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Yusuf Qosim: Finding Time For Allah In Today's Fast Paced World (2)
By 1one4 Team On Jan 25, 2013 1858 Views
I wish to cite two examples in our history of where an opportunity was seized and another of where it was lost: 1) In the Khilaafate of Sayyiduna Umar (May Allah be pleased with him), during one of his famous nightly patrols, while resting against a wall of a particular house, he overheard a conversation from within that house between an elderly woman and her daughter. They were people who sold milk. The mother, in order to increase the volume of the milk encouraged her daughter to mix water with the milk. The girl refused saying that the Khalifa Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) has prohibited such practices. The mother retorted that at this odd hour of the night how would Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) be aware of what they were doing? The girl than said, \'But Allah (SWT) knows!\' Sayyiduna Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) was so impressed with this response that he asked his servant to mark this house and they both returned home. The next morning Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) sent his servant to enquire as to whether the young girl was married. He was informed that she was unmarried. Sayyiduna Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) called his three sons together and asked which of them would like to get married because he has found an ideal woman. He also told them that had it not been for his old age he would have married the woman. One of his sons, Aasim (May Allah be pleased with him), indicated his willingness and the proposal was duly sent and accepted. This couple had a daughter who later married and had a son. This son grew up to be Umar bin Abdul Aziz (May Allah have mercy on him). The Noble Messenger of Allah (PBUH) mentioned in a hadith \'Surely, Allah will send for this Ummah at the beginning of every hundred years a person who will revive its religion for it\' - (Hadith-Abu Dawud) for the past fourteen hundred years all scholars have reached consensus (they%20differ regarding every other century) only on one person and that is none other than Umar bin Abdul Aziz (May Allah have mercy on him) whom they regard to be the Mujaddid (Reviver) of the first century of Islam. He was also regarded to be the fifth Khalif of Islam. He ruled with such justice that was reminiscent of the Khilafate of his great grandfather Sayyiduna Umar (May Allah be pleased with him). It is said that in his time, which unfortunately lasted only two years, the wolves and sheep would drink from the same watering hole without the wolves devouring the sheep, indicative of his justice. On a particular day a wolf devoured a sheep which prompted the shepherd to say t hat, \'Today justice has been removed from this world. The Khalifa has passed away\'. Upon enquiry it was found that the Khalifa had indeed passed away! This was an example of an opportunity seized by Sayyiduna Umar (May Allah be pleased with him). 2) In the early days of the mission of the Noble Messenger of Allah (PBUH) a man from Taif came to Makka Mukkarrama for some business. When he went to the Haram he saw a man, a woman and a young boy doing, what he thought, were strange actions. His curiosity aroused, he enquired from Abbas( RA), the uncle of the Noble Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him) as to what it was that they were doing and who these people were. He was told that this is my nephew Muhammad (PBUH), who claims to be a prophet, his wife Khadijah (RA) and his cousin Ali (RA) and they claim to be worshipping their God and they have rejected the religion of their forefathers. The man, being interested, thought for a moment and than decided that as he was in a hurry he needed to leave. He reasoned that as his business interests brought him frequently to Makka he would meet Muhammed (PBUH) on his next business trip ... fast forward 20 years later, in the year after the conquest of Makka, an entire group of people come to Medina Munawwarah to accept Islam at the hands of the Noble Messenger of Allah (PBUH). Amongst this group was a man who was crying profusely! He was asked as to what is it that has caused him to weep so much. He replied that many years earlier he had an opportunity of being from amongst the first to embrace Islam and he let that opportunity pass by. This was the reason for his crying. In fact his name is not even mentioned in the narrations so all that he is now, is a statistic, when he could have been one of the well known personalities of Islam. This is an example of an opportunity not seized. With regards to health an incident comes to mind. A few years back a scholar from Palestine narrated an incident of a youngster in Palestine who was a very wealthy businessman. They had been to visit him encouraging him to spend some of his time for the sake of Allah and contribute towards the benefit of the community through active involvement in meeting people and giving them encouragement. His response was always that he was too busy in his business and had no time. One day while driving one of his fancy cars he met up in a severe accident that resulted in him being totally paralysed from his neck down. When he was visited in hospital he began to cry and he said, \'Pray that Allah (SWT) gives me my health back so that I can assist you in good works\' As far as our health is concerned we have no guarantee and incidents like the one mentioned above are a common occurrence these days. In fact the Noble Messenger of Allah (SWT) has said: Value five before five, youth before old age, good health before sickness, free time before you become occupied, wealth before poverty and life before death. (Hadith-Narrated by Ibn Abbas in the Mustadrak of Hakim & Musnad Imam Ahmad) It is mentioned that the Companions (May Allah be pleased with them) were very easy with their money but very tight with their time. Whenever they%20parted company they would recite this Surah Al Asr so as to remind themselves of the importance of time and its correct utilisation. In other words they parted easily with their money but not their time. May Allah (SWT) make it possible for us to value both our health, time and to understand that as long as we have both of them we have an ideal opportunity for good.
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#ABBYSTRONG initiative launched
By The EditorNovember 10, 2016Extras
Submitted. Businesses in Abbotsford are banding together in the wake of the tragedy at Abbotsford Senior Secondary to raise funds for the victims’ families and help the community heal by spreading a message of strength and love with sales of #ABBYSTRONG t-shirts and window stickers.
The initiative spearheaded by Josh and Gina Vanderheide, owners of Field House Brewing Co., is a collaborative effort with several dozen Abbotsford businesses and the City of Abbotsford. Together, these community partners have raised $20,000 to kick start the #ABBYSTRONG project. Gina, who is a teacher at Abbotsford Senior Secondary School and was at the school when the tragedy occurred, felt compelled to do something to help.
“Our intention is more than just financial support,” said Gina Vanderheide. “We developed the #ABBYSTRONG initiative with the common goal of displaying strength and resolve in our community in an effort to spread a positive message of hope in the wake of this terrible tragedy that has shaken the entire community.”
