place in life – the same is true for bad horror movies. Not every film need be a serious work of artistic expression – sometimes it’s enough to just have a good time. We should also remember that filmmaking is a complicated, messy process and that if anything artistic remains in the end product it is a small secular miracle. It’s actually extraordinary that more films don’t turn out as bad as some of the films on this list, but those that do serve to teach us what does work in film by demonstrating what doesn’t.
Some bad movies transcend the spectrum of good taste and come full circle, becoming genuine entertainment once again, often accidentally, and those are generally the best in the oft-named So-Bad-It’s-Good category. Those are the films made with the best intentions, but they’re like text written by people who don’t speak the language, like those “engrish” signs seen across Asia and photographed by giggling Anglophone tourists – you stare for a moment while your brain tries to process what you’re reading, and you can’t help but laugh at the result (I suppose the same could be said about amateur film blogs, but I digress).
Like all the best laid plans of mice and men sometimes Lenny doesn’t get to tend his rabbits. As a related aside, I recall showing Gary Sinese’s Of Mice and Men (1992), a film I found to be an affecting adaptation of Steinbeck’s classic novel, to a friend, anticipating his reaction to the final scene to be the same as mine – namely, riveted silence. Bang! My friend bowled over on the couch, clutching his stomach –laughing hysterically. It goes to show that one man’s gold is another man’s brass. Humor, like horror, is often subjective. Even bad films, therefore, can have legitimate fan bases; to each his own.
Of course, some movies really are simply, objectively bad, lacking any entertainment value. Their fate is to dwell in that twilight haze of boredom and pain. Some break that taste spectrum mentioned above only to return right back to awfulness. The films listed below represent horror and monster films that have been generally regarded by notable critics as being the worst ever made, beginning with 1953’s Robot Monster. Certainly, the 1940s had many terrible Poverty Row flicks, some starring Bela Lugosi as his career began to tailspin (he’ll be revisited below), but those will be dealt with in some capacity at a later time on this blog. Similarly, two oft-mentioned films will get a more focused treatment elsewhere when the time comes on the website: Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) and I Spit on Your Grave (1978) (the latter which may deserve more credit than critics have allowed).
We should begin by laying the ground rules: I have chosen to forgo my usual grading system here because, frankly, all these films utterly fail as cinema. It’s accepted that they are replete with incompetent directing, poor acting, sometimes incomprehensible writing, and all the other things that make moving pictures into the cinematic art form. They get F’s, every last one.
Birdemic: Shock and Terror (2008)
So the question then becomes, Can they be considered real entertainment or are they simply masochistic tests of endurance? Is it worth the morbidly curious, rubber-necking genre fan to seek out these non-films so as to participate in some communal movie-watching schadenfreude? In the short reviews below, I will examine just how bad these films are and try to cull something positive from them, if I can. I’ll suggest if any of these are worth seeking out as entertainment (preferably with good-humored friends and a couple of beers), or if you’ll need the company of MST3K, when available, to cope through the experience. Put simply, I’ll judge whether the film at hand is Tasteless Entertainment or simply an Endurance Test.
This series includes the following films (and more will likely be added over time as I come across them):
The Horror of Party Beach (1964)
Monster A-Go Go (1965)
Hobgoblins (1988)
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Tribute to Four Chaplains for 75th Anniversary of USAT Dorchester Sinking
Plaque dedication and wreath laying ceremony in DC will honor WWII heroes
WASHINGTON, DC, January 30, 2018 /24-7PressRelease/ — The United States Navy Memorial will hold a special plaque dedication and wreath laying ceremony to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Four Chaplains, who sacrificed their lives for their fellow crew members when their US Army Transport, USAT Dorchester, was torpedoed by the German submarine U-223 and sank. Of the crew of 902 men, 672 were killed.
In one of the most remarkable stories of World War II, the Four Chaplains – Lt. George L. Fox, a Methodist minister; Lt. Alexander D. Goode, a Jewish Rabbi; Lt. John P. Washington, a Roman Catholic priest; and Lt. Clark V. Poling, a Dutch Reformed minister distributed life jackets to their fellow soldiers, and when the ship ran out, gave up their own. They locked arms with each other and sang hymns together as the ship went down. The Navy Memorial will honor the memory of these brave men who sacrificed their lives.
Friday, February 2nd at 12:00PM
U.S. Navy Memorial Burke Theater
This event is free and open to the public. Please register here prior to attending.
The Navy Memorial is also hosting a fundraising effort to memorialize the Four Chaplains on its Commemorative Plaque Wall. The Commemorative Plaque Wall is viewed by viewed by thousands of veterans, families, friends, tourists, and school groups who visit Washington, DC.
The Navy Memorial holds a dedication ceremony for each plaque that is sponsored on behalf of an individual, group, ship, squadron, command, battle, or event in the Sea Services. The Four Chaplains plaque will be an ongoing reminder of their selflessness aboard the US Army Transport, USAT DORCHESTER.
“We honor the lives of the Four Chaplains because their service and sacrifice exemplifies the stories of sea service we interpret here at the US Navy Memorial. The incredible story of Army chaplains selflessly giving their lives at sea, the Coast Guard defending the convoy and rescuing Dorchester survivors the night of that tragic event, and Navy Armed Guards manning the guns and handling communications aboard the USAT Dorchester, are classic examples of the profound sea service connections we convey to the American public through special programming and exhibits,” stated Rear Admiral Frank Thorp, President & CEO of the US Navy Memorial.
Parking is available at the PMI Garage, located at 875 D Street, NW. Attendees may bring their parking ticket inside of the Ship’s Store for a discounted rate. The Navy Memorial is conveniently located off of the green and yellow lines at the Archives/Navy Memorial metro stop.
This event is part of an ongoing effort by the Navy Memorial to promote public understanding and appreciation of the history and culture of the Sea Services.
The Navy Memorial, located at 701 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, consists of a large plaza with a granite map of the world, the iconic Lone Sailor statue, 3,500 square-foot museum area, a 240-person theater, the Ship’s Store which sells Navy memorabilia and the Navy Log, the nation’s largest publicly available data base of sea service veterans. Our mission is to Honor, Recognize and Celebrate the men and women of the Sea Services, past, present and future; and to inform the public about their service. We do that mission with the support of tens of thousands of members and Corporate Partners including USAA, Veritas, CACI, Lockheed Martin, DXC Technology, Huntington Ingalls Industry, NewDay USA, Ernst & Young, General Dynamics, Navy Mutual Aid, Pratt & Whitney, and Capital Bank
Made in Fort Worth Teams with Area Businesses to Promote Graffiti Arts Festival
Baby Born With Heart Outside Her Body Is Proof Of Modern Day Miracles Says Donna Louis, Multi-Award Winning Author Of ‘Miracles Of Direction’
Multi-Award Winning Christian Author Donna Louis Named As Top Female Author In 2018 Top Female Author Awards
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‘Ready Player One’ Revels More in the Virtual World Than in Reality
Ernest Cline’s “Ready Player One” is a novel I could see a lot of directors being ever so eager to turn into a motion picture. Edgar Wright, Guillermo Del Toro, Robert Zemeckis and even (gasp) Michael Bay would have had a blast bringing to life the virtual world Cline wrote about to where the possibilities of what they could bring to the silver screen seem infinite. In the end, it makes perfect sense Steven Spielberg was the one to adapt it as no other filmmaker has captured our collective imaginations as much as he has.
The year is 2045, and Earth has long since become consumed by pollution, corruption and climate change (which is real folks, don’t let anyone tell you different), and its inhabitants, those situated in the middle or lower classes, are consigned to mobile trailers which are stacked on top of one another. While this cannot be mistaken for a glamorous lifestyle, many clueless politicians and wives of U.S. Presidents would be quick to describe them as FEMA luxury suites. Looking at how barren their existence has become, it’s no wonder these characters prefer a virtual reality as opposed to the one they are forced to live in and endure on a daily basis.
Everyone, and I mean everyone, manages to escape their depressing reality in the OASIS (Ontologically Anthropocentric Sensory Immersive Simulation), a VR world which allows its users to engage in activities of either an educational, entertaining, or a profitable kind. You can be any avatar you want to be whether it’s Freddy Krueger or Godzilla, and you go into it believing it will allow you to be a somebody instead of a nobody. But eventually, even its most devoted users need to find a way to better deal with the real world as a line between the two needs to be drawn.
One of the OASIS’ most devoted users is Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), an 18-year-old who lives in the slums of Columbus, Ohio with his aunt. It’s no surprise how quick he is to dive into this virtual world, but his reasons for doing so run much deeper than we initially realize. We learn the OASIS was created by James Halliday (Mark Rylance), an eccentric computer genius with an incredible love for 80’s pop culture. Halliday has since passed away, but he has left behind a trail of bread crumbs in the form of Easter eggs for his fans to discover. The first to find all these eggs is promised full ownership of the OASIS among other desirable gifts. Of course, there is a corporation, or a video game conglomerate if you will, named Innovative Online Industries (IOI) which is determined to gain ownership of the OASIS before anyone else. Will the rebellious users beat the greedy corporation to the finish line? Well, the answer might have seen obvious in the past, but these days it looks like the bad guys get away with far too much in the real world.
“Ready Player One” is essentially a combination of “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” and “Tron” as our protagonists are on the search for something which will fulfill their wildest dreams, but they have to find it in a world where the laws of nature do not necessarily apply. And when it comes down to it, the winner will not be someone who is the best at gaming, but someone with a good heart who wants to do the right thing, and who has a strong spirit. Finding someone like that in this day and age, let alone in the future, is an ambitious task as everyone appears susceptible to greed and corruption, but the filmmakers went into this project with the full belief such a person still exists, and a world without hope is not one we should be quick to live in.
The challenge Spielberg has with “Ready Player One” is balancing out the real world with the wondrous virtual world the characters are ever so eager to inhabit. But with all the tools he and his fellow filmmakers had at their disposal, it is easy to see how lopsided the balance is here. Spielberg clearly revels in amazing visual effects he can put onscreen. Watching this movie just once is not enough as there are an infinite number of Easter eggs to discover and acknowledge. While you may easily recognize such pop culture artifacts like Freddy Kruger and the DeLorean time machine from “Back to the Future,” there are so many others to acknowledge here to where you will be very surprised at what Spielberg and company were able to fit into a PG-13 movie.
When it comes to the real world, I feel Spielberg could have done more to distinguish it from the OASIS. This man did give us “Jaws,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “E.T.,” movies which exceeded anything our imaginations could conjure up. Years later, however, he gave us “Schindler’s List,” “Saving Private Ryan” and “Munich,” films which did not shy away from the horrifying reality people are forced to endure. Surely Spielberg would be able to balance out the real world from the imaginary one to where we can see the difference between them or at least determine which one is more important to live in, right?
Well, “Ready Player One” functions a lot like the original “Jurassic Park” in that the spectacle gets the majority of attention while the human element suffers in comparison. But like “Jurassic Park,” Spielberg still has us captivated with incredible visual effects which leave us in complete awe. As the movie goes on, the avatars of the main characters start to look and feel more real than I expected, and this makes up for the limited character development they receive throughout. Cline co-wrote the screenplay with Zak Penn, but it feels like everyone could have gone a bit deeper with the material.
On a personal note, I loved how Spielberg digs deep into 1980’s nostalgia. Being a child of this decade, I still very much enjoy the music and movies which came out of it. To his credit, Spielberg doesn’t reference his own movies here, regardless of the fact they play a big part in Cline’s book. It’s also great to hear the music of Alan Silvestri here as his themes from the 80’s, particularly those from “Back to the Future,” never grow old. Silvestri’s score here references a number of pop culture classics, and I’m sure you will recognize many of them.
Tye Sheridan has turned in terrific performances in “The Tree of Life,” “Mud” and “Joe,” and he fits comfortably into the role of the typical young Spielberg hero who is wise beyond his years and smarter than the average adult. Olivia Cooke is a wonderful and strong presence as Samantha Cook, a fellow OASIS player whose avatar goes by the name of Art3mis. Ben Mendelsohn also shows up as Nolan Sorrento, the infinitely greedy CEO of IOI who is determined to gain full control over the OASIS. It’s a lot like the character Mendelsohn played in “The Dark Knight Rises,” but this time he is playing someone who believes they are in charge and actually is.
But if there is one performance worth singling out here, it is Mark Rylance’s as James Halliday, the main creator of the OASIS. Rylance makes Halliday into a wonderfully eccentric character whose social skills could use a bit of work, but whose heart shines through in everything he has created and accomplished. Not once does this Oscar-winning actor make Halliday into a caricature of Steve Jobs and instead presents us with a human being desperate to find someone in this world who has not been completely corrupted by the powers that be.
“Ready Player One” will not go down as one of Spielberg’s best movies, but it is far from being one of his worst. The visuals alone are worth the price of admission and watching it once will not be enough as there are so many Easter eggs to identify. Heck, if you close enough, you can even spot a poster with Wil Wheaton on it. While its message of how important it is to spend more time in the real world than the virtual one might seem a bit hypocritical, this movie was directed by a man who knows the difference between the two to where he doesn’t have to prove to us that he knows this. Still, on a story and character level, this could have dug deeper beneath the surface.
‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Caps Off a Perfect Batman Trilogy
Posted on July 24, 2017 by The Ultimate Rabbit
With “The Dark Knight Rises,” filmmaker Christopher Nolan has completed one of the greatest trilogies in cinematic history. It is a thrilling spectacle with tremendous emotional power, and I came out of it not just fulfilled, but quite shaken. Regardless of whatever plot holes this movie may have, or if it has one too many characters to deal with, it is still as brilliant as its predecessors.
Now I’ll give you more or less a brief outline of “The Dark Knight Rises” without giving away major plot points. I know you all have been seriously pissed about reviewers ruining this movie for you like Homer Simpson ruined “The Empire Strikes Back” for a crowd waiting to see it outside a Springfield movie theater on “The Simpsons,” and I wouldn’t dare to do the same thing here.
Eight years have passed since Batman/Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) took the fall for Harvey Dent’s death in order to hide the murders he committed and let him remain a hero in the eyes of Gotham’s citizens. Since then, Gotham has entered a time of peace and prosperity, all of which is based on a lie. Enter Bane (Tom Hardy), a brutal and methodical terrorist who plans to reduce Gotham to ashes slowly but surely. This brings Batman out of hiding, but he also has to deal with cat burglar Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) who catches him off guard, a beautiful corporate executive named Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard), and the idealistic young cop John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) whose “hot head” ways make him much smarter than his fellow officers. So that’s it for the movie’s story.
Actually, to go into full detail over the plot of “The Dark Knight Rises” would take forever as it goes in various directions to where seeing it once is not enough to take everything in. Nolan has said part of his inspiration for this film was Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities” which is known for this famous quote:
“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.”
Now while this quote is never spoken in “The Dark Knight Rises,” it never needs to be. Nolan is fascinated with how the lie over Dent’s death has helped Gotham while at the same time turned it into a prison state where freedoms are eroded. It also parallels current events in the real world by taking into account the continuing gap between the rich and the poor and how people will go out of their way to manipulate the collective anger regarding it. This movie is a huge action spectacle, but it has a lot of things to say about the world we live in today which makes it all the more powerful.
Many have been calling this the “darkest” Batman movie of them all, as if the two which came before it were a sunny paradise in the realm of “Batman & Robin” (they most certainly were not). But while “The Dark Knight Rises” is indeed a dark vision of a city under siege, it also has a strong ray of hope emanating from it. Bruce Wayne has always wanted to hold Batman up as a symbol to inspire people, and you revel in seeing the impact he has on the characters around him.
People have also been saying Nolan has put far too many characters into this movie. Newsflash, Nolan has done this with each of his “Batman” movies, but what truly amazes me is how he has gotten away with doing so each time. Every single character in “The Dark Knight Rises,” from Matthew Modine’s bone-headed Deputy Commissioner Peter Foley to Ben Mendelsohn’s greedy businessman John Daggett, informs the movie’s main characters and overall themes throughout. Not a single one of them feels extraneous to the plot as each illustrates examples of justice and personal responsibility, and of how easily misconstrued they can end up being.
Christian Bale completes his tour of duty as Batman with a deeply felt performance. In many ways, “The Dark Knight Rises” is more about the rise of Bruce Wayne than anything else as he is forced to deal with who he is than what his alter ego can do. While Spider-Man and Superman are endowed with super powers, this movie renders him all the more vulnerably human as he starts off walking with a cane and dealing with injuries not easily healed. It’s those human flaws, however, which make Bale’s portrayal of Bruce Wayne all the more powerful and enthralling.
With Bane, Nolan has fashioned a villain far different from Heath Ledger’s Joker which was a smart move. While the Joker was far more desirous of watching the world burn, Bane simply wants it to suffer right down to its dying breath. With Tom Hardy, Nolan has found the perfect actor to portray Bane as he brings to life the character’s twisted code of ethics and his utter brutality which allows him to batter his helpless opponents with sheer efficiency. Thanks to Hardy, Bane proves to be Batman’s most formidable foe yet.
As for Anne Hathaway, she is excellent as the character known as Catwoman but who is never actually called Catwoman in “The Dark Knight Rises.” Her portrayal of Selina Kyle never invites easy comparison with the actresses who played her in the past as her version exists in the world of realism created by Nolan. Hathaway succeeds in giving this movie the feeling of exuberance and fun it needs from time to time, and she more than holds her own against Bale and Hardy. But then again, this should be no surprise to those who remember her Oscar nominated performance in “Rachel Getting Married.”
And, of course, you have the usual cast of supporting characters played by Sir Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Gary Oldman. All of them are fantastic as always, and they give this movie the emotional heft it calls for throughout. We also get a great bunch of franchise newcomers like Joseph Gordon-Levitt who is sensational as the intelligent John Blake, and Marion Cotillard who radiates both beauty and mystery as Miranda Tate.
Technically, “The Dark Knight Rises” looks flawless with cinematographer Wally Pfister capturing the dark corruption consuming the citizens of Gotham which they are forced and inspired to rise out of. And with Hans Zimmer, minus James Newton Howard this time around, we get another rousing and thrilling music score which keeps our adrenaline pumping along with movie’s thrilling action set pieces.
Yes, the movie has some plot holes which I’m sure you will discover for yourself. None of them, however, were enough to derail my enjoyment of this awesome spectacle Nolan and company have put together. I’m not sure where I would rate this in the series, but while it doesn’t best “The Dark Knight,” it still comes very close to doing so and continues Nolan’s reign one of the best movie directors working today. I don’t think I am overreacting in the least when I declare “The Dark Knight Rises” to be a brilliant motion picture.
Oh yes, some will say that the movie’s final scenes seem to spell out a potential new direction for this franchise to take as if it were a set up for a sequel. I’d like to think it speaks to the influence Batman hoped to have on the citizens of Gotham, to inspire them to do good. Thanks to Nolan, Batman is a hero we can appreciate and applaud.
I went into “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” with the hope it would be a true spinoff and not just a “Star Wars” sequel in disguise. This is the first in a series of “Star Wars” anthology movies which are meant to exist outside the main saga we have all grown up on. While “The Force Awakens” was heavy with nostalgia, this can’t be the case with “Rogue One.” Otherwise, what would be the point of making this one other than to make a gazillion dollars and sell a lot of toys?
Well, “Rogue One” proves to be an excellent “Star Wars” movie as it breaks new ground in the infinitely popular franchise. Set before the events of “Episode IV: A New Hope,” it follows a band of rebels as they attempt to steal the design plans for the just-completed Death Star, something which might be mistaken for a moon but is actually a space station capable of destroying planets. While we go into this movie knowing they will succeed in getting these plans to the Rebel Alliance, we have yet to see how they will pull this off and how bad the odds are, something our heroes never want to be told about.
The main character of “Rogue One” is Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), and we meet her as a child when she is separated from her mother and father. Her father, research scientist Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen), is one of the main designers of the Death Star, and as we catch up with Jyn years later when this deadly space station has finally reached its final stage of completion. Along with a ragged platoon which includes intelligence officer Cassian Andor (Diego Luna), blind warrior and die hard believer in the Force Chirrut Îmwe (Donnie Yen), warrior and mercenary Baze Malbus (Jiang Wen), and a Rebel-owned Imperial enforcer droid named K-2SO (voiced by Alan Tudyk) whose sarcasm knows no bounds.
One thing which really struck me about this “Star Wars” spin-off is how many Jedis it has in its character roster, which is just one. Darth Vader shows up for a spell, but he is too enamored with the dark side to help our heroes in any way, shape or form. Essentially, this group of rebels are on their own. The force is strong with them, but they are not as desirable to the Rebel Alliance as Luke Skywalker or Princess Leia. For the Rebels, they are basically a means to an end.
I liked how “Rogue One” focused on the power struggles which take place within the Empire and the Rebel Alliance. Both factions deal with inner turmoil as they do what is necessary to gain the upper hand in a galactic war bound to have many casualties. Even the Rebels come across as dubious as they are willing to sacrifice their own to achieve victory. With the Empire, the power struggle is all the more intense as Director of Advanced Weapons Research Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn) looks to claim all the credit for the Death Star even as Grand Moff Tarkin (Peter Cushing, brought back to life through some incredible CGI) is not about to let that happen.
The movie also deals strongly with the themes of sacrifice and courage as our main characters fight for a cause so much bigger than themselves. Seeing them do what is necessary to achieve peace in the galaxy actually hit me harder on an emotional level than I expected, and it made “Rogue One” all the more exciting and invigorating to sit through. Granted, seeing what happens to these characters might make it seem like an emotional endurance test for the youngest audience members, but many “Star Wars” fans will be quick to appreciate what Jyn Erso and company are willing to do for the sake of so many others.
Directing “Rogue One” is Gareth Edwards who previously gave us “Godzilla,” the good one, a few years back. His direction of this spin-off feels very confident as he gives fans a good dose of what they expect from a “Star Wars” movie, but he also gives it a gritty feel none of the other episodes had. There are many sweeping shots of grandeur throughout “Rogue One,” thanks to Director of Photography Greig Fraser, as we go from one planet to the next, but this feels a lot more down and dirty as these characters do not live in a world of glamour and never will.
It’s also refreshing to see a “Star Wars” movie with a female lead as comic book movies have yet to offer the same thing. Felicity Jones, so good in “The Theory of Everything,” turns in a strong performance as Jyn Erso, and she makes the character a formidable warrior even as she sneaks around dozens of stormtroopers who would be quick to take her down if they ever discover her true identity. There are also some nice supporting turns by Diego Luna whose Cassian Andor finds his conscience getting in the way of his orders, Mads Mikkelsen who plays a scientist caught between duty and family, Ben Mendelsohn whose villainous character is ever so ruthless and eager to climb up the Empire food chain of power, and Donnie Yen is especially good as a blind warrior whose faith in the force is never misplaced.
It’s also great to see Forest Whitaker on board here as Saw Gerrera, a Clone Wars veteran who raised Jyn from a girl into a fighter. I do have to say, however, that watching him breathe through his oxygen mask quickly reminded me of Dennis Hopper’s character from “Blue Velvet.” I don’t know if it was the intention of the director or screenwriters to draw inspiration from Frank Booth, but it definitely crossed my mind every time I saw Whitaker onscreen.
“Rogue One” also contains some eerily effective CGI which allowed the filmmakers to bring actors like Peter Cushing back to life in a way which feels all too real. Cushing has been dead for two decades, but here he looks like he just rose from the grave. On top of Jon Favreau’s “The Jungle Book” which also contained a number of photorealistic characters, it makes me worry how soon actors could be replaced with CGI creations. Here’s hoping it’s not for a very, very, very long time.
“Rogue One” is by no means perfect as the movie rushes us from one planet to the next to where we have a hard time keeping up with all the places we have been to, but I admired what the filmmakers were able to accomplish. They have succeeded in giving us a fresh take on a franchise which has lived on from one decade to the next, and it bodes well for future installments like “Episode VIII” and the Han Solo movie as well. I very much enjoyed it, and I have no doubt the fans will as well as there are many easter eggs to discover. Plus, with us all living in such a volatile political climate which begs for a rebellion of some sort, this movie could not have come out at a better time. Timing is everything, and the time to rebel against our oppressors is at hand.
“Rogue One” definitely ensures that the “Star Wars” franchise will live long and prosper. Yes, that’s a saying from “Star Trek,” but it feels very appropriate to use here.
Posted on December 1, 2016 by The Ultimate Rabbit
When it comes to submarine movies, I feel the genre peaked early on with Wolfgang Petersen’s “Das Boot” which proved to be as claustrophobic as movies get. Others have come close to equaling its visceral power, but there’s no topping it. I went into “Black Sea” knowing this would be the case, and that helped a lot because this movie proved to be a lot more intense and nail-biting than I expected it to be. It doesn’t break any new ground, but it is a gritty thriller which doesn’t let up.
Jude Law stars as submarine Captain Robinson who, as the movie starts, has been laid off from his salvage job which leaves him with few prospects for future employment. It turns out he’s not the only one as his friends and colleagues have been kicked out of their jobs as well, and it serves as an annoying reminder of how companies spend more time firing employees than they do hiring them.
But Robinson soon gets offered a job by a shadowy backer who tells him about a World War II submarine that has sunk to the bottom of the sea and which contains an enormous wealth of gold. Seeing how it offers him and his colleagues more than enough to quit any day job they can hope to get, he commandeers an old and fairly decrepit submarine from the Cold War days to get at the gold hidden miles below the surface. But in addition to avoiding detection from the Soviets as he travels below their radar, he has to contend with the fragile relations between the crew members as they come from different places and don’t have enough trust in each other to make this mission run smoothly.
What makes “Black Sea” an especially effective thriller is that the depths of the ocean prove to be every bit as threatening as the twisted psychology of the submarine’s passengers. Everyone on board has their own selfish motives, and those motives have to contend with the dangers they have to endure on a ship way past its prime. It doesn’t take long before you start to wonder what’s going to kill these men first; the crushing depths or their own paranoia.
“Black Sea” was directed by Kevin Macdonald, a filmmaker who has gone from making documentaries like “Touching the Void” and “Marley” to unforgettable dramas like “The Last King of Scotland” and 2013’s underrated “How I Live Now.” He doesn’t have much to work with in terms of originality, but he makes effective use of the claustrophobic setting to where our nerves are effectively fried throughout. Macdonald also gives equal attention to the human element as the characters drive the action more than you might think. Even though some of the characters’ decisions become rather silly towards the end, he makes you empathize with them to a certain extent. These days, who can’t relate to being laid off or jumping at the opportunity to make a fortune? People will do anything to survive these days.
It’s interesting to see Jude Law in a role like this where he portrays a hard scrabble worker who looks like he needs a good long shower on a regular basis. I’ve gotten so used to seeing him as this handsome man onscreen to where it threatened to make me forget what a great actor he is. While his Scottish brogue gets a little too thick at times, he fully inhabits his role of a man who is more in love with the sea than he is with his own family. Law is also surrounded by a terrific cast which includes Ben Mendelsohn (terrific in the criminally overlooked “Starred Up”), Scoot McNairy, David Threlfall and Konstantin Khabensky who each imbue their roles with a lot of grit and desperation. It helps to have actors this good in a movie which on the surface might seem run of the mill.
At this point, I don’t think it’s even possible to reinvent the submarine movie genre. Where else can you go with it after movies like “Das Boot,” “The Hunt for Red October” and “Beneath” to name a few? All you can hope for is that it can be done well and keep you on the edge of your seat, and “Black Sea” manages to do that more than you might expect. Sometimes that’s all you need a movie to do.
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Westlands Water District Hires California Representative’s Chief of Staff
Dan Bacher,
In yet another example of the revolving door between government, corporations and watercontractors that defines California politics, the powerful Westlands Water District announced on March 27 that Johnny Amaral will join Westlands’ staff as Deputy General Manager for External Affairs, effective May 1, 2015.
Mr. Amaral is currently the Chief of Staff for Rep. Devin Nunes, who represents California’s 22nd Congressional District and is best known for is sponsoring legislation to increase pumping Delta water to corporate agribusiness and to eviscerate Endangered Species Act protections for Central Valley salmon, Delta smelt and other species.
“His service as a congressional chief of staff provides him with a wealth of experience in the fields ofgovernment, public affairs, and communications,” according to a statement from Westlands.
“The District is excited about Johnny joining the District’s staff,” said Thomas Birmingham, Westlands’ General Manager. “His prior work with elected officials at all levels of government in the San Joaquin Valley and other regions of the state will be instrumental in helping to forge a unified Valley position on potential solutions to address the Valley’s chronic water supply shortages.”
Mr. Amaral holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Studies from California State University, Fresno, that he received in 1997.
Westlands will pay Amaral $250,000 a year – a 50 percent increase from his current salary in the House of Representatives.
Amaral’s hiring serves to illustrate the increasing collaboration between government, watercontractors and corporations in the state of California under Gov. Jerry Brown. Just a few of the many examples of the revolving door between corporations and state government in recent years include:
• The Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) hiring of Susan Ramos “on loan” from the WestlandsWater District, considered by many to be the “Darth Vader” of California water politics, to serve as “a liaison between all relevant parties” surrounding the Delta Habitat Conservation and Conveyance Program (DHCCP) and provide “technical and strategic assistance” to DWR.
Documents obtained by this reporter under the California Public Records Act revealed that Ramos, Deputy General Manager of the Westlands Water District, was hired in an “inter-jurisdictional personal exchange agreement” between the Department of Water Resources and Westlands Water Districtfrom November 15, 2009 through December 31, 2010. The contract was extended to run through December 31, 2011 and again to continue through December 31, 2012.
• The resignation of State Senator Michael J. Rubio in February, 2013 to go work in a “government affairs” position for Chevron. Rubio, who was leading the charge to weaken the landmark CaliforniaEnvironmental Quality Act (CEQA) and make it more friendly to corporations, claimed he resigned in order to spend more time with his family.
• The hijacking of “marine protection” in California by Catherine Reheis-Boyd, President of the Western States Petroleum Association (WSPA). Reheis-Boyd chaired the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative Blue Ribbon Task Force to create so-called “marine protected areas” in Southern California. She also served on the task forces for the Central Coast, North Central Coast and North Coast from 2004 to 2012.
• Gov. Jerry Brown’s appointment of Laura King Moon of Woodland, a lobbyist for the state’s waterexporters, as chief deputy director of the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) in September 2013. Prior to that appointment, Moon was a project manager for the Bay Delta Conservation Plan since 2011 while “on loan” from the State Water Contractors, a “non-profit association” of 27 public water agencies from Northern, Central and Southern California that purchasewater under contract from the State Water Project.
“This appointment is just more of the fox guarding the hen house,” said Tom Stokely, Water Policy Analyst for the California Water Impact Network (C-WIN), at the time of King Moon’s appointment. “We know whose interests she will represent – and it’s not the taxpayers of California.”
Dan Bacher
California Assembly Committee Passes Bill to Require Labels on Frankenfish
The California Assembly Health Committee in Sacramento on May 3 approved a bill requiring that all GE salmon sold in California contain clear and prominent labeling. …
California Water Wars: Another Form of Asset Stripping?
In California’s epic drought, wars over water rights continue, while innovative alternatives for increasing the available water supply go untapped.
Ellen Brown,
The Web of Debt Blog
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Goldberg Prize Winners
The Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing MFA is a two-year program that trains students in the three mediums of dramatic writing: theater, film and episodic series.
It is the mission of the department to teach students the basics of dramatic storytelling while preparing them for their futures as professional writers. We believe that cross training writers in more than one medium makes them stronger and more flexible writers.
Students in the Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing MFA program will take core writing classes, text analysis courses, production process courses and pre-professional training courses.
In the first year, all graduate students take introductory writing classes in the three mediums of playwriting, screenwriting and episodic writing. By the end of their first year they will have written two of the following three original, full-length works; a full-length play, a full-length screenplay or a full-length episodic pilot. Students will also take text analysis, production, lab classes and pre-professional training classes that complement the writing classes.
In the second year, students will take advanced writing classes which lead toward a master's thesis (a full-length dramatic work) in one of the three mediums. In addition to the thesis work, students work on a second full-length project in a different medium. Second-year students may also take special seminars, master classes, workshop classes and colloquia in which guest speakers from the industry discuss their own work and current topics in the entertainment business as they relate to writers. Students may take an optional internship for credit, which is encouraged but not required.
SAMPLE SEQUENCE OF COURSES
Graduate Playwriting I 4 Credits
Graduate Screenwriting I 4 Credits
Graduate TV Writing I 4 Credits
Dramatic Strategies 3 Credits
Graduate Drama Lab 2 Credits
17 Credits Total
YEAR ONE - SPRING
Second Level Writing Course 4 Credits
Writing Elective 3 Credits
Comedic Strategies 3 Credits
Text Analysis 3 Credits
Advanced Course 3 Credits
Production Course 3 Credits
Elective 3 Credits
YEAR TWO - SPRING
MFA Thesis 4 Credits
Business of the Business 2 Credits
Internship 3 Credits
Total Credits Required for MFA Program: 65
GRADUATE PLAYWRITING I (REQUIRED)
This course teaches the fundamentals of basic structure in writing for the stage. Students will complete a ten minute play (including at least one rewrite), and half of a new full length play, with rewrites strongly encouraged. Lectures and discussions will include exploration of voice, motor, character, conflict, story arc, and theatricality. The balance between clarity and subtlety with a clear tone and attention to dialogue and plot will also be emphasized. Student work will be read in workshop and critiqued.
GRADUATE SCREENWRITING I (REQUIRED)
Students are expected to complete a short film script and a rewrite of the short film script. Students will write the first 60 pages of a screenplay and a 5 to 15 page revised outline for the entire screenplay. In addition, students will read, analyze and study produced screenplays. (Other assignments may be given per instructor discretion.) Lectures integrate writing work with presentations emphasizing understanding of basic screenplay structure, theme, story, plot, character development and film language.
GRADUATE EPISODIC WRITING I: SPECS (REQUIRED)
Students will write a “spec” episode of an existing series. In the lecture component of the class, emphasis will be placed on the long-term structure of one of the series the students are writing. The purpose of this class is to understand how a series functions and how writing the episodic form differs from other dramatic forms.
GRADUATE PLAYWRITING II
This course explores the fundamentals of basic structure in writing for the stage. There will be lectures on and study of linear and non-linear storytelling;, learning to develop story ideas with strong dramatic situations that drive the plot, writing exercises designed to increase facility in structuring scenes;, writing dialogue that compels action rather than simply describes it;, and comparative studies of the works of classic and contemporary playwrights and how their approach to craft might be applicable to the work of each individual. The second semester will emphasize structure and scene work. Each student’s play will be examined carefully in workshop, written, re-written, re-written again, and polished until it can be brought to its most perfect realization at this stage of your training. Students must complete a new full- length play with a complete outline.
GRADUATE SCREENWRITING II
The goal of this class is completion and revision. Students are expected to complete and revise their full-length screenplay started in Screenwriting I or start and complete a new work. Emphasis on structure, theme, story, plot, character development and film language will continue.
EPISODIC WRITING II: PILOTS
Students will write an original pilot. In the lecture component of the class, emphasis will be placed on both pilots and the series that emerge from those pilots. The purpose of this class is for students to take their first venture into writing generative work in the episodic form.
Advanced Playwriting
Students should come to class with two new ideas for full-length plays. Students will complete a new full-length play and one rewrite with continuing attention to fundamentals and refining the craft.
Students in this class must have completed at least one feature-length screenplay or teleplay in a previous class. The goal of this class is to write and complete a NEW screenplay. (Graduate Students: If you are in this class and a thesis class this semester, this means you are writing two DIFFERENT full-length pieces. Undergraduates may not take this course and BFA Thesis Film in the same semester.) You must come to the first class with at least two ideas for full-length screenplays.
ADVANCED EPISODIC WRITING - SERIES
Students will come into this class with a pilot they have already written. They will rewrite that pilot and create a “series document” that demonstrates the tone, breadth and rationale of the series, a detailed description of the remainder of the first season and a less detailed description of following seasons. The purpose of this class is to teach long-term story and character development and how a pilot serves as a “story engine.”
Students will develop their thesis project in their last semester in an intensive MFA Thesis writing workshop.
COMEDIC STRATEGIES: "WHY IS THIS FUNNY?" (REQUIRED)
This course examines the essential elements of story telling through the analysis of comedy in theater, film and television and beyond. It is a required class for all first year graduate students. It will focus on comedic works in all mediums of comedy starting after the second world war. The class will demonstrate how comedy is a living, evolving thing that reflects where we are as people. Popular culture is always telling us something; even when it doesn’t know it’s telling us something. This course will include works from not only theater, film and television , but also literature, stand-up, improv, sketch and music. Texts and examples will be analyzed for character, story, plot, structure, theme and technique.
DRAMATIC STRATEGIES (REQUIRED)
This course examines the essential elements of story telling through the analysis of dramas in theater, film and television. It is a required class for all first year graduate students. Texts from antiquity to the present from each of the three mediums will be read and analyzed for character, story, plot, structure, theme and technique.
Film Story Analysis
The course is designed to better help students organize their own narratives by analyzing the techniques employed by various screenwriters in constructing their screenplays. A selection of Hollywood films and foreign films from the silent era to the contemporary age will be screened and discussed in terms of continuity of theme; delineation of plot, development of structure, protagonist’s story purpose, dialogue as action and character. After each screening, the instructor will lead a group discussion and analysis of the film, focusing further on the techniques, conventions and devices employed by the screenwriter to both tell a good story and satisfy the demands of the audience.
Film Story Analysis: Images of the Other
Foremost in this course will be an analysis of Black stereotypes that have recently appeared in American films and television and the manner in which those stereotypes have reflected the nation’s social/political attitudes and outlooks on race and gender during specific periods. The course will also explore the unique “personal statements” and “star personas” of such screen artists as Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge, Paul Robeson, Ethel Waters, Richard Pryor, Bill Cosby, Eddie Murphy and Whoopi Goldberg, as well as the work of African American Directors such as Oscar Micheaux and Spike Lee. The films studied will include THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915), SHOW BOAT (1936), CABIN IN THE SKY (1943), INTRUDER IN THE DUST (1949), PINKY (1949), THE DEFIANT ONES (1958), IMITATION OF LIFE (1959), SUPER FLY (1972), THE COLOR PURPLE (1985), DRIVING MISS DAISY (1989), NEW JACK CITY (1990), GHOST (1990), TO SLEEP WITH ANGER (1990),DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST (1991), THE LETHAL WEAPON SERIES, BOOMERANG (1992), as well as various television series.
TV Story Analysis
This text analysis class, geared to the television writer and TV writerproducer, will explore TV history from its beginnings as "radio with pictures," through its “vast wasteland” days (when it was misperceived as purely a medium for advertising), to the coming of cable in the mid1980's, all of which anticipated the art form of the presentday. TVSA will immerse itself in the language, genres, and viewpoints (conscious, or unconscious) of numerous shows including Leave It To Beaver, Medic, The Twilight Zone, The Rifleman, Combat, Top Cat, Get Smart, Batman, The Untouchables, East Side/West Side, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Shindig!, The Jerry Lewis Variety Show, Sanford and Son, Rhoda, Rich Man Poor Man, The Rockford Files, St. Elsewhere, Playboy After Dark, and such documentaries as "Harvest of Shame" and "Same Mud, Same Blood." The class will employ weekly lectures, inclass viewings, and regular papers of either a historical, critical, or creative nature, plus homework viewings on YouTube and Netflix, a midterm and a final.
DRAMA LAB (REQUIRED)
In this course, actors and writers will work in close collaboration with each other. They will develop a series of pieces for the stage, and some for the screen. These will be short pieces, some done within one session, and longer works where their development runs over weeks of rehearsal. The course will cover various modes of creative collaboration: writer- generated material, actor- generated material, adaptations developed by the group, and everything in-between. Roles will blur. We expect concepts, text, and performance, to some degree, from everyone in the room. The class will be broken down into a number of working “‘theater companies’”, each of which will work together throughout the term on various projects. The class will also function as a whole in developing longer, possibly full- length work. At the end of the semester, there will be a public showing of the best work from the Creation Heavy Industries Theater Lab.
FUNDAMENTALS OF FILMMAKING
This practical workshop is designed to introduce students to the techniques and theory of developing and producing short film ideas that are shot on digital video and edited digitally on computer using FinalCut Pro Software. The course centers on learning elements of visual storytelling through a spectrum of aesthetic approaches. Working in crews of four, students learn directing, shooting, and editing skills as they each direct three short videos (three to five minutes in length). This course is specifically designed to fulfill the major requirements in production of students not majoring in film and therefore, students who need to fulfill this requirement are given registration priority.
FUND OF FILMMAKING
STEINBERG THEATRE WORKSHOP
The first part of the class involves collaborative work on a one-act play that the student brings in the first day of class. The plays will be read that day and discussed. Within the first couple of weeks each student is paired with a director and actors who will work with the student to develop and roughly stage the play. The second half of the class will be a project conceived in collaboration with director and actors, involving improv and other techniques, similar to the Joint Stock model. Actors will join the process and the class will culminate in readings of the new plays. Guest respondents will be invited to share their thoughts on the students' work.
Loving the Living Playwright
This is a production workshop for playwrights, led by The Public Theater's Master Writer and Visiting Arts Professor at the Goldberg Department of Dramatic Writing, Suzan-Lori Parks. Each week playwrights will present bare-bones staged readings, excerpts of their previously written work. Writers will be paired off, with one writer serving as "playwright" and the other serving as "director." Working with professional actors, you'll be strengthening your writing chops by getting your work on its feet for class discussion and feedback. "Playwright" and "Director" pairings will change weekly, giving each writer multiple opportunities to explore the possibilities of their own written work and, through directing, expand their understanding of the writing and production process. Fun, lively, and encouraging feedback in a loving, rigorous, moshpit, sandbox atmosphere.
Collaboration: Reloaded
The basis of the course is centered on writers, actors, directors and designers working together and learning to communicate with each other under the tutelage of the Public Theatre’s Artistic Director Oskar Eustis and Suzan-Lori Parks.
BUSINESS OF THE BUSINESS
This course is designed to familiarize students with the basics of the business of writing for theater, film and television. It will include an overview of the theater, film and television industries; from off-Broadway to Broadway theater, independent to studio film, web to network and cable TV. Case studies and examples from across the three mediums will be used to illustrate financing, development, contracts, rights, unions, production and distribution. The goal of the course is to give writers a basic understanding of what they need to know to navigate the professional world of the writer.
Goldberg Masterclass in Playwriting
Students will work with an established working guest playwright to develop and write new work for the stage. By the end of the semester students will complete either a one-act or a full-length. Students are expected to come in with a new idea for a play or with a plan to do a complete rewrite of an earlier play. Please note, you may not work on this script in any other class. Students come to the first class with 1 or 2 different, completed first drafts to propose as the piece they wish to work on during the semester.
Masterclass in Screenwriting: Scene Study
This class will focus on the art and craft of scenewriting. Students may write new scenes and/or revise existing scenes within the parameters of the class. The class will also include reading, viewing and discussing produced scenes. Students are expected to write at least 6 new and/or revised scenes by the end of the class with a greater understanding of how different kinds of scenes work.
Masterclass in TV: Animation
This television workshop course takes students step by step through writing their own spec script for an ongoing halfhour animated TV series. The course will focus on adult animated series and on kids’ series. A halfhour animated drama may be allowable. The influence of anime – along with a mandatory anime viewing list – will be considered and discussed.
The course will go from premise line, to 1-page outline, to pages, through revision and classroom workshop critiquing. Everyone will be expected to complete a full story and a script. In the latter weeks of the class, many students will start an animated pilot breakdown, which may be revised in a highlevel TV class such as Advanced or Thesis.
Writing Workshop: Late Night Comedy Writing
Joke writers aren't allowed to wait until they feel funny. This intensive introduction to the craft of writing topical jokes exposes students to the rigors of producing newsdriven jokes and short comedy pieces on demand. Students will be required to keep abreast of the news and come to class prepared to write jokes and deskpieces on subjects selected by the instructor. They will create material appropriate for different programs and hosts, including Colbert, Stewart, Fallon, Letterman. Occasional guests from latenight comedy shows may critique student work. The goal is to get fast and steady at jokewriting, while compiling a latenight writing packet to be used to seek work in the field.
WRITING WORKSHOP: SKETCH COMEDY
This course is a sketch-writing workshop that culminates in a production of the work from this class. A survey of sketch genres and approaches will be integrated with writing assignments keyed to those genres. (The Cold Open, Hi-and-Welcome-Back-to-Another-Episode-of…, desk pieces, remotes, The 2-Minute Short Comedy Film, etc.) along with rewrites of your own original sketches: rewrites that will be done both privately and sometimes collaboratively. The goal is for each student to emerge from the class with several polished sketches. For this class, it helps to have a good sense of humor that you want to get even better at putting down on the page. There will be a lot of group critiquing and occasionally group rewriting. So it helps to stop thinking that your first draft is perfect. Because it isn’t. This can be a pretty wild class, so it also helps not to worry about comedy that goes “too far.” The course may be visited by occasional guest professionals. Improv and stand-up will not be ignored.
Writing Workshop: Kids' Television
From superheroes to talking puppets, television aimed at children and teens continues to capture the hearts of boys and girls around the world. How do these series continue to endure, both in a practical and creative sense? This class will explore writing for kids' programs both animation and liveaction for different age groups across the genres of action and comedy. Students will analyze series bibles, premises, outlines, and scripts for existing shows, and ultimately develop and complete a spec from concept to script.
Writing Workshop: Graphic Novel/Comics
Students experience the profession of the dramatist from “the other side of the desk” by working in a professional organization that develops and or produces the work of dramatists. Graduate students are strongly encouraged to complete an internship and can do so for credit at any point after the first semester. An internship packet will be sent out after registering for DWPG-GT 2300.
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TSW Theatre Studio > ABOUT US
“To enrich public’s life through theatre”
Founded in 2011 with a former name as No Man’s Land that was registered in 1997, Tang Shu-wing Theatre Studio is a centre for theatrical research and creation. We believe that art is a platform for feeling and expression. The internal transformation within ourselves created by theatre is the most mysterious experience. Our minimalist body aesthetics is not confined by any single theory because the most joyful part of being an artist is to realise when to insist and when to open up. We create our works with specific artistic propositions through exploration of related practice. Until now, we have created 16 productions including “Titus Andronicus”, “Titus Andronicus 2.0”, “Detention”, “Thunderstorm”, “Why Aren’t You Steve Jobs?”, “Macbeth” (later renamed as “The Tragedy of Macbeth”), and “Dead Man’s Cell Phone”. As a team, we support each other and purposely develop the younger generation in order to continue our mission. Apart from creation, we are consciously concerned about the next generation as well as the community. In 2014, we initiated “Physical Theatre Youth Training Programme", which has established a brand of theatre training. We launched the “Jockey Club Drama for Correctional Service Pilot Programme” in 2019, which is the first community theatre programme in Hong Kong facilitating rehabilitation of persons in custody through systematic and professional method.
As a recognition of its contribution and leading role in contemporary arts and culture, the Studio is named an "Eminent Arts Group" by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council last year.
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Hvar Island’s Other Beaches
BEACHES MADE IN HEAVEN
Beaches Around Stari Grad
Just a few hundred metres from the centre of town, there are two municipal beaches which can easily be reached on foot.
Banj Beach is a pebbled bay, about 500 m from the centre of town, on the north side of the Stari Grad Bay. it is perfect for little children, and is also suitable for wheelchair users and people with disabilities. At the beach you can hire sunbeds, there are showers and changing rooms, and refreshment facilities.
Lanterna Bay is ont the south side of the Stari Grad Bay, some 800 m from the centre of town. It has a small shingle beach and a concrete platform with steps going down into the sea. There are showers, changing rooms, refreshment facilities, and sunbeds for hire.
Maslinica Bay is 2 km from the Stari Grad town centre, and has a sandy beach. To reach it you can walk or cycle along an attractive, well-maintained coastal path, and it is also accessible by car from the main road.
Beaches around Hvar Town
Pokonji dol is the biggest of Hvar’s municipal beaches, and lies 1.5 km from the town centre. There are two restaurants on the beach, which not only provide good food, but also rent out beach equipment such as parasols, sunbeds, kayaks and pedalos. The beach can be reached by car or on foot.
The Mekićevica Beach is situated 2.5 km east of Hvar Town, and consists of pebble shingle and a white stone bank called ‘Bilo punta’. It is the perfect place for soothing away any troubles or aggravation.
The Milna Beach is 4 km east of Hvar Town. It consists of two pebbly shingle beaches, overlooked by woodland, with a pleasant hinterland of pines, agaves, vineyards and orchards. Apart from the Milna Bay itself, there are two more wooded bays, called Malo and Veliko borče. Tjhere is an organised boat service from Hvar to Milna.
The Velo Zaraće Beach is in a deep bay surrounded by an extensive pebble shore. It lies below the small village of Zaraće, which is situated up ona stony hillside and is largely deserted. The bay offers exceptionally beautiful underwater sights For anyone who loves marine life and vegetation. There are several restaurants on the beach. Zaraće can be reached by boat or car.
The Dubovica Beach is a favourite spot for excursions from Hvar, situated about 8 km from the town. It has a large shingle beach and offers sights of exquisite marine life. There is a restaurant on the beach, which can be reached by boat or car.
The Lučišće Beach near Sveta Nedjelja is a magical beach nestling under a 500-metre tall rockface which forms part of Hvar Island’s ridge. It offers a magnificent link between the contrasting shingle of the beach and the rough rocks which rise out of the sea to a height of some 80 metres. It is hard to reach this beach by car, but it is worth the effort if you can get to it. It is a place for calm and relaxation, much appreciated by the hikers who come down to it from Hvar’s highest point.
Sveta Nedjelja is a village and holiday destination which is best reached by private car. It is about 12 km from Hvar Town, and offers beautiful shingle beaches and numerous restaurants and places to stay.
Jagodna /Bojanić bad is about 13 km east of Hvar Town, and can only be reached by private car. It has beautiful beaches and rental accommodation.
Beaches Around Sućuraj
The Česminica Beach is situated on Hvar Island’s south side where the little town of Sućuraj ends. It is partly pebbles, and mainly concreted. Besides being for the use of swimmers and sunbathers, the beach serves as a morring for local fishermen’s boats.
The Bilina Beach is not far from the centre of Sućuraj on Hvar Island’s north side, and is easily reached from the town centre. It is part pebbles and part stone.
The Mlaska Beach lies in an exquisite sandy cove near Sućuraj on Hvar Island’s north side. It is surrounded by pine trees and an abundance of Mediterranean shrubbery. The beach has a restaurant and small shop for esentials There is a campsite, half of which is reserved for naturists, who have their own swimming beach.
The Perna Beach is a sandy bay surrounded by a dense pine forest on the south side of Hvar Island, not far from Sućuraj.
How to reach Hvar's beaches:
Beaches in Gdinj
Beaches in Gromin dolac
Beaches in Ivan dolac
Beaches in Jelsa
Beaches in Poljica
Beaches in Vrboska
Beaches in Zastražišće
Beaches in Zavala
Beaches in town Hvar
Beaches in Stari grad
Beaches in Sućuraj
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Synthpop and New Romantics
Anybody who has had more than a cursory glance over the pages of this blog will realise that, though strictly speaking a child of the 1970s, my formative musical years were the early 80s. I’ve written elsewhere about how that was such a fertile time musically, about how there was just so much variety, and so much exciting new stuff both in the charts and in more obscure corners. And so it should come as no surprise that this songbook has finally found its way out there.
A couple of musical threads which overlapped during that period were the rise of electronic music, particularly the more commercial brand that came to be referred to as synthpop, and the New Romantic movement. The latter grew initially out of the legendary Blitz club in London and, whilst borrowing from the anybody-can-do-it mindset that punk had unleashed a few years earlier, was in many ways a reaction to the often dour and black-and-white world that it had created. New Romantics were characterised by flamboyant, extravagant costumes and make-up, adopted a far more hedonistic lifestyle, and their music was all colour and drama. Whilst a relatively short-lived phenomenon, it gave a platform for a series of colourful characters (Boy George, Steve Strange, Marilyn), provided an lightning rod and incubator for a number of subsequently hugely successful bands (Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet) and lent its sheen to a number of other artists who were on its periphery (not least of which was Adam Ant, who re-imagined himself in increasingly more glamorous and eccentric forms).
At the same time, the availability of cheaper electronic instruments created its own revolution, often inspired by true trailblazers such as Kraftwerk. The Human League were early out of the blocks, but initially had their thunder stolen by the upstart Gary Numan. But by 1980/81, you couldn’t move for electonic bands who were attempting to bring the left-field, subversive sounds that electronic music had originally rallied around into the charts. Bands like Depeche Mode, OMD, Soft Cell, Eurythmics, Yazoo, Tears for Fears, and many others rode on that wave. Often derided at the time, in a similar way to the way punk had been, for being talentless, one-finger keyboard operators, these artists often smuggled cutting edge contemporary themes into their songs and presentation.
On the surface, these songs and this genre are a thousand miles away from the world of ukulele. The sheer glamour of the New Romantics is not something that ukulele are renowned for. And the artificial, electronic sounds are not exactly what you associate ukulele with. But as has been proved in previous posts, and in a variety of ukulele groups around the country, these songs can actually translate quite well. Part of that comes down to the relatively straightforward nature of the songs, and the fact that – despite their origins – these are often classic, singalong songs. So I present you 30 songs that – to my mind, at least – are all classics of their kind, and translate really well to the humble ukulele. Give them a try, and enjoy!
Here is the songbook with all the songs in one place <songbook>
And here is the song list, with links to each of the individual song sheets:
All Of My Heart – ABC
Bedsitter – Soft Cell
Being Boiled – Human League
Do You Really Want To Hurt Me – Culture Club
Don’t Go – Yazoo
Enola Gay – OMD
Fade To Grey – Visage
Living On The Ceiling – Blancmange
Love Is A Stranger – Eurythmics
Nobody’s Diary – Yazoo
Open Your Heart – Human League
Pale Shelter – Tears For Fears
Rio – Duran Duran
See You – Depeche Mode
Situation – Yazoo
The Sound Of The Crowd – Human League
Talk Talk – Talk Talk
To Cut A Long Story Short – Spandau Ballet
What! – Soft Cell
Categories: Post-Punk, Synthpop, ukulele chords | Tags: 1980, 1980s, 1981, 1983, 1984, ABC, Blancmange, Culture Club, David Bowie, Dead Or Alive, Human League, Landscape, New Romantics, OMD, Singer-Songwriter, Soft Cell, Songbook, Spandau Ballet, Synthpop, Talk Talk, Tears For Fears, Thompson Twins, Ultravox, Visage, Yazoo | Permalink.
Lovers In A Dangerous Time – Bruce Cockburn
I’ve written previously about how much I love the music of Bruce Cockburn, and what it has meant to me. Prompted by the announcement of some UK dates in the autumn, I’ve been going back to his music, and enjoying it afresh. One of the songs that stood out was this one.
The version that particularly caught my ear was from his live solo album, Slice O’ Life. The original version of the song appeared on the 1984 album, Stealing Fire, recorded at a time where Cockburn was turning from the acoustic, folk-y sounds of his earlier, 1970s recordings towards a more contemporary, rock-inspired source, something that coincided for him with a move in his lyrical outlook from an inward, spiritual focus towards a more outward looking perspective that – whilst infused with the spiritual – was more focussed on the world he saw, and the many injustices that he encountered as he started to travel more widely.
Outside of his native Canada, where Cockburn is something of an institution and widely reward, for most of his career Cockburn has been something of a cult figure. However “Lovers…” was a song that, alongside the much darker “If I Had A Rocket Launcher”, became radio hits in the US. And to this day it remains one of his more well-known songs (well-known being something of a relative term when applied to Cockburn), even being referenced by U2 in their song “God Part II” (“heard a singer on the radio late last night says he’s gonna kick the darkness till it bleeds daylight”). The song itself has been interpreted in multiple ways – as a response to the HIV/AIDS crisis, and as a commentary on the Central American experience that inspired “Rocket Launcher”, but whilst Cockburn is on record as saying that both of those interpretations are valid ones, his has said of the song:
“I was thinking of kids in a schoolyard. I was thinking of my daughter. Sitting there wanting to hold hands with some little boy and looking at a future, looking at the world around them. How different that was when I was a kid when, even though we had air-raid drills, nobody took that seriously that the world would end. You could have hope when I was a kid. And now I think that’s very difficult. I think a lot of that is evident from the actions and the ethos of a lot of kids. It was kind of an attempt to offer a hopeful message to them. You still have to live and you have to give it your best shot.”
The acoustic version of the song strips it back to its essence. A showcase for Bruce’s exemplary guitar technique (never flashy, but always rich and deep), it is further proof that the mark of a good song is if it works when reduced to one-person-and-their-instrument. And boys does this version work – arguably getting to the heart of the song in a way that the more produced original version *may* have clouded a little.
And so to the songsheet. This is based on the acoustic version, and definitely – to my ears – sounds better as a picked version. It is true that I could have made this a bit simpler, could have put it in an easier key. But (a) this version allows you to play along with the Cockburn version above, and (b) it just sounds much better this way. If you’re OK with barre chords then this shouldn’t be problematic. Playing the A chords in the chorus as barred chords on the 4th fret (see here) adds an additional texture to the song as well. Enjoy!
Categories: Singer-Songwriter, ukulele chords | Tags: 1980s, 1984, Bruce Cockburn, Singer-Songwriter | Permalink.
Sunlight Bathed the Golden Glow – Felt
I’ve kind-of giving up worrying about the preponderance of 80s tunes from my youth that I post on these pages. The songs that I post have always been influenced by the music that I’m listening to at any point of time, and – in no small part thanks to Decade, a wonderful event that happens not for from me that plays alternative music from 77-87 – I’ve been listening to a lot of music from that era, both songs that I’m familiar with, as well as tunes and artists that passed me by at the time.
So this is a stone-cold classic from that era. Felt could be considered the quintessential 80s indie band. Essentially the platform for the artistic vision of the enigmatic Lawrence (no surname was ever used), Felt’s original jangle style was influenced by the likes of Television, but taken in a more fragile and luminescent direction. Early albums were resolutely low-fi and contained as many instrumentals as vocal songs, but through the 80s the Felt project grew and evolved, adding a bright and bubbling organ to the mix, branching off into lounge-style mini-instrumentals and kitsch-jazz before concluding (after 10 albums and 10 singles in 10 years – all part of the masterplan) in 1989 with the vastly underrated, almost professional sounding Me and a Monkey on the Moon.
Top of the pile of all those songs, for me, is the swooningly gorgeous Primitive Painters, a duet with Cocteau Twin’s Liz Fraser (one of the few records I’ve ever brought on-spec after one hearing in a record shop). But that doesn’t translate too well to ukulele! So instead here is a song that scales pretty close to those dizzy heights, the 1984 single Sunlight Bathed the Golden Glow. With a title like that how could a song fail (I’d love Felt just for their song and album titles, even without hearing the music – Rain of Crystal Spires, The World is as Soft as Lace, Evergreen Dazed, Sapphire Mansions, Forever Breathes the Lonely Word, Ignite the Seven Cannons and Set Sail for the Sun – the list is endless!). A resolutely up-beat sounding song that would appear to be a somewhat stinging observation of a friend, with the pretentiousness meter turned up high (the single and album versions differently reference a poem by Rimbaud or an Egyptian funerary text), the song is soaked in gorgeous shimmering and chiming guitars courtesy of Maurice Deebank, who was instrumental (literally) in the bands sounds for the first half of their career.
So translate this gloriousness to ukulele? Well, clearly its not going to sound *quite* like the original. But underneath all those wonderful sounds is a great song, and so I think it works. I’ve transcribed the ringing intro, solo and outro sections as well – Maurice Deebank never went in for guitar gymnatics, so these are definitely playable. It’s a great song, one that deserves more exposure. Enjoy!
Categories: Indie, Rock, ukulele chords | Tags: 1980s, 1984, Felt, Indie, Rock, ukulele | Permalink.
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One of the Best Films of 2018 Cost Less Than $20,000 To Make
Christian Malheiros in “Socrates”
Recently I saw (and voted for in the Independent Spirit Awards) a wonderful Brazilian film called “Socrates.” Directed by Alexandre Moratto, it’s a coming-of-age story set in São Paulo. Startlingly, it was made by a crew of 16-to-20 year-olds from local low-income neighborhoods for a budget of under $20,000.
Because this information appears on the screen before the start of the movie, I kept my expectations low. Yet I found nothing to criticize in “Socrates,” and much to admire. Beautifully shot, directed and acted, it reminded me of two towering classics: “The Four Hundred Blows” and “Bicycle Thieves.” On February 23rd, Moratto deservedly won the ISA’s Someone To Watch award, which at $25,000 exceeds “Socrates”‘s microbudget.
There have always been low-budget films, but in the past they looked it. As “Socrates” proves, that’s no longer the case: excellent visual and sound quality can be achieved for relatively little money. Lower filmmaking costs have opened the doors to new talent, and the variety and excellence of today’s films are the happy result.
Women Directors Who Defied the Odds
In honor of International Women’s Day, here are links to some posts I’ve written about women directors in America. Despite some improvement, Hollywood remains a place where a first-time male director immediately gets to direct a big-budget action movie while a seasoned female director goes years between small projects. When will it change? When studio heads–almost invariably male–decide to expand their horizons.
https://underthehollywoodsign.wordpress.com/2010/03/08/before-kathryn-bigelow-women-directors-in-20th-century-hollywood/
https://underthehollywoodsign.wordpress.com/2017/03/08/hollywood-the-most-sexist-industry-of-all/
https://underthehollywoodsign.wordpress.com/2015/11/22/on-gender-discrimination-women-directors-and-carol/
Why I Stopped Making Documentaries
The DVD Jacket for “Jim Thompson, Silk King”/Copyright 2015 Hope Anderson Productions
Recently the screenwriter and director Paul Schrader appeared on Seth Meyers to promote “First Reformed,” and spoke the truth about filmmaking today. “The good news is everyone can make a movie….the bad news is no one can make a living at it.”
I’m one of those people. When I started making documentaries twenty years ago, new technologies had opened the field to independent filmmakers by dramatically lowering costs. Instead of shooting on film, I shot on high quality digital video. Digital editing systems allowed me and my editor, Kate Johnson, to weave picture, sound, music and graphics as flatbed editing machines never could. Finally the Internet–even in those pre-streaming days–let me advertise the documentary, make filming arrangements, hunt for and license archival pictures and footage, and communicate with interviewees. As a result, “Jim Thompson, Silk King,” was finished in two years–fast by documentary standards, particularly as I continued to shoot interviews at home and abroad for many months after finishing principal photography in Thailand.
All these technologies were stunning, as was the speed at which they changed. My first film was shot on BetaSP tape and distributed on VHS. My second film, “The Jim Thompson House and Art Collection,” was mainly composed of footage from “Jim Thompson, Silk King,” but VHS was obsolete by the time it came out, replaced by DVDs. At that point I had to throw out all my VHS tapes for JTSK and order DVDs. By the time I started my third documentary, “Under the Hollywood Sign,” in 2006, I needed a new HD camera and mini HD tape, while Kate had a new Pro Tools editing system.
By 2015, distribution had gone online. I put my films–by then there were four–on Vimeo, but I still needed DVDs for customers who didn’t do downloads. That year I also issued a new, revised version of “Jim Thompson, Silk King.” Only thirteen years after the original was finished, it was technologically obsolete, and Kate had to re-digitize the original footage to create a new master. The re-editing process, which included new footage, music and DVD extras (one of which I shot partly on my iPhone), was so laborious that it took almost as long as the original film.
Technology had become a runaway train, and changes in cameras, tape, software and distribution format ate my profits. But it was the Internet that delivered the final blow: suddenly everything on it was free or nearly so, and no one wanted to pay for anything. At that point I realized that documentaries, much as I loved making them, were ruining me, so I stopped. You can find them for purchase or rent, on DVD or via download, at hopeandersonproductions.com
You are currently viewing the archives for March, 2019 at Under the Hollywood Sign.
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Jessica Campbell, an actress best known for having played Tammy Metzler in the hit comedy Election, died on December 29 in Portland, Oregon.
Family members of Campbell’s confirrmed the tragic news on Wednesday to TMZ.
A GoFundMe page to assist with expenses — organized by Campbell’s cousin Sarah Wessling — stated the actress passed away “suddenly and unexpectedly.”
In an interview with TMZ, Wessling said Campbell, who actually became a naturopathic physician after her movie and television career, had a typical day before her passing.
She worked with her patients at her practice … she went home to see her mother and aunt…
… and then, at one point, Campbell went into a bathroom and never came out, leading her aunt to check on her and discovered she had collapsed.
Campbell was unable to be revived after the emergency technicians arrived.
Her loved ones are now waiting for the results of the autopsy, which was conducted by the Multnomah County Medical Examiner in Oregon.
The actress made her debut in the 1992 TV movie In the Best Interest of the Children with Sarah Jessica Parker.
In 1999, she starred in in Election, a beloved film directed by Alexander Payne and starring Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon.
Campbell portrayed Chris Klein’s angsty sister — whose girlfriend breaks up her and leaves her for Klein’s character. Seeking revenge, she runs against him for class president.
“So heart broken to hear this,” Witherspoon tweeted after learning of Campbell’s passing.
“Working with Jessica on Election was such a pleasure. I’m sending all my love to Jessica‘s family and loved ones.”
Campbell was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Election for Best Debut Performance.
Campbell also starred in Freaks and Geeks, Paul Feig’s short-lived cult TV series that was executive-produced by Judd Apatow, who has donated $5,000 to help Campbell’s family deal with her death.
The late star played the role of Amy Andrews, a tuba player in McKinley High’s marching band.
She begins to date Ken (Seth Rogen) on the show, later revealing to him that she was born intersex.
While it’s unclear when Campbell pivoted to become a doctor, the GoFundMe page states that, “on multiple occasions,” she “dropped everything to travel across state lines and care for her loved ones in need.”
It also says that she raised a 10-year-old son, Oliver.
“She was fun, she was loud, she was compassionate and loyal,” the GoFundMe page reads. “No matter what she did, she was always uniquely Jessica…
“She could always be counted on as the instigator of, or at the very least a willing accomplice to, various forms of mischief and hijinks. To know her is to have an over-the-top story involving her.
“To know her is to have known true friendship.”
Campbell later starred in 2001’s The Safety of Objects opposite Glenn Close and Dermot Mulroney, followed by 2002’s Junk.
View Slideshow: Celebrities Who Died In 2020: In Memoriam
Source:: The Hollywood Gossip
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A top Georgia election official says Rudy Giuliani intentionally 'lied' about election fraud by presenting a deceptively edited video as evidence Summary List PlacementA top Georgia election official said Rudy Giuliani "lied" over election fraud claims by presenting a deceptively edited video as evidence, despite having…
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Democrats Won. Now, They Need To Go Big.
STONECREST, GEORGIA – DECEMBER 28: Georgia Democratic Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock greet each other onstage during the “Vote GA Blue” concert for Georgia Democratic Senate candidates Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff at New Birth Church on December 28, 2020 at New Birth Church in Stonecrest, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images) If […]
Who Is Lauren Boebert? Meet The New Congressperson Walking Around With A Glock
On Sunday, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert began her first term as a newly elected Congresswoman by loudly and proudly sharing her love of guns and the Second Amendment in a now-viral ad on Twitter. In the ad, the Republican politician is seen loading a Glock and securing it in a gun holster around her waist […]
What To Know About Dustin Higgs, Who Is Scheduled To Be Killed By The State Tomorrow
With six days left before President Donald Trump leaves office, the United States government is expected to execute Dustin Higgs on January 15. The Trump administration has carried out an unprecedented number of federal executions after ending an informal 17-year moratorium on capital punishment. As a result, the Department of Justice announced plans last year […]
Popular jewelry startup Mejuri is one of the most affordable places to buy everyday pieces, from solid gold hoops to stacking rings
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The Cavs Have Reportedly Turned To The Hawks In Their Search For Reinforcements
by: Brad RowlandTwitter January 22, 2018
Everything is up in the air for the Cleveland Cavaliers right now and that comes with the territory when balancing the pending free agent decision of LeBron James with the quest to reach yet another NBA Finals. Of course, it would help calm the waters if the Cavaliers were actually playing well but, given the team’s recent struggles, there is quite a bit of uncertainty surrounding Cleveland and that has made its way to the trade market in advance of February’s deadline.
With buzz surrounding a potential decision to move away from Isaiah Thomas and plenty of discussion about the Cavs moving one or both of the team’s first round selections, a new name has appeared from a somewhat unlikely location. David Aldridge of NBA.com brings word that the Cavs have inquired about Hawks guard Kent Bazemore and, while he does not describe him as a “lockdown wing” at this stage, there is little doubt that Bazemore would represent a defensive upgrade from some of Cleveland’s current perimeter options.
Still, it should be noted that Bazemore is set to make more than $18 million for the 2018-2019 season and, beyond that, the veteran swingman has a player option for more than $19 million for the 2019-2020 season. Barring some sort of massive shift, he would be expected to opt in to that final year and, in a universe that potentially exists without LeBron in the fold, the Cavs would have to swallow hard at the thought of committing more than $37 million (in addition to this year’s salary) to a player with Bazemore’s skill set.
The Cavs would almost certainly be better immediately with a player like Bazemore in the fold but just how much better remains to be seen. It does appear that GM Koby Altman will be leaving no stone unturned, though, and that could lead to a few interesting discussions, including a few with Atlanta.
Topics: #Atlanta Hawks, #Cleveland CavaliersTags: ATLANTA HAWKS, CLEVELAND CAVALIERS, Kent Bazemore
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Sep 23, 2004 10:00pm PT
Will he be back?
Will Schwarzenegger pick Governator or 'Terminator'?
“The Terminator” is coming back, but will Arnold Schwarzenegger?
After a year in the development shop, “Terminator 4” is ready to be mobilized for a 2005 production start. “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” scribes John Brancato and Michael Ferris have completed a draft of a script that was developed under the supervision of “T3” director Jonathan Mostow.
C2 partners Mario Kassar and Andy Vajna are returning as producers, and “T3” financier Intermedia, which has underwritten development so far, will begin the process of setting up the coin for the picture. Company topper Moritz Borman is expected to engage the studios and distributors that bankrolled “T3.”
Mostow, who took over the “Terminator” franchise from James Cameron, is expected to next direct an untitled thriller he scripted for Paramount. Intermedia will open formal negotiations shortly for a deal that would make “T4” Mostow’s next directing job.
Schwarzenegger’s availability is the big question mark, since he’s engaged as governor of California. Discussions have already occurred for him to return for an encore, but the likelihood is that it would be in a limited role. Sources said the expectation is that “T4” will break in a new terminator model.
Intermedia will be meeting soon with Warner Bros., which distributed the film domestically, and Sony Pictures, which bought most of the international rights. Both of those studios have an option to serve the same roles in the fourth film. The film worked out nicely for both studios: The $175 million-budgeted pic grossed around $430 million worldwide. Distributors in other territories like Japan-based Toha Towa, will also get first crack at a reprise.
“T4” hasn’t been formally budgeted, but the next film isn’t expected to cost as much as the last. For one thing, advances in f/x technology should make shots more economical. There is also the removal of a $30 million line expenditure, which was Schwarzenegger’s record-breaking upfront salary for “T3.”
There is no word on whether Nick Stahl or Claire Danes has yet been approached for returns. Neither is believed to have been signed to an option agreement.
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What is the meaning of ‘crunk’? Ask the Dictionary.com bot
Khari Johnson@kharijohnson September 2, 2016 3:20 PM
Dictionary.com launched a Facebook Messenger bot today to help people look up words and, in the future, share the Word of the Day.
The bot gives word definitions when a user types a single word or full sentence questions like “What’s a synonym for awesome?” or “What’s the definition of awesome?” The first definition is shown by the bot. Additional definitions can be seen by pressing the See More button that redirects users to the Dictionary.com website.
“The development and use of the bot on Facebook Messenger is really a starting point for us — we’re using it as a testing ground for new intelligence products, as we think about developing bots within other applications, as well as new standalone intelligence products,” said Dictionary.com VP Richard Bullwinkle.
In what seems to be a growing trend, Dictionary.com decided to make a bot partly as a way to serve users with little memory on their phone for app downloads.
“It’s harder and harder to get people to download apps because consumers have their favorite social media platforms on which they spend the majority of their time,” Bullwinkle said. “While we are always encouraging users to come to our site and download our apps, we don’t want to ignore those who don’t have the desire or space for additional apps.”
And “crunk”? “Crunk,” as defined by Dictionary.com, is “a type of hip-hop originating in the southern U.S. and characterized by heavy bass and call-and-response vocals.”
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Author Loren Ghiglione spent a decade researching and writing his book Genus Americanus which comes out this month.
Searching for a Nation's Identity in Genus Americanus
In the winter of 2011, former professor and journalist Loren Ghiglione and two students of journalism, Dan Tham and Alyssa Karas, loaded up a van and set out on a road trip across the country with a big goal in mind — to search for American cultural identity.
Twenty-eight states, 14,063 miles, three months and 150 interviews later, Mr. Ghiglione and his students found their answer — a colorful tapestry of testimonies about race, sexual orientation, gender and, more broadly, what it means to be American. The book that emerged from this wide array of stories — a blend of history, memoir and reporting, called Genus Americanus — is slated for release this month.
In a recent interview with the Gazette at his Chilmark home, Mr. Ghiglione reflected on the trip, the book and what the project taught him about the country.
“I wanted to make a point about identity issues, that they’re complex....It’s not simply race. So many things play into identity,” Mr. Ghiglione said.
The project began as an on-the-road blog called Traveling with Twain, said Mr. Ghiglione, who was inspired by Mark Twain and his engagement with issues of race and identity in his day.
“[Twain] evolved from a kid growing up in a very southern town where bigotry against African Americans was sort of assumed and overcame that. I admired that part of his life.”
Following Twain’s footsteps from Missouri to the West, the Northeast and finally the South, the group traveled to important landmarks in the author’s life and in Mr. Ghiglione’s career, sometimes interviewing 10 people a day as they went. The group interviewed a broad range of professors, scholars and journalists — all experts in their fields — but as the project evolved from blog to book, the real heart of it, Mr. Ghiglione realized, was in the testimonies of the regular Americans he met while pounding the pavement.
“I thought of myself as a reporter,” Mr. Ghiglione said, recounting with warmth the many names and faces he encountered on the trail. “The whole book I was really more interested in listening to people than coming up with a theory of what was happening around identity.”
Following the initial road trip, Mr. Ghiglione returned to many locations to follow-up with interviewees before beginning the writing process. Start to finish, the project took nearly a decade.
Mr. Ghiglione’s interest in identity dates back to his early career as a journalist and experiences writing about social issues, he said. As an intern out of college, he helped cover the March on Washington for the Washington Post. Later in his career, he advised the student paper at the historically black Rust College in Mississippi during the Freedom Summer of 1964.
More personally, the book was inspired by Mr. Ghiglione’s experience as a descendant of Italian immigrants.
“I wanted to talk about my own immigrant family. I wanted to be able to make a comparison [between race and immigration status] because I feel a lot of people in the society who benefited from coming here don’t make those connections.”
Mr. Ghiglione also stressed the importance of engaging with issues of race and identity as a straight, white male.
“There’s some people who probably say you shouldn’t be writing this book, but you have to acknowledge that and move on,” he said. “It’s important, since they’re a major part of the problem, for white folks to try to deal with these issues and try to admit their ignorance, admit their blind spots and try to address them.”
Though the book focuses on personal identity, it also reflects the political moment in which it was written, Mr. Ghiglione said, noting that much of the reporting and the writing took place as the country transitioned from eight years of President Obama to the President Trump era.
“I hate to sound political about this, but it’s hard not to think about how issues of identity are being presented by the President,” he said.
Following the nationwide Black Lives Matter protests this summer, Mr. Ghiglione added a short segment to the book late in the publishing process about current events. But despite recent attention to racial and social injustice, the author said he hoped the book serves as a reminder that identity-based discrimination long preceded the Trump administration.
“I tried to incorporate some of the current events and it actually fits with what was going on, from 2011 to the present. It wasn’t just Trump, that’s another thing I would say. He’s an easy target.”
With publication now underway, Mr. Ghiglione said he hopes the book will push readers to have the sometimes uncomfortable conversations about their own complicity in systems of inequality.
“It’s about just trying to tell stories about the life experiences of people who have been on the other side of discrimination,” he said. “I would like average Americans to think about how they live their lives, how they bring up their children and grandchildren, and to listen to these voices.”
Lorraine, Edgartown
I eagerly await this book. I travel and have traveled for seventy five years this United States of America and know it inside and out. As well as Canada and other countries. It will be so interesting to me to read this book.
So Long Smartphone, Hello Curiosity
Paul Greenberg writes about the outdoors. Most often he can be found at sea chronicling the life of...
Vineyard Haven Again Named to National Top 10 for Arts
Vineyard Haven is number six on a list of the top arts-vibrant small communities in the United...
The Right Man at the Right Time to Set the Record Straight
The event at the center of Lieut. Col. William Baker’s posthumously published book, The Brownsville...
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Second set of changes announced to the UK tier 4 student visa
A second set of changes in the UK Immigration Rules the UK Tier 4 Student Visa has been laid before Parliament. The changes will come in to force on 4 July 2011. On 22 March the Home Secretary announced initial changes to the Immigration rules following a public consultation on reforming Tier 4 of the UK points-based system. These initial changes came in to effect on 21 April 2011.
The revised changes announced in the second set of changes is to reform and refine the student visa category further to ensure that only genuine students come to the UK to study at genuine educational institutions throughout the UK.
The main changes will:
restrict work entitlements to migrants studying at higher educational institutions (HEIs) and publicly funded further education colleges only;
restrict the sponsorship of dependants to those studying at postgraduate level at HEIs on courses lasting at least 12 months, and government-sponsored students on courses lasting at least 6 months;
require education providers to vouch that a new course represents genuine academic progression;
ensure that maintenance funds are genuinely available to the applicant, by introducing a declaration on the visa application form;
commit to publish a list of financial institutions that we consider, on the basis of experience, do not verify financial statements to our satisfaction in more than 50 per cent of a sample of cases;
introduce a streamlined application process for low-risk nationals applying to attend courses with Highly Trusted Sponsors;
extend the list of courses for which students must receive ATAS clearance;
restrict the ability to deliver accountancy courses accredited by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) to those sponsors accorded platinum or gold status by ACCA; and clarify the position of overseas universities with campuses in the UK.
There are also a small number of minor changes to the immigration rules as follows:
a new provision for other family members of refugees and beneficiaries of humanitarian protection;
a minor correction to the Tier 2 (Intra-Company Transfer) provisions and clarify a requirement of the Tier 1 (Exceptional Talent) and Tier 1 (Investor) Rules; and
a small number of minor corrections and technical changes to the Rules relating to English language requirements for partners and spouses.
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“Old Blood and Guts” was sickened by what he saw in the liberated concentration camps—and vowed that others should see it, too.
By Flint Whitlock
The blue arrows on Lt. Gen. George S. Patton, Jr.’s Third Army situation maps in his mobile headquarters trailer all pointed eastward. From the vicinity of Frankfurt-am-Main, Patton’s three corps—Troy Middleton’s VIII, Manton Eddy’s XII, and Maj. Gen. Walton H. Walker’s XX—were plunging side by side over hills, across rivers, streams, and fields, through woods, and into towns and villages, through barricades, road blocks, and minefields, destroying all efforts by the Germans to slow the advance. This was all before the true horrors of the Nazi regime were known to Allied forces. Patton’s army had yet to learn of the atrocities that were taking place at Ohrdruf and the Buchenwald Concentration Camp. But that day was fast approaching.
Since August 1944, the XII and XX Corps had been the main striking arms of Patton’s Third Army and, as such, had blazed a trail from the western coast of France, through Belgium, and into Germany. The divisions that composed Walker’s XX Corps from the middle to the end of March 1945 were the 6th, 10th, 11th, and 12th Armored Divisions, and the 5th, 26th, 65th, 80th, and 94th Infantry Divisions. During that same period, making up Manton S. Eddy’s XII Corps (which had been attached to Third Army on August 1, 1944), were the 4th Armored Division and the 76th, 89th, and 90th Infantry Divisions.