The t-shirts and bumper stickers are available for purchase at Abbotsford City Hall, Spruce Collective, UFV Bookstore, Field House Brewing Co. High Street Shopping Centre and Whatcom Wine and Spirits. The t-shirts are being sold for $25 and the window stickers are just $2. Orders over 50 can be made by contacting WeAreAbbyStrong@gmail.com. Net proceeds from the sale of all #ABBYSTRONG t-shirts and bumper stickers will go directly to the families of the victims, with the goal of raising $50,000.
On November 10, organizers will be providing a t-shirt for every student and teacher at Abbotsford Senior Secondary School along with window stickers as a show of support from the community.
As part of the campaign, organizers are encouraging people to post pictures of themselves wearing their t-shirts on social media and tag #ABBYSTRONG as a show of solidarity for the cause. The public is also being encouraged to join the #ABBYSTRONG movement on Facebook.
So far the outpouring of local support for the campaign has been substantial with many local businesses donating their resources and financial support. Partner businesses include Brickhouse Signs, Alliance Clothing, Spruce Collective, Field House Brewing Co., High Street Shopping Centre, Whatcom Wine and Spirits, Klaassen Business Group – as well as financial contributions from Tourism Abbotsford and City of Abbotsford to help fund the initial costs of the campaign.
For more information, visit www.weareABBYSTRONG.com.
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The Russian Mafia in Asia
By Bertil Lintner (3 February, 1996)
"In Russia, the brigand is the only true revolutionary. He is a revolutionary without phrases, without bookish rhetoric...the brigands of the forests, towns and villages, scattered throughout Russia, together with the brigands confined in the innumerable prisons of the empire - these constitute a single, indivisible, tight-knit world, and in it alone, there has always been revolutionary conspiracy. Anyone in Russia who seriously want to conspire, anyone who wants a people's revolution, must go into this world."
- Russian 19th century anarchist Mikhail Bakunin.
Every month, Valerian, a Russian gangster, pays a tenth of his income to the Church in Ho Chi Minh City. "That's why I'm still alive. I believe in God," he says sipping at a glass of vodka in one of the city's many newly opened bars. "I don't like what I'm doing. But for us there is no other choice if we want to make money."
Only a few years ago, Valerian was an academic in Vladivostok on the Japan Sea in eastern Siberia. We discuss Mayakovsky's poetry and the wars between Peter the Great and Charles XII of my own country, Sweden. But Valerian's speciality is Asia. In fact, he holds a Ph.D. in East Asian studies. He also speaks fluent Vietnamese - and that was the why he was hired by the group to which he now belongs: a gang of Russian mobsters who have established themselves in Vietnam. His burly boss sits in the middle of the crowd at the bar, drink in his hand and surrounded by Valerian and other gang members. When the Boss speaks - which he does often and loudly - his underlings remain silent, nodding their heads.
"Do you want to know about a Russian patriot who loved his country? A person who said, 'fuck you, Russia' and went to Vung Tau to become rich?" the Boss says, clinking his glass of vodka against my mug of beer. "You must be talking about yourself," I say with Valerian as the interpreter. The Boss laughs uproariously at his rather meaningless joke, but his followers have to laugh politely and nod in agreement.
Valerian and his gang, like all other organised criminals, are engaged in a wide variety of both legal and illegal activities. Their company rents out Russian helicopters in Vung Tau, a Vietnamese port and beach resort where many foreign oil companies exploring in the South China Sea are based. They also import diamonds from the mines in Siberia and sell them to the many nouveaux riche in today's Ho Chi Minh City, which has regained its freewheeling lifestyle of the pre-war era.
"But why are you so afraid of losing your life?" I ask Valerian. A tenth to the Church every month? He fixes his eyes upon me and looks serious for the first time since we met in this racy bar in Ho Chi Minh City. "Do you want to know how we make big bucks? If Russian businessmen want to set up shop here, we provide protection. Competitors, we can eliminate." He purses his mouth and makes a sudden sweeping movement with his right hand.
Most Russian criminal organisations use former KGB agents as hitmen, and Valerian's gang is no exception. Following the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union in 1991, the old KGB was replaced by a new, more professional spy agency called the SVR, or the state intelligence bureau. The SVR was modelled after its Western equivalents, the CIA and Britain's MI-6: a tightly knit group of analysts attached to embassies abroad. But back home in Russia, this reorganisation meant that over 200,000 former informers, street detectives and gunmen lost their jobs. It is those thugs who the Russian mafia now uses all over the world to carry out "special assignments," as Valerian puts it.
The Russian mafia in Vietnam is reputed to collect millions of dollars every month in protection money from their many countrymen who want to set up business in the only country in the booming Far East where the Russians have had power and influence for years. I ask Valerian where they "eliminate" their targets: in Vietnam or in Russia.
"We don't want to upset our arrangements here. We do things cleanly, we have good connections with the police," he says. "So we wait until they return to Russia. We can even have undesirables expelled by the Vietnamese authorities. In Russia, you can have an ordinary person killed there for 200, 400 or 600 dollars. A police chief or a bank director? Perhaps as much as 20,000 dollars. But nothing is impossible. That's why I don't want to go home. I'd be killed immediately by people who have become my enemies. You just can't imagine how dangerous it is in Russia today. No one is safe. At least 20 people get killed in Moscow alone every day."
It soon becomes obvious that contract killings are not the only criminal activity they direct from Ho Chi Minh City and Vung Tau. As they talk openly about their business, and the levels in the vodka bottles sink, a couple of Australians join us at the bar. They look rough, like oil workers, with tattoos on their arms. The Boss recognises them immediately. "Rudy!" he says, slapping the oil worker on the back. But because the Boss's English is fairly limited, Valerian has to intervene. I hear the word "white pussy" and the name of a hotel in town where the oil workers are told to go and wait. I have already learned from a bicycle-taxi driver that there are many Russian prostitutes in Ho Chi Minh City. They stay in small, discreet hotels where they are protected by gangs such as Valerian's.
Nobody know how many Russian gangsters - or prostitutes - there are in Vietnam today. But since the fall of communism in the former Soviet Union four years ago, there has been a dramatic rise in the number of Russians in Asia. The exodus has been more massive than after the first Russian Revolution in 1917, when hordes of defeated anti-communist fighters, and their families, arrived in the Far East. Most sought refuge in the International Settlement in Shanghai, where the Russian population by the mid-1930s numbered 25,000. As author Lynn Pan puts it, "dispossessed, deprived of citizenship, socially, they occupied a grey area between white expatriates and Chinese." The men became bodyguards and riding instructors; the women hair-dressers, cabaret dancers and prostitutes, selling their services to all buyers, Chinese and Europeans alike.
In the present second wave of migration to the Far East, it is not only Vietnam which has received a massive influx of Russians. The number of Russian visitors to Thailand has increased from only a few hundred in the late 1980s to 24,000 in 1993, 31,000 the following year and nearly 50,000 in 1995. Entire Russian quarters have sprung up in the beach resort of Pattaya east of Bangkok. Officially, they are "tourists". Most of them are small-scale merchants who buy electronics and textiles in Asia and sell them in Russia for a modest profit. But many remain behind in Thailand to run restaurants which serve borsch, shashlik and, when available, Russian caviar. Some talented young men find jobs as jazz musicians in clubs catering to the Bangkok's affluent, new middle class. Many Russian girls work as entertainers in Bangkok's numerous night clubs, or can be hired as "escorts".
The police in Bangkok estimate that there are now at least 5,000 Russian prostitutes in Thailand, and the number is likely to increase the wealthier the country becomes. According to a Bangkok-based diplomat: "There's no shortage of local prostitutes in Bangkok. But rich Thai, Chinese, Japanese and Korean businessmen prefer white girls. It gives them prestige." The prices they charge - US$ 200-400 as opposed to US$ 20-30 for a Thai girl - contribute to their special value in terms of social status.
The girls are believed to have come to Asia through networks operated by the Russian mafia. But in the Far East as well as in North America and in Europe - and even in Moscow and Vladivostok - it is hard to say what the term "mafia" actually means in today's chaotic Russian context. Stephen Handelman, a journalist who was Moscow Bureau Chief of The Toronto Star from 1987 to 1992 and an expert on Russian organised crime, estimates that total active gang membership today is actually not more than 100,000 people. Between 3,000 and 4,000 gangs operate all over Russia, which means that most of them are fairly small, most probably loosely organised and that their activities - as well as members - often overlap.
Valerian and his colleagues are a typical example of this phenomenon: a small gang which is engaged in a variety of criminal and legal businesses to survive in today's Russia, a society where the law has little meaning. Following the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union in 1991, and the break-up of the former empire into 15 separate republics, there was no new system that overnight could replace the old one, which for all its flaws and shortcomings had still provided a functioning administrative superstructure.
The new Russia that emerged was not the democratic state which many had hoped for: gangsterism reigns, and corruption and abuse of power has followed the breakdown of social and civil order. Handelman argues in his book about the Russian mafia, "Comrade Criminal", that "the second Russian revolution is not over; it has only been stolen." The communist system has been overthrown, but the mafia, not the people, became the new rulers.
The Russian criminal underworld is actually not new: it existed during the communist regime as well when gangsters of all kinds were running the ubiquitous black market in the former Soviet Union. But, as Handelman points out, "their cohesiveness and wealth enabled them to survive the collapse of the old regime, and to profit from the disarray of the new one."
Criminal cartels, despite their haphazard structures, are believed to control as much as 40% of Russia's wealth. They run their own banks, they manipulate stock exchanges and the real-estate market and they have managed to turn crime into the only really profitable growth-industry in the post-Soviet era. According to Handelman: "As the hopes engendered by the dismantling of communism turned sour, demokratiya practically disappeared from everyday Russian usage. Instead of democracy, the new word sprinkled through conversations was bespredel (literally, without limits) - a word which captured Russians' sense of living in a frontier where all the comforting signposts were missing."
The new hero in Russia is the gangster, sometimes outlandishly dressed in a striped suit and dark sunglasses, today's version of the old Russian brigands of the 19th century. During the communist regime, it was fashionable for Russian girls to have an artist, a rock singer or even a journalist as a boyfriend. Now, trendy young females want mafia boys.
The strength of the Russian mafia lies in its undisputed role in its home country, its ability to operate openly and with impunity in a society which has collapsed. Moreover, as Major Sergei Avdienko, Russian liaison officer at the Interpol European Secretariat, said in a speech in late 1993: "From Siberia in the north to the Afghanistan frontier in the south, from the Far East of Russia to what was East Germany in the west, people have one thing in common - they speak or understand Russian and this facilitates cooperation between criminals."
Vietnam, a country with thousands of Russian speakers and where the Russians themselves have been present since the Vietnam War, also fits into this pattern of Russian gangsterism abroad. It is hardly surprising that small gangs like Valerian's have managed to establish good contacts in the shady world of gangsters, police and civil authorities who in a seemingly paradoxical symbiosis often control criminal activities in East Asia.
In Thailand, the Russians have also, despite differences in language and culture, managed to carve out a niche for themselves where they can earn money mainly because they have proved that they can satisfy some of the demands of their host country. But elsewhere in Asia, the rough, badly organised Russian mafia has not managed to challenge the power of the region's traditionally well-established gangs: the Chinese Triads, the Japanese yakuza and its Korean equivalents.
"Shanghai, Bangkok and Hong Kong are not London, Paris or New York. In the West, the Russians feel at home, they're familiar with local conditions and know how to operate. In Asia, it's an entirely different ball game," says a Western law enforcement official in Bangkok who is observing the arrival of the Russians in the Far East.
This subordinate role the Russians are playing in Asia is evident in their role as prostitutes and, in the case of the men, the cheapest and most willing drug couriers - and the fact that in both cases they often work for Asian gangs. Nowhere is this illustrated more clearly than in the Portugese enclave of Macau on the South China coast, where Russian gangs until only a few years ago were running prostitution rings, but had to give them up to local Chinese Triads (see separate story).
Now that China is rediscovering its capitalist past, Russian prostitutes are also back in large numbers in Shanghai. Valerian tells me with bitterness that his ex-wife now dances in a Shanghai night club. He doesn't know which one, since they lost contact more than a year ago. "But she works for some bloody chinks, that's all I know," he says, with the racism of the New Russia evident in his remarks.