Middleton’s VIII Corps, which had been added to Third Army on December 20, 1944, shortly before Middleton’s units were mauled during the Battle of the Bulge, consisted only of the 87th and 89th Infantry Divisions. All told, the three corps that made up Patton’s Third Army totaled some 203,000 men.
By mid-March, Walker’s XX Corps had taken Trier, Saarlautern, and Kaiserslautern. By March 21, Walker’s advance elements had reached both the Rhine and the Main, then crossed both rivers and took Mainz, Wiesbaden, and Frankfurt. Eddy’s XII Corps, too, had progressed well, crossing the Mosel River on March 14 and capturing Bad Kreuznach on March 18 and Worms three days later. For six days—March 21-27—XII Corps battled for and seized Mainz in conjunction with XX Corps. On the 22nd, XII Corps assaulted across the Rhine River at Oppenheim where it pummeled the German defenders.
6th Armored Division soldiers cautiously follow a Sherman tank through the German village of Oberdorla on their way toward Weimar, April 1945. Elements of the 6th would liberate Buchenwald.
Middleton’s VIII Corps followed behind the spearhead units and performed “mopping-up” operations, i.e., eliminating pockets of resistance that were bypassed by the lead units in order to keep the advance from stalling.
By the end of March, the 4th and 6th Armored Divisions were seasoned, battle-hardened units. Highly regarded was Maj. Gen. William M. Hoge’s 4th Armored Division, which had come ashore with VIII Corps at Utah Beach, Normandy, France, on July 11, 1944, and proceeded to cut a bloody swath through the Germans all across Western Europe.
During the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944, 4th Armored was one of the key elements that made a historic winter march in record time to help break the siege on American forces at Bastogne, Belgium, thus earning the sobriquet “Patton’s Best.” So feared was the 4th that the Germans referred to the outfit as “Roosevelt’s SS.”
Transferred from VIII Corps to XII Corps in January 1945, the 4th Armored was the tip of the spear for much of Patton’s bold dash toward Germany—and into the history books.
A Fleeting Glimpse of Evil
Major General Robert W. Grow’s 6th Armored Division had also seen plenty of combat since arriving at Utah Beach eight days after the 4th Armored. Like the 4th, the 6th also took part in the action to relieve besieged Bastogne. The 6th crossed the Rhine on March 25, bulldozed its way through heavy opposition at Frankfurt-am-Main, and then headed in a northeastern direction toward Kassel.
On March 30, Grow’s tankers saw firsthand the evidence of Nazi cruelty. The division’s newspaper, Armored Attacker, reported that the 6th came across a camp of 900 Hungarian Jewish women near Homburg, a town about 22 miles southwest of Kassel:
“Most of the 900 had been working in munitions and poisonous-gas factories under incredibly hard slave-labor conditions. For months they had received only one bowl of water-like soup and two pieces of bread per day, wore wooden shoes and burlap-like garments, and had no soap with which to wash. The women were under the strict control of SS troops, who shaved their heads…. The most horrible part of the story concerned the treatment received by the women who became too ill to work. They were disrobed, thrown on trucks with the already dead and their fate then became unknown.”
Even this initial encounter with evil did not fully prepare the men of the division for what they would discover in just a fortnight.
Extermination, or “Liberation”? How Heinrich Himmler Tried to Cover His Tracks
For the leaders of the Third Reich, the writing on the wall spoke very clearly about a bad end looming for them. The SS chief, Heinrich Himmler, was especially worried about his fate if the Allies should capture him. The trail of blood and ashes from millions of victims of the SS led directly to his doorstep, and he began to think of ways he might be able to escape the hangman’s noose.
One thing he could do, he believed, was to try and cover up the magnitude of his and the SS’s crimes. To accomplish that, he had but two choices: either murder all of the remaining inmates of the concentration and death camps and dispose of their bodies, or open the gates of the camps, march the inmates out, and allow the Allies to find only empty barracks.
SS guards in formation for inspection. The parade ground today is the Buchenwald Memorial’s parking lot.
The problem with the first option was simply that Nazi Germany was running out of time. No matter how efficient the Nazis’ mass murder system had become, it would still take weeks, and possibly even months, to kill the hundreds of thousands of people still in the camps and working at slave-labor jobs, and then burn or bury the corpses.
Himmler feared, and rightly so, that Nazi Germany no longer had weeks or months left to take care of such an enormous task. Added to this problem was the fact that the extermination facilities in Poland were no longer in existence, all of them having either been abandoned or captured by the advancing Red Army.
The second option seemed much more workable. The camps could be evacuated and the inmates marched into the countryside where, devoid of food and medical care, they would begin to die in droves. If Allied armies came across the bodies, Himmler’s excuse could be that the inmates had escaped from the camps and, without the care offered by their SS warders, died on their own.
If liberating units came close to a group of inmates on the march, the prisoners could be killed en masse by their guards, who would then shed their uniforms and disappear into the woods. No witnesses, no prosecution. Perhaps a case could even be made that the Allied troops had gunned down the inmates, either on purpose or by accident.
TOP: Trying to save his own skin, Heinrich Himmler, head of the SS, had the camps evacuated in a failed attempt to cover his crimes. ABOVE: Karl Otto Koch, the camp’s first commandant, and Ilse Koch, his equally notorious wife, play with their children at home on the camp’s grounds.
Yes, this was the only way Himmler believed he could save himself. And one of the first camps he ordered emptied was a slave-labor camp known as Ohrdruf-Nord Stalag III, located near the quaint, attractive Thuringian town of Ohrdruf, founded in the eighth century by Saint Boniface, about 30 miles west of Weimar.
Ohrdruf: from Johann Sebastian Bach to The Nazi’s “S-III”
In 1625, the 10-year-old Johann Sebastian Bach came to live with his brother in the town, play the organ, and compose music at the Church of Saint Michael. During the 1800s, Ohrdruf became a center for the manufacture of toys (such as the Kewpie doll), as well as the site of a military training ground (Truppenübungsplatz) that was created to prepare troops for the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871.
In the late 1930s, the military facilities at Ohrdruf were home to a modest underground Wehrmacht communications center called Amt 10 (“Office 10”), which had been started but not completed some five and a half miles east-southeast of Ohrdruf in the limestone cliffs of a valley known as the Jonastal. It became one of the Nazis’ major underground construction projects—Sonderbauvorhaben III, or S-III.
Highly secret and well guarded, S-III was a huge, multi-level tunnel system with some shafts more than 1½ miles in length, hidden using shaft entrances disguised to look like chalets.
Owing to the severe aerial pounding that Berlin and other German cities were taking from American and British bombers, S-III was greatly expanded beginning in the summer of 1944, in anticipation that Hitler and the Nazi high command might need to relocate there. Doing the expanding and upgrading were 1,000 slave laborers from KL (for Konzentrationslager, or concentration camp) Buchenwald.
What the Buchenwald Concentration Camp Was Used for
To house the slave work force, the Buchenwald sub-camp of Ohrdruf-Nord Stalag III was established in October 1944. By the end of January 1945, some 12,000 slave laborers were crammed into this small camp.
Given the severity of the work, brutal treatment at the hands of their guards, and their meager diet—not to mention work site accidents—prisoners died in droves. During his war crimes trial, SS physician Dr. Werner Greunuss testified that some 15-20 percent of the inmates died or were killed during his time at Ohrdruf.
There was still much confusion in Berlin as to what should be done with the bloated camps and their inmates. Himmler still dithered, continually suffering from second thoughts, changes of mind, and agonizing stomach cramps. In an effort to prove that he wasn’t a heartless monster, Himmler issued an order to the camp commandants to spare all still living Jewish camp prisoners, including giving them sufficient rations and providing all necessary medical care to keep them alive.
On March 20, 1945, Oswald Pohl, head of the economic administration of the SS, visited Buchenwald, located high on a hill known as the Ettersberg overlooking Weimar, and reiterated to the commandant, Hermann Pister, Himmler’s earlier order to spare Jewish prisoners. But time was running out.
The March from Ohrdruf to Buchenwald
On March 23, the British and Canadians crossed the northern Rhine in Operation Plunder. Heinz Guderian, one of the last generals Hitler could trust, went to the Führer, tried to explain the rapidly deteriorating military situation, and pleaded with him to conclude an armistice with the Western Allies. Hitler fired him on the spot.
The next day the largest and most successful airborne and glider operation of the war—Operation Varsity—took place in the vicinity of Wesel, Germany.
Three days later, from its last remaining launch site near The Hague in Belgium, Germany fired its final salvo of V-2 ballistic missiles; hundreds of other sites had already been overrun or wiped out by aerial attacks. Guderian’s warnings proved to be true; before the month was over, Soviet troops were pressing Germany in the East and the Americans and British were about to encircle the Ruhr.
Like Himmler, Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels realized that the Allied discovery of the camps would mean death for the Nazi leadership if they were caught. In early April, he noted, “I fear that the concentration camps have grown a bit above Himmler’s head. Just suppose that these camps should be overrun by the enemy in their present condition. What an outcry would be heard.”
Unaware that they would soon liberate the Nazi slave labor camp at Ohrdruf, three 4th Armored Division tankers (left) take a break while another Sherman rolls past, March 1945.
Himmler knew he faced Hitler’s wrath—or worse—by countermanding his Führer’s orders, and his nervous condition also deteriorated, but this was the only straw worth grasping. Himmler began secret negotiations with Count Folke Bernadotte, vice-president of the Swedish Red Cross.
He arranged for the removal of Danish and Norwegian prisoners at the Mittelbau-Dora camp, where the V-2s were assembled. They would be transported to Neuengamme, where the Swedish Red Cross would look after them, then three transports filled with a total of 2,900 inmates departed for Bergen-Belsen where, presumably, they were killed.
At the beginning of April, nearly 10,000 prisoners were marched from Ohrdruf to Buchenwald. Those judged too sick or infirm to make the three-day, 30-mile march were either shot or beaten to death by the guards. Only a few hundred prisoners remained behind.
Time Runs Out for the Nazi Command
Hermann Pister, the Buchenwald commandant, was also worried that if the Americans, British, or Soviets showed up before evidence of their crimes could be erased, every German associated with the camp would be summarily executed. Such an ending must not be allowed to happen.
A roll call taken on April 1 showed a total of 80,813 inmates assigned to the Buchenwald concentration camp, with approximately 34,000 of that number working off-site at sub-camps (such as Ohrdruf) and armaments works.
Himmler gave orders to the camp commandants to halt the evacuations and executions of prisoners and leave the camps intact for the Allies to liberate. It was an order that did not long remain in force, for American troops were coming dangerously close to the hell holes of Mittelbau-Dora, Ohrdruf, and Buchenwald, and Himmler suddenly lost his nerve, deciding not to countermand Hitler’s wishes.
Here the historical record gets confused. According to Himmler’s biographers Roger Manvell and Heinrich Fraenkel, “[Ernst] Kaltenbrunner [the head of the RSHA, Reich Security Main Office] had ordered the wholesale evacuation of Buchenwald which began, probably without Himmler’s knowledge, on 3 April. Himmler, says [Walter] Schellenberg, stopped the evacuation on 10 April as soon as he learned of it from the son of the Swiss President, Jean-Marie Musi, to whom on 7 April he had given his word that Buchenwald should be left intact for the Allied liberation, a promise intended to impress General Eisenhower in Himmler’s favour.”
Schellenberg’s intervention, however, came too late—the evacuation had already begun, and tens of thousands of prisoners were trudging the countryside on forced marches under armed guard.
The Situation with Patton’s Forces
Before the battle to take Mühlhausen began on April 4, XX Corps’ General Grow received an order from Patton to change his direction. The 6th Armored was to advance “with all possible speed and take the cities of Weimar and Erfurt.” The 4th Armored would also head toward Gotha.
Accompanying the 6th Armored was the 80th Infantry Division, while the 76th Infantry Division was paired with 4th Armored.
Of the two infantry divisions assigned to accompany the tankers, only the 80th could be considered an experienced outfit. Maj. Gen. Horace L. McBride’s “Blue Ridge” boys had entered Europe at Utah Beach in August 1944 then proceeded to fight their way eastward with barely a break in the action.
Like the 4th and 6th Armored Divisions, the 80th was hurled against the German breakthrough during the Battle of the Bulge and contributed to restoring the shattered American front lines.
By contrast, Maj. Gen. William R. Schmidt’s 76th Infantry Division had been in combat only since early February 1945. Although it had seen a few skirmishes, the 76th was still relatively new to the rigors of combat and the horrors of war.
Assisting these units in a mopping-up role were Maj. Gen. Frank L. Culin, Jr.’s 87th and Maj. Gen. Thomas D. Finley’s 89th Infantry Divisions. The 87th had not seen its first action until December 8, 1944, near Metz, France, but was in the thick of fighting at the end of December during the Battle of the Bulge. The division also was engaged in the U.S. Army’s attempts to crack Germany’s vaunted West Wall—the so-called Siegfried Line.
The least experienced of the Third Army’s combat divisions heading eastward was the 89th Infantry Division. Although it did not arrive in Europe until January 1945 and did not receive its baptism of fire until March 11, the 89th was champing at the bit, eager to meet the enemy.
Would Patton Go to Ohrdruf?
The American military machine was making good progress across Germany on its drive to link up with the Soviets at the Elbe River. But 12th Army Group commander Omar Bradley considered slowing down or halting Patton’s Third Army to prevent a salient from forming while at the same time pushing Courtney Hodges’s First Army to catch up with Patton’s forward elements and straighten the front line.
A translator shows Patton, Bradley, and Eisenhower how Ohrdruf prisoners were tortured on a whipping table, April 13, 1945. Ike would order U.S. units to visit the camps, saying, “We are told that the American soldier does not know what he is fighting for. Now, at least, he will know what he is fighting against.”
Patton was told to halt, but the 12th Army Group then received intelligence obtained from a German officer deserter regarding a vast underground German communications center at Ohrdruf. The details were sketchy but enticing, and when First Army reported that it would be unable to reach the line of the Third Army’s advance any time soon, Bradley gave Patton the go ahead to push on to Ohrdruf.
Patton recalled, “[Bradley] had a plan for the capture of the German communication center in the vicinity of Gotha, Erfurt, Weimar, and Ohrdruf, which, when he explained it to me, seemed full of promise…. We explained the idea of the rapid advance on the Weimar Quadrilateral—Eddy on the right, Walker on the left [and Middleton in reserve]. I told them they would have the greatest chance in history to make names for themselves, and to get moving.”
Apparently nothing, however, was then known about a possible slave-labor camp at Ohrdruf. Most of the U.S. Army and the American public at large had been kept in the dark about the existence of concentration or extermination camps. Buchenwald and Ohrdruf had been two of 40,000 slave-labor, concentration, and extermination camps the Germans had operated since 1933, the year Hitler and his Nazi Party had come to power.
Atrocities Too Terrible for the American Public to Be Believed
Of course, there had been news reports in the New York Times as early as March 1933 that the Hitler regime was persecuting certain segments of its population, especially Jews. At that time, a series of measures adopted overwhelmingly in 1935 by the Reichstag (Parliament), called the Nuremberg Laws, had stripped every German Jew of virtually every right he or she once enjoyed. Their homes and businesses were taken from them, and onerous restrictions were placed on their everyday activities.
But the vast numbers of skeptical Americans (and Britons too, for that matter) regarded such reports as unfounded rumors designed to whip up anti-German sentiment as had happened during World War I.
And so, as Hitler’s armies began overrunning one country after another, the tales became even more fantastic—Russian villages wiped clean of their Jewish inhabitants, cities like Warsaw, where Jews were herded into overcrowded ghettos and guarded by armed soldiers, and special camps established where thousands of Jews and other political prisoners could be kept under lock and key. There were even rumors of experiments in mass murder.
Even the Soviet discovery, in January 1945, of an extermination factory at a place called Auschwitz in Poland was widely viewed with skepticism. It all seemed to be too terrible, too fantastic to be believed.
Forced to attend the burial of inmates who died at the Wöbbelin concentration camp near Ludwigslust, German civilians display a variety of emotions. The camp was liberated by the US. 8th Infantry and 82nd Airborne Divisions on May 2.
An 89th Recon Troop officer reported that his men entered Ohrdruf-Nord Stalag III on April 4, 1945, and “saw first-hand the horror of life in a Nazi concentration camp. In addition to finding the communications center, the Americans began pouring into [the camp], which was still littered with corpses. We radioed our troop headquarters for instructions and were told to remain there, keeping the inmates contained (this was hardly necessary, as most were in their bunks, hardly able to walk) while headquarters contacted the infantry to relieve us.” It took nearly three more hours before the 3rd Battalion of the 355th Infantry arrived and took control of the situation.
Low-Tech Genocide
Among the first GIs to enter the camp was Sol R. Brandell, a scout with the 355th Infantry Regiment’s Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon. He saw a small building with a sign, Krankenhaus—Achtung: Typhus (“Hospital—Warning: Typhus”) and went inside, only to be greeted by the sight and smell of “about 12 or 13 bodies lying in two-high wooden bunks and emitting the worst stench of rotten flesh, blood, and feces that I had ever before encountered—so intense that it stopped my breath and I had to escape to the outdoors, which didn’t smell as bad.”
After regaining his composure, Brandell went on a cursory inspection of the camp, coming across an immense pit that contained what he estimated to be the bodies of 6,000 to 7,000 naked corpses (a former inmate said there were 9,000 bodies), covered with a thin dusting of quick-lime.
Stanley N. Hodson, a private in the 355th Infantry, wandered over to another large pit, this one crisscrossed with a grid of warped steel rails and blackened logs on which burned bodies were still visible.
Hodson said, “There were long poles with steel hooks on them used for turning the bodies over. Even so, they didn’t do a good job. The bodies were still there, some only charred, some half burnt. Off to one side some graves were dug.”
The after-action report of Combat Command A, 4th Armored Division described the camp this way: “When the troops entered, they found 29 bodies on the ground in front of the administration building. A short distance away was a gallows and not far beyond it a shed in which 52 naked bodies were stacked in tiers of four, covered with what appeared to be powdered lime.
“They apparently had been awaiting transportation to pits in the forest where between two and three thousand others had been buried during the six months the camp had existed. Most had died of disease, but most also had marks on their faces and heads and bruises on their bodies. A third group of nine charred torsos lay among ashes under a rough incinerator made of railroad ties and rails. Those in front of the administration building were the most recently dead––all shot in the back of the neck.
“Ohrdruf-Nord had no gas chamber or high-performance crematorium. The deaths there were caused by disease and neglect, helped along by overwork and brutality…. In the succeeding days the guards had marched those who could walk away to the east…. A dozen men had hidden in the camp buildings and survived to tell about the last days at Ohrdruf-Nord and to identify the dead…”
Colonel Hayden A. Sears, commander of the 4th Armored’s Combat Command A, ordered 25 citizens of Ohrdruf to visit the concentration camp the next day “to view the ghastly scene left by their army. Forty-six [SS] prisoners were captured by CC ‘A’ in patrol activities around Ohrdruf. The mayor and his wife, while professing no knowledge of the affairs of the camp, later committed suicide,” Sears said.
The Discovery of the Buchenwald Concentration Camp
In his headquarters at Bad Hersfeld, Germany, Patton was planning the next phase of his drive farther east when he received reports about the discovery of Ohrdruf. Patton telephoned Bradley, who later wrote, “Third Army had overrun Ohrdruf, the first of the Nazi death camps … and George insisted that we view it. He said, ‘Brad, you’ll never believe how bastardly these Krauts can be until you’ve seen this pesthole yourself.’”
Plans were made for Patton, Bradley, Eisenhower, and other top brass to visit Ohrdruf-Nord on April 12. The day before that happened, however, another, even larger concentration camp—KL Buchenwald—was accidentally discovered.
Patton ordered 1,000 Weimar civilians to tour Buchenwald. Here the group stares in dumbstruck horror at a truckload of corpses outside the crematorium, April 16, 1945. Many civilians claimed ignorance of what was happening in the camps.
On April 11, as a small, advance patrol from the 6th Armored Division, led by Captain Frederic Keffer, headed toward Weimar and was approaching the western outskirts at a village called Hottelstedt, they were fired upon by a group of SS soldiers. A brief firefight took place and then the SS broke contact.
No sooner had the skirmish ended than a small group of bedraggled men came straggling down the road, jabbering in what sounded like Russian. Luckily, a Russian-speaking GI was with Keffer’s group and he told Keffer that a huge concentration camp called Buchenwald was very close.
None of the Americans knew what a concentration camp was, or had even been informed that one was in the vicinity (Army maps did not contain that information), but Keffer was intent on finding it. With the escaped prisoners riding atop Keffer’s armored cars, the group traveled the mile or so from Hottelstedt until they came to a clearing in the forest that ringed the camp.
There, they saw behind barbed wire fences scores of barracks, guard towers, and more than 20,000 men in ragged, striped uniforms rushing toward them and cheering. A hole had been cut in the barbed wire enclosure and, upon entering, the Americans were immediately swarmed by the now-liberated, foul-smelling, deliriously happy inmates, all of them excitedly cheering and babbling in incomprehensible tongues.
Keffer was told the name of the camp, but the name “Buchenwald” had little meaning for him at that time. Suddenly, Keffer found himself lifted off the ground by a score of hands and carried around “on the shoulders of the crowd like a conquering hero.”
He later wrote, “What an incredible greeting that was. I was picked up by arms and legs, thrown in the air, caught, thrown again, caught, thrown, etc., until I had to stop it, I was getting so dizzy. How the men found such a surge of strength in their emaciated condition was one of those bodily wonders in which the spirit sometimes overcomes all weaknesses of the flesh. My, but it was a great day!”
Teenage inmate Louis Gros said that he caught a glimpse of Keffer entering the camp: “He enters at a walking pace. We don’t have the time to discern whether he smiles or not. And why should he smile? In half a tick, we discover that his uniform … his officer’s insignia, shoes, and behavior can belong only to an American. And that one is our liberator, the first to enter the camp, to confirm our state as free men—free and rescued from the Nazi tyranny, definitely!
“Then 12 arms, maybe more, apprehend him, raise and throw him into the air, once, twice, ten times! He literally flies, such as a disjointed puppet until, tired of that exhausting sport, he shouts a forcible ‘Stop!’, which is promptly obeyed. Sensing that scene, I suddenly feel taken by an intense emotion. My tears release irresistibly because they have been repressed for too long a time. I have no shame; never have I felt so alive, so existing, than at that supreme instant!”
At that point, Keffer and his men were informed that, when the sounds of battle erupted from the direction of Hottelstedt, it was the signal for the prisoner revolt to begin. For years, the inmates had been stealing weapons and squirreling them away in anticipation for just this day. When it came, the inmates battled with their SS guards, driving many of them away. The camp was now in possession of the prisoners.
Keffer said, “I was slowly pulled and pushed through the crowd towards a headquarters building. There I met some of the leaders of the prison underground who were now in control. I told them I would radio for medical help and for food, and I requested them not to let the former prisoners, if they could help it, wander far outside the camp and possibly unwittingly interfere with our military progress.”
Lacking medicines or food in his small patrol, Keffer radioed back to his headquarters to tell what he had found and to request help to feed and care for the desperate inmates, many of whom were at death’s door.
Patton, Bradley, and Eisenhower Enter Room #8
The next day, April 12, was one of the most momentous days of the war. It began with a report that American soldiers had discovered a treasure trove of stolen artwork plus the majority of the Nazis’ gold reserves deep inside a vast salt mine at the town of Merkers, some 28 miles west of Gotha.
Patton, Bradley, and Eisenhower flew to Merkers to see firsthand this astounding discovery. A half mile underground, the three generals were escorted to Room #8—a massive cave filled with crates and bags of hundreds of millions of dollars worth of gold bullion, gold coins, platinum, banknotes, plus bags and boxes of gold wedding rings and gold teeth yanked from the mouths of the victims of the camps before they were fed into the ovens.
Following Eisenhower’s orders, an American unit enters Buchenwald to see firsthand the evidence of the crimes that the Nazis had committed.
In an adjacent room, stacked in rows, were thousands of precious works of art that the Nazis had looted from hundreds of museums and galleries throughout occupied Europe.
After spending several hours underground, the generals returned to sunlight and, at the insistence of Walton Walker, headed to Ohrdruf. Patton said, “We drove to Ohrdruf and visited the first horror camp any of us had ever seen.”
The moment Ike, Bradley, Patton, Walker, their entourages, and a phalanx of photographers stepped through Ohrdruf’s barbed-wire gate, they sensed something sinister about the place: scores of filthy, ugly barracks, watched over by empty guard towers. Everywhere were scattered the emaciated remains of human beings—hundreds of them.
Eisenhower wrote in his memoirs, “I have never felt able to describe my emotional reactions when I first came face to face with indisputable evidence of Nazi brutality and ruthless disregard of every shred of decency. Up to that time I had known about it [the Holocaust] only generally or through secondary sources. I am certain, however, that I have never at any other time experienced an equal sense of shock.”
“It was the most appalling sight imaginable,” noted Patton. “A man who said he was one of the former inmates acted as impresario and showed us first the gallows, where men were hanged for attempting to escape…. Our guide then took us to the whipping table…. The [inmate’s] feet were placed in stocks on the ground and the man was pulled over the table, which was slightly hollowed, and held by two guards, while he was beaten across the back and loins. The stick which they said had been used, and which had some blood on it, was bigger than the handle of a pick. Our guide claimed that he himself had received 25 blows with this tool.
“It later developed that he was not a prisoner at all, but one of the executioners. General Eisenhower must have suspected it, because he asked the man very pointedly how he could be so fat. He was found dead the next morning, killed by some of the inmates….”
Patton also noted that, at the approach of the American Army, “the Germans thought it expedient to remove the evidence of their crimes. They therefore used the inmates to exhume the recently buried bodies and to build a sort of mammoth griddle of railway tracks laid on a brick foundation. The bodies were piled on this and they attempted to burn them. The attempt was a bad failure…. In the pit itself were arms and legs and portions of bodies sticking out of the green water which partially filled it.”
Through the camp the generals and their entourage continued, dumbfounded, outraged, one horrific scene followed by another that was even worse. “We were spared nothing,” said Colonel Charles R. Codman, Patton’s aide-de-camp. “The gallows … the whipping racks, the butcher’s block for the cleaving of jaws and smashing out of gold fillings.
“The general officers present all are men who have seen much of life in the raw, yet never on any human faces have I witnessed such horror and disgust. At one point General Patton frankly disappeared behind the corner of a building and was violently sick to his stomach.”
“Enough to Make Strong Men Weep—and Some American Officers Did so Unabashedly.”
Patton, the controversial firebrand commander of the U.S. Third Army, known as “Old Blood and Guts”—an officer who once inspired his troops in battle by telling them to grease the treads of their tanks with the intestines of German soldiers—could not stomach what he saw at Ohrdruf.
“He went off to a corner thoroughly sick,” wrote Robert D. Murphy, diplomat and senior political adviser to Eisenhower, who accompanied the group. “The inmates liberated by our forces were skeletons…. It was enough to make strong men weep—and some American officers did so unabashedly.”
An American congressional delegation views bodies left stacked outside the Buchenwald crematorium, April 21, 1945. A group of American newspaper and magazine editors also visited and reported on the camp.
The average 4th Armored Division GI who saw the horrors of Ohrdruf also had something to say about them. Sergeant Peter A. Belpulsi said, “It made me vomit.” Pfc. Richard C. Lukehart noted, “It was horror beyond belief.” After the war, T/3 Norman Sue said that so few people believed the scenes of degradation he described that he stopped trying to describe them.
At one point during the tour, a young American enlisted man accidentally bumped into a former Ohrdruf guard and laughed nervously. Codman wrote, “General Eisenhower fixed [the GI] with a cold eye and when he spoke, each word was like the drop off an icicle. ‘Still having trouble hating them?’” Ike asked.
When the revolting, stomach-churning tour of the abattoir was concluded, Ike turned grimly to the others and said, “I want every American unit not actually in the front lines to see this place. We are told that the American soldier does not know what he is fighting for. Now, at least, he will know what he is fighting against.”
U.S. Navy Captain Harry C. Butcher, Eisenhower’s naval aide, noted, “Ike said he had forced himself to see the bodies, as he wanted to be able to have firsthand evidence to combat anyone in the future who would say that stories of the atrocities were ‘propaganda.’”
Weak, terribly emaciated, and unable to stand, two liberated inmates can only stare blankly at the camera.
Butcher said, “I told him I thought we should give responsible people at home an opportunity to see the ghastly scenes for themselves. He is planning to ask the War Department to select a group of editors and publishers to visit the camps.”
Eisenhower did just that. He wrote to General George C. Marshall, the Army Chief of Staff in Washington, D.C.: “The things I saw [at Ohrdruf] beggar description…. I made the visit deliberately, in order to be in a position to give firsthand evidence of these things if ever, in the future, there develops a tendency to charge these allegations merely to propaganda.”
War correspondent Meyer Levin, accompanying the high-ranking officers, wrote, “We had known this. The world had vaguely heard. But until now, no one of us had looked on this…. It was as though we had penetrated at last to the center of the black heart, to the very crawling inside of the vicious heart.”
Codman’s Account of Buchenwald
And, as if the discoveries of Ohrdruf and Merkers weren’t enough for one day, there was still one more bombshell remaining. Late that night, back at his headquarters, Patton noticed that his watch had stopped. Before going to bed, he turned on the BBC broadcast to get the correct time and heard the news that the American president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, had died that day.
With most of the news taken up with the coverage of FDR’s death, the story of the Buchenwald concentration camp’s liberation was “buried” deep inside the New York Times’ April 13 edition. Until that day, the name and even the existence of Buchenwald was, arguably, unknown to most Americans.
Ike sent communiqués to both Washington and London, “urging the two governments to send instantly to Germany a random group of newspaper editors and representative groups from the national legislatures. I felt that the evidence should be immediately placed before the American and British publics in a fashion that would leave no room for cynical doubt.”
Now a new report came into Patton’s headquarters. Patton had just heard about Buchenwald and he steeled himself to visit it. In a letter to his wife Bea, he wrote, “Ohrdruf was the first, and all of us prayed the last, concentration camp any of us would ever see. No such luck. Within 48 hours, XX Corps had overrun a far bigger one north of Weimar, the notorious Buchenwald….”
Upon receiving word of the 6th Armored’s discovery atop the Ettersberg, Patton ordered his aide, Colonel Codman, to alert hospital teams to the situation, get food up the hill, then get himself to Buchenwald immediately and return with a full report. Codman made the calls, arranged for some photographers, and then, accompanied by the Third Army’s French liaison officer, drove to Weimar as fast as possible.
The two men passed through the rubble-strewn streets of Weimar then headed up the “Blood Road” to the camp. Codman saw the main gate to the prisoner enclosure—the punishment “bunker” and wooden tower from which a black flag flew, erected by the inmates on April 13 when they received the news of Roosevelt’s death—describing the gate thusly: “If you didn’t know what it was, you might take it for the entrance to a third-rate amusement park.”
Buchenwald primarily held only men and boys. Here a group of children is marched out of the camp but, because most of their parents were dead and their homes gone, they face an unknown future.
Once inside the camp, Codman and the French liaison officer were met by a greeting party of high-ranking French officers—political prisoners who had been incarcerated for “crimes against the Reich.” The two visitors were shown the crematorium and, outside it, a wagon stacked with 30 or 40 naked corpses. Codman noted, “Prisoners who died from ‘natural causes’ were simply carted into the ground floor of the crematory proper and tossed into six coke ovens, in which are still to be seen the charred remains of the last overhasty and incomplete job that the arrival of our troops interrupted.”
Codman then described what he was told about the fate that awaited those who were brought in for execution: “Here, according to eyewitnesses … were brought prisoners condemned of capital crimes—for example, attempting to escape, insubordination, stealing a potato, smiling in ranks—usually in groups of 20 or so at a time.
“They were lined up against the walls [in the basement] each one under a hook fixed at a height of about eight feet from the floor…. A short, slip-noose was placed about the neck of the condemned, who was then raised by the guards the distance necessary to affix the end of the noose to the hook.” The dead inmate was then placed on an elevator that lifted him directly to the ovens.
Codman and the French liaison officer were then guided to the killing chamber of Block 61 to witness the conditions there, where they found some inmates who were still alive. “An emaciated specter of a man who had managed to get to the latrine and back was attempting to crawl up onto the first shelf [of the bunk bed],” wrote Codman. “It was only three feet from the floor, but he could not make it…. Two of the inmates who accompanied us picked him up by the shoulders and placed him on the shelf. So much for Barrack 61. Barrack 47 was like it, but frankly, I hadn’t the stomach.”
Ghastly human remains fill one in the crematorium’s six ovens.
Fluent in French, Codman conferred with a number of now freed French inmates about their experiences and came away sickened at the violence, the sadism, the diabolical methods of torture, the sheer inhumanity that had reigned supreme at the camp.
After returning to headquarters, he wrote to his wife, “I have taken a bath, changed my clothes, smoked two packs of cigarettes, but the overpowering moral and physical stench of Barrack 61 remains in my nostrils—the sour-sweet stench of death, dysentery, and despair. Perhaps it is meant to.”
On the same day of the Army brass visit to Ohrdruf, April 12, members of the 2nd Battalion of the 80th Division’s 319th Infantry Regiment marched into Weimar’s destroyed main square. Two thousand citizens were there, many waving and cheering as though they were being liberated, while a few hard liners turned their backs on their conquerors. The Weimar police force also lined up in the streets and turned over their weapons to the Yanks. From the windows and balconies of Weimar’s shattered buildings, where once Nazi flags were proudly draped, there fluttered only white flags of surrender.
After learning about the existence of the Buchenwald concentration camp, about 60 soldiers from the 80th Infantry Division arrived and probed into the camp, where they encountered hundreds of children—dirty, ragged, emaciated but still alive. Somehow the adult inmates had hidden them for months in anticipation of just this day.
One historian wrote, “The soldiers went from barracks to barracks until they reached Barracks number 66. What they saw there magnified their horror. Hundreds of children, all boys, silently gazed at them with huge, deep-set eyes from faces resembling those of elderly men. They were Jewish children from Poland and Hungary aged eight to twenty.”
The American commander sent out a message to higher headquarters: “Have found a thousand Jewish children in Buchenwald. Take immediate measures to evacuate them.”
An ex-inmate points out for his liberators an SS guard who had brutally abused prisoners. Many camp personnel escaped justice after the war.
The 80th Division supply officer was also directed to procure as many blankets as possible for the freed inmates of Buchenwald. Plenty of food was also found in the camp larder: 3,000 loaves of bread, 150 tons of potatoes, 30 to 40 tons of rye grits, and 30 tons of margarine. Additionally, the clothing warehouse contained a large supply of shoes and clothing.
The soldiers looked at the abundance stored at Buchenwald and then at the emaciated prisoners in their filthy, worn-out rags and wooden shoes, and just shook their heads in anger at the incomprehensible unfairness of it all. Someone would have to pay for this, they vowed.
“Animated Mummies”
Three days later, Patton traveled to Weimar, where he planned to set up his next headquarters, but first he wanted to see Buchenwald. Although he knew that it would make him sick again, he, along with Walton Walker, commander of XX Corps, were taken by jeep up to see the camp atop the Ettersberg.
No matter how revolted he had been by Ohrdruf, Patton noted in his memoirs that the Buchenwald concentration camp “was apparently much worse than the one at Ohrdruf.”
“This camp was in the vicinity of a factory largely engaged in the construction of parts for the V-1 bomb [actually, it was the V-2] and of artillery caisson,” Patton wrote, “and is a monument to the accurate bombing of our air force [on August 24, 1944], because they completely eliminated the factory without putting a single bomb in the camp, which was contiguous.”
Patton also visited the barracks, an experience that thoroughly repulsed him. “I walked through two buildings,” he said, “each with four tiers of bunks on a side. The bunks were at right angles to the gangway and were built so that they sloped slightly toward the front, and so that the fecal matter and other refuse left by the prisoners trickled down under their chins onto the floor, which was at least three inches deep in filth when I went through.”
He also observed that the inmates “looked like feebly animated mummies and seemed to be of the same level of intelligence.” Patton was also escorted to see the crematorium and all its attendant horrors. In the six industrial ovens, there remained evidence of human cremation. Outside the building was a large pile of remains and another stack of bodies that were supposed to have been burned, but the ovens had run out of fuel.
Medical “Research” Conducted on Unwilling Participants
Patton said that his guides also pointed out to him that in Buchenwald, there were a number of eminent physicians whose role was to conduct pseudo-scientific medical research on living inmates.
Patton wrote, “One case was reported in which 800 slaves had been inoculated with an anti-typhus vaccine and then infected with the typhus bug. Of the 800, some 700 died, and the experiment was considered unsatisfactory.” Other experiments tested spotted fever and yellow fever serums and cures for cholera and gas edema.
In fact, Buchenwald had been only one of the Nazis’ primary medical-research centers. The other major concentration camps that were venues for horrendous experiments included Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen, Dachau, Natzweiler, Treblinka, Ravensbrück, and Sachsenhausen.
Chosen—or volunteering—to conduct the experiments were some of Germany’s leading scientists and doctors from the country’s major hospitals, clinics, institutes, and universities.
All of the experiments were conducted on human guinea pigs—either concentration camp inmates or Soviet prisoners of war—often performed without anesthesia. In addition to the typhus studies, the doctors at the Buchenwald concentration camp used the inmates for experiments such as judging the effectiveness of poisons, or determining what medications best treated serious wounds and burns.
The internal organs of hundreds of victims from these experiments were kept in jars of formaldehyde in Buchenwald’s pathology department. It is said that more than 30,000 organs were thus preserved. Patton was more than revolted by what he saw: he was also incredibly angry.
An anonymous XX Corps corporal recalled seeing Patton leaving the camp: “[Patton] sat stony-faced as he passed by. We found ourselves inside the camp. All about us, the starved, ragged inmates presented a sad picture. We met an English-speaking inmate who guided us. He took us to a barracks where, in bunks, lay the emaciated moribund, those who were obviously dying. It was a macabre scene I can never forget.”
Remembering that Colonel Hayden Sears of the 4th Armored Division had ordered Ohrdruf civilians to tour the camp in their town, Patton decided to do the same in Weimar. He ordered Erich Kloss, the city’s acting mayor, to his headquarters late on April 15 and said that he wanted a thousand citizens to gather the next day and make the five-mile march up the Ettersberg and tour the camp. Now freed inmates would be their tour guides.
Patton also called Eisenhower and “suggested he send senior representatives of the press and photographers to get the horrid details. General Eisenhower not only did this, but also got congressmen to come over.”
He also followed up his phone call with a letter to Ike: “We have found at a place four miles north of Weimar a similar camp, only much worse [than Ohrdruf]. The normal [inmate] population was 25,000, and they died at the rate of about a hundred a day.…
“I told the press to go up there and see it, and then write as much about it as they could. I also called General Bradley last night and suggested that you send selected individuals from the upper strata of the press to look at it, so that you can build another page of the necessary evidence as to the brutality of the Germans.”
On April 16, the thousand Weimar citizens walked through the camp’s main gate. Laid out before them were tables of human organs in jars of formaldehyde, lampshades made from tattooed human skin, and shrunken heads. They were shown torture devices and the gallows. They saw grotesque piles of naked corpses. They were shown the bones of cremated inmates still in the ovens, and mounds of ash that had once been human bones. They were spared nothing. Many citizens broke down crying, while others turned away, refusing to look.
“If I’ve Offended You by this Rather Mild Account of Buchenwald, I’m Not the Least Sorry. I Was There.”
For the next several weeks—even before the final surrender of Germany on May 8, 1945—Buchenwald became a tourist attraction, with the corpses still on display. Based on Ike’s request, George Marshall set in motion visits by U.S. congressmen, senators, and newspaper publishers and editors; the British also sent a parliamentary delegation.
After their tour, the British parliamentary delegation reported, “Such camps as this mark the lowest point of degradation to which humanity has yet descended. The memory of what we saw and heard at Buchenwald will haunt us ineffaceably for many years.”