But I have no reason to doubt him. In a dimly lit night club in the old "Paris of the East," young, blonde girls sing love songs from the Russian tundra while the overwhelmingly Chinese audience clap their hands in rhythm with the hip movements of the dancers. A Russian jazz band plays in the background - and, by the entrance, two Chinese punters, each with a conspicuous bulge under the left armpit, are keeping an eye on the customers.
After nearly half a century of puritan communism, the old Shanghai has been reborn with even more jazz, glitter and razzmatazz than in the 1930s. This particular night club, I am told, is a joint venture between a Taiwanese gang and officers of the Chinese Public Security Bureau, China's own version of the KGB, the CIA, the FBI and the traffic police, all rolled in one.
The involvement of the Russian mafia in the marketing of stolen ex-Soviet Army weapons, which later turned up in the ethnic conflicts on Russia's southern borders in Central Asia, is well-documented, as is the role of areas such as the rebellious Chechen republic in the Caucasus in the new drug trade from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan to Russia and Europe.
But the role of Russians as couriers in the Southeast Asian drug trade only became known when in November 1992 the Moscow police made its first seizure of Golden Triangle heroin. The incident involved a Russian prostitute who had been working in the Far East, and it was soon to be followed by many more, similar cases in different parts of the world. In early 1993, the first Russians selling drugs from the Golden Triangle were arrested in New York.
The number of Russians working for Chinese syndicates either as prostitutes, drug couriers or as minor business partners is likely to increase as the situation in Russia continues to deteriorate. The only two Russia-based gangs which may be able to play a more important role in the overall context of organised crime in East Asia may, not surprisingly perhaps, be gangs involving the large Asian population of the former Soviet Union. The first consists of Vietnamese who have stayed behind in Russia and run a large portion of the black market, prostitution, drug smuggling rings and foreign exchange scams there. The other is made up of ethnic Koreans from eastern Siberia.
Valerian describes Vladivostok as a city "without limits", beyond control of the authorities and already in the hands of the gangs: "But there are too many gangs there. All of them ask shopkeepers and others for protection money; there's complete chaos. If you pay one gang but not another, you may still get shot."
However, the best-organised - as well as the most vicious - gangs in Vladivostok are the Korean. During the Stalin era, Koreans were resettled in Siberia and others were even transferred to the steppes of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in Central Asia. "They kill anybody to protect Korean interests," says Valerian. More importantly, they have regional links of a kind which other Russian-based gangs often lack. Many recent cases point at connections with North Korea, where many of the Siberian Koreans have relatives and other contacts dating back to the communist era in the former Soviet Union. There is also a significant Korean minority in northeastern China, which used to be known as Manchuria.
Local officials in China's Yanbian Autonomous Region claim that the North Koreans - or gangs with North Korean connections - are using northern China as a transhipment point for heroin bound for Japan and the USA. In early 1994, an ethnic Korean from China was arrested as he attempted to smuggle through China 300 kg of heroin from North Korea. Chinese border officials reportedly are very concerned about this cross-border traffic, but feel powerless to stem it as most of it occurs across the Yalu and Tumen rivers at night. The origin of the drugs that are being smuggled in this way is unknown, but the raw opium from which the heroin was made is most probably from the Golden Triangle.
Drugs of Southeast Asian origin smuggled through North Korea have also been found in Russia. On 9 June 1994, the Russian authorities across the border from North Korea arrested two North Korean citizens carrying 8 kg of heroin. A Moscow newspaper, Segodnya, reported on 16 June 1994: "To smuggle such a large amount of narcotics from North Korea without the deliberate connivance of the authorities appears most improbable." The value of the heroin seized from the North Korean citizens was US$ 1 million at the going rate on the world drugs market, which is all the more impressive against the backdrop of the economic plight of Kim Il-Sung's regime.
The two North Koreans were later identified as Kim In-Chol and Choe Chong-Su. Both are alleged to be North Korean intelligence officers based in Vladivostok. On 3 January 1995, two North Koreans, one of them in possession of a Democratic People's Republic of Korea passport, were arrested in Shanghai attempting to sell 6 kg of opium. A Macau-based North Korean company that operates as a liaison office for the Korean People's Army has been implicated in the case.
Any evidence of official North Korean involvement in the East Asian drug trade - and links with the ethnic Korean underworld in the Russian Far East - remains circumstantial, although suspicions are strong. With the economic situation in North Korea worsening, Pyongyang's dependence on illicit sources of foreign exchange, such as gun running and most probably also drug trafficking, is likely to increase.
The Russian gangs may play a secondary role in this intricate network of gangsters, governments and security agencies in the Far East. But they are here to stay, and although they may be disorganised compared to other indigenous crime organisations, they are certainly no less brutal. When Valerian and his comrades have finished their drinks and left, I turn to one of the Vietnamese waiters in the bar: "Do you know those guys?"
That they were regulars had been evident from the moment they walked in to order their vodka. But the waiter now cast nervous glances over his shoulders to his colleagues behind the bar. "No. I have never seen them before." As Valerian pointed out, they are well connected and have "good friends" in high places in Ho Chi Minh City.
RUSSIAN ROULETTE IN MACAU
Conservatively dressed in a pin-striped pant suit, with earphones connected to a portable CD-player in her handbag, Yekaterina looks every bit what she would have been if Russia had not collapsed economically and socially: a young female computer specialist. But she earns much more money now than she would have, had she remained in her native Khabarovsk by the Amur river in eastern Siberia. Yekaterina charges 1,000 Hong Kong dollars per short-time session in a room in one of the poshest hotels in the Portugese enclave Macau. Her customers are almost exclusively wealthy Chinese, Japanese and Korean businessmen whom she picks up in the hotel's coffee shop.
"I can serve up to eight customers a day", she says, almost defiantly, when I ask her about her business. It is if she were trying to say: that's 8,000 Hong Kong dollars. Is that bad? Can you make that much money? After all, she comes from an old and proud civilisation, a country which until only a few years ago was a superpower. The tragedy of today's Russia is evident in the entire scene in the coffee shop in Macau: it is full of tired and weary, long-legged blonde girls - and few look as proper as Yekaterina. Nearly all have thick layers of make-up on their faces. One is dressed in a daring miniskirt and leather boots which reach almost to her knees. Many smoke incessantly.
But regardless of their appearance, most of them come from backgrounds similar to Yekaterina's. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, she was only 19 and still struggling with her computer course at a university in Khabarovsk. But she became pregnant and her boyfriend left her. With a new-born son to support - and with parents whose old state pension still stood at 20,000 roubles a month, or approximately US$ 5, despite rampant inflation - she had to take whatever offers came her way. One day she saw a poster on a telephone pole in Khabarovsk: well-paid jobs for women available in the Far East.
Yekaterina rang the number which was listed on the poster. A Russian syndicate escorted her and a number of other girls through China to Macau. That was her first trip, which lasted two months, until her visa for Macau ran out. "You can work in Russia, too," she says. "But for crumbs. Nothing." She is deeply disillusioned with the new politicians in Russia, who she says "promise everything and give nothing."
The communist leaders were the same, she states, but somewhat surprisingly, she expresses admiration for Stalin. "He was strong, that's what my mother told me." I ask her if her mother knows what she does, and the mix of sadness and defiance comes back in her voice: "How can a mother ask her daughter such a question when she understands what's going on? I send my parents money, they would not survive otherwise."
She smiles awkwardly after a while: "No, money, no honey, you know. It's as simple as that. And we Russian girls offer good services. We may be expensive, but our customers get value for their money." Unlike other prostitutes in the territory, no one can bargain with the Russian girls. The price is fixed: 1,000 Hong Kong dollar, take it or leave it. "I don't come down a single kopek," Yekaterina says, again defiant.
Girls like Yekaterina can be found all over Macau today. The local authorities here are much less rigid when it comes to law enforcement than their Hong Kong counterparts. Apart from gambling - which is Macau's main source of income - there is also widespread prostitution and all sorts of vice, much of which is controlled by local Chinese Triads. In the beginning, they cooperated with the Russian syndicates which brought the girls to Macau. But by a curious twist of events, the Russian mafia has recently been squeezed out of the Portuguese territory.
On July 24th, 1994, a couple was found dead in a dingy flat in a working-class suburb of Vladivostok in the Russian Far East. The man had been shot once through the eye and the girl had been tortured and then shot in the head. Such murders are everyday occurrences in today's Russia and mostly pass unnoticed in the world of drive-by shootings, kidnappings, smuggling and gambling which characterise the port city of Vladivostok even more than other places in the Russian Wild East.
But this case received the attention of even the world media when the identity of the murdered couple became known. The man turned out to be Gary Alderdice, a 48-year old New Zealander, a top Queen's Counsel and one of Hong Kong's leading criminal lawyers, as well as a well-known socialite in the British colony. The girl, who was found tied to a chair in a dingy flat in Vladivostok, was identified as Natalia Samofalova, a 20-year old Russian prostitute whom Alderdice had first met at the Skylight nightclub in the Hotel Presidente on Avenida Da Amizade in Macau.
The police investigation into the case revealed that Alderdice had had US$ 150,000 in cash on him just hours before he and his Russian girlfriend were shot. This led to speculations that he had gone to Vladivostok to buy Natalia free from the syndicate which many suspected had controlled her when she worked as a nightclub dancer in Macau only weeks before her escape with Alderdice. According to the police investigation, Natalia had entered Macau in August 1993 and first met Alderdice in March 1994. In May, she left her work at the Skylight to live with the New Zealand lawyer.
The front for the syndicate which had sent Natalia, Yekaterina and other Russian girls to Macau was the "tourism department" of a local "firm" in Siberia called Dialog Naradov ("Dialogue of Nations"). A "chief executive" of that company, Sergei Guramovitch Sukhanov, was seen in the area on the night of the murders, which seemed to strengthen that suspicion.
However, Hong Kong lawyer Michael Lunn, a colleague of Alderdice, went to Vladivostok shortly after the murder to identify the corpse - and to find out more about the case. He returned to Hong Kong in July 1994 with the conclusion that the sole motive for the murder was robbery. He also questioned press reports that Alderdice was carrying as much as US$ 150,000 with him, saying he entered Russia with less than US$ 3,000.
This assumption is supported by Yekaterina - who reveals that she she knew Natalia very well. In fact, they lived together in Edificio Jardim, a luxury apartment block in Praceta De Miramar near the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal before Natalia met Alderdice. "It was just robbery, that happens all the time in Russia," Yekaterina says. "That foreigner just made the mistake of revealing that he was carrying lots of money. Life is cheap in Russia today." Many girls are killed as soon as they return to Russia with money which they have saved up in Macau and elsewhere in the Far East - for their money and with a "fee" to the gunman which may be as little as US$ 200.
But the publicity which the case of Alderdice and Natalia attracted led to a crackdown on Russian prostitution in Macau - in true Macau style. The Russians males from the "Dialogue of Nations" were forced to leave along with over 100 girls who were rounded up and expelled from the territory. Then, local Chinese gangs took over the entire operation. The Russian males have not been allowed to return, but the girls are once again to be found everywhere in Macau, from the Lisboa Hotel coffee shop, a popular meeting place for people who have just won some money in the establishment's casino downstairs, to the glitzy China City night club, a massive entertainment complex in the same street as Hotel Presidente, where Natalia once worked.
The famous Tonnochy Nightclub in Rua Da Praia Grande in central Macau is another popular place and its supply of girls actually reads like a real "dialogue of nations". Apart from Russians, there are also Chinese girls from every province on the mainland, Brazilians, Colombians, Koreans, Thais and Filipinas. The decor seems to be out of a Chinese Kung Fu movie: chrome, glass and red silk - and private rooms where the customers can meet the "hostesses" of their choice to discuss the price for further activities.
Yekaterina says that the girls at the China City and Tonnochy sign four to six month contracts with the owners, with whom they share their income 50-50. "But it's safer to work in a club than to be freelance," she adds. "There are lots of regular customers." The Japanese are the best and the most generous, she says. The Chinese and the Koreans are acceptable too, but the Europeans are the worst: "They're too stingy," scorns Yekaterina.