The next official delegation came from Washington, D.C., on April 21 as part of a group of six senators who had flown to Europe to visit three camps—Buchenwald, Nordhausen, and Dachau. They were followed by 12 members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
The congressional delegation was shaken by what they had seen. Representative John Kunkel told the press, “If you tried to tell the actual facts, you’d get into a story of obscenity and filth that would be unprintable.” Representative Henry Jackson remarked, “We heard atrocity stories from the last war that were not verified, but now we have seen them with our own eyes and they are the most sordid I have ever imagined.” Clare Booth Luce commented, “No one wants to believe these things, but it is important that people know they’re true.”
In this haunting photo by Life magazine photographer Margaret Bourke-White, Buchenwald survivors appear to be, as the original caption said, “staring out at their Allied rescuers like so many living corpses.”
The visit of congressional delegations was followed by a group of a dozen newspaper and magazine publishers, who came on April 24. LIFE magazine photographer Margaret Bourke-White, as well as Army Signal Corps lensmen, arrived to permanently record the scenes of horror.
Joseph Pulitzer III, publisher of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, said that he had gone to Europe in a skeptical frame of mind, expecting to find many of the terrible reports already relayed by war correspondents exaggerations and largely propaganda.
“It is my grim duty to report,’ Pulitzer wrote, “that the descriptions of the horrors … have given less than the whole truth. The fiendishness of these operations defies description.” He later said that all of Germany’s surviving members of the general staff, Gestapo, SS, and industrialists should be executed “with Army bullets through their heads”—even if it meant killing a million and a half Germans.
Edward R. Murrow, the esteemed radio correspondent, was also there and was unsparing in his descriptions of what he encountered. He told his listeners, “As I entered, I was surrounded by men who tried to lift me up on their shoulders…. They were too weak. Many of them could not even get out of bed. I was told that this building had once accommodated 80 horses. Now there were 1,200 human beings in it, five to every sleeping space. The stench was beyond imagination…
“I pray you to believe what I have said about Buchenwald. I have reported what I saw, but only part of it. For most of it, I have no words…. If I’ve offended you by this rather mild account of Buchenwald, I’m not the least sorry. I was there.”
Although 1945 was less than four months old, 13,969 prisoners had already died that year in Buchenwald, while more than 12,000 had perished on the evacuation marches into the countryside.
American officers tried to determine the exact number of persons who died during Buchenwald’s nearly eight years of operation, but it was no easy task. According to SS documents, 33,462 died in Buchenwald and another 23,083 in Buchenwald’s satellite camps. Normally fastidious record-keepers, the Nazis were obviously overwhelmed by the task of recording so many deaths and became sloppy in their accounting practices.
Among those executed before 1944, thousands were listed as “transferred to the Gestapo,” their true number and fate unknown. After 1941, more than 8,000 Soviet POWs were executed en masse and anonymously; their names were not even recorded. Furthermore, prisoners arriving from other camps and selected for immediate execution were not entered into the camp registers.
The commandant, Hermann Pister, was captured by the Allies and put on trial for war crimes. Sentenced to death, he cheated the hangman by dying of a heart attack. The camp’s first commandant, Karl Otto Koch, was executed by an SS firing squad on April 5, 1945, for corruption and embezzlement. His wife, Ilse Koch, implicated in the tattooed human-skin artifacts scandal, was sentenced to life in prison but committed suicide in 1967.
Finally, once the official visits were over, the corpses were removed from the camp and buried at the top of the Ettersberg, where the Americans also forced some 200 Germans to dig seven large mass graves, disinter 500 decomposed corpses, and rebury them. An American officer overseeing the burial detail had little pity on the Germans, who were complaining of the heat and the stench. “Dig, you sons of bitches,” is all he told them.
Patton probably would have said the same thing.
This article is adapted from the author’s 2014 book, Buchenwald: Hell on a Hilltop.
How Politics, Blunders, and Betrayal in the European Theater Shaped the Postwar Order
WWII Concentration Camps: The Horrific Discovery at Buchenwald
How Capitalism Won WWII: This Is Capitalism and Expert Rob Citino Explain
M26 Pershing: Why America’s Heavy Tank Arrived Too Late for WWII
When the Wehrmacht and American GIs Joined Forces to Fight the Waffen-SS
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Sheikh Mohammed is now one of the most followed leaders on Twitter
Here are just some of his life lessons…
It’s a well-documented fact that HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, has a way with words.
And now according to Burston-Marseller’s Twiplomacy, the account dedicated to twitter stats on government entities, Dubai’s ruler has become the 10th most followed leader on Twitter. His current follower count sits at an impressive 8,430,133 people.
The most followed leader is American President Donald Trump with a staggering 39.7 million followers. At number two is Pope Francis with 39 million followers, and number three is India’s PM Modi with 34 million followers. You can see the full list here.
It’s no surprise that Sheikh Mohammed has made it into the top rankings. Whether he’s delivering an impassioned speech or penning a poem, the leader is known for speaking openly on a variety of issues, both overseas and close to home.
With over 8.4 million followers, @HHShkMohd among the top 10 most followed leaders on @Twitter according to @Twiplomacy pic.twitter.com/dxTi96tk6F
— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) October 6, 2017
On Trump, corruption & more: Sheikh Mohammed gets candid
Sheikh Mohammed to the Arab world: “Seize the day”
In a recent open letter shared to LinkedIn, Sheikh Mohammed said he is often asked about the UAE’s leadership journey and development path – and every now and then, he likes to share some things he’s learned along the way.
So what are Sheikh Mohammed’s most valuable life lessons?
“Life has taught me that change is constant; it is also our best teacher,” the ruler began.
“As the earth changes its seasons, the sky its stars, and the sun and moon move through the horizon, so our life also evolves endlessly.
A post shared by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum (@hhshkmohd) on Feb 18, 2017 at 6:13am PST
“The world waits for no one – those who do not learn and evolve can stumble and often fall. Nations, like people, need change to grow and develop. Some governments live in the past, many struggle with the present – a few are building the future.”
Sheikh Mohammed said life has taught him that a successful government “spends less time playing politics, devising complex strategies and spreading positive stories, and far more investing in the human being.”
Sheikh Mohammed rescued a trio of cyclists stranded in the Dubai desert
Sheikh Mohammed helped this English village save its chapel
“The ultimate success of a nation relies on how government empowers its citizens. The wisdom, success and vision of the government should only be measured, and judged, by its people – a nation’s enduring asset is its citizens.”
A post shared by Khalifa Saeed (@khalifasaeed) on Nov 9, 2016 at 7:15am PST
The leader also had something to say about competition, and how it drives him.
He said: “I never fear competition because competition strengthens, motivates and humbles you. By being humble in times of triumph and success, a leader provides a glowing example to everyone, just like the UAE’s late father and founder Sheikh Zayed.
“This powerful leader spoke gently and listened carefully. He taught me that all people and nations are under God and all wealth is God’s blessing.
“We should treat all people equally, and open our doors willingly to all who seek opportunity.”
As always – bravo, Sheikh Mohammed. You can read his full post on LinkedIn here.
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Quotes on the Role of Openness, P2P and Commons in Education and Learning
1 List of Quotations
1.2.5 Schools need to open up to peer-based learning models
1.2.6 The Learning 2.0 approach
1.2.7 Education is diverging from schooling
1.2.8 Theresa Williamson on The power of peer teaching
1.2.9 John Maloney on the new knowledge leaders
1.2.10 From learning "just in case" to "learning on demand"
1.2.11 Teachers as world-changers
1.2.12 The individual mind is overrated
1.2.13 Learning is Remixing
1.2.14 Openness in Education should be Systemic
1.2.15 The new multi-literate society
1.2.16 The master's (educational) tools can't liberate us
List of Quotations
"Data, and the tools to access and analyze large data sets across professions/industries is already having a huge impact and changing the way decisions are made and industries are developing. I see this increasing tenfold over the next few years particularly as deep learning and advancements in AI continue to progress." - Michelle Robbins [5]
- Christopher Alexander [6]
"Content is no longer a value point. Teaching and accreditation still are, but to a lessor degree than only a decade ago. Individual assessment, teaching, one-on-one consultation and mentorship – those factors that can’t be scaled – serve as the foundation and premise of tomorrow’s education model. Learning analytics serve to give educators information on what’s working and what’s not working. For this reason, analytics tools must be open, embodying the principles of open source movements or the hacker way: iterative, hands on, democratic, open, and transformative." [7]
- Dr Clare W Graves [8]
- Guy Standing [9]
Schools need to open up to peer-based learning models
"When you look at children's learning outside school, it is driven by what they are interested in, which is the direct opposite of school-based learning. For example, in the United States a group of students were interested in Manga, the Japanese animated cartoons. In order to get hold of them before they were due to arrive on the market, this group got together, taught themselves Japanese, subtitling and web streaming, because they were motivated to.
What is the relationship with this idea that education is handing down a general base of knowledge? I think that is one of the tensions.
When you look at learning in the home you see knowledge-building communities. Children can act as teachers, they are allowed to adopt different identities and they are not just learners. They have control over the time of their learning and how long it will take. The school system needs to know a lot more about what is happening outside school in terms of children's passions, interests and abilities than it does at the moment.
We need a shift towards an education system that is about listening to what the learners are bringing into the school situation, as well as thinking about an education system that is pushing things out." (http://communities-dominate.blogs.com/brands/2006/07/smart_learning_.html)
The Learning 2.0 approach
"The traditional approach to e-learning has been to employ the use of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), software that is often cumbersome and expensive - and which tends to be structured around courses, timetables, and testing. That is an approach that is too often driven by the needs of the institution rather than the individual learner. In contrast, e-learning 2.0 (as coined by Stephen Downes) takes a 'small pieces, loosely joined' approach that combines the use of discrete but complementary tools and web services - such as blogs, wikis, and other social software - to support the creation of ad-hoc learning communities." (http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/e-learning_20.php)
Education is diverging from schooling
"Education, the means by which young people learn the skills necessary to succeed in their place and time, is diverging from schooling.
Media-literacy-wise, education is happening now after school and on weekends and when the teacher isn't looking, in the SMS messages, MySpace pages, blog posts, podcasts, videoblogs that technology-equipped digital natives exchange among themselves.
This population is both self-guided and in need of guidance, and although a willingness to learn new media by point-and-click exploration might come naturally to today's student cohort, there's nothing innate about knowing how to apply their skills to the processes of democracy." (http://www.masternewmedia.org/news/2006/11/14/participatory_media_and_the_pedagogy.htm)
Theresa Williamson on The power of peer teaching
"Everybody knows the proverb about how it's better to teach a man to fish than just to give him a fish, but there's a step beyond that: it's better that a man's neighbor is the one teaching him to fish, his peer. If some expert swoops in from afar you miss half the value of the interaction because of the inequality in that relationship. But if it's his peer teaching him? Then the man is much more likely to offer something in return. You are much more likely to create a real sustainable relationship rather than just a new dependency."
Theresa Williamson, Founder, Catalytic Communities (http://www.nextbillion.net/node/1723)
John Maloney on the new knowledge leaders
From http://www.kmcluster.com/ (newsletter, 2004)
"The silent killers of effective knowledge leadership are the pervasive 20th-century traditions of linear, mechanical and reductionist thinking paired with their obsolete managerial behaviours of control, dominance and technocracy.
Top knowledge leaders routinely 'suspend their disbelief' to unlearn their harmful industrial-era habits and models. They learn from the emerging future through authentic conversation. 21st-century knowledge leaders actively pursue external interactions and continuously use genuine action/research networks to their strategic and collaborative advantage."
From learning "just in case" to "learning on demand"
Paul D. Fernhout:
"Ultimately, educational technology's greatest value is in supporting "learning on demand" based on interest or need which is at the opposite end of the spectrum compared to "learning just in case" based on someone else's demand. Compulsory schools don't usually traffic in "learning on demand", for the most part leaving that kind of activity to libraries or museums or the home or business or the "real world". In order for compulsory schools to make use of the best of educational technology and what is has to offer, schools themselves must change." (http://patapata.sourceforge.net/WhyEducationalTechnologyHasFailedSchools.html)
Teachers as world-changers
Clay Burrell:
"Putting "what it is about" in positive terms is more difficult, but here are a few stabs. It's about not being "a Nobody doing anything" when my students are looking for "Somebody doing something" about what they care about. It's about inviting them to discover that they have the power to do something too. It's about being a community leader more, and a teacher less. It's about extending my relationship with these young adults beyond the nine-month term (if church youth group leaders can do it, so can teachers). It's about re-conceptualizing schools as community action centers instead of walled gardens (or day-care centers, or juvenile detention centers). It's about designing relevant experiences and projects in which any metaphors or synecdoches that, god help us, they learn, will have a purpose and meaning beyond an alphanumeric grade." (http://burell.blogspot.com/2007/07/im-nobody-goodbye-to-all-of-that.html)
The individual mind is overrated
"The power of the unaided, individual mind is highly overrated: the Renaissance scholar no longer exists. Although creative individuals are often thought of as working in isolation, the role of interaction and collaboration with other individuals is critical. Creative activity grows out of the relationship between an individual and the world of his or her work, and from the ties between an individual and other human beings. The predominant activity in designing complex systems is that participants teach and instruct each other. Because complex problems require more knowledge than any single person possesses, it is necessary that all involved stakeholders participate, communicate, and collaborate with each other."
- Transcending the individual human mind [10]
Learning is Remixing
"America's children are become media-makers: they are blogging, designing their own websites, podcasting, modding games, making digital movies, creating soundfiles, constructing digital images, and writing fan fiction, to cite just a few examples. As they do so, they are discovering what previous generations of artists knew: art doesn't emerge whole cloth from individual imaginations. Rather, art emerges through the artist's engagement with previous cultural materials. Artists build on, take inspiration from, appropriate and transform other artist's work: they do so by tapping into a cultural tradition or deploying the conventions of a particular genre."
- Henry Jenkins [11]
Openness in Education should be Systemic
"The OER and OCW movement(s) are fundamentally flawed in where they assign openness. Openness is being treated as separate from curriculum development and delivery. Openness is viewed as an after market feature. And most universities aren’t too eager to pay for the extras.
Openness should be built into the process of curriculum design – it should be systematized just like so-called options of air conditioning and power windows in vehicles. As long as openness is separated from the rest of education, it will be seen as a cost-cutting option."
- George Siemens [12]
The new multi-literate society
“The internet generation is being exposed to text and media in unprecedented quantities, and more, is not just consuming this media, but producing it as well. Practice tells. The improvement will be especially dramatic and apparent because new readers will be compared primarily with the previous generation, the television generation, which for the most part did not read at all. Unfortunately, this improvement will be apparent only to the newly literate generation; the older generation will continue to complain that young people cannot read, despite evidence to the contrary. Moreover, it will be apparent by 2020 that a multi‐literate society has developed, one that can communicate with ease through a variety of media, including art and photography, animation, video, games and simulations, as well as text and code.”
– Stephen Downes, National Research Council, Canada [13]
The master's (educational) tools can't liberate us
“The master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house.” This phrase from Audre Lorde http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audre_Lorde has haunted me ever since I first hear it. The develop of, and provision of, tools for the higher education sector, the corporate e-learning sector, or even for the school system, parents, priests or non-profit agencies to use, will never provide the degree of conviviality envisioned by Illich. In these tools there is, and will always be, embedded a dependence back to the originator of the tool, back to the system of mass that makes it both possible and necessary."
- Stephen Downes
Retrieved from "https://wiki.p2pfoundation.net/index.php?title=Quotes_on_the_Role_of_Openness,_P2P_and_Commons_in_Education_and_Learning&oldid=126370"
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NCUA could finalize MBL rule next week; FOM letters top 11,000
The League is hearing from NCUA sources that the NCUA board will vote to finalize changes to the member business lending (MBL) regulation at its February 18 meeting. The revisions to the current MBL rule were proposed and issued for comment at the board’s June meeting. At that time, the proposal would “provide federally insured credit unions making business loans with greater flexibility and more autonomy, shifting the rule’s focus from the current prescriptive approach to a more principle-based methodology that emphasizes sound risk management practices for commercial lending.”
The new proposal is expected to reflect credit union comments from the fall of 2015. It is expected that the bankers will once again be opposed to any changes to the MBL rule by the NCUA. The official agenda will be posted on Thursday.
The League is also hearing that the Field of Membership (FOM) proposed rule generated more than 11,000 comments. Over the last three days, it’s believed that about 6,000 letters were sent in. Credit unions made a big push at the deadline. While a number of bankers are believed to have sent in comments, the NCUA does not have a breakdown yet. The agency is still trying to get an exact number of comments.
By admin|2016-02-10T15:18:44+00:00February 10th, 2016|Compliance, Top News Stories|0 Comments
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Michelanne Forster: 2011
University of Auckland Writers Residency
University of Auckland Writers Residency https://writerscentre.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Michelanne-Forster_0-e1533188640360.jpg 280 280 Michael King Writers Centre Michael King Writers Centre //writerscentre.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Michael-King-Writers-Centre-Logo.png
Michelanne Forster is a playwright, scriptwriter, fiction writer and editor who moved to New Zealand in 1972 from her native California. She is a graduate of Auckland University and the Auckland Secondary Teachers College.
She was the Michael King/University of Auckland Writing Fellow in 2011. During her residency she lectured at the University of Auckland in the English Department, and she wrote a new one-act play, Always My Sister. Her children’s play The Butcher and the Bear was also produced by Time Out Theatre in October 2011. Don’t Mention Casablanca, was performed at the Court Theatre in Christchurch in 2012, Tic Tic (with Paul Barrett) in the 2010 Auckland International Comedy Festival and The Secret of Dong Ting Lake, performed at The Edge in 2010. Don’t Mention Casablanca was selected to be read at the Women Playwrights International Conference in Stockholm Sweden.
All but two of her historical plays have premiered at Christchurch’s Court Theatre and all have been produced throughout New Zealand, as well as professional stagings in the United States and Australia. They are: A Dream Romance (1986); Daughters of Heaven (1991); Songs My Mother Taught Me (1993); Lanarch – Castle of Lies (1993); and This Other Eden (1996). Both Larnach – Castle of Lies and Daughters of Heaven have been adapted successfully for radio: Daughters of Heaven was a finalist in the (1993) Mobil Radio Awards, and Lanarch – Castle of Lies won the Best Radio NZ Drama award in 1993.
Forster has worked on numerous television programmes and has written six plays for children: The Bungling Burglars; Mean Jean The Pirate Queen; Arabella and the Amazing Wardrobe; Musical Beasts; and The Secret of Tung Ting Lake. Her books for children are Rodney Rat and the Sunken Treasure (1983); Rodney Rat and the Sneaky Weasel Gang (1985); The Four-legged Prince (1985); Rodney Rat and the Space Creatures and The Butcher and the Bear.
Her non-fiction writing has appeared in A Passion for Travel (1998) and When It’s Over: New Zealanders Talk about Their Experiences of Separation and Divorce (1998). Her work also appears in Play Lunch (1996), an anthology of New Zealand writing. As a fiction writer, her stories have appeared in journals including Metro, Sport, Landfall, and Takahe. In 1996 she won the Takahe short story competition.
Michelanne Forster was Writer in Residence at the University of Canterbury in 1995. She taught at the New Zealand School of Broadcasting in Christchurch for over a decade, and moved to Auckland in 2008. She was organiser of the Auckland Writers’ Studio programme for Playmarket.
Ben Brown: 2011
Nelson Wattie: 2011
Autumn Writers Residency
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Florida Faces A Rocky Rollout To Restore Voting Rights After Felony Convictions
By Daniel Rivero
Florida passed an amendment in 2018, promising to restore voting rights for over a million Floridians with felony convictions. But that hope turned to confusion soon after.
The state Legislature followed up with a law clarifying that in order to get their voting rights back, felons needed to pay off all fines and fees related to their convictions. Hundreds of millions of dollars in fines are owed across the state, including $278 million in Miami-Dade County alone.
But the same law also offers a way out.
It allows the courts to modify the original criminal sentences to "no longer require completion" of things that were originally required. Under that law, money owed can be waived or lowered, and other requirements like community service hours can be reduced.
Now, the implementation is playing out in very different — and partisan — ways across the state. In counties under Democratic control, more people are getting their voting rights back. And in counties under Republican control, many potential voters are missing out.
"Moving forward"
On an afternoon in November, 17 people from across Miami-Dade County gathered in a Miami courtroom to have their voting rights restored. The hearing would be an early indication that party politics are playing a role in how a controversial state law is being rolled out.
They waited to receive a document from the court that would clear them of the only obstacle that stood between them and the voting booth: a declaration from the court that they no longer owed money for their crimes and they could now register to vote.
"I feel excited about moving forward in life," said Cynthia Cray, who hadn't cast a ballot in 10 years, ever since she was convicted of a felony.
Cray filled out a voter registration form on the spot and vowed that her voice would be heard.
"We got Donald Trump in that presidency. We can't keep having that foolishness. I vote because I don't want another Trump," she said.
Andre Williams hadn't cast a ballot since he voted for Barack Obama in 2008.
"The next election is gonna be fun. ..." he said. "Changes are going to be made. Donald Trump? ... I'll put it like this: You send your own companies into bankruptcy, you won't send this country into bankruptcy."
Out of the four counties across the state that have launched similar programs, every one of them is Democratic-leaning. Those include Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Hillsborough counties, which together include more than a third of the state's total population. All of those counties voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election and for Democrat Andrew Gillum in the 2018 governor's race.
There is no corollary for Republican-leaning counties.
"I think the effect certainly could be dramatic," said Kathryn DePalo-Gould, a political science professor at Florida International University. "Some of these other counties, including some of these very, very red counties who had huge turnouts for Trump in 2016, could be missing out on some of these felons."
The first county to fully roll out its process for restoring the voting rights of people with felony convictions was Miami-Dade. In a July press conference, the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, Public Defender's Office, Clerk of Courts and the 11th Judicial Circuit Courts jointly announced how the new process would be carried out.
In collaboration, the different parts of the government would help identify people who are too poor to pay their outstanding debts. Once identified, the people's cases would be fast-tracked through the court, upon which time they would be given other options to payment. Meanwhile, they would be issued court orders stating their sentence has been completed, granting them the right to vote.
"Those who can pay should pay, and those who cannot can work out something else, like community service hours," Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said at the time. "It is not a waiver."
"At the end of the day, it's the law"
Before the provision allowing courts to waive or reduce fees, some activists likened the law to a "poll tax."
The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, led by executive director Desmond Meade, helped get Amendment 4 on the ballot in 2018 to address those concerns.
The section only got written into the statute because of Republicans Rep. Jamie Grant and Sen. Jeff Brandes, in addition to a push from Democrats, Meade said.
"When the Legislature first introduced their legislation, we did not cry foul, we did not point fingers, we did not do anything to create a vibe," he said. "Rather, what we did is we rolled up our sleeves and we went into the offices of Republican legislators that stood with us as we engaged with the Legislature to make sure that the initial legislation that was introduced was fixed and got closer to the will of the people."
The result was something Meade said his group could work with and expand upon. "Make no mistake about it — that this will be rolled out in every judicial circuit in the state of Florida, because at the end of the day, it is the law," said Meade.
Miami-Dade Public Defender Carlos Martinez reiterated that the process he helped develop is "following the plain language of the statute," and that the result could mean many new potential voters gaining access to the ballot box.
"The estimate for Miami-Dade County is that there are about 150,000 people — that's not just cases, that's people — that will qualify under this process," he said.
Martinez acknowledged it will be difficult getting in touch with everyone who might qualify for the process and said that some people who qualify might still have some other requirements — like owing money for restitution — that could still prevent them from being eligible to vote.
State Rep. Grant said he was frustrated that no Republican-leaning counties have developed a process for waiving financial obligations and granting voting rights to people with felony convictions.
"I mean, I didn't create the waivers not to be used," Grant said.
But Grant also said that the fact that only Democratic counties are using the provision absolves him of much of the criticism he faced when writing and debating, and then later passing, the state law. Activists and some Democrats suggested that he was creating a racist poll tax to make it harder for poor Floridians to cast votes in a way that would benefit the Republican Party.
"If I'm trying to suppress the vote, and if I am Jim Crow Jamie, why did I create the waivers that Democrats have been turning around and using? Which one is it?" Grant said. "If what the effect of what I passed flips the state blue — so be it, I'm good with that. I did my job."
At the same time, Grant cast doubt on the legality of how the process is playing out in Hillsborough County, which he represents. There, State Attorney Andrew Warren has started a process that will waive fines and fees that are owed only in connection with the right to vote — but that money can still be sent to collections.
"He doesn't know what he is doing," Grant said. "When he says that he's going to waive the obligation for the purpose of voting, but it's not going to affect the amount of money that the returning citizen owes government, or it's not going to affect the amount of money that the government collects from returning citizens, what he is doing is promising to violate state law."
That owed money would have to be waived entirely under the new law, argued Grant.
"An issue of fairness"
Warren told WLRN that the process in Hillsborough was methodically developed in close coordination with other parts of the local government, including the 13th Judicial Circuit of Courts, in order to make sure it was in compliance with state law. The program took into account a federal court ruling in a lawsuit related to SB 7066, the law authored by Grant.
"Our office carefully developed a process with local judicial partners to implement Amendment 4 as the voters wanted in accordance with state and federal law," Warren said. "We are committed to ensuring that the inability to pay outstanding fines and fees is not a roadblock to have voting rights restored. Any suggestion to the contrary reveals a troubling lack of understanding of our process, Amendment 4, and the U.S. Constitution."
In his ruling, federal District Judge Robert Hinkle wrote that plaintiffs cannot be barred from voting if they are "genuinely unable" to pay the money owed.
"Successful reentry and rehabilitation is a public safety issue, full stop. But more importantly this is an issue of fairness," Warren told WLRN.
"You can't have two classes of voters — people who can afford their right to vote and people who can't," Warren said. "At this point it's really just a determination that once someone has an inability to pay off their fines and fees, then they're eligible to have their right to vote restored."
A federal trial on the constitutionality of some parts of SB 7066 is scheduled for April. Warren said his office is aware that Hillsborough County might have to adjust its process depending on the outcome of that trial, or any laws passed during the 2020 legislative session.
In the meantime, Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Hillsborough counties are moving forward with their programs.
The Florida Rights Restoration Coalition is accepting online applications from people who want to see whether they are able to receive help in the participating counties to get their voting rights restored.
The lack of participation in Republican-leaning Florida could be a political liability later this year, especially if local Republicans don't take efforts to help restore voting rights for white and Latino voters, said DePalo-Gould, the FIU professor.
"If they're missing out on those votes, you know — we have very close elections in the state of Florida," she said. "This could mean a huge difference going into 2020."
Politics / IssuesAmendment 4
Daniel Rivero is a reporter and producer for WLRN, covering Latino and criminal justice issues. Before joining the team, he was an investigative reporter and producer on the television series "The Naked Truth," and a digital reporter for Fusion.
See stories by Daniel Rivero
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Ocala Council Blocks Winning Candidate From Office Over 33-Year-Old Felony Conviction
Federal Judge Scolds DeSantis For Stalling On Felon Voting Rights
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Shaun Micallef's Mad as Hell is a fantasy sitcom which follows the exploits of a TV comedian, who, while shopping at a used car lot for a new station wagon, instead purchases a dilapidated 1928 Porter touring car. Shaun hears the car call his name in a woman's voice. The car turns out to be the reincarnation of his dead mother. The car is coveted by a fanatical collector named Captain Manzini
Genre: Comedy, News, Talk
Actor: Emily Taheny, Francis Greenslade, Roz Hammond, Shaun Micallef, Stephen Hall, Tosh Greenslade
Episode: / eps
Trailer: Shaun Micallef's Mad as Hell - Season 12
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Americans should practice precautions as COVID-19 cases surge
by Rachel Nania and Michelle Crouch, AARP, Updated Jan. 14, 2021 | Comments: 0
Negative test required to enter U.S. by air: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that international travelers will need a negative COVID-19 test in order to board a flight to the U.S. In a release about the order, the CDC expressed concern about new variants of the coronavirus, although one variant has already been identified in dozens of cases across the U.S. Beginning Jan. 26, international travelers will need to provide documentation of a negative viral test taken within the three days of their departure or proof that they have recovered from COVID-19, the CDC said. “Testing does not eliminate all risk,” said CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, M.D., “but when combined with a period of staying at home and everyday precautions like wearing masks and social distancing, it can make travel safer, healthier, and more responsible by reducing spread on planes, in airports, and at destinations.”
New guidelines recommend vaccine for all age 65-plus: The federal government is asking states to begin vaccinating Americans age 65 and older, as well as those with high-risk health conditions, and will provide more doses of vaccine to do so by no longer holding back the second dose of the two-dose shots, Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Tuesday on Good Morning America. Azar said the government can release the held-back doses without jeopardizing the ability of those who have received their first inoculation to get their second shot. Until now, the CDC had recommended that after health care workers and nursing home residents and staff, that states prioritize those 75 and older and frontline essential workers. Azar also said the states should expand the places where people can get vaccinated, including community health centers and more pharmacies. He said the federal government will send teams to the states to help them set up vaccination centers. In a letter to Azar on Monday, AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins urged him to immediately address the problems that have led to the slow rollout of the COVID-19 vaccines.
More than 10 million vaccinated amid post-holiday surge in cases: About 10.3 million Americans have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to data from the CDC. States with the most people who have gotten their first dose per 100,000 individuals are West Virginia, South Dakota, North Dakota, Alaska, Connecticut, Vermont, Maine, Montana and Oklahoma, as well as Washington D.C. Meanwhile, a predicted surge in cases following holiday gatherings and travel threatens to overwhelm hospitals across the country. More than 130,383 Americans are in the hospital with coronavirus infections, according to the COVID Tracking Project. The total U.S. death toll from COVID-19 now stands at 386,194. A CDC forecast predicts thousands more will succumb to the virus in the next few weeks, with 440,000 to 477,000 COVID-19 deaths by Feb. 6.
Lingering symptoms: More than 75 percent of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 still suffered from at least one symptom six months later, according to a study published Jan. 8 in the journal The Lancet. The study revealed that fatigue, muscle weakness and sleep difficulties were the most common post-COVID symptoms, but patients also reported anxiety, depression, loss of taste or smell, heart palpitations and hair loss.
Immunity appears to last for at least eight months: A study published Jan. 6 in Science shows that more than 90 percent of COVID-19 patients still had a robust immune response eight months after infection. And the study’s authors said the data suggests immunity might extend well beyond that, possibly for years. The researchers examined blood samples both from patients who experienced mild infection and from those whose infection was more severe. The results are encouraging because they are a sign that the COVID-19 vaccine could offer long-lasting protection to disease, making it easier to get the pandemic under control.
New COVID-19 variant in U.S.: A new strain, or variant, of the coronavirus that spreads more easily has been discovered in the U.S. and countries around the world. The new strain could lead to more cases and burden hospitals that are already overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients, said Henry Walke, COVID-19 incident manager for the CDC. However, there is no evidence that the new strain causes more severe illness or increased risk of death, Walke said. He added that experts expect the COVID-19 vaccine to be effective against the new strain. The variant was first identified in the United Kingdom.
At-home COVID-19 tests coming soon: The FDA has given the green light to three different at-home COVID tests that can deliver results within 30 minutes without the help of an outside lab. One, the Ellume COVID-19 Home Test, will be sold over the counter without a prescription. It’s expected to be available to consumers early this year.
What You Should Know About the Coronavirus
Are older adults at higher risk of illness?
What can older adults do to reduce their risk?
What about travel plans?
What should I know about the vaccines?
How can I take care of a sick friend?
What if a loved one is in a nursing home?
What should I know about coronavirus variants?
Older adults and people with chronic underlying health conditions are more likely than younger, healthier people to experience serious illness from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. There is no specific age at which risk increases. Rather, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says “risk increases steadily as you age” with the greatest risk for severe illness being among those age 85 and older. Ninety-five percent of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. have occurred among people who were 50 or older. Eight out of 10 COVID-19 deaths reported in the U.S. have been in people 65 and older, according to the latest demographic data available from the CDC.
Part of the reason risk increases with age is that people are more likely to have other health issues later in life, and underlying health conditions are a huge driver of complications that arise from COVID-19. A June report from the CDC found that hospitalizations for people with COVID-19 were six times as high for patients with chronic health conditions, compared to otherwise healthy individuals; deaths among this population were 12 times as high.
People of any age with the following conditions are at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19, according to the CDC:
Serious heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathies
Obesity (BMI of 30 or greater)
Severe obesity (BMI of 40 or greater)
Immunocompromised state from solid organ transplantation
People with the following conditions might be at increased risk for severe illness from COVID-19:
Hypertension or high blood pressure
Neurologic conditions, such as dementia
Overweight (BMI between 25 and 30)
Pulmonary fibrosis (having damaged or scarred lung tissue)
Thalassemia (a blood disorder)
Weakened immune system from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or use of other immune-weakening medicines
Avoid crowds and close contact with others
The best way to dodge a coronavirus infection is to avoid being exposed to the virus. Limit interactions with people outside your household as much as possible, keep a distance of at least 6 feet from others and wash your hands often with soap and water (or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if soap and water are not an option).
The CDC defines close contact as being within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period. People who come into close contact with someone who has COVID-19 are advised to quarantine for two weeks, ideally. A 10-day quarantine is an acceptable alternative if no symptoms are noticed, the CDC says. So is a seven-day quarantine if the person in quarantine tests negative for the virus after seven days of staying away from others.
The CDC recommends “universal use of face masks” in indoor settings (other than your own home, as long as no one is sick with the virus) and outdoors when a minimum physical distance of 6 feet from others cannot be maintained. Face masks help protect the wearer from coronavirus infection, in addition to helping protect others from being infected by the wearer.
The CDC recommends, in particular, the use of multilayer cloth face masks without valves, which are shown to reduce the transmission of respiratory droplets and fine particles. A study published in JAMA Network found that a snug-fitting, two-layer, consumer-grade mask is “nearly equivalent to or better” than a medical-grade mask.
Take precautions in public places
If you need to run out for necessities, the CDC offers this guidance on how to do so safely:
Stay at least 6 feet away from others while shopping and while in line.
Consider running your errands first thing in the morning or at the end of the day when fewer people are likely to be shopping. Some stores have special shopping hours for high-risk individuals.
Disinfect your shopping cart or basket with disinfectant wipes.
Use hand sanitizer right away if you handle money, a card or a keypad.
Wash your hands when you get home.
When getting gasoline, use disinfectant wipes on handles and buttons before you touch them; use hand sanitizer immediately after.
Headed to the bank? Use drive-through banking services, automated teller machines (ATMs) or mobile banking apps for routine transactions that do not require face-to-face assistance as much as possible.
Have a plan in case you or someone in your household gets sick
Identify a designated sickroom in your home that can be used to separate sick household members from healthy ones. Make sure you have at least a 30-day supply of prescription medicines on hand to cut down on the number of trips you need to make to the pharmacy. It’s also important to have over-the-counter medications in the house to treat fever, cough and other symptoms, as well as tissues and common medical supplies. You also may want to purchase a pulse oximeter to have on hand. A small device that measures someone’s oxygen saturation level, it can be a useful tool because a falling oxygen level can be an early sign that a COVID-19 patient's health is deteriorating.
Before you make travel plans be sure to double-check any rules pertaining to your destination and mode of transportation. Many countries and states have travel restrictions or guidelines in place that could affect your trip — the same goes for airlines. AARP has a list of coronavirus restrictions and quarantine rules for travelers in every state.
It’s important to note that “travel increases your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19” and that “staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others” from the virus, the CDC says.
For older adults and others at high risk for severe illness from a coronavirus infection, traveling can be dangerous, especially if you are in close contact with others.
Some travel-related activities are considered higher risk than others, including: going to a large social gathering like a wedding or funeral, attending a big event such as a concert, and traveling on a cruise ship or riverboat.
Testing can help you travel more safely, the CDC says. Consider getting tested with a viral test one to three days before your trip. Keep a copy of your test results with you during travel; you may be asked for them.
Also consider getting tested with a viral test three to five days after your trip and reduce nonessential activities for a full seven days after travel, the CDC says, even if your test is negative. If you don’t get tested, consider reducing nonessential activities for 10 days after travel.
Do not travel if you are sick or if you have been around someone with COVID-19 in the past 14 days.
AARP has information about specific travel advisories, airline change fees and more on how to stay safe when you travel.
The virus is thought to spread mainly between people in close contact with one another by respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks, according to the CDC. Those droplets can land in the mouths or noses of nearby people or be inhaled into the lungs. Aerosol transmission (tiny exhaled particles that can linger in indoor air for longer durations and travel farther than 6 feet) can also play a role in the spread of the virus, which reinforces the importance of mask wearing, experts say.
According to the CDC, “the virus may be spread in other ways,” including by touching a contaminated surface or object and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes. However, this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads, the agency maintains.
Finally, it’s important to note that COVID-19 can be spread by people before they start showing symptoms of COIVID-19 (presymptomatic) or even if they never develop symptoms (asymptomatic). A study published Jan. 7 in JAMA Network Open found that people without symptoms account for about 59 percent of all COVID-19 transmission, The study underscores why it’s important to wear a mask, practice social distancing, avoid crowds and take other precautions, whether you have symptoms or not.
People with COVID-19 have reported a wide range of symptoms that typically appear two to 14 days after exposure to the virus. Here is the latest list of symptoms, according to the CDC:
The CDC acknowledges this list is not exhaustive; skin rashes or lesions may also be a sign of the virus.
Health experts are asking anyone who experiences symptoms to call their health care provider or local health department for advice before seeking care to avoid spreading germs to others. Those who are feeling sick and are unsure of their symptoms can also check the CDC’s interactive guide for advice on appropriate medical care.
However, if you develop emergency warning signs — pain or pressure in the chest, new disorientation or confusion, a blue tint in your face or lips, difficulty breathing, or an inability to wake or stay awake — get medical attention immediately, health officials warn.
The CDC also has tips for what to do if you are diagnosed with COVID-19.
Researchers are continuing to study potential treatments for COVID-19, and several promising developments have taken place. Here are some of the treatment options:
Remdesivir: Remdesivir is the first — and so far, only — treatment for COVID-19 to receive approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Research shows it can help hospitalized COVID-19 patients recover faster.
Dexamethasone and other corticosteroids: The World Health Organization (WHO) on Sept. 2 issued new guidelines that strongly recommend the use of dexamethasone (along with other inexpensive and common corticosteroids such as hydrocortisone) for the treatment of patients “with severe and critical COVID-19.” Clinical trials found that corticosteroids cut the risk of death in patients hospitalized with the disease.
Bamlanivimab: A monoclonal antibody, this drug received an emergency use authorization (EUA) from the FDA on Nov. 9 to treat mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 in patients at high risk of severe disease, including people 65 and older and those with chronic medical conditions. It is not approved to treat hospitalized patients or those who require oxygen.
Casirivimab and imdevimab: Another antibody treatment, Regeneron's COVID-19 monoclonal antibody cocktail received an EUA on Nov. 21 for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in non-hospitalized patients who are at high risk of progressing to more severe illness, including people 65 and older and those with chronic medical conditions.
Convalescent plasma: Blood plasma donated by individuals who have recovered from coronavirus infection contains antibodies that may speed recovery when administered to patients hospitalized with COVID-19. The FDA granted an EUA for convalescent plasma on Aug. 23. A study published Jan. 6 in the New England Journal of Medicine found that giving plasma infusions to patients 65 and older experiencing mild COVID-19 symptoms within a few days of symptom onset significantly reduced the need for oxygen support.
The Vaccine in Your State
Check back as more states are added.
The U.S. has begun the rollout of the first coronavirus vaccines after the FDA issued EUAs for vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
Both require two doses and both have been found to be about 95 percent effective at preventing illness caused by the coronavirus in clinical trial participants, regardless of age, race or health risks known to complicate COVID-19. A panel of independent experts, known as the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, concluded that the benefits of the vaccines outweigh the risks.
Adverse reactions have been rare. Of 1.9 million people who received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, only 21 developed anaphylaxis, a severe allergic reaction, the CDC said. Seventeen of the 21 who experienced anaphylaxis had a history of similar reactions to other vaccines or medications, the CDC said, and all 21 recovered. The CDC recommends that people with a history of anaphylaxis be observed for 30 minutes after getting the shot; other recipients should be observed for 15 minutes.
The federal government is overseeing the distribution of the coronavirus vaccines, and officials say it will be months before everyone who wants the vaccine is vaccinated. Health care workers and residents and staff of long-term care facilities are the first group targeted for vaccination.
Two other vaccines are in phase 3 clinical trials in the U.S. There’s also one from AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford, and another from Johnson & Johnson. A phase 3 clinical trial is when researchers study the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine candidates against a placebo in a large population.
AARP’s has more information about when older Americans can expect to get the vaccine, what to expect when you get the vaccine and state-by-state guides to vaccine distribution (see sidebar).
Health officials stress that it’s important to take care of sick friends and neighbors in the community — and there’s a way to do so safely. If you are taking food to a neighbor, consider leaving it at the door.
If you are caring for someone who has COVID-19, keep a safe distance. Wash your hands often, wipe down high-touch surfaces and remind the person who is sick to wear a face mask. You should wear a face mask, too. Offer to help with groceries and errands, if possible.
Finally: Watch for warning signs of serious illness. Call the doctor if the person’s condition worsens, and seek immediate medical attention if they have difficulty breathing, pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion, an inability to wake or stay awake, or blueish lips or face.
Adults living in nursing homes and long-term care facilities are at high risk for severe sickness if infected with the coronavirus, which is why many facilities across the country are continuing to limit visitation. (You can check the status of nursing home visits in your state on AARP.org.)
If you have a loved one in a nursing home or long-term care facility, visit with them virtually: Stay in touch through videoconferencing, emails and phone calls. Send pictures or letters or drop off a care package. (Not all facilities may allow this, so check first.)
Also: Identify a point of contact on staff for when you have questions and concerns. Facilities are required by the federal government to alert residents, their families and the CDC within 12 hours if a case of COVID-19 is confirmed.
AARP has a list of six key questions to ask about circumstances at your loved one’s nursing home and questions for assisted living facilities — plus extensive coverage on the crisis in nursing homes. You can also track coronavirus cases and deaths in specific nursing homes on a website that the federal government unveiled on June 4. AARP is also keeping track of this data.
Public health officials have identified new strains of the coronavirus that are more contagious, worrying experts who say they could lead to a surge in COVID-19 cases as vaccinations are getting underway.
The first strain, known as B.1.1.7., was discovered in the United Kingdom but is now circulating in more than 45 countries, including the United States. Another variant was discovered in South Africa and is mostly circulating in Africa.
Experts say early data indicate the current COVID-19 vaccines are likely to be effective against the variants. There is no evidence that the new strains cause more severe illness or increased risk of death, the CDC said.
This story will be updated periodically with new developments. Check back regularly.
AARP's Coronavirus Town-Halls
How to stock up on your prescription drugs
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Apology invited from the present gaovernment
I have asked, via my MP, if the present government is willing to offer an apology on behalf of the then government, about the way it handled the disaster.
The response I have had , is -
"The present government was not in office at the time the Aberfan disaster and its aftermeth occured so it cannot be in a position to apologise for it." (28 October 2019)
"Cannot" is a very British approach. I was not asking for the present government to take responsibility or offer compensation. I was simply asking for an acknowledgement. Governments automatically inherit the successes and failures of past governments.
I will invite the new government to offer an apology in October 2020. Probably I will get the same or a similar answer.
Conscience is a very peculiar thing. There is no long-term escape from it. We might get an apology in 50 or 100 years maybe.
That will depend on when sufficient members of the government at the time, not just the Secretary of State for Wales, will have their consciences switched on.
No-one was prosecuted, dismissed or demoted for the tragedy.
Money was borrowed as a contribution to remove the tips. It was not donated for that purpose. It was donated to help the victims and their families.
The original amount of money was repaid later. At a later date, interest on the money was repaid, though not explicitly mentioned as such.
We cannot turn the clock back, but I think an apology would help.
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“Rules are different for blind individuals…just tailor the game to fit your rules”
In his 20’s, Doug was losing vision…and he didn’t know what was causing it. He wasn’t aware that he had Retinitis Pigmentosa, because no one in his family knew what it was at that time. His sister also had vision issues. Doug later learned about RP and that it was hereditary.
He needed glasses to drive, and his night vision was a problem. The disease progressed slowly, even as Doug completed college with a marketing and insurance degree. He then landed his first full-time sales job with Metropolitan Life.
Driving became more of a challenge, and Doug was forced to avoid nighttime travel. He was in a car crash when his wife was pregnant with his first child. It happened on a dark, rainy night. Doug made a left turn in front of an oncoming car that he didn’t see. He went home, broke down and cried.
A car was essential for his job. He had driven 20,000 miles each year for work. With this accident, Doug’s feeling was that his “life was done”.
He didn’t have an “official” diagnosis of RP until meeting with doctors at the Kellogg Eye Center at UofM. Doug’s diagnosis also came with the reality that he would go blind by his late 50’s-early 60’s. Nothing could be done to change it.
So here he was, married, had children and a new career just beginning to take off.
And, Doug’s hard work paid off. He was offered a minority ownership with a small, but growing commercial insurance company. His partners understood his vision challenge and accommodated his workplace needs. They supported him and nurtured his hard work. To them, Doug’s lack of sight wasn’t an issue.
His and his partners’ success paid off. One retired a few years later, then sold his share to Doug and his other partner. Those following years were tough, but the new team grew their business. Doug ascended to the presidency of the company. And it wasn’t many years until they were purchased by his most recent employer, The Campbell Group. He continued with work and commercial insurance success and just recently retired.
In his later work years, Doug became involved with other individuals challenged by vision loss. Doug joined VIPP (Visually Impaired Persons for Progress). He learned from them, and he felt respected for who he was. Doug also received mobility/ transportation, Braille and computer training from the Bureau of Services for Blind Persons. At that point, Doug was liberated. “I felt back in my game…back in my element”. “I discovered that the people I worked with—partners and customers—who respected me, helped me”.
Doug has taught his kids to “never give up”. As he says, “the rules are different (being blind) from everyone else…and they change. Just tailor the game to fit your rules”.
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Gian Wild presented this workshop the City of Boroondara council in 2015.
My name is Gian Wild. I’m the Director/CEO/Founder/Owner of AccessibilityOz. We’re going to talk about what accessibility is, what kind of people with disabilities that are assisted by an accessible site, how you actually make a site accessible. You know, the requirements that you follow. And then we’re going to move into talking about PDFs in accessibility and some of the unique problems there. A lot of people think when it comes to web accessibility, it’s just about vision impairments. When you’re talking about people in Australia, it’s about 300,000 Australians with some moderate to severe vision impairment. There’s 2 million Australians with cognitive or writing disabilities and that’s not necessarily an intellectual disability, it’s difficulty at reading, like, dyslexia or things like that. So, it is important when it comes to web accessibility to think about all different groups, people with disabilities. So, what is online accessibility? It’s the ability for a person with a disability to understand and use a website application, internet or program. It’s governed by the Australian Human Rights Commission Disability Discrimination Act. It allows people with disabilities to access information like anybody else. It also allows them to interact with others without being categorized as disabled. So, this is the really big– a big one there’s still a whole level of discrimination against people with disabilities. So it’s– it’s really important that, you know, people can especially with the advert of social networking that people can represent themselves the way that they want to be represented and not necessarily be, you know, seen as disabled. So, what types of people with disabilities are actually assisted by an accessible website? So we’re talking about disabilities affecting vision, disabilities affecting how the mind interprets information, disabilities affecting movement, and disabilities affecting hearing. So we’re talking about vision impairments. There are a variety of vision impairments from complete blindness, colorblindness is not defined as a disability but certainly affected by an accessible website. Glaucoma cataract, so there’s a whole bunch of different things. It’s not just about being blind. They use things like screen readers which read aloud the content on the page and that work kind of like a browser. So they actually interpret the content, the card or Braille readers. Things like braille keyboards or large-sized cable and on screen magnifiers. We’re going to talk a little bit about cognitive impairments, so cognitive disabilities include things like epilepsy and migraine which I’ve talked about before. Dyslexia which is all about difficulty reading content. Aphasia which is kind of a problem with at home, problems of memory that one of the things that people with dyslexia or people with cognitive reading impairments. One of the technologies they use, our screen readers which reads aloud the content of the page. Now, they obviously use screen readers very differently to people with vision impairments because they can actually save the page. So there’s a whole bunch of accessibility requirements around that. as well where the screen reader actually has to follow the logical order of the visual order of the page because people with dyslexia are actually can actually see the page and they are expecting the screen reader to follow the logical order. And so you need to make sure once again that your site works with those kind of softwares so that they can be used and theses things like have a Hover Highlighting which is often used in conjunction with a screen reader where you actually highlight the word as it’s being said. So it just reinforces exactly where you are on the page and dictionary software where you can actually get a definition of, you know, all the words in your site. Use the techniques things like turning a Flash and Javascript and decreasing color contrast so you will remember that people with vision impairment is like to increase color contrast, but people with cognitive impairments especially dyslexics like to decrease color contrast. It makes it easier to read for some reason. Okay. So physical disabilities. So, it doesn’t really matter what kind of physical disability you have whether it’s cerebral palsy, motor neuron disease, huntington’s, parkinson’s, quadriplegia. All of that means that you have some difficulty with input devices, and input devices, the mouse, you know, touching a touch screen, keyboard. You know, wands, that kind of stuff. Modified on screen keyboards which they can use with things like switches, touchscreens and headwands. There’s a whole bunch of access technologies but basically one of the ways that we make sure these things work for people with physical disabilities, is make sure that everything can be used just by the mouse. Everything can be used just by the keyboard and everything can be used just by touch. And of course when it comes to mobile devices, it gets even more complicated. Often, most of the time things are fully accessible by touch but not all the time, unfortunately. It’s a whole lot of things that the web can you for all of us. But what it means to people with disabilities, is it means that they can actually do things that they could not do before. And so that’s why I personally care about accessibility so much because I think that it’s really adding insult to injury to have this all disability and all this knowledge and information and access to content and then not have it available to people who can’t actually access that information any other way. There’s two types of hearing impairments, this what’s called Profound Deafness. Just people who are born deaf and there’s a really big deaf community, then there is Hard of Hearing so, you know, your grandparents when they get older, you know, they start losing their hearing and things like that. Captioning for example, Netflix, so anyone not know what Netflix is. So it’s a streaming television service. It’s a bit like Foxtel but you choose what you want to watch when you want to watch it. They argued when they attack in court that they couldn’t provide captions because they would be breaking copyright laws even though there was captions for old days, you know, TV shows and things already. They were the judge found against them and fined them $795,000 and required that they caption all their content within two years which they did actually manage to do. So this whole thing– whole list of things and then it says anything that is not listed is also covered. The DDA applies to services where are provided for impairment or not. Making sure accessible web content is an integral part of the web design cycle and accessibility should be incorporated in all aspects of the design process. So all the striding government websites should comply the time line and conformance requirements of the National Transition Strategy whether or not they are specifically mandated to do so. In particular state and territory governments are strongly encouraged to comply with the Double A conformance level that applies to most government Websites. Users must be able to operate with the user interface and navigational aspects of website. One implication of this principle is that interaction with web content should not depend on a user being able to use a physical mouse. The users must be able to understand both the information content and how to interact with that. One implication of this principle is that changes of content or context must not be triggered unexpectedly, for example through the use focus trenches. Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents including assistive technologies. One implication of this principle is that a web page should not require the use of a specific assistive technology such as a specific screen reader in order to be accessible. So there are four principles and on each principle there are a bunch of guidelines. So under the Perceivable Principle, there is guideline 1.1, provide text alternatives for any non-text content, so that it can be changed into other forms people made such as large print, Braille, speech, symbols or simpler language. That’s quite broad. You wouldn’t know necessarily how to do that. There are three conformance levels. Level A, which is the minimum level. Double A, which is the medium level. And Triple A, which is the maximum level. Conformance and conformance level is for full web pages only, and cannot be achieved if part of a web page is excluded. The other thing is that, on the complete processes can be determined as accessible. So, if you’ve got an online store and your credit card form is inaccessible then your entire site is exchange inaccessible because the process itself that you’re expected to type by accessing that site is not accessible. What’s better for your brand? You know, you click a PDF, you wait and you wait and then you get something that looks like that. I mean that’s not friendly on a mobile device at all versus something that loads immediately and you can read. So, PDFs are not rate as highly by Google as such G-mail. So you got two exactly same content. One is PDF, one is HTML The HTML would ranked much higher. We’re not really looking at documents anymore. We’re managing to scrape pieces of open data and content which can be tagged, shared secured, mashed up, and presented in the way that is most useful for the consumer of that information. We did a whole bunch of user testing when we’re at Monash University so I focused a lot more on usability than I did on accessibility and the number of times we’d get to a PDF and that the size, although they say that click to PDF and that immediately click back because they knew that they didn’t want to go through that PDF to find the content or they sat there and waited for it to load. And I can tell you now PDFs still take long to load. Burned our sites actually were quite good and a lot of ways. And PDFs, no one really gets PDFs fully right. Look at those PDFs that you’re legally required provide to the public, popular and downloaded often, and are required to access your products or services. So for example, if you have– if your only way of your stuff applying for leave is through filling out a PDF. That’s a problem. So if you can find the alternative accessible version, so remember they’re not created in PDF. There has to be a version that was the source of the PDF file, then create the alternative accessible version. So HTML word text or RTF, you can take a PDF and create an accessible word document from each. So even if you don’t have the original version, it’s a whole lot easier to create an accessible word document from a PDF than it is to tag it. So we did some work for top of employment and education. We had two 40 page documents. It took me four hours to create the accessible word documents for those documents. Those PDFs. Took me 84 hours to tag the two documents. The more people understand that if I get a complaint from someone who says I can’t use this PDF, they don’t just, you know, push this aside and say that they just don’t know how to use it. But it’s actually got something to do with the fact the content is locked up in an inaccessible format. Then the more that we can actually address this and the more people can use in their site. But, yeah, if you can from now on whenever you upload a PDF, upload the word document or even if you can’t do that, have some kind of summary information but something else some way of people contacting you so that if that contact says that, they can at least tell you and then you can say, “Look, you can go to your manager and say I’ve had 300 requests for accessible PDFs in the last two weeks.” You know, maybe we need to do something about this. Well thank you very much. Once again that’s, our URL is. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions and I’ll probably be working further with City of Boroondara. Excellent. Thank you very much.
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She Advised Presidents – Anna Rosenberg
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Home / Heroes / She Advised Presidents – Anna Rosenberg
Anna Rosenberg was a public official and businesswoman who served as advisor to two U.S. presidents and became the first woman to receive the Medal of Freedom, .
Born to a Jewish family in Budapest in 1901, Anna immigrated to New York when she was 11. From a young age, she was fascinated by the workings of government. As a teenager, she sold Liberty Bonds and served as a volunteer nurse. When she was 20, Anna married Julius Rosenberg, a rug merchant. The next year their son Thomas was born.
In the early 1922, Anna made a fiery speech advocating female suffrage. Soon after, she started managing political campaigns for New York City alderman and assemblyman. She opened a public relations office and by the early 1930’s was a highly-regarded expert on human resources. Her remarkable success came from a combination of brains, hard work, and sheer force of personality.
Anna was busy in the 1930’s. She managed US congressional campaigns, and directed a branch of the New Deal administration. She was part of the White House inner circle for two administrations, as a top advisor to both President Roosevelt and President Truman. In many high-level meetings she attended, Anna was the only woman present. She was tiny in size, but her brash personality ensured her voice got heard. She was a trusted advisor to New York City Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia and New York Governor Herbert Lehman.
During World War II, Anna served as President Roosevelt’s personal representative in Europe. She was able to study the military situation first-hand, and she advised the White House about personnel and other issues. She recruited many workers for the Manhattan Project to create the atom bomb. On October 29, 1945, President Truman awarded her the Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States. She later won the Congressional Medal of Honor and the United States Medal for Merit.
In 1950, George Marshall appointed Anna to serve as Assistant Secretary of Defense. The nomination was challenged during the McCarthy hearings, when Anna was accused of un-American activity. Investigators found no evidence against her, and the Anti-Defamation League protested her treatment, claiming that Anna’s accusers were “a rogue’s gallery of antisemites” that included a Ku Klux Klan leader. The Senate confirmed her nomination. Serving in the highest military position held by a woman at that time, Anna coordinated the department’s manpower and hiring.
Anna succeeded despite pervasive sexism in society. Her biggest problems didn’t come from the military but from the media. News stories about Anna invariably focused on her appearance rather than her accomplishments, thus minimizing her importance to the country.
Throughout her life, Anna was involved in Jewish charities and causes. She served as a director of the Joint Distribution Committee, the National Council of Jewish Women, the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies and the United Palestine Appeal. Anna managed the Hakoah soccer team, the first all-Jewish team to play in the United States.
Anna returned to her PR firm in 1953 and worked there for thirty years, alongside her son Thomas. She died in New York in 1983.
For serving her country at the highest levels, and forging a path for women in military administration, we honor Anna Rosenberg as this week’s Thursday Hero.
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Jewish Women Who Fought BackWhat Makes Moses So Special? – Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah
NBA Star, Holocaust Educator – Ray Allen
Filipina IDF Soldier – Joana Arpon
Arab Holocaust Hero – Dr. Mohamed Helmy
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Todd Smith – There’s A Light
Todd Smith– There’s A Light (Amazon mp3/iTunes)
I Sing The Mighty Power Of Jesus
Right Where I Belong (feat. Ellie Holcomb)
Dimitri’s Song (Jesus Is Alive)
What Are We Living For
Calling All Fathers
Signed to Curb Records, Dove Award winning CCM vocal trio Selah have recorded many albums since 1999. With heartfelt melodies and soft piano pieces moving us into communion with Jesus; Allan Hall, Todd Smith and Amy Perry each sing together in harmony, praises to Jesus, as they also eloquently, powerfully and beautifully bring to the fore words of encouragement and impact. A couple of years ago, as Selah released their album You Amaze Us, both Allan Hall and Amy Perry unveiled solo albums (Work Of Love and Glory All Around respectively) to moderate success, though these two albums were not as successful as the trio’s album which released shortly after. Now fast forward to 2016, and the band have unveiled Greatest Hymns Vol. 2, however this time Todd Smith has tried his hand at a solo effort (a pop/worship offering titled There’s a Light, releasing on the same day as Selah’s new hymn project).
Stylistically similar to Selah’s offerings, in the sense that we hear Todd’s distinct, honest and emotional voice delivering God-breathing and Holy Spirit anointed worship melodies, yet also different musically as we hear more pop and CCM radio material than we could ever hear on a Selah album; Todd’s latest batch of 11 songs- his sophomore project (his first solo album released in 2004! – definitely packs a punch and provides us with plenty of relevant issues to ponder. With Todd wowing us with his inspiring and captivating voice, and inviting us to be in communion with our Father and our Saviour, all of these 11 soothing, contemplative, as well as upbeat tracks, have shown us that Todd is one of today’s most underrated yet encouraging male vocalists (probably alongside Andrew Peterson, Manwell from Group 1 Crew and Chad from Unspoken!). Hopefully this album can gain Todd (as well as Selah), more fans and more recognition. With a strong vocal similar to Bart Millard from MercyMe or Mark Hall from Casting Crowns, these tracks are fit for singing at church in a corporate setting; and no doubt after this album people will be taking notice of Todd Smith’s name from now on! A joy to listen to, I think this album is set to be in my top 25 albums list come the end of the year.
Opening the track list is the compelling, stirring and catchy 3-minute acoustic guitar led debut single and title track. As Todd passionately declares that ‘…when the darkness fills my life, when my faith is running dry, when my heart is on the ground, I listen to the sound of the beauty in the night, of creation shining bright, the sun, the earth, the moon, the stars, it’s who You are…’, we are gently reminded of the fact that even in our lowest of low, that Jesus is with us, guiding us to His presence and peace beyond all understanding.
Declaring that ‘…there is peace that flows like a river, Jesus Christ has set us free…’, Todd’s short but impacting, punchy opener that doesn’t hold anything back, is refreshing and sets the tone for the rest of the album, which is in parts mellow and exceedingly joyful, or both at the same time. And as the second track “Jesus Is” proves, as well as the remaining 10 tracks, a song can be both cheerful, happy and danceable as well as contemplative, reflective and emotional. Displaying his prowess as a songwriter and as a singer, Todd eloquently reminds us through this album that Jesus is our light, through relevant examples, and some of which are quite intense and sometimes sad. But as the title of the album suggests, there is always hope in the darkness, and these songs have a silver lining to them in that Jesus is present, and He can and will carry us through our darkest moments.
Written during the midst of Todd’s father being diagnosed with leukaemia last year, Todd fervently echoes the honest statement in “Jesus Is” that Jesus is constant throughout the ages, and He is to be trusted no matter the circumstances surrounding us at a particular point in time. Though sung as a CCM single, with plenty of synth and guitars and accessible lyrics, there’s no denying the raw and brutal emotion behind Todd’s words, nor the sincerity of the fact that Jesus is who He says He is. Hopeful and challenging at the same time, and also refreshing and life-giving, Todd has delivered a powerful anthem that once again has me chomping at the bits to listen to more inspiring melodies.
The hymn like “I Sing The Mighty Power Of Jesus”, a no-holds barred guitar led radio friendly modern hymn constructed high energy melody, is led by vibrant keys and synth, where Todd ardently recounts that he sings ‘…the mighty power of Jesus, I sing the mighty power of God, storms will rage and troubles rise against us, I sing the mighty power of God…’, highlighting that we can declare and cry out God’s goodness and faithfulness despite our circumstances, because He is God and He is sovereign.
While the Martin Smith covered worshipful and piano led “Song Of Solomon”, inspired by the book Song Of Songs in the bible, was a nice addition and a surprise to me, as Todd makes Martin’s version his own, with the song being led by guitars here rather than keys in the original recording. Highlighting that Jesus loves us immensely that that He will search for us and pursue us ‘…over the mountains, over the sea, here You come running, my Lover to me, oh, through the valleys, through the dark of night, here You come running, to hold me till it’s light…’, we are glimpsed into the enormity of the love of God, which baffles even my mind when I think about it too hard. Todd also delves into the topic of being still in the presence of God, rather than filling our lives with the ‘noise’ that is present very much in this world in “Be Still”, a mid tempo ballad led by keys and guitars, as Todd earnestly mentions that Jesus is present in all creation, and even in the silence just as much as the everyday hustle and bustle. Sometimes we don’t often stop and just be present with God, without any distractions, and Todd brilliantly encourages us to do so in this unique and probably confronting melody.
The piano led moving and Selah-like “Right Where I Belong” has Ellie Holcomb singing on backing vocals, and focuses on the theme of being at peace where you are right now in every facet. Though sometimes we can feel as if we cannot be at peace due to outside influences and situations, Todd and Ellie ardently relay to us in this song that we can know that God has it all together, and His plan is perfect, from promises mentioned to us time and time again in the Scriptures. Sure to provide comfort and relief, Todd and Ellie have crafted a beautiful and intricate worship piece that has the makings of becoming a big hit in the future.
While the captivating story-in-song “Dimitri’s Song (Jesus Is Alive)” retells the harrowing true story of a Russian pastor being imprisoned for 17 years, and the aftermath of Dimitri’s subsequent release from prison, inspiring us to stand up for what we believe in, no matter the cost; and the mid-tempo piano and acoustic guitar led ballad “What Are We Living For” poses question after question, as Todd fervently asks us very directly ‘…if we have only one life to live, what are we living for? If we have only one left to give, let’s give glory to the Lord, let us fall down on our knees, there is so much more in store, let’s fight off the darkness, rise up, what are we living for…’, a melody sure to make some people uncomfortable, but a melody necessary nonetheless as our perception of how we live our lives are drastically altered and turned on its head.
Guitar led worship ballad “Revive Us” features Todd at his most vulnerable, as he passionately and eloquently asks God to revive us again with His Holy Spirit, showering us with His presence, so that we can know of His love and spread the good news to everyone we meet; while the penultimate track “We Will Rise” brings the tempo back down again, as one of my favourite melodies from There’s A Light, driven by light keys, reiterates the fact that with Jesus in our lives, we can and will rise above any adversity, because of He who is in us who is greater than anyone else in this world. Yet it is the album ender, the piano led call-to-action and ballad “Calling All Fathers” that is sure to provide the most discussion as the most thematically layered song recorded this year (in my opinion) directs plenty of questions to fathers and men in general. As Todd encourages us to look inward as men of God and examine what we are teaching our children, he also highlights that we need to embrace the roles God has presented to us, and men should provide accountability to their brothers in Christ. With the lyric video of the song already connecting with fans, translating into plenty of views on social media sites; Todd is to be congratulated in bringing a meaty and delicate topic to the forefront that would otherwise gone not talked about.
What could you ask for more in a sophomore solo album, from one of today’s most passionate and inspiring vocalists? With Todd Smith’s There’s A Light, you have inspiring and moving piano led ballads, rousing and captivating mid-tempo worship songs, and a few upbeat tracks for variety. While this is definitely not a sign that Selah is breaking up, There’s A Light has convinced me that Todd will certainly be recording many more albums to come, even if Selah decides to call it quits (but I’m definitely not hoping that they do!) A must for fans of worship music, you cannot go wrong with Todd Smith’s There’s A Light! Now…time to listen to Greatest Hits Vol. 2 from Selah!
3 songs to listen to: There’s A Light, Song Of Solomon, We Will Rise
RIYL: Steven Curtis Chapman, Amy Grant, MercyMe, Casting Crowns, Michael W Smith
ccmcurb recordspraisethere's a lighttodd smith
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49ers Off to a Fast Start
When Anthony Dixon turned the corner, he knew where he wanted to be.
The pylon was in sight for the 49ers rookie running back, and he was going to do whatever he could to get there.
"I'm a big guy, but I knew I was going to have to turn on the jets for that one," Dixon said.
And that's exactly what he did.
Four yards later Dixon not only put the first points on the board in the 49ers 15-10 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, but he had given the 49ers first team-offense a much needed confidence boost.
"We definitely needed that," left tackle Joe Staley said. "We came out a little slow last week, so it was great to come out and start fast with our No. 1 offense against their No. 1 defense."
Dixon's touchdown came at the end of what Staley called "almost a perfect drive."
The 49ers received the opening kickoff and marched 70 yards for the score in 6:57. They were perfectly balanced with six passing plays and six rushes, and they converted on all three of their third downs.
Quarterback Alex Smith was five-for-six on the drive, and he came up with the big plays on those third downs to keep the chains moving.
"Alex did a great job of picking the defense apart (in the first drive)," said tight end Delanie Walker, who made two catches for 35 yards on the drive. "We did what we wanted to do in that first series."
Making the opening drive even more impressive was the fact that the 49ers were without three of their biggest playmakers in running back Frank Gore, wide receiver Michael Crabtree and tight end Vernon Davis.
Meanwhile the Vikings had nine of their 11 defensive starters on the field.
All week long the offense had talked about starting fast, and to be able to do so short-handed against a nearly complete Minnesota defense made it that much sweeter.
"This is what we said we wanted to do tonight," Staley said. "I thought we moved the ball well in that drive even without those guys in there. It makes you realize how good this offense can be when we're all healthy."
A Homecoming of SortsFor the second straight week the 49ers outside linebackers wreaked havoc in their opponent's backfield.
They accounted for two of the team's four sacks and four of the team's eight quarterback hits – and perhaps nobody on the defense had a better night than Travis LaBoy.
This was LaBoy's first NFL game since he was a member of the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, and he made it count. LaBoy registered three quarterback hits and one sack, and the 250 pounder from the Bay Area enjoyed playing in his own backyard.
"For a first game, I thought it went well," LaBoy said. "I had the home-town fans and all my friends here. I grew up right down the street. So for me, I couldn't ask for anything else."
Two at the BuzzerHead Coach Mike Singletary said he was "disappointed" in how his team finished, but he couldn't have been talking about the final play of the game.
Following a 49ers punt, the Vikings took the field on their own eight-yard line with nine seconds remaining. Minnesota tried to make a desperation heave for the far end zone, but Derek Walker made sure the Vikings didn't even leave their own.
The 49ers defensive tackle sacked Vikings quarterback Joe Webb for a safety – a perfect ending for a somewhat inconsistent half.
"I know we didn't close the game out the way Coach wanted, but that was a good final play," Walker said. "We knew it was going to be a deep route so we had plenty of time to get to him. (Bruce) Davis set the edge so it funneled the quarterback back to me. And I know what to do when there's a QB right there."
Extra PointsThrough two preseason games, the 49ers defense ranks in the top 10 in the NFL in points allowed, yards per game, passing yards per game, rushing yards per game, sacks and interceptions.
Singletary said there were two injuries on the night; tight end Nate Byham suffered a chest contusion and cornerback Patrick Stoudamire suffered a knee contusion.
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Griffon Vulture in Cyprus crashes with a car — the bird's fate remains a mystery
Feathers retrieved from the scene (c) GFS
A few days ago a Griffon Vulture collided with the windshield of a car in Cyprus. This type of incident, although quite unusual in most of Europe, occurs from time-to-time in Spain, and quite frequently in Africa and Asia when vultures feed on carcasses by the road or train lines, often leading to roadkills and train collisions.
Griffon Vulture collision with car in Cyprus
On the morning of Thursday, 17 September, an unusual car accident occurred in Cyprus. While a man was on his way to work with his colleagues, driving in the Limassol-Paphos highway, a large bird that he believed to be an eagle coming from the opposite direction crashed into his car's windshield. Thankfully, all the passengers in the car were safe and well, but the bird immediately took off and disappeared. Agents of the Game and Fauna Service visited the scene and collected feathers to identify the bird, which turned out to be an adult Griffon Vulture (see cover image). The agents did not manage to recover the bird, and the prognosis seems bleak looking at the damage of the car. The LIFE with Vultures project team also got involved, visiting areas frequented by the vultures to search for the injured bird, but with no luck. There is some concern for the parents of one of the two fledglings as they have not been sighted with their offspring, but it could easily be another adult individual. The project team continues to monitor the situation for further developments. We hope the vulture survives, especially considering the threatened status of the species in the country, being on the verge of extinction – the survival of adult individuals is especially critical for the persistence of the population.
Griffon Vultures in Cyprus
AAJ is a member of one of the breeding pairs in Cyprus © Louis Phipps / VCF
During the 1960s, the population consisted of at least 100 individuals. Numbers declined rapidly since then, with an estimated 20 pairs by the early 1990s and just 8 – 10 pairs by the turn of the century. Today, the Griffon Vulture is in the brink of extinction from Cyprus with only around 20 birds remaining, out of which, the LIFE with Vultures project identified three breeding pairs during the 2020 breeding season. One of the main reasons behind the decrease has been the reduction in food availability due to the reduction in extensive livestock farming (free grazing) and the introduction of legislation that requires the removal of carcasses from farms - as Griffon Vultures feed exclusively on dead animals they struggle to find enough food in the modern landscape. Another critical threat to the population is poisoning from the illegal use of poisoned baits aimed at the extermination of foxes and stray dogs. For the period 1996-2020, 43 confirmed Griffon Vulture poisoning incidents have been recorded and another ten vultures died with a possible cause of death being poisoning.
LIFE with Vultures
LIFE with Vultures is a targeted conservation project for the protection of the Griffon Vulture in Cyprus. In this four-year endeavor (2019-2023), BirdLife Cyprus, the Game and Fauna Service, Terra Cypria – The Cyprus Conservation Foundation and the Vulture Conservation Foundation have joined forces to tackle the main threats facing the Griffon Vulture and prevent Cyprus’ most threatened bird of prey from going extinct. The project has a 1,375,861 Euro budget and is co-funded (60%) by the EU’s LIFE programme.
tagPlaceholderTags: griffonvulture, 2020-09
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You are here: 800 Zip Codes > Fiji
Fiji Geography and Population
OFFICIAL NAME: Fiji Islands
CAPITAL CITY: Suva
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE (S): English, fiji, hindi, andre
RELIGION: Christians 52%, Hindus 38%, Muslims 8%, others 2%
COIN: dollars
CURRENCY CODE: FJD
ENGLISH NAME: Fiji
POPULATION COMPOSITION: Fijians 51%, Indians 44%, others 5%
INDEX OF LIVING CONDITIONS, HDI: 0.758
INDEX OF LIVING CONDITIONS, POSITION: 90
INTERNET DOMAIN NAME: .fj
Fiji, archipelago and republic of the Pacific until 1970 British colony. Among the scattered and very small nations of the region, Fiji plays a central role; the capital Suva houses several regional organizations and the airport in Nadi is the center of flight in the western Pacific. Fiji's traditional one-sided economy based on sugar exports is increasingly complemented by light industry and tourist revenues.
SONGAAH.COM: Are you interested in song associated with Fiji? Here is where you can see song lyrics and singer about this country.
Fiji - national flag
The flag was adopted at independence in 1970 and remained unchanged after the military coup in 1987. The flag was chosen after a competition and the light blue color for the tablecloth was preferred so that the flag could be more easily distinguished from the flags of Australia and New Zealand. In addition to the British flag, Union Jack, the flag also shows Fiji's weapons with symbols from both Great Britain and Fiji.
Fiji - geography
The Fiji Islands consist of two large and more than 300 smaller islands with a 1.3 million. km2 large sea territory. The main island of Viti Levu, together with the northern neighboring island of Vanua Levu, makes up 87% of the area and houses almost the entire population. Just under 100 islands are inhabited; several of them accommodate very small and isolated communities.
According to AllCityPopulation.com, it consists of two almost equal groups, the native Fijians, who are a Melanesian people, and Indians, who are descendants of the plantation workers who were imported by the English to the sugar and coconut plantations from the late 1800's. and onwards. Together they make up 95% of the population; the rest are mainly Chinese and various Polynesian groups. The latter include banaba on the island of Rabi, which came here from Ocean Island in Kiribati in 1945 after large parts of their island had been dug away by a British phosphate company.
Countryaah: Do you know how many people there are in Fiji? Check this site to see population pyramid and resident density about this country.
Fiji, especially since independence in 1970, has been marked both by political rivalry between the two main groups and by significant efforts to promote a common sense of Fijian nationality with less emphasis on ethnicity. During the 1980's, the Indians came into the majority, on the back of continued immigration, but after a Melanesian-oriented coup in 1987, many of the highly educated Indians emigrated. Neither the Indians nor the Melanesians form homogeneous groups. The Indians are divided by religious, caste and ethnic differences with a Muslim minority and a group of Sikhs and immigrants from Gujarat (north of Mumbai) centrally located in the business world. The original Fijians are divided into a large number of clans, and a traditional aristocracy of chiefs tries to preserve their power according to the country's intricate constitution,
Nature and business
The two large islands are mountainous and largely covered by forest. Almost all the islands are of volcanic origin, and many are surrounded by coral reefs, which in many places form large lagoons. The climate is tropical, but temperatures are dampened by predominantly easterly and southerly humid winds. They cause large amounts of precipitation to the windswept shores and to the highest mountains, which are covered with oak. rainforest. The slopes and the lower islands get much less rain, and water supply is a problem on several small islands. Characteristic of the landscape are large areas of secondary forest, which is the result of centuries of relocation land use, where pieces of forest are occasionally burned for cultivation.
Settlement and occupation are predominantly linked to a narrow, densely populated coastal strip, while large areas in the middle of the islands are inaccessible and uninhabited. Everywhere in Fiji, coconut palms are a supplement to the economy, in addition, on many small islands main industry. Only 16% of the area is arable land, and sugar cane is grown on more than a quarter of this. In colonial times, Fiji's economy was completely dominated by sugar cane and coconut; both are of declining importance, but sugar still accounts for up to half of exports and is sold mainly to the EU under the sugar regime of the Lomé Convention.
Fiji's central location in the Pacific region, together with a liberal investment climate, has attracted a number of investments, and the export-oriented textile industry in particular is growing strongly. In the western part of Viti Levu there is a small gold deposit, from which 2-3 t of gold and a bit of silver are produced annually.
Fiji has long been a leader in the region's growing tourism industry. Especially around the international airport in Nadi, at the nearby, Indian-influenced Lautoka and on the small Mamanutha islands west of it, there are large hotel facilities that offer especially Australian tourists wide coral sand beaches, scuba diving and golf. Several facilities have led to conflicts with local landowners and traditional fishing interests. Often, the tourism industry exhibits a clear ethnic threefold division of companies with foreign companies as owners, Fiji Indians as middle managers, and Fiji Melanesians for the rougher work. The structure can be found throughout Fijian society and is due, among other things, to the restrictive Fijian land laws, which have referred the Fiji Indians to the other sectors of the economy. The political unrest following the coup attempt in 2000 was a disaster for the tourism industry.
Fiji - language
The official languages of the Fiji Islands are standard Fiji and English. The Fiji language, which includes two quite different dialect groups, belongs to the Austronesian language family. The standard language is based on the dialect of the small island Bau, which is pronounced [mbau], as the traditional spelling has b for [mb], d for [nd], etc. Since approximately half of the population are Indians, Hindi is widely used alongside English.
Fiji - Constitution
The Republic's Constitution of 1990 introduced a two-chamber system giving the Melanesians the right to the post of Prime Minister and to 37 of the 70 seats in the House of Representatives. Fiji Indians have 27 places, other ethnic groups, Chinese and Europeans, 5, Rotuma Island 1. The upper house has 24 seats reserved for Melanesians, 9 for other ethnic groups and 1 seat for Rotuma. The president elected by a council of chiefs must be Melanesian. There is extensive local, including economic autonomy, in Fiji's 14 provinces.
Fiji - history
The archipelago was discovered and colonized in the second millennium BC. of Austronesian-speaking peoples of the Western Pacific. Later migrations from other islands made Fiji a meeting place for Melanesian and Polynesian cultural influences. The hierarchically organized village communities were traditionally bound together by exchanges and trade. But war was also an integral part of life.
The Dutch Abel Tasman (1643) and James Cook (1774) were the first European seafarers to visit Fiji. From the beginning of 1800-t. different groups of Europeans came to the islands: beachcombers, merchants, Christian missionaries, and settlers in search of land. The access to firearms enabled a few chiefs to monopolize power.
In 1874, internal fighting and rivalry between the imperialist states led to British takeover, and Fiji was a colony until 1970. The first British governor, Sir Arthur Gordon, and his successors sought to protect the Fijians. They were allowed to retain control of most of the land and took part only to a limited extent in capitalist development.
To secure labor for the sugar plantations of the white colonists, more than 60,000 Indians were introduced between 1879 and 1916. Many of them were set on modernization and in time came to dominate the business life of the colony. But they could not own land like the Fiji Melanesians, thus making a significant contribution to Fiji's ethnic conflict.
At the independence in 1970, the new state got a democratic constitution that was to ensure the political balance with Melanesians in the leading role. At the 1987 elections, however, a coalition of Fiji Indians came to power, and a strong-willed fear among the chiefs and within the Melanesian-dominated military led to a military coup. The government was ousted and the constitution suspended. Many Fiji Indians left the country and a civilian government ensuring absolute Melanesian control was introduced.
The political rivalry between Fiji's two major ethnic groups, the Melanesian Fijians and the Fiji Indians, continued through the 1990's and culminated in the spring of 2000, when the Melanesian businessman George Speight (b. 1957) with a group of soldiers took the ethnic mixed government as hostages.
He sought to implement a constitutional amendment that would allow only Melanesian Fijians to hold political office. The coup attempt was followed by widespread unrest with looting of Fiji Indian businesses and assaults. In addition, Fiji was temporarily suspended from the Commonwealth. The coup attempt failed and the leaders were sentenced to prison terms. Fiji, however, remained politically unstable. The government's proposal for an amnesty for the coup leaders from 2000 helped trigger a military coup in December 2006, after which coup leader Frank Bainimarama came to power.
In 2009, Fiji was again suspended as a member of the Commonwealth, as Bainimarama, despite promises to do so, had not re-established democracy.
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Active Plumbing Supplies complies with the principles of the Data Protection Act 1998 when dealing with all data received from visitors to the site.
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If you have any questions relating to our Privacy Policy please contact your local branch.