With the Russian males gone from Macau, I ask her who brings the girls to Macau now and who protects them once they are here. She answers the first question without hesitating: "We know our way by now. It's not difficult." A new flight from Khabarovsk to Seoul, South Korea, has opened an alternative route to the longer and more awkward one through China. After spending a few days in Seoul, the girls fly on to Hong Kong where they catch the hydrofoil across the Pearl River estuary to Macau. "But we're treated like dirt," she says. "A Russian passport? You're in for trouble at every immigration checkpoint in the world. It's even easier for the Thais and the Filipinas."
I try to steer the conversation back to the question of protection. "We are well protected," she replies diplomatically. "We have good relations here." She reveals that her boyfriend is a local policeman in Macau, a territory where the line between what is legal and illegal has always been somewhat blurred.
But more importantly, the new prostitution scene in Macau demonstrates both the weaknesses of the chaotic, ill-organised Russian mafia - as well as the strength and power of the Chinese Triads. Says a Western law enforcement official in Southeast Asia: "The Russians are no match for well-organised local gangs. They have to be content with playing second fiddle if they want to get any share of the cake in this part of the world."
NOTE. Valerian and Yekaterina are not the real names of the Russians interviewed in these articles. However, all other persons and places are mentioned by their real names.
(Bertil Lintner researched these stories over a six-month period in Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok, Shanghai and Macau. The story appeared in the May 1996 issue of the Tokyo Journal, and in Manager magazine [Thailand], April 1996)
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1. A Charity Bazaar for Senior Citizens
Offering food and objects from more than 30 different countries and regions, a special bazaar was held in Beijing on September 24.The Association of Former Diplomats in the Beijing International Club
Author: DING YING Year 2002 Issue 42 PDF HTML
2. Calling for a More Open Capital Market
Officials, economists and their overseas advisors said China can already afford to have a more open capital market at a recent Beijing seminarThe development of China's half-open capital market is at
3. Nutty for Noodles
Lanzhou protects its most famous, and tasty, brand - big bowls of beef noodlesTo most Chinese, when they think of Lanzhou, nestled in northwest China's Gansu Province, they think of a big bowl of
4. Fall of A Media 'Empire'
A media legend fell from grace in September when Liu Bo, former Chairman of the Hainan-based Chengcheng Culture Development Group (Chengcheng), allegedly fled the country after coming under
5. Creative Job Creator for Youth
Liu Jiangang was a salesman with a private enterprise in Beijing. When he lost his job months ago, he had hoped to make a fortune by offering quality household management services to wealthy people.
Author: DING YING Year 2004 Issue 3 PDF HTML
6. A Story of Reciprocity
One is a developing country with the world's fastest developing economy and the other is the world's second wealthiest nation; one needs the other's capital and technologies during its economic
7. Roadmap to War?
Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan irrevocably damaging the situation in the Mideast'It's death whether by killing or by cancer; it's the same thing. Nothing will change. Whether by Apache
8. Democracy Step by Step
Hong Kong's democracy must be promoted gradually and in accordance with the lawThe Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, adopted a decision in Beijing
9. Blueprint for An Orderly World
Since jointly initiated by the prime ministers of China, India and Myanmar in June 1954, the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence-mutual respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, mutual
10. Quiet Handover
U.S.-dominated coalition authority surprises the world with a low-profile ceremony to hand over sovereignty to Iraq's interim government on June 28, two days ahead of scheduleAfter nearly 15 months
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5 chegongzhuang Xilu, P.O.Box 399-T, Beijing, China, 100048
Email: cmjservice@mail.cibtc.com.cn
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Thematic routes
Town of Petrich
Razhdak Village
Belasitsa Village
Kolarovo Village
Samuilovo Village
Kamena Village
Yavornitsa Village
Klyuch Village
Skrat Village
Gabrene Village
Landscapes 2
Klyuch is a village in the municipality of Petrich, located at 20 km to the southwest of the municipal center in the foothills of Belasitsa Mountain, at about 200 m a.s.l. The quarter of Samuilova Krepost was attached to the village in 1958. Local people grow tobacco, vegetables, vines and sheep. The village has 320 houses and 1170 citizens at the average age of 45 years. Electrification and water systems have been fully built; sewage is built at 60%.
The primary school of Hristo Smirnenski was opened in 1915. Cultural activities are the domain of the Gotse Delchev Chitalishte. On the Samuil Fortress Hill (5 km north of the village) stand the National Memorial Complex of Tsar Samuil (997-1014) and his army. On the same hill, scientists have found remains of a Thracian settlement (3rd-1st c. BC) and of Medieval Bulgarian settlement (9th-10th c.) burnt at the end of the 10th c. In the early 11th c., a fortification was erected on top of its ruins. South of the village, there are the remains of another fortification from the Roman epoch used in the 11th c. as one of the elements of the Klyuch Defense Line of the State of Tsar Samuil.
The name of the village comes from the Byzantine name of the gorge – Kleydion – meaning key or “klyuch” in Bulgarian. Archaeological excavations held in 1970-76 on the territory of Samuil’s Fortress have discovered several pits with built-in fireplaces and dugout homes – typical Slav dwellings from the time of the First Bulgarian Kingdom. This place was called Kufulnitsa – a Greek word meaning something hollow. For the celebrations of the 1300th anniversary of the Bulgarian State, the National Museum Park of Samuil’s Fortress was opened in 1981.
A signed trail leads from Klyuch to Mt. Tumba. The vicinities of the village host the cave of Lednika, Markova Rock and the historic site of Gergevche. There are several localities whose names are related to the dramatic Belasihka Battle from 1014: Kokalitsa (where the bones of Samuil’s soldiers were buried); Smardashets (where some of them were leaved to rot and smell); Vadioch (where the 14000 captured soldiers were blinded). In 1913 and 1924, Bulgarian refugees from the villages of Ledovo, Gorni Poroi and Matnitsa came to settle here. The main means of livelihood remained agriculture.
The church holiday is on August 2 (old-style Ilinden); a ritual Kurban is cooked on July 20. Horse races are organized on Todorov Den. The local Chitalishte of Gotse Delchev has a male folklore group, a mandolin orchestra and children’s dance group.
Phone code of Klyuch: (0)74202; postal code: 2899.
The village of Klyuch is receiver of the GOLDEN STAMP Prize for a Unique European Settlement for its ancient history and unique cultural heritage. The prize was presented by the European Experts Forum. Other settlements with the same prize are Florence, Drama, Strasbourg and many others.
Part of the information comes from the unpublished book of Simeon Bliznakov.
Map of the region
The project is financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the state budget of the Republic of Bulgaria through Operational programme “Environment 2007 – 2013”. The Directorate of Natural park Belasitsa (Executive Forest Agency) takes the full responsibility for the content of this website. This content cannot be taken as opinions of the EU and Bulgarian government represented by the Ministry of Environment and Water.
2880 Kolarovo village,
Petrich Municipality
14, Belasitsa Street
Tel: 00359 7423 20 03
Fax: 00359 7423 20 33
Directorate of Natural Park "Belasitsa" :: 2015 © All rights reserved
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Why You Should Treat Your iPhone Like a Toddler: The State of Mobile App Security [TCTV]
By: TechCrunch
March 02, 2012 at 17:26 PM EST
Privacy and security issues have been at the forefront of tech news this week, with recently exposed loopholes in Apple's iOS and Google's Android indicating that apps can access much more content on our smartphones than most users realize. Superstar security researcher Ashkan Soltani (his Ashkan Soltani came by the TCTV studio to dig a bit deeper into how safe smartphones are today and whether things are getting better.
Privacy and security issues have been at the forefront of tech news this week, with The New York Times reporting on loopholes in two major mobile operating systems — Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android — that allow apps to access much more personal smartphone content than most users realize.
Superstar security researcher Ashkan Soltani (his résumé includes work with the Federal Trade Commission and The Wall Street Journal and giving testimony in front of Congress about mobile privacy) was in San Francisco this week speaking at the RSA Conference, so yesterday afternoon he came by the TCTV studio to dig a bit deeper into how safe smartphones are today and whether things are getting better.
In short? It’s complicated. But Soltani has clever and compelling ways of describing what’s going on, which made for a pretty fascinating discussion. You can watch the whole interview above; here are just a couple of his points:
Smartphones aren’t as smart as you think
This part of our chat happened off-camera, but Soltani has come up with an interesting analogy: Smartphones today are like toddlers who don’t understand etiquette. Just like a four-year-old who overhears you saying that Aunt Helen is fat (and repeats your statement to Aunt Helen the next time he sees her), mobile operating system software is not yet mature enough to understand that you may want an app to access some of your photos, but not others. That in itself is not necessarily a bad thing, but the real problem is that most average users think their smartphones are a lot smarter than they really are — and are surprised to find out otherwise.
Context is key
But as toddlers grow up, they come to understand that certain information is meant to be shared only with certain people. According to Soltani, smartphone software should evolve in a similar way, learning to keep more data in context. Right now, the only data that smartphones understand to keep private is location data. Going forward, things like photos and texts could start to be treated with more consideration. Even as smartphone security gets more sophisticated, though, average users would do well to be more wary with what they share with their devices.
These are the early days
Even though it may be hard to remember life without your iPhone, Soltani said, it’s important to remember that they’ve only been around for four-and-a-half years (which ties in well with the toddler comparison.) That means that we’re in the very early days of reaching a consensus on where the privacy and security boundaries should be. For comparison, Soltani brought up the car industry: The earliest versions of the Ford Model T were popular but also very dangerous, and it took decades for regulations such as drivers licenses, seat belts, and air bags to create some structure around the industry. It could take some time for the same thing to happen with mobile devices.
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Volume 3 Chapter 4
Selection Of Lands In Caldwell And Daviess Counties For Settlement—Adam-Ondi-Ahman.
The Prophet Leaves Far West to Locate Settlements.
Friday, May 18.—I left Far West, in company with Sidney Rigdon, Thomas B. Marsh, David W. Patten, Bishop Partridge, Elias Higbee, Simeon Carter, Alanson Ripley, and many others, for the purpose of visiting the north country, and laying off a stake of Zion; making locations, and laying claim to lands to facilitate the gathering of the Saints, and for the benefit of the poor, in upholding the Church of God. We traveled to the mouth of Honey Creek, which is a tributary of Grand river, where we camped for the night. We passed through a beautiful country the greater part of which is prairie, and thickly covered with grass and weeds, among which is plenty of game, such as deer, turkey, and prairie hen. We discovered a large, black wolf, and my dog gave him chase, but he outran us. We have nothing to fear in camping out, except the rattlesnake, which is native to this country, though not very numerous. We turned our horses loose, and let them feed on the prairie.
The Prophet and Party Reach Tower Hill.
Saturday, 19.—This morning we struck our tents and formed a line of march, crossing Grand River at the mouth of Honey Creek and Nelson’s Ferry. Grand River is a large, beautiful, deep and rapid stream, during the high waters of Spring, and will undoubtedly admit of navigation by steamboat and other water craft. At the mouth of Honey Creek is a good landing. We pursued our course up the river, mostly through timber, for about eighteen miles, when we arrived at Colonel Lyman Wight’s home. He lives at the foot of Tower Hill (a name I gave the place in consequence of the remains of an old Nephite altar or tower that stood there), where we camped for the Sabbath.
Adam-ondi-Ahman.
In the afternoon I went up the river about half a mile to Wight’s Ferry, accompanied by President Rigdon, and my clerk, George W. Robinson, for the purpose of selecting and laying claim to a city plat near said ferry in Daviess County, township 60, ranges 27 and 28, and sections 25, 36, 31, and 30, which the brethren called “Spring Hill,” but by the mouth of the Lord it was named Adam-ondi-Ahman, 1 because, said He, it is the place where Adam shall come to visit his people, or the Ancient of Days shall sit, as spoken of by Daniel the Prophet. 2
Sunday, 20.—This day was spent by our company principally at Adam-ondi-Ahman; but near the close of the day, we struck our tents, and traveled about six miles north and encamped for the night with Judge Morin and company, who were also traveling north.