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Young Communist League USA, NY District: Buffalo, NY
https://actionnetwork.org/groups/young-communist-league-ny/
https://www.facebook.com/NYYCL
We are students and young workers who organize and fight to transform our country through democratic struggle for a socialist society with equality for all. We work in unity and cooperation with the Communist Party USA for the immediate and ultimate interests of working and oppressed people and youth.We fight for jobs for youth, for women's rights, and against racism, oppression and war. We fight for the right to an education for all.We organize for immediate reforms to advance toward the fight for a fundamentally more equitable social and economic system: a Socialist USA. The Young Communist League (YCL) is an independent mass public organization of young people in the United States. Join the YCLUSA http://goo.gl/ZPpsWL The Young Communist League (YCL) is an independent mass public organization of young people in the United States. The YCL is devoted to the interests of all young people and is dedicated to the revolutionary cause of the working class of our country, the transformation of the United States through mass democratic struggle into a socialist society. We try to develop communist, working-class political and moral convictions in our members and assist them in becoming militant fighters for the rights of the people and youth. We teach our members to work and struggle together collectively, to reject the abuse of drugs and alcohol, to fight for the equality of all young people, against racism and discrimination. Our task is to help our members become Communists. We learn to struggle through studying Marxism-Leninism and active participation in day to day struggles of the working people and youth for a better life. Our League promotes social, recreational and cultural activities among young people. The promotion of working class culture and the development of recreational and social activities that advance youth unity and struggle are an essential feature of our activity. We strive to promote youth’s understanding that the working class is the only class capable of leading the people against big business to socialism. The YCL develops a feeling of loyalty to the working class among young people. The object of all activities of the League is to build the unity of the young generation with the working class in the struggle for peace, full employment, complete equality, trade union and democratic rights. The Young Communist League recognizes the Communist Party, USA as the political party of the socialism in our country. We enjoy political and ideological guidance from the Communist Party. Our League works in unity and cooperation with the Communist Party for the immediate and ultimate interests of the working people and youth. Young Communists promote the unity of young people of our country with the peoples and youth of all countries. Our League promotes working class internationalism. We are proud of our relationship with the international youth and student movement. Young Communists want a secure and peaceful future. The Young Communist League stands with all young people in the struggle to realize their highest aspirations: to live in peace and freedom, to work and love, to create and celebrate. Socialism will bring these aspirations to life. In a socialist US, where monopoly corporations no longer dominate the economic and political life, society’s highest priority will be the well being of the people. Only by eliminating capitalism and the evils that grow out of it, racism, discrimination, sexism, class exploitation, poverty and war, will the rights of young people be fully guaranteed. Socialism will guarantee every young person the right to a job, free public education, and the ability of all to reach their fullest potential. By eliminating private profit, socialism will end forever the exploitation of one human being by another.
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Beyond Scared Straight
Beyond Scared Straight, the Emmy-nominated series that profiles unique crime prevention programs aimed at deterring troubled teens from jail, returns for its ninth and final 11-episode season.
Inspired by “Scared Straight!,” the Academy Award and multiple Emmy-winning documentary film by Arnold Shapiro, Beyond Scared Straight follows teens who pride themselves on bad behavior ranging from theft, drugs, promiscuity, gang affiliation, violence and arson. These defiant teens are forced to spend a day (and sometimes a night) in jail, interacting with convicted felons who give them first-hand experience of life behind bars with the hope that they see where the path of destruction they are headed down could lead them. Since the series’ inception in 2009, Beyond Scared Straight has profiled 331 teens in crime prevention programs in 29 prisons and jails across the county.
“While it is sad when a successful series ends, I’ve decided that it’s time for Beyond Scared Straight to come to a close,” said series creator and executive producer Arnold Shapiro. “I am so proud of the teenage lives that have been changed and even saved over our 83 episodes and six years of production. It gave kids who were heading down the wrong path a preview of their future and a road map on how to change it. Happily, the majority of them made life-altering adjustments to their dangerous behavior.”
Beyond Scared Straight is produced by Arnold Shapiro Productions for A&E Network. Executive Producers are Arnold Shapiro and Paul J. Coyne. Executive producer for A&E is Laura Fleury.
Series Finale: Lights Out!
Sign up for A&E’s Beyond Scared Straight email updates!
Follow #BeyondScaredStraight
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Vandals Spray Swastikas on Set of Israeli Film in Poland
A door spray-painted with a swastika. Illustrative photo: Twitter.
JNS.org – An Israeli film crew that arrived in Lodz, Poland, to begin shooting director Avi Nesher’s movie The Sins found the set defaced by swastikas, Israel Hayom reported.
Nesher, whose films have won multiple awards in Israel and international acclaim, said that the day before his crew arrived, the crew of another movie had been involved in an incident with local residents.
“When the residents were informed that the next day an Israeli film would begin shooting, [their behavior] crossed over into violent antisemitism, what they called an ‘intifada,’” Nesher said.
In light of the antisemitic threats, Polish police decided to ramp up security on and around the set, and assign the actors bodyguards.
The Sins, set in 1977, tells the story of two sisters who are driven apart by a dark secret but are forced to work together to keep their parents from discovering it.
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Educational and End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Scholarship
Emma L. Walker was the co-founders of All Kidney Patients Support Group (AKPSG), St Petersburg, FL. In 2006 she became a dialysis patient due to complications from heart surgery. Mrs. Walker did not let her weekly dialysis treatment slow her down. She loved to travel, visit family and friends but most importantly she loved to give back to her community. In 2009, Janice Starling-Williams and Emma Walker founded the St Petersburg All Kidney Patients Support Group, St. Petersburg, FL. The support group was created to offer assistance to kidney patients in the Tampa Bay Area at various stages of dialysis and transplantation. On May 30th, 2017 Emma unexpectedly passed away and one of the causes of her death was due to End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). Although Emma is no longer with us she will always be remembered for the work she did for the community and patience facing (ESRD).
In Honor of their mother and her love for her community Emma's three daughters, Antionette L. Wiggins, Janice L. Grant and Kimberly A. Swain, would like to continue her work to support her community in the form of scholarship. Each year her daughters have committed to donating $1,000.00 to the AKPSG. The AKPSG will award the $1,000.00 donation in the form of an educational scholarship. There is no specific course of study required, and the money can be used in whatever way that student feels will benefit them the most. There will be two $500.00 scholarships awarded each school year. The scholarship will be awarded in August of each year beginning in 2017.
The recipient will be chosen by a Selection Committee comprised of five (5) members, three of her daughters and two members of AKPSG. The selection committee does not discriminate by age, race, color, national origin, disability, creed, or gender.
To be eligible for the scholarship, the applicant must:
Be at least 17 years of age Applicant or applicant's family member must be a renal patient
Be a High School senior admitted to an accredited university or community college pursuing an undergraduate degree or be a Full time student attending an accredited university or community college pursuing an undergraduate (You must include a copy of your acceptance letter, signed commitment letter, or other documents showing commitment to attend)
Have a cumulative GPA 2.5 or higher
Can demonstrate a need for financial assistance
Applicants may reapply; however, persons who have received this award may reapply and may be granted the award for a maximum of four years.
Complete the Scholarship Application
Write an essay of no fewer than 600 words
Request the Scholarship Application
Please leave us your details and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.
AKPSG Contacting me about the Scholarship. I grant a representative of AKPSG, Inc, to contact me by phone and/or email.
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Las Vegas Entertainment Translation Services – Certified Mandarin, Punjabi and Tagalog subtitling and voiceovers
MANDARIN, PUNJABI, AND TAGALOG ENTERTAINMENT TRANSLATION MADE EASY IN LAS VEGAS
Subtitling and Voiceovers in Mandarin, Punjabi and Tagalog for Las Vegas Industries
In Las Vegas’s fast paced society, foreign language services are needed more than ever. Demand for Language services among entertainment and media companies is increasing steadily. Every form of language service is used by mass media companies and those services cover translation, transcription, voiceover, subtitling and interpreting. As a result of Las Vegas’s large Asian visitation and booming entertainment industry, language companies specialize in a handful of Asian languages like Mandarin, Punjabi and Tagalog. Demand for translation to and from English is particularly strong in these languages. The entertainment industry encompasses mass media companies that create, organize, distribute and manufacture content which is seen worldwide. From subtitling and voiceovers to localizing software for video games, the range of language services needed in the entertainment industry covers a very broad spectrum.
Cutting Edge Technology and Advanced Computer Software are Important Factors when Applying Foreign Language contact to Film, Audio and Web Content
The diversity and sophistication that is needed in Las Vegas’s entertainment community has taken subtitling and voice over work to new heights. Las Vegas businesses and other organizations are continually dealing with foreign content especially in Asian languages. This is a direct result of Las Vegas’s international outreach and growing Pacific Rim entertainment business. Some of the most commonly requested Asian dialects are Punjabi, Mandarin and Tagalog. American entertainment abroad is a multi-billion dollar industry, with the promise of steady future growth as American entertainment continues to be adopted in Asian nations. Language professionals doing subtitling work have specific computer software and hardware where the content is digitally stored on disks, making each frame immediately available. Besides creating the subtitles, the translator can tell the computer software the precise place where each subtitle should be located. The subtitling that is necessary for non-native viewers to follow the stories is critical because no matter how excellent a film may be, the subtitles can either make or break the quality. Voiceover work in Asian languages is also a burgeoning area of the entertainment and media arena. Experienced voiceover talent in Tagalog, Punjabi and Mandarin can offer the credibility and assurance that the message you’re trying to communicate in a video, presentation or broadcast is accurate and culturally correct. Command of their mother tongue and listening comprehension are key ingredients to good voiceover projects. Weather you are doing subtitling or voiceover projects it is of utmost importance to work with a language service that can cover the technical and linguistic requirements of the job.
Vegas Based Media Industry language Providers must offer the Fastest Possible Turnaround Times and the most Accurate Work, Especially in the Entertainment Industry, where operating at a fast pace is essential.
Las Vegas based Media and entertainment companies are at the forefront of today’s global economy. Film producers, TV stations, radio stations and internet service providers are relaying incredible amounts of foreign content, and it is growing daily. There are over 1,000 television stations in the US alone. Also, the rise of reality TV shows, documentaries, and other sorts of TV entertainment have provided work in the language field as well. Experienced entertainment language providers need to work in many kinds of formats including audio/video cassette, CDs, DVDs ,digital files, aac, avi, dss, mov,mp3, mp4, wav, wma and many more. Also, as a result of Las Vegas’s large Asian population, language specialists must be available in Asian dialects such as Punjabi, Mandarin and Tagalog. These are some of the most common Asian dialects spoken in the Las Vegas area. No matter what the situation or deadline, a quality language provider must offer the fastest possible turnaround times and the most accurate work, especially in the entertainment industry, where operating at a fast pace is essential.
Experienced Entertainment Industry Linguists in Vegas with Decades of Outstanding Service
Founded in 1985, United States based American Language Services ? (AML-Global) evolved from an intimate language school into the leading interpreting and translating agency it is today. AML-Global provides a full range of Asian communication services for the entertainment and mass media industries. Weather language services are needed for webcasts, podcasts, interviews, film or television AML-Global can deliver impeccable Mandarin, Punjabi, and Tagalog language quality and also offers its unique services in Las Vegas and worldwide. We deliver cost effective and timely solutions for all your language needs. Our language professionals are available 24 hours/ 7 days a week at 800-951-5020.
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Preston Summerhays wins the Sunnehanna Amateur
by Pete Wlodkowski of AmateurGolf.com
see also: View results for Sunnehanna Amateur, Sunnehanna Country Club, Preston Summerhays Rankings
Preston Summerhays (Sunnehanna Amateur photo)
We've had today's Sunnehanna Amateur champ Preston Summerhays on our radar for quite some time.
A top performer on the junior level at AJGA and other events, Summerhays catapulted to the status of USGA Champ with a win at the 2019 U.S. Junior Amateur. With that win, he became the third junior golfer to be awarded an exemption to the U.S. Open - so he has that to look forward to in the fall.
Related: Summerhays hits 'shot of a lifetime' on way to U.S. Junior win
But in the meantime, there is plenty of learning and growing to do on the golf course, and Summerhays proved that he's capable of winning a major four-round medal play tournament against a field stock full of Division I golfers.
"Last year after the U.S. Junior, I made some new goals," Summerhays told AmateurGolf.com "I played really well on the high junior level but I thought a new goal would be to win a big amateur event, something slightly more challenging."
And despite the fact that the Arizona State signee didn't need an exemption into the U.S. Amateur at Bandon Dunes this fall, his performance today, and all week, proves Summerhays is one of the players to watch a month from now at Bandon Dunes.
Thursday, Summerhays posted a 4-under 66 to vault himself into a solo lead. But the Sunnehanna has one of the top fields in all of amateur golf, and there was no room to do anything but keep charging.
“I’m just going to keep on playing the way I have been playing,” told the Tribune-Democrat after yesterday's round. “I’m going to attack when I have good numbers with wedges. I’m going to keep practicing my putting and make sure I make those 4 to 8-footers.”
The result? A nearly flawless round of 65 at Sunnehanna Country Club with just a single bogey on the fifth hole. His birdie on No. 18 to close out the win is shown below.
Preston Summerhays birdies No. 18 to win @SunnehannaAm at a record-tying 14-under pic.twitter.com/M4Tscs8bxZ
— Michael Mastovich (@masty81) July 24, 2020
Summerhays loved the back nine all week -- posting 33, 32, and 33, but today's 4-under 31 was his best close of the week, and it provided him a three-shot cushion over a charging Travis Vick.
The University of Texas star started the day a full five shots behind Summerhays, but he caught fire today.
After posting 3-under 32 on the front nine, he made the turn and eagled No. 10, then caught three-straight birdies on Nos. 15-17 to move to 8-under on the round, and 12-under on the tournament. A bogey at the last cost Vick the chance to set the bar one shot lower for Summerhays, still on the course, and playing in the final group at 12-under with two holes to play.
"I was definitely following it," Summerhays said. "The last leaderboard I saw was on number 12. I think at that point I had a two-shot lead."
Birdies on both of those final holes made it a moot point and Vick could rest knowing that his 63, and a solo second-place finish, was as good finish-wise as a 62 would have been. And if you're wondering what the record is, that's a 61 posted by Zack Sucher in 2008.
"Because he [Vick] had such a good day, I thought I'd have to birdie at least one of the last two to either win or get into a playoff, so I stayed aggressive on those holes and made some good birdies."
As for Summerhays, his four rounds in the 60s and birdie-birdie finish are two things he's going to remember for a long time.
With the win, Summerhays tied one record and broke another.
At just 18 years and 2 days old, he is the youngest winner in tournament history, a title previously held by Rickie Fowler, the 2008 champion. And with a tournament total of 14-under, he tied the previous scoring mark held by Allen Doyle.
The name Summerhays is legendary in Utah golf -- Preston's teacher (and father) is Boyd Summerhays, who also has Tony Finau under his wing, and is currently caddying for him at the 3M Open on the PGA Tour, where they are contending. To quote Boyd's website:
"Golf is in my blood. My grandfather, Pres Summerhays, was the head golf coach at the University of Utah. My father, Lynn, played collegiate golf, and for several years served as President of the Utah Junior Golf Association and on the USGA Committee. My uncle, Bruce Summerhays, is a Champions Tour winner and was also an accomplished golf instructor. His daughter, Carrie, is a former LPGA Tour player. My younger brother, Daniel, has played over 8 seasons on the PGA Tour, reaching as high as 53rd in the world rankings."
We'll have what they're having.
LSU star Trey Winstead finished solo third at 10-under, while Quade Cummins (Oklahoma), Connor Schmidt (Drexel), and Brandon Mancheno (Auburn) posted 9-under to tie for fourth. Schmidt made an ace in today's final round, a feat captured on video and tweeted out to the world right after.
Oh, the marvels of modern technology!
Awesome round today at the Sunnehanna Amateur! @connorschmidt21 shot 5 under to finish at -9 for the tournament. Had his first ace!!! Amazing day 😀⛳️ pic.twitter.com/TLbPgSXCPD
— Aimee Schmidt (@aimeeschmidt32) July 24, 2020
It was a great week for Utah golf. In addition to Summerhays' win, Connor Howe of Ogden (and Georgia Tech) finished the Southeastern Amateur in style with a walk-off chip in. And earlier in the week, David Jennings made headlines in the Utah Mid-Amateur, coming from 10 shots back on the final day with a 60.
With his finish, Quade Cummins has taken over No. 1 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Amateur Ranking, marking the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic hit that the top spot has changed hands. Chun An Yu (Chinese Taipei, Arizona State) is No. 2 and John Park (Scotch Plains, N.J., Florida State) is No. 3.
Results: Sunnehanna Amateur
1 Preston Summerhays Scottsdale, AZ 1200 68-67-66-65=266
2 Travis Vick Houston, TX 900 72-67-67-63=269
3 Trey Winstead Baton Rouge, LA 700 66-72-65-67=270
T4 Quade Cummins Weatherford, OK 700 70-65-72-64=271
T4 Connor Schmidt Venetia, PA 700 69-68-69-65=271
View full results for Sunnehanna Amateur
ABOUT THE Sunnehanna Amateur
The Sunnehanna Amateur was inaugurated in July of 1954 -- it was the first country club sponsored 72-hole stroke play competition for amateurs in the United States. The tournament is played on a classic A.W. Tillinghast design. Only one other amateur tournament in the United States can list the likes of Chick Evans, Arnold Palmer, Julius Boros, Art Wall, Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, and Rickie Fowler as contestants: the United States Amateur. Its medal play format has been emulated by countless amateur tournaments across the country.
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MOHAMED ABDIWAHAB/AFP/Getty Images
Somalia: Refugees pressured to leave Dadaab return to insecurity, drought and hunger
Thousands of Somali refugees who were pressured into leaving the Dadaab camp in Kenya are now facing drought, starvation and renewed displacement in Somalia, Amnesty International said today.
Returns to Somalia from Dadaab have massively accelerated since the Kenyan government announced plans to close the camp in May 2016. In a new briefing, Not Time to Go Home, Amnesty International researchers interviewed returnees living in dire conditions in overcrowded cities or displacement camps in Somalia.
In its zeal to return refugees the Kenyan government has made much of small security improvements in Somalia, but the grim reality is that many parts of the country are still plagued by violence and poverty
Charmain Mohamed, Head of Refugee and Migrants Rights at Amnesty International
Many returnees said they had left Dadaab because of dwindling food rations and services, or because of fears, stoked by Kenyan government officials, that they would be forced back with no assistance.
“In its zeal to return refugees the Kenyan government has made much of small security improvements in Somalia, but the grim reality is that many parts of the country are still plagued by violence and poverty,” said Charmain Mohamed, Head of Refugee and Migrants Rights at Amnesty International.
“Refugees who fled drought, conflict and hunger in Somalia were coerced into returning in the midst of a severe humanitarian crisis, and many now find themselves back in the same hopeless situation from which they fled and still unable to go home.
“Until there is a significant improvement in humanitarian conditions, the Kenyan government must focus on providing continued protection to Somali refugees. Otherwise it risks riding roughshod over international standards stating that refugees can be returned only when their safety and dignity can be guaranteed.”
The huge Dadaab complex in eastern Kenya is currently home to nearly 240,000 people. In May 2016 the Kenyan government announced that it would close the camp, citing national security concerns and insufficient support from the international community. This triggered a huge acceleration in returns to Somalia which continued even after the Kenyan High Court ruled the camp closure was illegal in February 2017.
In November 2016 Amnesty International documented government officials threatening refugees and telling them they had to leave, raising serious questions about whether returns were voluntary.
A humanitarian crisis
Somalia has been blighted by conflict for decades, and between January 2016 and October 2017 there were about 4,585 civilian casualties. The armed group Al-Shabaab maintains control over a significant portion of the country and carries out indiscriminate attacks which have killed or injured hundreds of civilians in the past year alone.
In the midst of this insecurity, the humanitarian situation in Somalia continues to deteriorate. The country is currently experiencing a devastating drought and there is a persistent threat of famine. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) more than half the population is in need of humanitarian assistance.
This combination of factors has led to a huge internal displacement crisis. As of November 2017, there were 2.1 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Somalia, many of whom have crowded into urban areas, placing a huge strain on resources. The lack of clean water in Somalia has also triggered a cholera outbreak which killed at least 1,155 people between January and July 2017.
In this context, Somalia is clearly not ready for the large-scale returns that have accelerated since 2016. Nearly all the returnees interviewed by Amnesty International stated that they and their families were facing serious hardship in Somalia.
Amina, a woman in her thirties, fled to Dabaab in 2011 as a result of drought. She was repatriated to the city of Baidoa with her husband and seven children in August 2016. She told Amnesty International that the water available in Baidoa is both unsafe and prohibitively expensive:
“The biggest problem that we have in the area is water. We buy a jerry can of dirty water 7,000 shillings [(US$12)]. We can go for some days without water,” she told Amnesty International.
Somalia is also experiencing serious food insecurity and most returnees rely on assistance packages and humanitarian aid to obtain food.
Igal, 40, also went to Baidoa after leaving Dadaab with his six children. He told Amnesty International: “If you visit our homes you will see people who have eaten nothing for at least three days.”
Because many returnees cannot return to their original homes, accessing shelter is also a major problem. Nearly all the returnees interviewed by Amnesty International said that they had been unable to secure adequate shelter, and many were living in or around IDP settlements.
An international failure
A key factor behind the Kenyan government’s push to return Somalis is the failure of the international community to provide adequate support. Funding for the refugee response in Kenya has declined sharply since 2011, far outpacing the reduction in refugee numbers.
In November 2017, the UN refugee agency UNHCR’s appeal for its refugee response in Kenya was only 29% funded. In the same period, the World Food Programme (WFP) also experienced regular and chronic underfunding, forcing it to repeatedly reduce the value of the food rations given to refugees.
As hunger, disease and violence close in on returnees in Somalia, the need for true responsibility sharing has never been clearer
Charmain Mohamed
Amnesty International is calling on the international community to provide adequate technical and financial assistance to the government of Kenya, to support sustainable and long-term solutions for the integration of refugees in the country. This includes fully funding UNHCR’s appeal for the Kenya response, as well as increasing resettlement places and alternative pathways for Somali refugees.
“As the situation of returnees in Somalia becomes increasingly desperate, large scale returns from Dadaab are simply not viable. Rather than pushing to return refugees into a humanitarian crisis, the Kenyan government should be looking for sustainable solutions, including offering opportunities for local integration in Kenya,” said Charmain Mohamed.
“But it cannot do this alone. The international community needs to step up its response, which so far has been woeful and contributed to the suffering of refugees and returnees. As hunger, disease and violence close in on returnees in Somalia, the need for true responsibility sharing has never been clearer.”
This report builds upon a report Nowhere Else to Go published by Amnesty International in November 2016. It assessed the conditions under which refugees took the decision to return to Somalia from Kenya in 2015 and early 2016 and the levels of insecurity and humanitarian challenges the returnees faced in Somalia.
SOMALIA: NOT TIME TO GO HOME: UNSUSTAINABLE RETURNS OF REFUGEES TO SOMALIA
Kenya: Historic ruling blocks closure of Dadaab refugee camp
KENYA: GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS COERCING REFUGEES BACK TO WAR-TORN SOMALIA
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Admirals all about business at region meet Saturday
By Mike Marsee
A big win in this weekend’s regional meet would be a big deal for the Danville boys track and field team.
And not just because the Danville boys haven’t won a regional title in a while, but because a commanding victory would probably set them up as well as possible for something they haven’t won in much longer – a state championship.
If the Admirals pile up the first- and second-place finishes Saturday in the Region A-5 championships, then the following week at the state meet they should be in the lanes and heats and flights that coach Chris Verhoven said will give them the best chance to win the big prize.
“This is all about running your best on Saturday, not just to win, but to put yourself in the right heat, in the right lane for the state meet,” Danville coach Chris Verhoven said. “Our goal isn’t to win a region, it’s to win state, but it’s all business Saturday.”
Danville hasn’t won a boys regional title since 2014, but it is the overwhelming favorite to do so Saturday when it hosts its regional at Admiral Stadium for the seventh time in eight years.
The Admirals also are favored to win their first state championship since 1990, when they won the last of three consecutive Class A boys titles. They have been ranked No. 1 in their class all season long.
“This is a special team,” Verhoven said. “I would say that I’ve had better individual athletes than what we’ve got on this team, but as far as being loaded top to bottom with quality athletes, I’ve never had a better team.”
Danville is ranked first statewide among Class A boys in the 400-meter relay and is ranked in the top five in six other events: Gabe McKnight is No. 2 in the 110 hurdles and No. 4 in the 300 hurdles, Jaxxynn Wood is tied for No. 3 in the pole vault, Chase Tandy is No. 4 in the 400, D’mauriae VanCleave is No. 5 in the 100 and Don Harris is No. 5 in the shot put.
“I feel like we are the most talented team, but there are a lot of talented teams that never won anything,” Verhoven said. “Anything can happen, and I’m sure not confident or cocky that we’re going to win.
“State doesn’t happen if we don’t perform on Saturday.”
One of the things most coaches do to prepare for regional meets is to put their athletes not simply in events where they can win and/or qualify for the state meet, but where they score the most points at state and taken advantage of holes in other teams’ lineups.
“Our sport is kind of like a puzzle,” Verhoven said. “You’re not only figuring out who’s best at what event, but you spend a lot of time looking at your opponents and where their strengths and weaknesses are.
“We probably had a different lineup at every single meet this year, including the one that’s coming up. Even this week we’ve made some pretty dramatic changes.”
One such change involved moving VanCleave into the triple jump, even though he hasn’t competed in the triple jump or long jump since 2015 and hadn’t jumped at all this season.
Another senior, Chase Tandy, has been one of the Admirals’ biggest surprises this season. In his first year on the team, Tandy has won in both the 400 and the 800 at invitational meets.
“I’ve been trying to get him to come out for years,” Verhoven said. “When he started, he literally didn’t know how to run any event. It’s been a huge learning curve.”
Burgin figures to place among the top five teams with points from Trevar Lay in the 1,600 and 3,200 and as part of 1,600 and 3,200 relay teams. Cade Shearer (discus, shot put) and Daylan Hodges (pole vault) are also expected to qualify for the state meet.
Verhoven said the Danville girls are unlikely to dethrone defending regional champion Lexington Christian, but he said their improvement this season has given them a good shot at second place, one spot higher than they finished last year.
“Right now I’m projecting us to get runner-up and to send several people to the state that have a chance to get points,” Verhoven said.
The Lady Admirals’ top-ranked athlete is Lisa Voyles, a junior who has been on the soccer team but hadn’t tried track before this year. Voyles is ranked first in the region and seventh among all Class A girls in the 800 and second in the region and 11th in the state in the 1,600, and she anchors the 1,600 relay team.
“She’s a diamond in the rough,” Verhoven said.
Senior Taylor Rankin and junior Abbie Hibbs, two veteran sprinters, provide leadership for a young team that includes sophomore sprinter/jumper Anaiah Jenkins and sophomore sprinter Jade Smith (100, 200, 400) have come a long way in the last month of the season, and eighth-graders McKenzie Matthews (long jump, triple jump) and Kiah Earle (1,600, 3,200) are leading the team in their events.
Admirals stymie Mercer County in 5-1 victory
Danville flexed its all-around game in Wednesday’s 5-1 victory against Mercer County. The Admirals were strong in all areas of... read more
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Amsterdam » Students » University, Hogescholen
Universities in Amsterdam
Establishments offering higher education in Amsterdam
There are two research universities in Amsterdam which award Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees. These are the Universiteit van Amsterdam and Vrije Universiteit. Both are comprehensive universities and offer a wide range of disciplines for study also in English as well as Dutch and other languages, depending on the area of studies. In addition to these, there are also schools of tertiary education in Amsterdam which provide vocational training and which are referred to as Hogescholen. These can be characterised as universities which provide professional higher education and they can also award Bachelor’s degrees.
The Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA) offers Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral courses in the Humanities (Linguistics, History, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Art), Film Studies, Sciences, Law, Economics, Dentistry, Medical Sciences and Social Sciences – over 60 disciplinary fields altogether. The UvA was founded as the Athenaeum Illustre in 1632 and in the 19th century expanded into a large university which currently has over 22,000 students and 4,500 staff. Most of the faculty buildings are situated right at the heart of the historic city centre. The university comprises dozens of institutes and cooperates closely with other scientific establishments of Amsterdam. Student housing is provided for foreign students and most of the student facilities are also located centrally.
The VU opened in 1880, the name Vrije Universiteit meaning Free University which refers to independence from the state and the church. The VU was established by orthodox Protestants but nowadays aims for modern education in its 12 faculties with more than fifty Bachelor’s programmes and almost a hundred Master’s programmes. There are over 17,000 students at the university. The university campus and university hospital are situated in the South West of Amsterdam.
Hogescholen Amsterdam School of the Arts
The Amsterdamse Hogeschool voor de Kunsten (AHK) consists of six distinct institutes:
1) The Conservatorium van Amsterdam, which forms the music faculty of the AHK. The CvA is the largest conservatory in Holland and is situated next to the Concertgebouw (The Amsterdam Concert Hall). The CvA offers courses from classical music, jazz and early music to opera, latin music and popular music both at the Bachelor’s and postgraduate level. For admission, candidates need to have a diploma of secondary education equal to the Dutch VWO or HAVO diploma. The age limit for enrolment is 30, but in certain areas of study students over 30 who meet the requirements can study by contract. Lectures are in both Dutch and English. The school offers no housing to the students.
2) The Amsterdam Academy of Architecture trains students in architecture, urban design and landscape architecture by focusing on fine art, building and civil engineering, natural and cultural technology, and the spatial sciences, all at Master’s level. Students who graduate with a Master’s degree from this Academy receive direct entry to the Register of Architects. Qualified foreign students wishing to enter the Academy must have sufficient command of Dutch by the beginning of the studies. It is compulsory for diploma students to work for at least 20 hours a week in a relevant job position. The school offers no student housing.
3) The Academy of Fine Arts offers vocational training, at the end of which the student receives a diploma Teacher of Fine Arts and Design, valid throughout Europe. Students receive training in visual arts, theory of the arts and didactics. In order to be admitted to the Academy, a candidate must possess a higher general secondary education or pre-university education diploma, a diploma from a three-year intermediate vocational education course or the equivalent. Foreign students can only apply if they master the Dutch language. Candidates with a diploma from another art academy may take part in a specially designed two-year programme in order to complement that diploma with a comprehensive teaching qualification.
4) The Netherlands’ Film and Television Academy, or NFTA trains specialists in team production. Specialisation is possible in fiction directing, documentary directing, screen writing, editing, producing, sound design, cinematography, production design, and interactive multimedia/visual effects. Entry requirements are a diploma of secondary education equal to a VWO, HAVO or a three-year MBO course and mastery of Dutch.
5) The Theatre School encompasses twelve courses of higher professional studies (HBO) in dance, theatre and theatre technology and production. The courses are full-time and take an average of four years to complete. Candidates must be in possession of a Dutch HAVO or MBO diploma, or a foreign equivalent. In addition, each course applies a separate admission procedure in order to screen the talent and suitability of the candidates. The Theater School is situated in the centre of Amsterdam. It features performance studios, a dance theatre, a black box theatre and a cabaret theatre. The language of study is Dutch.
6) The Reinwardt Academy is a school for museology studies. The Bachelor’s programme is in Dutch whereas the international Master’s programme is in English. Information about the Master’s can be obtained at +31 205 277 103 or specialp@mus.ahk.nl.
For specific information on these institutes, visit the AHK website at www.ahk.nl.
Gerrit Rietveld Academie, Amsterdam
This academy offers Bachelor’s studies in Fine Arts and Design. Fine Arts students can graduate in visual arts, theatre design or art direction, glass, photography, audiovisual arts and ceramics, whereas Design students can choose graphic design, architectural design, designlab, jewellery, fashion design or textile. Parts of the courses are in English, parts in Dutch. A stress is also put on the practical professional training of students. For entry, a diploma of secondary education is required, although when the candidate has great artistic potential, this requirement may be waived. Candidates have to attend a consultation and take an entry exam or send in a portfolio, based on which the decisions of admission are made. Study duration is fours years and takes place partly during the day and partly during the evening. No student housing is provided by the school. More info at www.gerritrietveldacademie.nl.
Hogeschool IPABO, Alkmaar/Amsterdam
The IPABO offers full-time Bachelor courses in Teacher training. The school facilities are situated in Amsterdam as well as Alkmaar. IPABO cooperates with other hogescholen and with the Vrije Universiteit, making it possible for graduates to pursue a Master’s. Foreign students must possess a diploma for Dutch as a Second Language (NT2), level 2. They must also possess a diploma that entitles them to enter higher education, such as a HAVO-, VWO-, HBO-, WO-, VHBO-, MBO level 4-, or a foreign diploma equal to these. The study consists of lectures as well as an internship at schools to allow the students to practice their skills. The duration of the study is four years. For more information contact IPABO Amsterdam at Jan Tooropstraat 136, 1061 AD Amsterdam, tel. +31206137079, e-mail: amsterdam@hs-ipabo.edu
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Abu Dhabi Airports supporting efforts to combat …
Abu Dhabi Airports supporting efforts to combat global COVID-19 pandemic
Abu Dhabi Airports is supporting global efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic by ensuring the safe, secure and efficient transport of essential supplies and equipment through Abu Dhabi International Airport, in addition to facilitating a number of repatriation and humanitarian flights.
Abu Dhabi International Airport is the primary gateway to Abu Dhabi and a key global transit hub for passengers and airfreight, offering connections to the world’s key markets. Its specialist cargo facilities offer significant capacity for transhipments and the efficient handling of time and temperature-sensitive goods.
Shareef Al Hashmi, chief executive officer of Abu Dhabi Airports, said: “This is a critical time for the aviation sector and our nation as we come together to combat the global COVID-19 pandemic. We are committed to ensuring the health and safety of our employees, stakeholders and passengers as we continue to operate our airports and facilities in order to provide our communities and healthcare centres with the goods and equipment they need.”
“We do not take this responsibility lightly and have mobilised special teams to enhance our cargo operations and facilitate the necessary repatriation and humanitarian flights departing from Abu Dhabi International Airport. I am especially proud of our employees’ continued dedication and commitment during this challenging time,” added Al Hashmi.
Waleed Salem Al Hemeiri, Acting Deputy Chief Operations Officer of Abu Dhabi Airports, said: “Abu Dhabi International Airport has implemented a range of special measures across its cargo and passenger operations, including workforce cluster management, thermal imaging cameras at key transit areas, free COVID-19 tests for passengers and employees and roster realignment to ensure the continued safe and efficient management of vital supplies and repatriation flights.”
“We are coordinating with all relevant authorities, partners and suppliers at Abu Dhabi International Airport to bolster the UAE’s efforts to protect public health and maintain the integrity of our operations,” added Al Hemeiri.
Cargo and airfreight
Cargo operations at the airport are ongoing 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, facilitating the supply of vital equipment and goods to communities and healthcare facilities across the UAE and the world. During the month of March, the airport processed 7,315 cargo flights and 51,885,686 million kilograms of cargo, handling on average more than 1,800 flights and 13 million kilograms of cargo per week.
Over the past month, the UAE capital’s cargo hub experienced heavy import cargo volumes, mainly made up of commodities like facemasks and medical supplies, in addition to traditional airfreight items and an increase in perishable traffic, especially meat.
Logistics operators and cargo carriers such as Etihad Cargo have increased operations, making use of available capacity during the airport’s reduced passenger flight schedule. Its freighter network has introduced capacity to countries including India, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, South Korea and other destinations. Additionally, Etihad Cargo’s freighter network from Abu Dhabi offers flights to Riyadh, London, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
Repatriation and humanitarian flights
Following the suspension of all commercial passenger flights to and from the UAE on 26 March 2020, Abu Dhabi International Airport has facilitated a number of repatriation and humanitarian flights for Emiratis returning to the UAE as well as expatriates and foreign nationals departing for their countries of origin.
Etihad Airways has been operating special flights from Abu Dhabi to London, Zurich, Brussels, Tokyo, Dublin, Amsterdam, Melbourne, Seoul, Singapore, Manila and Jakarta. In addition to enabling passengers reach their desired destinations, the flights are utilising their belly-hold capacity to transport critical cargo.
Prioritizing health and safety
Abu Dhabi Airports is coordinating and collaborating with all relevant authorities including the Abu Dhabi Government, General Civil Aviation Authority, Department of Health, and Ministry of Health and Prevention to ensure every available precautionary measure is being taken to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of its employees, stakeholders and passengers.
The robust set of precautionary measures include thermal screening at passenger and staff entrances, free COVID-19 Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) testing for passengers and employees, workforce cluster management and regular risk assessments in coordination with Etihad Airways medical teams, enforcement of social distancing guidelines and roster realignment to ensure ample staffing at all times, in addition to the frequent sterilisation of workspaces and common areas throughout Abu Dhabi International Airport’s facilities.
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Survey reveals attitudes of French citizens of Arab origin toward secularism
Survey reveals attitudes of French citizens of Arab origin toward secularism /node/1770316/world
Sixty-five percent French Arabs surveyed affirm that they would defend the French values of secularism in their country of origin. (Shutterstock)
People pay tribute to the dead outside Notre Dame Basilica in Nice, France following a terrorist attack. France recently witnessed a wave of terrorist attacks. (AFP)
https://arab.news/jw6bh
Thomas Abgrall
The majority of Arabs in France accept French secularism but oppose a more militant version of the principle
Some are worried about new regulations treating Muslims very differently from other believers
LONDON: The opinion poll carried out jointly by Arab News and YouGov provides detailed data on the relationship of French people of Arab origin to secularism in France and reveals a generally benevolent view of the French model.
Indeed, 65 percent of the people questioned affirm that they would defend the French values of secularism in their country of origin. Among the over-45s 80 percent share this opinion. Less than half (46 percent) believe that the French model is not appropriate for Arab countries.
Secularism “the French way” is running up against a wall of incomprehension in the Arab-Muslim world, as strong tensions have demonstrated in recent weeks with some countries calling for a boycott of France.
The French model is mainly based on a triptych set out in the 1905 law on the separation of churches and state: the separation of politics and religion, state neutrality and respect for freedom of conscience. Even though the 1905 law was passed in an anti-clerical context, it is not fundamentally hostile to religion.
The French of Arab origin largely adhere to the 1905 definition of secularism but are reluctant to go beyond it. So 62 percent are opposed to the state restricting the wearing of religious clothing, with the proportion even higher among the younger generation (71 percent). However, responses varied according to the level of income. Of those questioned 34 percent of people with an income below €20,000 ($24,000) per year are in favor of more restrictive laws, compared to 49 percent of people with an income above €40,000.
Since the turn of the century, several laws have been adopted to limit the wearing of religious symbols, such as the 2004 law prohibiting the wearing of religious symbols in schools, and the 2010 law prohibiting the wearing of the burqa in public spaces.
“The French Muslims have generally accepted these new laws and respect them, but are worried about new regulations treating Muslims very differently from other believers,” said Haoues Seniguer, lecturer at Sciences Po Lyon University and a researcher at the Triangle laboratory (ENS/CNRS).
INNUMBERS
65% willing to defend French secularism in their country of origin.
62% oppose state restrictions on wearing religious clothing.
More and more politicians are calling for strong measures in a more radical secularism, in particular to limit the wearing of the veil in public spaces, for example at universities, or when the parents of pupils accompany school trips.
There are two visions of secularism in France. On one hand, there is the liberal legacy of the Third Republic embodied by the French statesman Aristide Briand — who served 11 terms as prime minister and introduced the law of 1905 — for which secularism does not have to interfere with the religiosity of individuals. On the other hand, there is a militant secularism, which considers secularism as a form of individual emancipation with regard to religion.
This second vision of secularism is on the rise today, and it is creating tensions among French Muslims, Seniguer said.
The polarization around the debate on Islam and secularism is not new. “Militant secularism was reinforced at the beginning of the 1990s, in a context of the growing visibility of Muslims in the public spaces and of identity claims, as illustrated by the affair of the scarf of Creil in 1989 (when three Muslim girls were suspended for wearing scarves in school),” Seniguer said.
Moreover, this period has also coincided with that of a globalized Islam and the advance of Islamists in several countries, such as the FIS in Algeria, which has sometimes manifested itself in violence.
The new law against separatism or “consolidating secularism and republican principles,” which has been toughened since the assassination of Samuel Paty, the teacher murdered in a Paris suburb in October, will be on the table of the Council of Ministers on December 9. Enough to further fuel lively new debates on the future of French secularism.
Topics: French Arabs secularism French Arabs Integration Study Editor’s Choice
Four more students charged in France over teacher’s beheading
Information is power in the fight against terrorism: Bordeaux imam Tareq Oubrou
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Are we Being Prepared for World War III?
The choice for president has never been so bad. The latest polls show 63% of voters said Clinton is overly secretive, 55% said she was corrupt, and 52% said she was “extremely liberal.” This is very interesting since the only presidents since 1900 to be elected with greater than 60% of the popular vote were Lyndon Johnson in 1964 after the Kennedy Assassination, 61.05%, Franklin Roosevelt in 1936 with 60.80%, Richard Nixon in 1972 with 60.67%, and Warren Harding in 1920 with 60.32%. Therefore, Hillary beats everyone with the highest rating of distrust.
The polls are being rigged as they were in Britain for BREXIT. But plan B is clearly being put into play already preparing the public for the accusation that should Trump win, the election will be called a fraud because of Russian hackers. The Washington Post, a big Democratic Party mouth piece, ran the story that Russian hackers target the Arizona primary. CNBC is carrying the story that Russia will hack the elections. Obama has outright accused Russia of targeting the Democratic National Party (DNC) claiming two Russian hackers were discovered. This is the story being carried even by the BBC, yet the specialist called in was Shawn Henry, the chief security officer at company called in Crowdstrike, who is himself a former executive assistant director of the FBI. It was even bantered about in the second debate between Hillary and Trump. The New York Times is jumping in also carrying the story. Reuters is now reporting that there is no question that Russia was behind the hacker at the DNC.
Democrats are now warning foreign governments and hackers that cyber attacks against the U.S. will be treated like any other, even if it leads to war. DNS hijacking or DNS redirection is a common practice. This amounts to subverting the resolution of Domain Name System (DNS) queries. This can be achieved by malware that overrides a computer’s TCP/IP configuration to point at a rogue DNS server under the control of an attacker. It can even modify the behavior of a trusted DNS server so that it does not comply with internet standards. However, the hardest problem in finding the source of these attacks is really attribution. Each data packet sent over the Internet contains information about its source and its destination. Yet the source field can be changed [spoofed] by an attacker to make it appear as if it is coming from someplace it’s not. This is standard operational procedure. Consequently, I serious doubt that a professional hacker would have left a trace.
I cannot stress strong enough that there is no way they will allow Trump to enter the White House. It appears that should he win, like BREXIT against the odds and the polls, Obama will not leave and the election will be declared a fraud. Obama will most likely step down and hand it to Joe Biden. Our models are showing November as a rather important turning point and this seems unusual insofar as that it would be limited to merely an election. Something else may be in the wind.
« The Urgency of The Issues
Am I Biased for Trump? »
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ITU announces 2015 Hall of Fame inductees
By AsiaTRI September 8, 2015
The International Triathlon Union (ITU) today announced seven inductees for the second annual Hall of Fame. These athletes and lifetime achievement honorees will be officially inducted into the ITU Hall of Fame at a gala held as a part of the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final Chicago on Thursday, September 17.
“It is with great pleasure that I welcome these seven inductees into the ITU Hall of Fame,” said ITU President and IOC Member Marisol Casado. “Despite our short history of 26 years as an International Federation, ITU has been privileged to have witnessed incredible athletes accomplish amazing feats. They laid the foundation for the Federation we have grown into today.”
The induction ceremony will take place following the men’s Under23 and Junior and Age Group Sprint Distance World Championship races in Chicago.
Emma Snowsill after winning gold in Beijing 2008
Michellie Jones (AUS) – 2000 Sydney Olympic Games Silver Medalist, 2 x ITU World Champion, 2006 Ironman World Champion, 2 x overall World Cup Champion
Vanessa Fernandes (POR) – 2007 ITU World Championship: 1st 2007, 2008 Beijing Olympic Games silver medallist, 2 x World Cup Champion, 2 x ITU Duathlon World Champion, holds record World Cup wins with 20
Emma Snowsill (AUS) – 3 x ITU World Champion, 2008 Beijing Olympic Champion, 2000 ITU World Junior Champion, 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games Champion
Hamish Carter (NZL) – 2004 Athens Olympic Champion, 1998 ITU World Cup Overall Champion (1998), 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, 2 x ITU World Triathlon Championships silver medallist
Peter Robertson (AUS) – 3 x ITU Triathlon World Champion, 2 x Olympian, 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games bronze medallist, record World Cup wins with 17
Simon Whitfield (CAN) – 2000 Sydney Olympic Champion, 2008 Beijing Olympic Games silver medallists, 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games Champion, 1999 Winnipeg Pan American Games bronze medallist
See also: Norway Sweeps Podium, Duffy Secures Home Victory in WTS Bermuda
Chiharu Igaya (JPN) – 3 x Olympic skiier, Olympic silver medallist, Japan Triathlon Union President 1994-2009, ASTC Vice President 1994 – 2009, ITU Executive Board Member 1994-2008, IOC Member 1982 – 2011; Member of the IOC Executive Board 1987-1991, 1996-2000, Made countless contributions toward the development of triathlon, including the inclusion of triathlon in the Olympics when he was an IOC Executive Board Member and the development of triathlon in Asia
Those nominated for the men’s and women’s categories were selected based on the criteria that each has a championship title in one or more ITU World Championships, Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, World Cup Series, and/or ITU World Rankings.
Lifetime Achievement Nominees were selected based on their extraordinary, long-term contributions off the field of play or through an exceptional contribution to ITU and the sport of triathlon.
For more information on each inductee, click here.
Road to Kona: Picking the Right Course
Thanyapura's Super camp report from AsiaTRI's giveaway winners
Photo Gallery: Challenge Camsur – Best Photos
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Trump allows for renewable energy, but cites bad information
Peter Kelley
AWEA is always glad to hear about support for renewable energy, like this statement today from candidate Donald Trump, in a press conference and a speech on energy policy to an oil industry group in Bismarck, North Dakota:
“So we can pursue all forms of energy. This includes renewable energies and the technologies of the future.”
Trump said that includes wind. However he then cited bad information that’s out-of-date, discredited, misleading, and just plain wrong, about the cost of wind, incentives to build turbines, and effects on eagles and birds.
Trump on the cost of wind energy: “Wind is very expensive, I mean wind is, without subsidy, wind doesn’t work.”
Actually: Wind is already cheaper than fossil fuels in wind-rich areas like Iowa and Texas, a statement Politifact checked and rated “True.” It’s increasingly cost-competitive not counting any incentives. The overall cost of wind-generated electricity has fallen 66 percent since 2009.
Trump on incentives: “You need massive subsidies for wind…The government should not pick winners and losers.”
Actually: All forms of energy have incentives, most of them permanent in the tax code. The only ones preparing to phase out their incentives are wind and the other renewable industries. The wind Production Tax Credit is set to phase out starting next year.
Trump on eagles: “…there are places maybe for wind. But if you go to various places in California, wind is killing all of the eagles.”
Actually: Publicly available data of all known eagle fatalities shows collisions with wind turbines at modern wind farms are responsible for less than five percent of all documented human-caused golden eagle deaths. Cases of bald eagles striking turbines are even rarer. The numbers of both kinds of eagle are increasing in the Western U.S.
Trump on birds: “Wind turbines kill far more than a million birds a year, far more…so wind is, you know, it’s a problem.”
Actually: Mr. Trump’s numbers are off by orders of magnitude. Wind power has among the lowest impacts on wildlife of any way to make electricity. Leading wildlife groups like the Audubon Society, the National Wildlife Federation, and the World Wildlife Fund support responsibility sited wind turbines. Wind energy is the low-cost solution to carbon pollution in particular which threatens all wildlife. Unlike all other human sources, the wind industry works to minimize and offset the limited impacts it has on individual birds, building on a legacy of care for birds and environment.
Trump ended by saying “Despite that, I am into all types of energy. And by the way, while we’re in North Dakota, I have to say that: I love the farmers.”
We encourage Mr. Trump to love the wind farmers, too. In most cases they’re the same people: 98 percent of wind turbines are erected on private land, leased from farmers and ranchers.
So the good news about wind energy is not just it’s good for consumers and the environment, it has also given the farmers in 40 states a valuable new cash crop, as it has in North Dakota.
Peter Kelley leads the Public Affairs operation for AWEA, including media relations, publications, social media, and advocacy advertising. He previously ran a clean-tech PR firm, Renewcomm. He has also worked in environmental campaigns and newspaper reporting. He likes working in wind energy because it’s where the action is.
For success at state level, wind advocates can never rest
Top five reasons to attend the Virginia State Forum
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Luca Love
Luca spent almost a year in the lab as a sandwich year during his honours course at University of Birmingham. He is about to start a PhD at the Karolinska Institute in StockHolm.
Ryan Hull
Ryan was the third PhD student in the group and gained his doctorate in 2018. After a short post-doc in the lab he moved to a postdoc position with the Pelechano lab in Stockholm.
Monica Della Rosa
Monica arrived in the lab as a 6 month Erasmus placement student in 2016, and stayed for an additional year as a research assistant working on ageing gene expression analysis. She left to take on a PhD position and is now doinng a PhD in the Spivakov group at the LMS.
Grazia Pizza
Grazia worked as a research assistant performing ageing research in the group for a year before taking up a PhD position at Imperial College.
Lucy worked for a year in the Epigenetics program as a research assistant, developing low cell number ChIP approaches for various labs. She left to start a PhD at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine in Oxford in 2016.
Stephen Frenk
Steve was the second PhD student in the lab, he joined in 2011 and defended his thesis in 2015. Steve worked initially on meiosis and later on ageing, and took his interest in ageing research forward to a postdoctoral research associate position at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He returned ot the UK in 2018 to take up a bioinformatics position with Achilles Therapeutics.
Qian Gao
Qian was a postdoctoral research associate in the lab from 2013 to 2015, working on the effects of chromatin on gene expression in ageing cells. She moved on to position as a computational biologiist for Adaptimmune.
Carmen Jack
Carmen was the first PhD student in the lab, she joined in 2010 and defended her thesis in 2014. Carmen worked on ribosomal DNA recombination mechanisms in yeast. After her PhD, she took a job as an analyst for the Management Consultancy Elix-IRR.
Xabier Vergara
Xabi came to the lab for a two month placement in 2015 through the Erasmus program during his Biochemistry degree at Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona in Spain. He worked on extrachromosomal circle formation during ageing in yeast.
Leila Alieh
Leila joined the lab for a 4 month Da Vinci project in 2015 working on major satellite sequences in ES cells. She moved on to a PhD position in Dresden.
Tasmia Mirza
Tasmia came to the lab for a 9-month undergraduate placement in 2015, studying relocalistation of AID in mammalian cells. She is about to start a masters course in Oncology.
Federico Donà
Federico joined the lab for a 6 month Da Vinci placement in 2014 working on major satellite sequences in ES cells, and liked it so much that he stayed for a year. He left to start a PhD at Kings College London, and now has a postdoc position back home in Italy.
Yu Lee Paul
Yu Lee worked in the lab for a year in 2014, developing methods for analysing gene expression and chromatin structure in small populations of aged cells. She left to start up a web design company.
Amelia Brasnett
Amelia joined the lab for a 4 week summer placement spnosored by the Nuffield program in 2014, studying the effects of anti-ageing drugs on yeast under stress.
Simona Palusci
Simona worked in the lab for 12 weeks on a Da Vinci placement in 2013, studying the roles on non-coding DNA in heterochromatin formation. She left to look for a PhD position.
Antoni Beltran
In 2013, Toni did an 8 week placement in the Houseley lab studying the role of RNAi in heterochromatin formation. He was sponsored by the Amgen programme to do this placement during his degree at the University of Valencia, and later took on a PhD position with Peter Sarkies at Imperial College.
Jack Feltham
In 2012, Jack did an 8 week placement in the Houseley lab studying AID re-localization during his degree at the University of Cambridge. He was sponsored by the Wellcome Trust.
Laurens Lambert
Laurens did a six-month research project in the lab studying the regulation of Activiation Induced Deaminase, a protein involved in mutation and recombination during B cell activation and in DNA demethylation during germ cell formation. He moved on to do further placements in the Bird lab (Edinburgh), and the Amon lab (MIT), and then embarked on a PhD at MIT.
Ada Piechula
In 2012, Ada did a 4 week placement in the Houseley lab studying AID re-localization in yeast. She was sponsored by the Nuffield Foundation
Javier Ash
In 2011, Javier did a 4 week placement in the Houseley lab working on methods for targeting RNA interference. He was sponsored by the Nuffield Foundation. Javier came back to the lab for a four week summer placement in 2015 to work on extrachromosomal circle formation, sponsored by the Wellcome Trust, during his medicine degree at Imperial College London.
In 2010, Priya did an 8 week placement in the Houseley lab studying pulsed field methods for RNA analysis. She was sponsored by the Nuffield Foundation.
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Home » Softer demand slows rate of Nestle sales growth
Softer demand slows rate of Nestle sales growth
VEVEY, SWITZERLAND — Foreign exchange and acquisitions helped contribute to an 11% increase in sales during the latest nine-month period at Nestle S.A., but softer demand in both emerging and developed markets limited and slowed down the rate of growth.
During the January through September period, the company had sales of 67,568 million Swiss francs ($73,219 million) which compared with sales of 60,889 million Swiss francs during the same period of the previous year.
“Nestlé's growth in the first nine months is in line with our expectations,” said Paul Bulcke, chief executive officer. “It is the result of the capabilities built over time in innovation, distribution and engaging with consumers. We delivered double-digit growth in emerging markets, where we are expanding our routes to market and enhancing our product offerings. We grew in the intensely competitive developed markets in spite of a general economic malaise and low levels of consumer confidence. Our continued momentum in real internal growth, combined with some easing of input cost pressures, allows us to confirm our full-year outlook.”
Zone Americas had sales of 20,892 million Swiss francs ($22,642 million), up 9% from 19,131 million Swiss francs during the same period of the previous year. The company said the market for frozen meals and pizza continued to decline in North America, but Stouffer’s and Lean Cuisine performance improved.
The company said it is positioned to deliver organic growth of 5% to 6%, improved margin and underlying earnings per share in constant currencies.
Nestlé chief of technology to retire
McDonald’s July comparable sales flat
McDonald’s October comparable sales down 1.8%
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Cool Science for our Kids, and the Curious Kid within us
There has been much attention on science in the past year or so, watching and waiting to see how the new administration deals with scientific phenomena, especially climate change, which is at odds with a significant minority of the electorate. We have seen marches and protests, cuts to research funding, restrictions on government scientific publications, and even proposed cuts for funding after-school science education. But none of this immediately affects the Aspen Science Center, which continues to grow and expand their mission of advancing the public understanding of science, through lifelong discovery, exploration and education.
The center has been in Aspen since 2005, and refocused their mission on education in 2012. Although the Aspen Center for Physics is a close partner, Aspen Science Center is a separate nonprofit 501 (c)(3), and does all of their own fundraising and programming. David Houggy, President, says, “Our main objective is to get people to appreciate science, and how much it contributes to our society; not just economically, but also as a way of fundamentally understanding the world in which we live. We engage people in areas that they are already interested in, say music or cooking, and then demonstrate how a better understanding of the underlying science can enhance their appreciation of these subjects. Hopefully this will lead to more kids wanting to pursue scientific careers.”
A group of happy kids at Aspen Science Center’s STEAM Room @Crystal Palace in 2016.
75% of the programming that ASC delivers is geared towards kids, with the aim of getting youth interested and engaged in science early, before they are led to believe that it is “too hard.” “If you watch young kids, they are natural scientists,” says Houggy. “They are constantly asking questions, exploring, picking things up, tasting things, trying to see how they work. This is what scientists do every day, and we want to encourage this behavior, but channel it in the right direction, with careful guidance. We are developing a Preschool Education Program, working with preschool educators from Rifle to Aspen, to figure out how to better encourage this inquisitiveness, and train the teachers to do the same.”
With only 16% of high school seniors interested in pursuing STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) degrees, and only 26% of those actually going into STEM careers, the U.S. faces a potential shortage of STEM professionals. This means doctors, researchers, technicians, computer programmers, pharmacists, and all manner of other technical jobs. The very jobs that create innovations and drive business growth and job creation. Another problem the center is helping to combat: women hold 48% of the jobs in the U.S., but only 24% of the STEM jobs. “They have done studies where they take the same test papers and put girl’s names on them, and then put boy’s names on them. The boys are consistently graded higher than the girls. This is a problem, because we are subconsciously steering a lot of very bright girls away from science,” says Houggy.
ASPEN SCIENCE CENTER EVENTS
In addition to the preschool program, ASC hosts numerous events for kids throughout the year, including physics BBQs, a big Summer Science Fair, Science Sundays in the spring, appearances at city day camps in the summer, and various events throughout the year, like the Family Science Night they are doing with Basalt Middle School on Friday, November 10th. These events are a huge hit with the kids, who often have to be dragged away from the interactive science demonstrations by their parents.
But it’s not all just for kids. ASC has partnered with the Aspen Music Festival and School to present the Science of Music, which will be back for a third season this summer. Recently, they partnered with Cooking School of Aspen to create the very popular Science of Cooking series, which returns monthly starting in December. And their monthly New Moon Stargazers have been sell-out successes.
ASC partners with Cooking School of Aspen to present the Science of Cooking to a sellout crowd
SUPPORT ASPEN SCIENCE CENTER
To fund their activities, ASC turns primarily to private donors, who recognize the importance of their mission. But this month, the center is launching their first major public fundraiser, the Quantum Ball. Billed as a virtual “non-event” event, the Quantum ball is a playful way for ASC to engage the community and raise funds needed to continue to grow their programming, which serves the entire Roaring Fork Community, from Aspen to Rifle. “We really want this to be a grassroots event.” says Houggy, “We have other efforts to engage with bigger donors, but this is a chance for everyone who supports science and our mission to make a difference. Regardless of the amount that people give, or what level of “ticket” they buy, they will be making a difference right here in the Roaring Fork Valley community. We look forward to engaging with a broad base of supporters, and hope that people have fun by not attending the Quantum Ball!”
For more information on the Aspen Science Center, and to find out more about the mysterious Quantum Ball, visit them at AspenScienceCenter.org. Consider making a donation to this great organization, and taking a stand for science.
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Home » Babe Ruth , Boston Braves , Casey Stengel , Death , Lou Gehrig , New York Yankees , Nick Strincevich , Obituary , Philadelphia Phillies , Pittsburgh Pirates , World War II » Strincevich, 3rd oldest major league player, dies at 96
Strincevich, 3rd oldest major league player, dies at 96
November 13, 2011 Babe Ruth, Boston Braves, Casey Stengel, Death, Lou Gehrig, New York Yankees, Nick Strincevich, Obituary, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, World War II No comments
While our country was celebrating the merits of our military veterans this Friday, the baseball family was mourning the loss of World War II era pitcher Nick Strincevich. He passed away November 11th in Valparaiso, Ind. At 96, he was the third oldest living major leaguer at the time of his death.
Nick Strincevich
The first player to make the majors from Gary, Indiana, his path started on the local sandlots. In 1934, “Jumbo” caught the attention of a local bird-dog scout in Indiana while playing semi-pro ball that led to him pitching batting practice for the New York Yankees in Chicago against the likes of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. By the time he arrived home from his big day at the park, he received a telegram notifying him that he was now property of the Yankees.
Entering their organization in 1935, Strincevich advanced quickly through the Yankees minor league rank, closely following his manager Johnny Neun as they climbed their way to the major leagues. Strincevich was part of the dominant 1938 Newark Bears team that had almost exclusively a future major leaguer roster including Hall of Famer Joe Gordon. Despite his 11-4 record, the Yankees did not bring him up. With their pitching rich farm system, they saw Strincevich as expendable and sold him to the Sacramento Solons of the Pacific Coast League the following season. He pitched sparingly and was purchased by the Boston Bees at the end of the 1939 season.
Strincevich found a home in Boston under manager Casey Stengel, figuring prominently in their starting rotation, pitching in 32 games during his rookie season in the National League. “Casey liked me. He used to kid me up all the time,” said Strincevich in 2003 to Craig Allen Cleve's Hardball on the Home Front.
Even though he finished the season 4-8, he showed promise for the next season, going 3-1 in his last four decisions. This anticipation for an improved 1941; however, was quickly cut short when early in the season, Strincevich was hit in the face by a thrown ball during practice. He suffered headaches that would plague him the next two seasons.
Fortunately, during the aftermath of this injury, there was a silver lining for Strincevich. It came in the form of a trade to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Sent to the Pirates for Hall of Famer Lloyd Waner, his move to Pittsburgh would earn him 40 wins from 1944-46.
So popular was Strincevich in his hometown of Gary, that he was given a day in his honor in 1947 at Wrigley Field. It would be one of the last bright spots of his career. He would only earn one more victory in the majors and was back to the minors for good the following season. He walked away from baseball in 1950 with a record of 46-49 for Boston (NL), Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. He worked as a union steward in an auto parts factory for 30 years before his 1980 retirement.
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Messi's back: Spanish soccer league set to resume in June
BARCELONA, Spain — Lionel Messi's Barcelona and the rest of the Spanish league can resume play in June after three months of waiting for the coronavirus pandemic to subside.
May 23, 2020 11:51 AM By: Canadian Press
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced Saturday that the nation’s wildly popular La Liga and other professional sports competitions will be allowed to resume from June 8, providing Spain keeps its coronavirus outbreak in check.
While the top tier can play from this date, which is a Monday, it has already said it wants to restart on June 12, a Friday. It is unclear when the first games will be held.
“Of course, play will resume under conditions that guarantee the maximum health security for all the competitors,” Sánchez said.
There has been no play in the top tier since March 12 due to the coronavirus crisis.
“We are very pleased with the decision. It is the result of the great work of clubs, players, coaches, CSD (Spain's sports authority), agents, etc,” Spanish league president Javier Tebas wrote on Twitter. “But we cannot lower our guard. It is important to follow health regulations and ensure the pandemic doesn’t come back.”
Barcelona tops the table at two points above Real Madrid after 27 of 38 rounds. Messi recently said that he thinks the hiatus could “end up benefiting us.”
Teams have recently returned to training at club facilities, but with players practicing individually. Players are also undergoing regular tests for the coronavirus, a decision that has brought criticism given the scarcity of tests for average citizens.
Earlier this month, the league said five players had tested positive for the virus and were confined until they recover. They were all without symptoms and recovering from the disease, according to the league. They were to be allowed to resume practicing after testing negative in two consecutive tests.
The interruption to the season forced several clubs, including Barcelona, to reduce player salaries because of a drop in revenues. Barcelona’s first match is scheduled to be at Mallorca but there is still no date set.
The German league resumed last week with teams playing in stadiums without fans.
Spanish authorities have yet to announce what health measures will be in place when play restarts. But before the Spanish league was stopped there were plans to hold games without fans as the virus began its spread into Europe.
The league has said the total losses for not finishing the season because of the pandemic could reach nearly 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion). The losses if the league resumes with matches in empty stadiums would be about 300 million euros.
Spain has confirmed more than 28,000 deaths from COVID-19. The health situation, however, has improved in recent weeks as a strict government lockdown that has closed stores and kept people indoors greatly reduced the spread of the virus.
Joseph Wilson, The Associated Press
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Leading the way in our pursuit of excellence in philanthropy
Teri Nicholas
As one of British Columbia’s largest charities, the Foundation supports the work of BC Children’s Hospital, its Research Institute and Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children. Teri joined the Foundation in January 2011 and led the organization to the completion of a $200-million capital campaign, to support the construction of the new Teck Acute Care Centre—and establish Child Health BC to provide increased care to kids in their home communities around the province. Teri’s leadership and emphasis on winning broad community support, and on building awareness of child health, continues to advance the Foundation’s vision that every child is healthy and able to fulfill their hopes and dreams.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Teri held the position of CEO at Family Services of Greater Vancouver for 10 years. Teri has over 30 years of senior leadership experience in the not-for-profit social service sector, working closely with advocacy groups, community agencies, funders and major donors, and multiple levels of government. Throughout her career, Teri has contributed her time and talents to many not-for-profit organizations provincially and nationally, and has developed and implemented a range of services for marginalized children, youth, women and families in the Lower Mainland.
Teri holds a master’s degree in social work from the University of British Columbia and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin.
“It’s rewarding to see the positive impact community support for BC Children’s Hospital, Sunny Hill and the Research Institute has on individual children. It’s even more rewarding to know that the beneficiaries of the work we’re doing here are children, families and society as a whole.”
Hitesh Kothary
Vice President & Chief Financial Officer
Hitesh joined the Foundation in June 2015 and is responsible for all financial, legal and administrative activities. He has over 30 years of experience in financial and operations management and has leadership experience in strategic planning and direction, business transformation, and investment and risk management.
Before joining the Foundation, Hitesh held senior financial positions at Pacific Newspaper Group (Publisher of the Vancouver Sun and The Province) and at Revy Home Centres prior to the merger with RONA. Hitesh has also served on various boards in the not-for-profit sector, including the United Way of the Lower Mainland and the BC and Yukon Division of the Canadian Diabetes Association.
Hitesh holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of British Columbia and obtained his Chartered Accountant (CA) designation in 1988.
“Throughout my career, I have sought out opportunities to give back to the community and to make a difference. I feel privileged now to have the chance to engage in work daily that has a direct and immediate impact on the lives of children and families, and communities across the province and in the Yukon.”
Maria Faccio
Vice President & Chief Philanthropy Officer
Maria is responsible for overseeing Corporate & Community Philanthropy and Events at BC Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Her portfolio focuses on relationships with BC and national corporations and organizations, on building partnerships with key communities that reflect the rich diversity of the province, and on engaging support through our signature galas and events.
Maria has grown with the Foundation for more than 20 years and has experience in virtually every area of the organization. Her collaborative leadership and people management experience—working to recruit, build, coach and mentor staff and volunteer leadership—has contributed to the success of numerous fundraising campaigns.
“It is amazing to see the overwhelming support from our philanthropic partners who embrace our vision and mission for the children and families of this province.”
Lillian Hum
Lillian oversees Individual Giving Philanthropy, Donor Relations and Research & Prospect Management at the Foundation. Her team is responsible for ensuring our individual donors and family foundations are engaged and informed as full partners in our quest to innovate and greatly advance child health.
Lillian joined the Foundation in 2011 as the director of Donor Relations and led the development of a comprehensive program prior to joining the executive team in 2013. In addition to her overarching responsibilities, she is actively involved in partnering together with the Chinese community’s philanthropic efforts.
Having served over 10 years with VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation as its director of Donor Relations, Lillian brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to BC Children’s Hospital Foundation. She has worked extensively with community philanthropists and leaders across our province.
“The resilience of children and their families propels us to do our very best to ensure every child has the best chance for a healthy childhood.”
Surina Sproul
Vice President, Marketing & Communications
Surina joined BC Children’s Hospital Foundation in 2016. As Vice President of Marketing & Communications, she oversees brand stewardship and strategy, and leads a team of marketers, writers and designers who help inspire support for one of the most recognized and highly regarded institutions in the province through powerful storytelling.
Prior to joining the Foundation, Surina spent over a decade in advertising at Wasserman & Partners. While there, she played an instrumental role in strengthening the brands of many iconic BC-based companies—with a focus on marketing to drive positive social change.
Surina holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia.
“I have the privilege of observing what happens at BC Children’s—both the extraordinary people working to advance research and care, and the families whose lives are forever changed by it. I am humbled and inspired by the tenacity and the resilience of both.”
Joanne Waxman
Vice President, Strategic Partnerships
Joanne joined the Foundation in late 2014 and helped to establish its Strategic Partnerships department.
Joanne and her team work closely with key clinical, research and operations leadership and partners at BC Children’s Hospital and its Research Institute to understand the areas or initiatives where philanthropy can play a role and are responsible for creating fundraising opportunities and proposals that inspire support. They also monitor donor-funded initiatives to ensure impeccable donor accountability and stewardship.
Prior to joining BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, Joanne spent eight years with VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation where she was the Director of Strategic Partnerships & Projects.
“The incredible work that is done each and every day by the dedicated medical experts at the Hospital and Research Institute is truly inspiring. It is a privilege to help bring their vision to life through the impact of philanthropy.”
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Abrabanel, Abrabenel, or Abravanal Isaac
Abrabanel, Abrabenel, or Abravanal Isaac (also called ABARBANEL, ABRAVENEL, BARBANELLA, RAVANELLA), ISAAC, a famous rabbi, born at Lisbon, 1437. He was descended from an ancient and distinguished Jewish family, which claimed to be able to trace their pedigree to king David. He was a favorite of Alphonso V of Portugal, but after that king's death he was charged with certain misdemeanors and compelled to quit Portugal. He took refuge in Castile, where he obtained (1484) employment under Ferdinand and Isabella; but, in 1492, with the rest of the Jews, he was driven out of the kingdom. He went at first (1493) to Naples, where he gained the confidence of king Ferdinand I. After the conquest of Naples by Charles VIII of France, he followed Alphonso II to Sicily. After the death of Alphonso he flew to Corfu, then (1496) to Monopoli, a town of Apulia, and ultimately (1503) to Venice, in which city he became very popular by terminating a conflict between the Venetians and the Portuguese. He finally died at Venice, 1508. His body was brought to Padua, and there buried with the greatest honors on the part of the republic of Venice. Abrabanel was an indefatigable student and writer, and is placed by the Jews almost in the same rank with Maimonides. He wrote bitterly against Christianity, but his commentaries are nevertheless much esteemed, as he is very careful in illustrating the literal sense of the text. The most important of them are, פֵּרוּשׁ הִתּוֹרָה, a Commentary on the Pentateuch (fol. Venice, 1579, and later; best ed. by Van Bashuysen, fol. Hanau, 1710); פֵּרוּשׁ רַאשׁוֹנַים נבַיאַים, a Commentary on the Early Prophets [Joshua - Kings] (fol. Pesaro, 1522; Naples, 1543; best ed. by Pfeiffer and Christiani, Leipz. 1686); עֲסִר פֵּ8 נבַיאַים א2ֲ2ִח - רוֹנַים וּתרֵי, a Commentary on the [properly so called] Prophets (fol. Pesaro, 1520; best ed. Amst. 1641); פֵּ8 דָּנַיֵּאל, a Commentary on Daniel (4to, Naples, s. d.; Ferrara, 1651, and later; best ed. Venice, 1652). This commentary contains the strongest invectives against Christ and the Christians, though some of them are omitted in the second edition (see De Rossi, Bibl. Jud. Antichr. p. 7 sq.), and it therefore called forth a large number of refutations from Danz, C. l'Empereur, Seb. Schnell, Pfeiffer, Koppen, Brand, H. Gebhard, J. Fr. Weidler, and C. G. Mundinus. Latin translations were published of the Commentaries on Nahum and Habakkuk by J. Meyer (in his Notes to Seder Olam); of the commentary on Haggai by Scherzer (Trifol. Or. Lips. 1663 and 1672), and Abicht (Select. Rabb. Phil.); of the commentaries on Malachi by J. Meyer (Hamburg, 1685). A translation of the whole commentary was made, but not published, by a former Jew at Vienna. The preface to this work by Rabbi Baruch gives an essay on the life and the writings of Abrabanel, compiled from his works. He also wrote מִשׁמַיעִ ישׁוּעָה (herald of salvation), an explanation of the principal Messianic passages of the Old Testament, in which work a complete system of the views of the Jewish theology concerning the Messiah is given. This work, in which Abrabanel gives full scope to his animosity against the Christians, was prepared by him at Monopoli, and for the first time published (in 4to) without the name of place (probably at Salonichi) in 1526 (again, Amsterdam, 1644; Offenbach, 1767). A Latin translation, under the title Proeco Salutis, was published by H. May (Frankfort-on-the-Main, 1712, 4to), who, in the room of a preface, gives a biography of Abrabanel. רֹאשׁ אֲמָנָה (head of security), a treatise on the articles of the Jewish faith (first ed., Constantinople, 1505, fol.). עֲטֶרֶת זקֵנַים (crown of old men), one of the first works of the author, in which he treats of the different kinds of prophecy (first printed at Sabionetta, 1537, 4to). מַפעֲלוֹה א6לֹהַים (works of God), a philosophical treatise on the creation of the world, in which he argues against the assumption of an eternity of the world (Venice, 1592, 4to). Several works of Abrabanel have not been printed yet. The proposal of Bashuysen to issue a complete edition of all the works of Abrabanel has never been executed. All his works were in Hebrew, but many of his Dissertations have been translated into Latin by Buxtorf (4to, Basil, 1660) and others. Although he spent many years at royal courts, Abrabanel, in one of his works, expressed very decided republican opinions. He left two sons, one of whom distinguished himself as a physician and as the author of an Italian poem, Dialogi d' Amore; the other embraced the Christian religion. The son of the latter published at Venice, in 1552, a collection of Hebrew letters. — Winer, Theol. Lit. vol. 1; Furst, Bib. Jud. 1, 11 sq.; Jost, Gesch. d. Judenthums, 3, 104; Wolf, Biblioth. Hebraica, 3, 544; Mai, Dissertatio de origine, vita et scriptis Abrabanielis (Altdorf. 1708); Hoefer, Biographie Generale, 1, 31; Ersch and Gruber, Encycl. s.v.
← Abra De Raconis, Charles Francois
Abracadabra →
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3 killed, including 2 children, in shooting in Dutch city
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — A Dutch police officer and two children died and a woman was seriously wounded in a shooting Monday at a home in the city of Dordrecht, authorities said.
Police said in a statement that the 35-year-old officer was suspected of being the shooter.
It was not immediately clear if he was related to the children, who were aged 8 and 12, or to the 28-year-old injured woman, but police spokesman Wim Hoonhout told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that “it seems like a family incident.”
Police said further investigation was needed to definitively establish the motive.
Photos from the scene showed a large police presence in a residential neighborhood and at least one ambulance parked in the street as people stood in the street looking on.
Dordrecht Mayor Wouter Kolff tweeted that it was an “extremely serious shooting” and said he would visit the scene later in the evening.
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Sigmund Freud ( born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for treating psychopathology through dialogue between a patient and a psychoanalyst.
Freud’s redefinition of sexuality to include its infantile forms led him to formulate the Oedipus complex as the central tenet of psychoanalytical theory.
His analysis of dreams as wish-fulfillments provided him with models for the clinical analysis of symptom formation and the underlying mech
Freud was born to Jewish parents in the Moravian town of Freiberg, in the Austrian Empire (later Czech Republic), the first of eight children.
His father, Jakob Freud (1815–1896), a wool merchant, had two sons.He and Freud’s mother, Amalia Nathansohn, who was 20 years younger.
They were struggling financially and living in a rented room, in a locksmith’s house at Schlossergasse 117 when their son Sigmund was born.
In 1865, the nine-year-old Freud entered the Leopoldstädter Kommunal-Realgymnasium, a prominent high school.
He proved to be an outstanding pupil and graduated from the Matura in 1873 with honors. He loved literature and was proficient in German, French, Italian, Spanish, English, Hebrew, Latin and Greek.
Freud entered the University of Vienna at age 17. He had planned to study law, but joined the medical faculty at the university, where his studies included philosophy under Franz Brentano, physiology under Ernst Brücke, and zoology under Darwinist professor Carl Claus.
MEDICAL FIELD PSYCHOANALYSIS
Freud began smoking tobacco at age 24; initially a cigarette smoker, he became a cigar smoker. He believed that smoking enhanced his capacity to work and that he could exercise self-control in moderating it.
In October 1885, Freud went to Paris on a threemonth fellowship to study with Jean-Martin Charcot, a renowned neurologist who was conducting scientific research into hypnosis.
Once he had set up in private practice back in Vienna in 1886, Freud began using hypnosis in his clinical work. He adopted the approach of his friend and collaborator, Josef Breuer.
The treatment of one particular patient of Breuer’s proved to be transformative for Freud’s clinical practice. Described as Anna O., she was invited to talk about her symptoms while under hypnosis (she would coin the phrase “talking cure” for her treatment).
In the course of talking in this way, her symptoms became reduced in severity as she retrieved memories of traumatic incidents associated with their onset.
By 1896 he was using the term “psychoanalysis” to refer to his new clinical method and the theories on which it was based
On the basis of his early clinical work, Freud had postulated that unconscious memories of sexual molestation in early childhood were a necessary precondition for the psychoneuroses (hysteria and obsessional neurosis), a formulation now known as Freud’s seduction theory.
This transition from the theory of infantile sexual trauma as a general explanation of how all neuroses originate to one that presupposes an autonomous infantile sexuality provided the basis for Freud’s subsequent formulation of the theory of the Oedipus complex
Freud described the evolution of his clinical method and set out his theory of the psychogenetic origins of hysteria, demonstrated in a number of case histories, in Studies on Hysteria published in 1895.
In 1899 he published The Interpretation of Dreams in which. He then sets out the theoretical model of mental structure (the unconscious, pre-conscious and conscious) on which this account is based.
An abridged version, On Dreams, was published in 1901. In works which would win him a more general readership, Freud applied his theories outside the clinical setting in The Psychopathology of Everyday Life.Three Essays on the Theory of Sexuality, published in 1905, Freud elaborates his theory of infantile sexuality.
From the autumn of 1902, a number of Viennese physicians who had expressed interest in Freud’s work were invited to meet at his apartment every Wednesday afternoon to discuss issues relating to psychology and neuropathology.
This group was called the Wednesday Psychological Society (Psychologische Mittwochs-Gesellschaft) and it marked the beginnings of the worldwide psychoanalytic movement.
By 1906, the group had grown to sixteen.Freud began a correspondence with Carl Gustav Jung who was by then already an academically acclaimed researcher and a lecturer at Zurich University
In February 1923, Freud detected a leukoplakia, a benign growth associated with heavy smoking, on his mouth. In January 1933, the Nazi Party took control of Germany, and Freud’s books were prominent among those they burned and destroyed.
This prospect and the shock of the arrest and interrogation of Anna Freud by the Gestapo finally convinced Freud it was time to leave Austria.
In the Freuds’ new home, 20 Maresfield Gardens, Hampstead, North London, Freud’s Vienna consulting room was recreated in faithful detail. He continued to see patients there until the terminal stages of his illness
By mid-September 1939, Freud’s cancer of the jaw was causing him increasingly severe pain and had been declared to be inoperable.
Anna Freud wanted to postpone her father’s death, but Schur convinced her it was pointless to keep him alive and on 21 and 22 Septembe
Three days after his death Freud’s body was cremated at the Golders Green Crematorium in North London, with Harrods acting as funeral directors, on the instructions of his son, Ernst.
Dr.SIGMUND FREUD
SEDUCTION THEORY
According to Freud’s most of his patients in the mid1890s reported early childhood sexual abuse. Another version of events focuses on Freud’s proposing that unconscious memories of infantile sexual abuse were at the root of the psychoneuroses.
In the first half of 1896, Freud published three papers, which led to his seduction theory, stating that he had uncovered, in all of his current patients, deeply repressed memories of sexual abuse in early childhood
The concept of the unconscious was central to Freud’s account of the mind. Freud believed that while poets and thinkers had long known of the existence of the unconscious, he had ensured that it received scientific recognition in the field of psychology.
He postulated a cycle in which ideas are repressed, but remain in the mind, removed from consciousness yet operative, then reappear in consciousness under certain circumstances.
This fact, combined with the observation that such behavior could be artificially induced by hypnosis, in which ideas were inserted into people’s minds, suggested that ideas were operative in the original cases, even though their subjects knew nothing of them.
PSYCHOSEXUAL
Freud’s theory of psychosexual development proposes that, following on from the initial polymorphous perversity of infantile sexuality, the sexual “drives” pass through the distinct developmental phases of the oral, the anal, and the phallic.
After Freud’s later development of the theory of the Oedipus complex this normative developmental trajectory becomes formulated in terms of the child’s renunciation of incestuous desires
THE UNCONSCIOUS DEATH DRIVE
Freud believed that the human psyche is subject to two conflicting drives: the life drive or libido and the death drive. Freud hypothesized that libido is a form of mental energy with which processes, structures and objectrepresentations are invested.
In Beyond the Pleasure Principle (1920), Freud inferred the existence of a death drive. The life drive was also termed “Eros” and the death drive “Thanatos”, although Freud did not use the latter term; “Thanatos” was introduced in this context by Paul Federn.
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Home Breaking Military analyst from Japan: the MiG-25 is the fastest in the world
Military analyst from Japan: the MiG-25 is the fastest in the world
Military analyst from Japan Mori Kentaro shared his impressions of the MiG-25, noting that the plane is “the fastest in the world.”
In an article published in a blog on Yahoo News Japan says that among high-speed military fighters MiG-25 is still number one in the world. In 1962 he set a world record, reaching the 500-km route with a radius of 80 kilometers, the average hourly speed 2981,5 kilometers. To date this record has not been beaten.
the MiG-25 was created in the Soviet Union to counter military aircraft “class 3”, which was created in the US in the 1960s. These included strategic bomber XB-70 and reconnaissance aircraft A-12 (SR-71 Blackbird).
According to the author, the creators of the fighter was able to solve the problem of extremely high temperatures at a set rate. For aircraft established a special steel alloys, possessing a great strength and resistance to temperatures.
Also on the MiG-25 set a record for the climb, according to RIA Novosti. The aircraft at maximum thrust reached a height of 35 thousand meters in 4 minutes, 11 seconds. In addition, the MiG-25 were fitted with four missiles with a range of up to 80 kilometres and a large radar.
Mori Kentaro sums up: in the 50 years of the MiG-25 is the highest step of the podium as the “king of speed”.
Japan military analyst airplane fighter USSR MiG-25 speed of fast weapons record
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BOOKS OF THE WEEK - 2nd January 2015
Wild Fire : The Splendours of India's Animal Kingdom
BY - Valmik Thapar
Developed and edited by Valmik Thapar, one of our foremost wildlife experts, the book is divided into three sections. The first section, Thoughts from Elsewhere , written by Thapar, takes the reader on a quick tour of the country s natural heritage in the twenty-first century. It provides an overview of mammalian distribution, the characteristics of individual species, the evolution of the country s wildlife habitats, threats to the environment and much else besides. The second section, The Wildlife Chronicles collects the finest accounts of India s animals from the first century onwards. It has stories about the great predators tigers, leopards, snow leopards, lions, golden cats and others; magnificent herbivores like the elephant, rhino, wild ox and the various species of deer and antelope; evocative accounts of some of the most striking animals in the country including monkeys, squirrels and other arboreal creatures; as well as reports of rare sightings of river dolphins, bats, shrews and other lesser-known members of the animal kingdom. Contributors to this section include travellers, hunters, writers, photographers and naturalists such as Pliny the Elder, Ibn Battuta, Babur, Akbar, François Bernier, Isabel Savory, Jim Corbett, George Schaller, Kenneth Anderson, M. Krishnan, E.R.C. Davidar, Peter Jackson and Ruskin Bond. The third section, Wild Fire , contains a selection of some of the finest photographs ever taken of India s mammals.
The most comprehensive book on Indian mammals ever published.
Content culled from over a million words on Indian mammals by the world s top wildlife writers.
Rare pictures selected from tens of thousands of exclusive pictures by the world s top wildlife photographers.
Most of the world s top writers on Indian mammals represented in the volume.
Some of these pictures have never been seen before.
Valmik Thapar has spent several decades serving the cause of India s flora and fauna. During this time, he has authored, co-authored and edited more than twenty-five books and made or presented nearly a dozen films for the BBC and several other television networks on the tiger and Indian flora and fauna. Wild Fire is the second book in a trilogy that began with the acclaimed Tiger Fire, which was published in 2013; Thapar is currently working on Winged Fire, a book on Indian birds, which will be published in 2015.
He has also created a major non-governmental organization dedicated to conserving wildlife, the Ranthambhore Foundation. Although he has served on hundreds of government panels and committees relating to nature conservation, he is today a fierce critic of government policy and continues to campaign for new ways to save nature in India. He is presently working to set up a think tank, both online and offline, to find solutions to preserve our natural habitats.
ISBN : 978-9383064687 Price : Rs.2995.00
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Tag: Milwaukee
Massive Property Tax Increase in Milwaukee
Politics - WisconsinMilwaukee
And they voted for it.
Across Milwaukee’s 15 aldermanic districts, the average assessment increased 9.14% from 2019, according to the Assessor’s Office.
Milwaukee residents also voted overwhelmingly in April in support of additional spending by Milwaukee Public Schools, and taxpayers are seeing the bill for the first time.
The school district can now exceed its state-imposed revenue limits by $87 million a year beginning in the 2023-24 school year, but it is ramping up to that sum by starting with $57 million in the 2020-21 school year.
The extra spending approved in the April referendum meant the school portion of city residents’ property tax bills increased by $1.60, from $9.58 to $11.18, for each $1,000 of home value — or about $240 a year on a home assessed at the median sale price of around $150,000.
City Leaders Admit Failure and Ask for State Help
While tragic, this is a local problem and a failure of local leadership. Extracting tax dollars from people in the rest of the state and throwing it at Milwaukee won’t solve the problem. Doing so will reward the failed leadership.
The Milwaukee Common Council sent a letter to Gov. Tony Evers, asking him to send any resources that could help Milwaukee police curb reckless driving.
The letter was sent the day after three children were struck while crossing the street at 22nd and Center streets.
A 6-year-old girl died, and a 10-year-old boy and 4-year-old girl are in critical condition. The driver fled the scene.
In the letter to Evers, Milwaukee aldermen said police and the Wisconsin State Patrol have done what they can in recent months for traffic enforcement, “but until those driving in Milwaukee are compelled to obey laws we seem now to take for granted, we fear more will be injured and worse.”
Summerfest Runs up Security Bill
Posted by Owen at 1347, 9 Aug 1919 | 4 Comments
Crime, Politics - WisconsinMilwaukee
It sounds like the taxpayers are getting the raw end of a bad deal.
MILWAUKEE — Summerfest 2019 ended on a sour note for taxpayers, as security costs for the Big Gig exceeded the budget by more than $500,000. Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said this wasn’t the first year this has happened; it was actually the fourth year in a row. City leaders said it’s time for a change.
On Thursday morning, Aug. 8, Milwaukee police briefed landlords of Maier Festival Park on just how much the department expected the final total to be: $800,000.
Leaders said in 2009, Summerfest officials agreed to compensate the city for police and fire services when the festival extended its lease through 2030. The negotiated payment this year was $134,00 — only a small fraction of projected costs.
Or are they? It sounds kind of like the costs are being inflated:
Barrett said the cost increase was due to a variety of factors, but not necessarily because more officers were being used to patrol the grounds.
“The costs include the overtime, the fixed costs that they have, and the pension costs that are embedded in this,” Barrett said.
In other words, “the budget is tight, so lets throw as many “costs” into the Summerfest gig so that we can charge them for it.” If the Milwaukee Police aren’t providing any more officers to patrol for Summerfest, then how did costs balloon from $134k to $800k in four years?
Water Before Trollies
Posted by Owen at 0849, 8 May 1919 | 9 Comments
When they have a point, they have a point.
MILWAUKEE — The Black Panthers and Freshwater for Life Action Coalition joined forces to demand lead laterals be removed from homes in Milwaukee. The activists stormed into City Hall with a jug of water on Tuesday, May 7 for the first of what they promised would be many protests in front of a much larger audience.
“I brought a gallon of water here for you,” said Robert Miranda, Freshwater for Life Action Coalition spokesman. “Milwaukee unfiltered fresh H2O.”
The group interrupted a Milwaukee Common Council meeting to ask city leaders to take a sip.
“Fresh and clean out of the tap that has a lead lateral. We’d like you to come forward and have a drink of this water if you don’t mind,” said Miranda.
The group demanded all lead laterals be quickly removed from homes in the city. They believe those lead laterals are responsible for elevated lead levels in children.
“You’ve got billions of dollars in construction on the upper east side and downtown Milwaukee, but what do you have in the black and brown communities? You have crumbs, and we’re going to sit here and tolerate that?! No. We are not going to tolerate that any longer,” said King Rick, Black Panthers.
Barrett’s Bad Priorities
Politics - WisconsinMilwaukee, Tom Barrett
Barrett has moved from a benign caretaker mayor of Milwaukee to one that is precipitating the city’s decline.
MILWAUKEE — Significant cuts to the police and fire departments. That’s what the city of Milwaukee faces as Mayor Tom Barrett prepares to unveil his 2018 budget Tuesday, September 26th. The mayor’s office said the original budget proposal had more drastic cuts to public safety, and they said the mayor did his best–still this isn’t popular with many people.
The mayor’s budget proposal to include cutting 33 police officer positions and 75 firefighter slots is not popular with many.
“I don’t want to have fewer police officers next year. But in order for us to avoid that, we’re going to have to have a sales tax,” Mayor Tom Barrett said.
The property tax levy is also slated to go up by 3.7 percent. The city is faced with lead issues in the water, replacing leaking pipes and laterals connected to water mains. Police and fire pension payments are skyrocketing as more retirements loom.
So there’s no money for police, fire fighters, fixing the city’s lead pipes, etc., but there is plenty of money for a downtown trolley, the mayor’s staff, employee benefits, etc. Milwaukee has plenty of money. The problem is that the city’s leadership has idiotic priorities.
Perceptions of Milwaukee
Posted by Owen at 1905, 9 Apr 1717 | 0 Comments
CultureMilwaukee
I started watching an Amazon series called “Patriot.” It’s a quirky show about an undercover dude who is trying to keep Iran from getting a nuke. In order to get overseas with an intact cover, he poses as a normal employee of an industrial piping firm based in Milwaukee.
One can just imagine the writers talking about this. “He should have a job that sounds super boring and technical… that’s a gold mine of material.” “Hmmm… how about industrial piping?” “YES!” “Where should the company be based? It needs to be somewhere equally boring and easy to create weird characters in it… something rust belt.” “Cleveland?” “No, they have a good basketball team and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.” “Milwaukee?” “YES! PERFECT!”
Anyway, in episode 2, one of those goofy local characters is talking to the main character, who is not from Milwaukee. He poses the question:
The answer was, “It’s an ice box… sun hardly shines; our economy is factory-based, dwindling since the ’60s; endemic violent crime in Milwaukee.”
That, my friends, is how the world still sees Milwaukee. And it is still largely true.
That is why we must work extra hard to attract businesses and people. Milwaukee doesn’t have the luxury of hot sandy beaches, glorious mountains, a temperate climate, or a warm water port. Nor does it have low taxes, friendly regulations, or a welcoming business climate. While we can’t change the physical or historical attributes of Milwaukee or our state, we can change the rest of it… if we want to. If not, well, I guess people will continue to think about Milwaukee like this for the foreseeable future.
Paying for Milwaukee
Posted by Owen at 0818, 9 Mar 1717 | 0 Comments
Simply put, all of Wisconsin is paying for Milwaukee.
Milwaukee’s 66-plus percentage return also exceeds most other cities in the state, which average even less, 51.03%. The statewide average for all municipalities, including towns and villages, is just 55.69%.
The DOR report lists only a handful of the state’s 190 or so cities as getting back more than 90% of what they pay out to the state. Milwaukee ranks in the top third among the state’s cities in the DOR report.
The real point Barrett was trying to make is that Milwaukee is an economic engine experiencing an economic turnaround that’s benefiting southeastern Wisconsin, the state and the region and that it deserves the support it receives and is necessary to a healthy Wisconsin economy and culture.
But many of the city’s problems continue to siphon millions of dollars from the rest of the state while for decades failing to produce desired results. An op-ed from Barrett and Hamilton laying out a plan to solve those problems would be worth reading.
Barrett Calls for More Gun Laws in Response to Milwaukee Violence
Posted by Owen at 0653, 16 Apr 1515 | 0 Comments
Firearms, Politics - WisconsinMilwaukee, Tom Barrett
I’m having a hard time not concluding that Mayor Barrett is just a raving mad on this issue.
The Democratic mayor called for policy action, in the form of more state resources to combat gun crime in Milwaukee. “I don’t want to lock up more people who are carrying a nickel bag of marijuana, but I do want to lock up more people who get involved in gunfights in parks, on streets, outside taverns,” the mayor said.
I’m sorry, but it is now legal for people to get in gunfights in parks, streets, and outside taverns (apparently gunfights inside taverns are taboo)? Last time I checked, that was already illegal. How would more gun laws help?
Barrett is also railing against concealed carry, but I haven’t seen it reported that a single one of the Milwaukee murders was committed by someone legally carrying a gun and illegally using it. One of the most egregious, the murder of a driver and teen, was allegedly committed by a felon who was on parole. He was breaking several laws by possessing a gun.
There might be a few tweaks to our gun laws that make sense, but they are not going to fix the violence in Milwaukee. The mayor of that city, Tom Barrett, is failing in his job to protect the citizens of his city and he is desperately seeking to deflect blame elsewhere.
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Wachusett Mountain Wins NSAA 2016 Conversion Cup Award
Wachusett Mountain Ski Area, Mass., is the winner of the 2016 National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) Conversion Cup Challenge, sponsored by HEAD Wintersports. This annual award recognizes resorts across the country that have developed outstanding programs to convert new skiers and snowboarders into lifelong enthusiasts.
Wachusett was selected among a strong field of ski areas from across the U.S. The other two finalists were Mission Ridge Ski & Board Resort, Wash., and Stevens Pass, Wash.
NSAA launched the initiative in 2010 as a way to pique competition among member ski areas and recognize those who make significant strides to boost conversion rates. The winner is chosen based upon proven results, creative ideas, consistent execution, and long-term commitment to the conversion effort. Several key metrics are used in the judging process, including beginner lesson volumes; quantifiable success of beginner lesson packages; season-to-date sales and repeat sales data collection; and marketing ingenuity and use of new media.
Wachusett won the honor based on creative ideas, a logical learning progression-beyond the initial package offer-measurable results, solid execution, and long-term commitment to the conversion effort. Wachusett has been converting new skiers/riders for decades, taking advantage of the large population centers of Boston, Providence, and Worcester that are in the ski area's backyard. "We see it as our job to create future skiers and riders for the industry," said Carolyn Stimpson, Wachusett's vice president of resort services.
Using customer data and analytics, Wachusett has designed various beginner programs that are targeted to specific audiences-augmented with follow-up emails-to help ensure they return. The two primary learn-to programs are the one-day Learn-To-Turn package (lesson, rental, and lift ticket for $99), and a three-day package (lesson, rental, and lift ticket for $199). Those who finish either program receive upgrade offers and coupons to continue their journey to becoming a lifelong skier or snowboarder. Messages with those deals are delivered via email 24 hours later or, for those who do not provide an email address, by direct mail. The number of upgrades from the one-day package to the three-day package is up 65 percent from last season, even in a year when skier visits were down on the East Coast.
Wachusett also has other promotions to bring more newcomers to snowsports: incentives for existing customers to bring a friend; for secondary school students; for those riding public transportation; and other programs to make it easier for people to learn.
The Conversion Cup Award, a large silver trophy based on a Stanley Cup prototype, is a traveling award. Wachusett claims ownership of the Cup for one year, until the next winner is announced at next year's NSAA National Convention May 5-8, 2017, in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Categories: Member Press Releases & Awards
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...Roberto Matta stated on many occasions that he was born on 11. 11. 1911 at 11 o’clock in the evening in Santiago de Chile. If this series of four times 11 is perfect at a mnemonic level, we can’t be sure that this birth date entirely...
Roberto Aizenberg
...Originally an architect, Roberto Aizenberg turned to painting when studying with Juan Batlle Planas, becoming one of the most important surrealist artists in Latin America. His architectural background is apparent in his images of isolated...
Yves Laloy
...Trained as an architect, Yves Laloy began to paint in 1950, creating colorful geometric abstractions reminiscent of the work of Kandinsky. Discovering his work in 1958, André Breton perceived affinities between these images and the work...
...Frederick Kiesler is remembered above all as an architect, despite the fact that few of his designs came to fruition—the majority of his realized works falling rather into the domain of interior and exhibition design. Nevertheless, his...
Derek Sayer
...The Group of Surrealists in Czechoslovakia (Skupina surrealistů v Československu, hereafter GSC) was officially established in March 1934. Although this was a decade after André Breton’s Manifesto of Surrealism, it would be a mistake to see...
Fabio De Sanctis
...Trained as an architect, de Sanctis set up the design studio Officina 11 with artist Ugo Sterpini in the early 1960s. Their distinctive one-off or small-scale production furniture was intended to re-instate dream and desire...
...If in many respects the discipline of architecture—particularly that strain of high Modernist architecture in thrall to function and rationalization—seems anathema to the movement, a kind of “architectural imaginary” nevertheless runs...
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Celaviedmai
Celaviedmai is a Galway rapper who is becoming one of the most influential and most recognised names in Irish music industry and internationally after features from global platforms like Vice, Notion and New York Times.
She opened up for well known artists such as Lil Wayne, Mac Miller, Hoodie Allen, Tinchy Stryder, Sneakbo, Section boyz, Jimothy Lacoste and recently Jafaris.
She has also performed at Electric Picnic, The fringe festival and also at Hard Working Class Heroes; she has been featured in the New York Times, and Noisey.
Following the release of the raw unapologetic single “Reckless”, Celaviedmai announces new soulful hip hop sounds with the release of “Questions” featuring diffusion lab artist Nealo. The forthcoming record is featured on an upcoming EP set to be released this year.
“Questions” is a body of work that touches on the overwhelming feelings of rejection, fear, self worth, self doubt and the anxiety from the pressures of the World.
Listen to Questions below :
https://songwhip.com/celaviedmai/questions
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Stevie Nicks, The Killers, Kurt Vile & more celebrating Tom Petty’s birthday with a virtua…
Foo Fighters, Eddie Vedder, Margo Price, The Raconteurs, The Flaming Lips, Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell, Beck, Brandi Carlile and many more will help celebrate what would've been Petty's 70th birthday.
Erin Christie
Artists pay tribute to Unwound’s Vern Rumsey (Thursday, Speedy Ortiz, Cave In, more)
Calvin Johnson, Kimya Dawson, The Van Pelt, Dan Friel, and others have paid tribute as well...
mems of Faith No More, Porcupine Tree, Blur, Voivod, Pinback & more pay tribute to Cardiac…
Devin Townsend, JG Thirlwell, Oceansize's Mike Vennart, Dutch Uncles, and others have also paid tribute.
read Bill Withers tributes from Brian Wilson, Thom Yorke, Chance the Rapper, Nile Rodgers …
Bill Withers' music has touched just about everyone, so it's no surprise that there's been an outpouring of tributes since the world learned he died this morning. You can read tributes from Raekwon, Kacey Musgraves, Sturgill Simpson, Lin Manuel Miranda, Yo La Tengo, Billy Dee Williams…
Tom Morello, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Gary Numan & more pay tribute to Gang of Four’s Andy G…
Plus: more tributes to Gill from Blur's Graham Coxon, Greg Dulli, The Futureheads, REM's MIke Mills, Colin Meloy, Noveller's Sarah Lipstate, Geoff Rickly and more.
Gorillaz documentary ‘Reject False Icons’ screening worldwide on one night only
Gorillaz document the making (and touring in support of) their last two albums, 2017's Humanz and 2018's The Now Now, in a new documentary film.
Graham Coxon shares new song, covers Billy Idol for ‘End of the F***ing World 2′ (out now …
It's been two years since Netflix premiered its UK miniseries adaptation of Charles S. Forsman’s acclaimed 2013 graphic novel The End of the F***ing World but it's back (with more new Graham Coxon songs), and Season 2 is on Netflix now.
that dog. announce first album in 22 years, share “If You Just Didn’t Do It”
After talking about it for a while, reunited alt-rock vets that dog. have officially announced their first album since the '90s.
tours announced: Com Truise, that dog., Sisters of Mercy, Mika, PnB Rock, more
Plus: Jonah Matranga, A$AP Ant, Burna Boy, Shellshag, Dude York, Saintseneca, and more tour-related news.
artists pay tribute to Scott Walker (Thom Yorke, Boy George, members of Ride, Soft Cell, m…
Bob Stanley (Saint Etienne), Wendy Smith (Prefab Sprout), Cosey Fanni Tutti, Midge Ure, Holly Herndon, Kelly Lee Owens, Zola jesus & more have also paid tribute.
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Concert Noble
Historic place
In April 2010 we discovered the entertaining Intergalactic Lovers, led by the mesmerizing voice of Lara Chedraoui. After having performed around the world (NY, Toronto, SXSW…) to defend their...
The name Concert Noble dates back to 1785, a period in which the archduchess Maria-Christina of Austria and her husband Albert of Saxe-Teschen established a company responsible for organising social events reserved for members of the nobility in the parc Royal (Royal Park).
In 1873, at the instigation of King Leopold II, the Société du Concert Noble decided to build the ballroom and reception rooms which we know today in the Leopold neighbourhood, the new fashionable area of Brussels. The man entrusted with the task was Henri Beyaert, who designed a succession of sumptuous rooms decorated in Louis XVI style, gradually increasing in size, preparing the visitor for the pièce de resistance of the ballroom. Very quickly, Concert Noble became a hotspot for the capital’s society life, which it remains today, even hosting the president of the United States in 2005! ABB (Assurances du Boerenbond Belge) funded the careful restoration of the premises which are now owned by Edificio. The venue hosts numerous events including balls and receptions.
closeNon accessible
placeRue d'Arlon, 82 - 1000 Bruxelles-Ville
phone+32 (0)2 738 75 96
The Bellona House
Théâtre du Vaudeville
Egmont Palace
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Diego Maradona holds up the trophy after Argentina beat West Germany 3-2 in their World Cup soccer final match, at the Atzeca Stadium, in Mexico City on June 29, 1986. (File photo)
One of the greatest footballers of all time, Argentine legend and a super hero at 1986 World Cup - Diego Maradona died at the age of 60.
BUENOS AIRES, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- Argentine football legend Diego Maradona died at the age of 60 on Wednesday of a heart attack at his home in the Tigre district, on the northern outskirts of Buenos Aires, sources confirmed to Xinhua.
Maradona had been transferred to a private neighborhood on Nov. 11, following an emergency surgery on Nov. 3 after he was diagnosed with a subdural haematoma, a pool of blood between a membrane and his brain.
Maradona celebrated his 60th birthday on Oct. 30. ■
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Home Latest News Lake v Bacic — Successful appeal against Weathertight Homes Tribunal decision
Lake v Bacic — Successful appeal against Weathertight Homes Tribunal decision
The Bacics, recent immigrants to New Zealand, purchased a unit at the plan stage, in a group of eight that were constructed between 1998 and 2000. They moved into the unit prior to the completion of construction and before a Code Compliance Certificate was issued.
The Bacics experienced problems with the property from the day they moved in. They lodged a claim with the Weathertight Homes Resolution Service and, ultimately, their adjudication claim was heard on 13, 14 and 15 May 2009. A final determination was entered on 11 June 2009.
The unit was on three levels and was constructed of kiln-dried, untreated timber framing, with exterior walls lined with Harditex fibre cement sheets.
The adjudicator decided that the major contributing factors to the dwelling leaking were:
• flat tops and top-dash mounted balustrades,
• poorly installed parapet caps,
• unsealed fibre cement behind the metal flashings, and
• the lack of flashings in the west wall windows.
The council was found liable for negligent inspections, and was ordered to be severally liable to pay 100% of the $232,000 ordered in favour of the Bacics.
A finding of liability was made against Mr Lake on the basis that he was negligent in assisting and/or supervising the installation in the west wall without any flashings, and in failing to ensure that they were installed so that they were weathertight.
On this basis, he was held to be liable for one-third of the remedial costs and 27% of the consequential losses and general damages.
It was this part of the decision that Mr Lake brought the appeal on. In reply, the council brought a cross-appeal alleging that instead of Mr Lake being found partially responsible, the correct decision was to find him 100% liable for the $232,000 award.
High Court decision on appeal and cross appeal
This appeal was heard by Justice Asher. First, he considered whether, in fact, Mr Lake owed a duty of care to the Bacics. In order to determine this he had to consider the role of Mr Lake, which he concluded to be that of a co-ordinator, facilitator and, where necessary, a labourer.
He was not a man who was applying any building knowledge or expertise to work on the site. He was a former registered psychiatric nurse that had moved on from that occupation into managing rest homes.
It was these skills he applied to the construction process — those being management rather than building expertise.
It was held that there was not sufficient proximity for a conclusion that he owed the Bacics a duty of care. It was, therefore, concluded that Mr Lake was not responsible for defects to the deck and the more minor defects. The cross-appeal failed in its entirety.
The appeal related to the finding that Mr Lake was responsible for damage to the west wall. The adjudicator, despite finding he had not assumed responsibility for the construction work, thought he did have responsibility in relation to the windows that were installed in the west wall.
Justice Asher was concerned at this finding, and went back to examine the evidence that was heard at the adjudication.
It was his overwhelming conclusion that Mr Lake’s involvement was as a helper, co-ordinator and labourer.
“His attendance on site was incidental from the Bacics’ point of view. It could have been any person who arrived to put in the windows.”
Justice Asher concluded there was not the requisite assumption of responsibility for weatherproofing issues in respect of these windows, such that a duty of care was owed to the Bacics.
Adjudicator’s decision wrong
Further, there was no indication of any breach of the standard of care by Mr Lake. He concluded that the adjudicator’s decision to find Mr Lake negligent was wrong.
He states at para 54: “The adjudicator’s finding of responsibility in relation to the windows in the west wall cannot be reconciled with her earlier finding (which I have concluded was correct), that Mr Lake did not have responsibility for ensuring that work was done in accordance with good standards.
“The essential nature of his role did not change between the time when he did the main body of work, and when he helped in the installation of the windows. He owed no duty of care and was not negligent.” The appeal was allowed.
This case is interesting in its careful analysis of what activity on a construction site will establish a duty of care. It will not simply be enough to be on site carrying out basic labouring work.
There is a necessary element of assumption of responsibility for weathertighness that is required for such a person to be found liable in a leaky building case.
So, in some ways, this decision provides protection to labourers on site with no real building expertise, so long as they do not purport to “punch above their weight” in their on-site role, and take on responsibility for construction decisions.
Previous articleEyeing you up
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Peter Overton is one of Australia’s most recognizable faces when it comes to the field of journalism and evening news. Referred to by many as the archetypal Australian news anchor, Overton has been cited by many as a reason people have pursued a career in news journalism.
In early 2009, Overton became the head newsreader for the 6pm edition of Sydney’s Nine News. He had previously been a Nine News anchor for 10 years before switching to work as a reported for the 60 Minutes program for 8 years.
He was born in England to Australian parents in 1966. He was only 2 years old when his family decided to return to Australia. After high school, Overton earned a Bachelor of Economics from Macquarie University.
He got his first big break working in media in 1985 at Sydney radio station. He was quickly selected for an on-air role. He worked in that position until, in 1987, he moved to work as a television reporter on the Sky Channel (Australia’s first satellite TV channel).
Overton officially joined National Nine News in 1991 and worked as a sports reporter. He co-anchored with Tracy Grimshaw during the Thredbo disaster, and also was an anchor for the ARL court decisions.
During his work as an anchor for Nine News, he oversaw the news program climb to number one status in Sydney year after year between 2011 and 2015. He oversaw the news program winning 2 TV Week Logie Awards for coverage of the Queensland floods and the Blue Mountains bushfires.
Overall, Peter Overton remains one of Australia’s most prolific news reporters and manages to effortlessly appear a lot younger than his actual age. Many Australians trust him as a news anchor who has a strong sense of community ethics.
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CAGE Calls on Imran Khan to seek the return of Aafia Siddiqui, cease cooperation on drone strikes and locate the forcibly disappeared
CAGE Africa2018-09-06T13:34:45+00:00August 24th, 2018|Drones, Extradition, Guantanamo, Press Release, Rendition, Survivors, Torture|
London – CAGE calls on Pakistan’s new prime minister Imran Khan to fulfill his pledge to exert all efforts to seek the immediate return of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, bring an immediate end to the devastating US drone strikes taking place under the guise of the War on Terror and free the scores of prisoners who have been subjected to enforced disappearances over the years.
We are willing to assist in measures to ensure that justice for past wrongs takes place in Pakistan, including the possibility of a Truth and Reconciliation-type process whereby survivors are able to gain a full understanding of the extent of disappearances, killings and torture under previous regimes, and achieve closure for their losses and suffering.
Moazzam Begg, outreach director for CAGE, said:
“In 2008, Mr Khan shared a platform with CAGE to raise the case of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, long before the brutality and injustice of her plight caught public attention. At the time, not only had Aafia been abandoned but many others like Masood, the husband of Amina Masood Janjua, had been forcibly disappeared by the Pakistani government and remain missing to this day.
“Imran Khan was ready to stand up for such people at a time when Pakistan’s politicians ignored them. I have since met him a couple of times and briefly discussed with him both the abuses in Guantanamo and plight of Aafia. Today he is in a unique position to be able to fulfil his pledge to bring Pakistan’s “the daughter of the nation” home.”
“Khan has strongly opposed the War on Terror and in particular US drone strikes, which amount to state-sanctioned murder and have further destabilised the country. His election as Prime Minister in Pakistan is a new and exciting phase for many people in that country. It is our sincere hope that his pledge of upholding the rule of law and challenging the destructive policies that have devastated Pakistan continue now that he is coming to power.”
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Caterpillar Continues to Invest in Cleaner Emissions for Higher Powered Engines
For Worldwide Release: November 2019
Caterpillar is pleased to introduce the Cat® 3516E—the latest and largest of its dual-certified EU Stage V/U.S. EPA and CARB Tier 4 Final engines, a rare accreditation among large, high- horsepower industrial engines.
The 3516E is a 78-liter V16 industrial engine with a single continuous rating that produces 2,100 hp (1,566 kW) at 1650 rpm and 8275 lb-ft. torque (11,220 Nm) at 1200 rpm and is capable of being operated at maximum power and speed without interruption or load cycling thanks to its robust design and selection of heavy-duty componentry.
The 3516E uses a dual-SCR-only aftertreatment to meet EU Stage V, U.S. EPA Tier 4 Final, and California Air Regulations Board (CARB) requirements. While the SCR-only aftertreatment does require diesel exhaust fluid, owners will enjoy a lower average cost of ownership that’s 1.3% less than its predecessor, the 3516C, due to advanced engine technology designed to improve overall fluid consumption.
“We designed the C3516E to meet the needs of customers who require high horsepower engines in North America and the EU. These customers work with some of the most demanding applications and need clean, continuous power to drive their business as emissions regulations become more stringent,” said Jason Kern, Marketing Director for Caterpillar’s Industrial Power Systems Division.
Based on the core 3516 series engine and backed by more than 725 million hours of infield service, the 3516E is designed to be reliable in a range of harsh conditions and rough jobsites, making it the perfect engine for a wide array of demanding applications including shredders, chippers, grinders, and bore and drill rigs.
The 3516E is backed by the Cat Dealer Network that is focused on providing world-class service and support for its customers. With 168 dealers, more than 2,150 locations and 157,000 dealer employees, the strength of the Cat Dealer Network is unparalleled in the industry.
“Cat dealers are truly dedicated to understanding the tough challenges and decisions our customers face each and every day,” said Brian Tomsovic, Global Dealer Operations Manager. “With the C3516E, our dealers will be able to provide an engine solution that will fit the needs of many OEMs.”
For more information about the Cat 3516E and the Cat Dealer Network, please visit: https://www.cat.com/en_US/by-industry/industrial-power-new.html
3516E Engine Specifications
170 mm (6.69 in.)
78 L (4,760 in3)
1566 bkW (2100 bhp) @ 1650 rpm
11220 Nm (8875 lb-ft) @ 1200 rpm
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CBS and DNB: working towards univocal figures
From June 2018 onwards, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) and the Dutch Central Bank (DNB) will publish univocal figures on the Netherlands’ economic relations with the rest of the world. This will ensure that national and European policymakers no longer encounter discrepancies between the national balance of payments statistics and the National Accounts. In addition, CBS and DNB will better match their respective mandatory surveys for companies serving as reporting agents. Tasks will furthermore be reallocated between the two institutions. These results stem from intensive mutal cooperation, effective 18 September 2017 following a cooperation agreement between DNB’s Director of Monetary Affairs and Financial Stability and the Director General of CBS.
Intensified cooperation
Both CBS and DNB are responsible for publishing macroeconomic statistics that describe the Netherlands’ relationship with the rest of the world, e.g. on trade in goods and services, international financial transactions and the Netherlands’ international investment position. These statistics are not always in concordance with each other, as has become increasingly apparent in both the national and the international community. Gerard Eding, Director of the CBS National Accounts Department, explains: ‘The discrepancies were partly rooted in the use of different sources and methods, as well as the different publication times. This led to the decision by CBS and DNB to cooperate even more closely with a view to achieving complete concordance. Moreover, tasks have been redistributed between CBS and DNB, with DNB in charge of monitoring the financial sectors, securities statistics and the national balance of payments while CBS takes care of the National Accounts and monitoring of the non-financial sectors.’
One single survey
Businesses stand to benefit from this new cooperation. In the future, they will only need to complete a single integrated survey which will be used to calculate DNB’s balance of payments as well as the National Accounts of CBS. This effectively means there will be fewer overlapping questions to answer, as parts of the monthly DNB survey will be discontinued. ‘In the near future, non-bank financial institutions will be sent only one survey for the balance of payments and this will be on a quarterly instead of a monthly basis,’ says Pim Claassen, Department Head Balance of Payments and Securities Statistics at DNB. ‘DNB will also introduce integrated quarterly reporting for a number of financial sectors to improve monitoring of developments in these sectors. This will cover shadow banking, for example, in which other (non-bank) institutions lend money. Doing so will also benefit the quality of the National Accounts. The description of the relationship between financial sectors and the real economy shall be further improved. This is a relationship which has received more and more attention since the financial crisis.’
The way in which CBS and DNB partner intensively can be described as unique. Eding: ‘Within Europe, there are several different models. In some countries, such as Finland and Ireland, the balance of payments and the National Accounts are both compiled by the national statistical institutes. But there are also countries where the NSI and the central bank largely operate on their own. However, this is going to change under the growing pressure from international institutions to organise things more efficiently and effectively. Here in the Netherlands, CBS and DNB have made a conscious decision to work together. We keep our own independence, but our work is strongly interconnected. In addition, we both take full advantage of the other’s know-how and skills. This is essential as we need to work towards a better description of the ever more rapidly evolving economy.’ Claassen affirms this statement and adds: ‘The construction as we use it here in the Netherlands combines the best of both worlds.’
‘An important advantage is that both CBS and DNB set high demands for the production of statistics, including the handling of confidential data’
Fundamental choices
Both Eding and Claassen are satisfied with the progress made so far in this project. ‘It is large and complex, and requires a great deal of adjustment in both organisations’, says Eding. ‘We had to make fundamental choices and reach agreement on the commitment of sources, statistical estimation methods, revision and publication policies. We were quite far apart in our opinions initially, but succeeded in reaching alignment thanks to fruitful discussions and mapping of the alternatives. At an early stage, staff members from both organisations went and visited each other in the workplace. This was an essential element in getting to understand each other’s work, get to know the processes and manage the change.’
As Claassen explains, these steps towards higher quality and consistency in figures on the Dutch economy are related to DNB’ plans for an overhaul in the statistical infrastructure. ‘This overhaul was the reason to reflect on the basic structure of the macroeconomic statistics chain. Practice had demonstrated that the quality of the balance of payments statistics would benefit from the fully integrated framework of the National Accounts. However, this meant we had to be prepared to give up part of our autonomy. Ultimately, based on proper arrangements for a collective integration process and mutual respect with equal and professional status as chain partners, the choice was no more than logical.’
Eding and Claassen highly praise the staff at both CBS and DNB for gradually transferring the work to each other. Claassen: ‘It is not always easy, but even the staff appreciate that it will improve the quality of the statistics. And that is ultimately what matters. An important advantage is that both organisations set high demands for the production of statistics, including the handling of confidential data. For instance, DNB is committed to the ESCB Public Commitment on Statistics while CBS uses the ESS Code of Practice as its guiding instrument. These two standards are fully complementary.’
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Jersey Mike's Founder Turned $125,000 Into Billions
By Amy Lamare on August 11, 2018 in Articles › Entertainment
Peter Cancro has been the CEO of Jersey Mike's for 43 years. He got his start at a local mom and pop sandwich shop called Mike's Subs in Point Pleasant, New Jersey when he was 14 years old. As a high school student, he played football, was a lifeguard during the summers, and made sandwiches at the shop that was founded in 1956. During the spring of his senior year of high school, he found out that the two brothers who owned Mike's Subs wanted to sell it. His mom suggested he buy the sub shop. He skipped school the following day and started knocking on doors trying to raise money.
On a cold night in March of 1975, Cancro knocked on the door of his high school football coach Rod Smith. Cancro told him that he'd missed all his classes the past week because the sub shop where he had worked for four years was for sale and he wanted to buy it. It was selling for $125,000. He showed his coach the folder he had with the gross profits and earnings potentials of the business. Smith was a banker. Impressed with Cancro's drive, he told him he could help.
Image via Michael Rivera/Wikimedia Commons
Cancro was, as mentioned, a senior in high school. He was the quarterback on the football team and class president. He intended to study law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. However, once he was the owner of Mike's Subs, his priorities changed. He had been skipping a lot of classes during his last semester of high school. He had enough credits to graduate and drove up to graduation in the Mike's Subs van.
Over the first decade of his ownership of the sub shop, Cancro opened up a few more stores and repaid the loan from Smith with interest. In 1987, he decided to open up the sub shop to franchising and changed the company's name to Jersey Mike's to reflect the original shop's roots. Every year, more and more Jersey Mike's opened up. By 1991, there were 30 Jersey Mike's shops. Then the recession of the early 1990s hit the company hard.
The recession hit banks particularly hard. It was nearly impossible to get a loan. In order to survive, he had to lay off six people including his own brother. He thought it was all over. Clearly that was not the end. Today, Jersey Mike's has 1400 stores in 45 states and does a billion dollars in annual sales. Jersey Mike's has been the fastest growing franchise restaurant in the U.S. for the last four years.
Cancro has big plans for the future. Over the next five years, he plans to double Jersey Mike's to 3,000 locations and $2 billion in annual sales.
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Don't stand in the way of my son's health
It's the right thing to do!
Joanne Streit, Albany, CA, United States
For half a decade, we have searched for a medicine to help control our son’s severe epilepsy. Recently, two things happened that seemed like an answer to our prayers -- first, CBD oil, a cannabis derivative, was proven to drastically improve the conditions of hundreds of epileptic children around the country. And secondly, last year, the state of Maryland finally legalized medical marijuana. We rejoiced that our son Dylan’s suffering would soon be over. We no longer had to consider moving away from the state we loved, or sneaking in “contraband” so our son could get better. CBD oil would be available to us, here in our home state, and we would have every legal right to use it. Unfortunately, things weren’t so simple. A stipulation in Maryland’s law allows counties to decide how to implement the state's medical marijuana law. That means that county officials who don’t believe in the proven medical benefits of marijuana can prohibit its growth, processing and distribution in their counties. My county executive, Steven Schuh, is doing just that. I am asking for your help to petition Anne Arundel County Executive Steven Schuh to back down from his plan to ban medical marijuana. We are so close to making a difference in the lives of thousands of young children. He should be helping, not hindering that progress. Before the seizures began, my son Dylan lived a fairly normal life. He attended a special school, but despite his intellectual disabilities, he was progressing well. He was learning to talk and count, and he loved to sing. Perhaps if the seizures had never started, he would be a typical 12-year-old boy. But once they started, he began regressing at an astonishing pace. His speech was replaced with unintelligible babble. And all we could do was watch in horror as our little boy became a shadow of his former self. Over the next several years, he had up to 90 seizures a day. We tried several medications, but most were unsuccessful and a few of them had terrible side effects. In 2011, we thought we had found an answer. Dylan received a Vagus Nerve Stimulator implant to control his seizures. It cut the seizures down to 8 to 10 per day, but that is still too high for my son to endure. Our last hope is to get our hands on CBD oil. CBD oil has worked for so many children like Dylan, and every family like mine should have access to it no matter where they live. By threatening this legislation, Steven Schuh is jeopardizing my child's health. Please sign my petition and tell Steven Schuh to drop his plans to block medical marijuana in Anne Arundel County. Children are depending on this.
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