Monday, 21.—This morning, after making some locations in this place, which is in township 61, ranges 27 and 28, we returned to Robinson’s Grove, about two miles, to secure some land near Grand River, which we passed the day previous; and finding a mistake in the former survey, I sent the surveyor south five or six miles to obtain a correct line, while some of us tarried to obtain water for the camp.
Council called to determine Location of Settlements.
In the evening, I called a council of the brethren, to know whether it was wisdom to go immediately into the north country, or tarry here and here abouts, to secure land on Grand River, etc. The brethren spoke their minds freely on the subject, when I stated to the council that I felt impressed to tarry and secure all the land near by, that is not secured between this and Far West, especially on Grand River. President Rigdon concurred, and the council voted unanimously to secure the land on Grand River, and between this and Far West.
Elders Kimball and Hyde this day (21st May) arrived at Kirtland from England.
American Antiquities Discovered.
Tuesday, 22.—President Rigdon went east with a company, and selected some of the best locations in the county, 3 and returned with a good report of that vicinity, and with information of valuable locations which might be secured. Following awhile the course of the company, I returned to camp in Robinson’s Grove, and thence went west to obtain some game to supply our necessities. We discovered some antiquities about one mile west of the camp, consisting of stone mounds, apparently erected in square piles, though somewhat decayed and obliterated by the weather of many years. These mounds were probably erected by the aborigines of the land, to secrete treasures. We returned without game.
Varied Movements of the Prophet’s Company.
Wednesday, 23.—We all traveled east, locating lands, to secure a claim, on Grove Creek, and near the City of Adam-ondi-Ahman. Towards evening I accompanied Elder Rigdon to Colonel Wight’s, and the remainder of the company returned to their tents.
Thursday, 24.—This morning the company returned to Grove Creek to finish the survey, accompanied by President Rigdon and Colonel Wight, and I returned to Far West.
Friday, 25.—The company went up Grand River and made some locations. In the afternoon they struck their tents and removed to Colonel Wight’s.
Saturday, 26.—The company surveyed lands on the other side of the river opposite Adam-ondi-Ahman.
Sunday, 27.—The company locating lands spent the day at Colonel Wight’s.
Monday, 28.—The company started for home (Far West), and I left Far West the same day in company with Brother Hyrum Smith and fifteen or twenty others, to seek locations in the north, and about noon we met President Rigdon and his company going into the city, where they arrived the same evening.
Birth of Alexander Hale Smith.
President Hyrum Smith returned to Far West on the 30th, and I returned on the 1st of June, on account of my family, for I had a son born unto me. 4
The Prophet’s Return to Adam-ondi-Ahman.
Monday, June 4.—I left Far West with President Rigdon, my brother Hyrum and others for Adam-ondi-Ahman, and stayed at Brother Moses Dailey’s over night; and on the morning of the 5th, went to Colonel Lyman Wight’s in the rain. We continued surveying, building houses, day after day, for many days, until the surveyor had completed the city plat.
Monday, June 11.—President Joseph Fielding was married to Hannah Greenwood, Preston, England.
June 16.—My uncle, John Smith, and family, with six other families, arrived in Far West, all in good health and spirits. I counseled them to settle at Adam-ondi-Ahman.
Minutes of the Meeting which Organized the Stake of Zion called Adam-ondi-Ahman.
Adam-ondi-Ahman, Missouri, Daviess county, June 28, 1838. A conference of Elders and members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was held in this place this day, for the purpose of organizing this Stake of Zion, called Adam-ondi-Ahman.
The meeting convened at 10 o’clock a. m., in the grove near the house of Elder Lyman Wight.
President Joseph Smith, Jun., was called to the chair. He explained the object of the meeting, which was to organize a Presidency and High Council to preside over this Stake of Zion, and attend to the affairs of the Church in Daviess county.
It was then moved, seconded and carried by the unanimous voice of the assembly, that John Smith 5 should act as President of the Stake of Adam-ondi-Ahman.
Reynolds Cahoon was unanimously chosen first counselor, and Lyman Wight second counselor.
After prayer the presidents ordained Elder Wight as second counselor.
Vinson Knight was chosen acting Bishop pro tempore by the unanimous voice of the assembly.
President John Smith then proceeded to organize the High Council. The councilors were chosen according to the following order, by a unanimous vote: John Lemon, first; Daniel Stanton, second; Mayhew Hillman, third; Daniel Carter, fourth; Isaac Perry, fifth; Harrison Sagers, sixth; Alanson Brown, seventh; Thomas Gordon, eighth; Lorenzo D. Barnes, ninth; George A. Smith, tenth; Harvey Olmstead, eleventh; Ezra Thayer, twelfth.
After the ordination of the councilors who had not previously been ordained to the High Priesthood, President Joseph Smith, Jun., made remarks by way of charge to the presidents and counselors, instructing them in the duties of their callings, and the responsibility of their stations, exhorting them to be cautious and deliberate in all their councils, and be careful and act in righteousness in all things.
President John Smith, Reynolds Cahoon, and Lyman Wight then made some remarks.
Lorenzo D. Barnes was unanimously chosen clerk of this Council and Stake. After singing the well known hymn, Adam-ondi-Ahman, the meeting closed by prayer by President Cahoon, and a benediction by President Joseph Smith, Jun.
Lorenzo D. Barnes,
Isaac Perry, Clerks.
Description of Adam-ondi-Ahman.
Adam-ondi-Ahman is located immediately on the north side of Grand River, in Daviess county, Missouri, about twenty-five miles north of Far West. It is situated on an elevated spot of ground, which renders the place as healthful as any part of the United States, and overlooking the river and the country round about, it is certainly a beautiful location. 6
June 28.—This day Victoria was crowned queen of England.
Chapter 4 Notes
1. See D&C 116. This is not the first time that the name or phrase “Adam-ondi-Aham” is used in the revelations of the Lord. Some six years before this, viz., in the year 1832, it is used incidentally in one of the revelations where the Lord in addressing a number of the brethren who had been ordained to the High Priesthood, said that notwithstanding the tribulations through which they should pass, He had so ordered events that they might come unto the crown prepared for them, “and be made rulers over many kingdoms, saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Zion, who hath established the foundations of Adam-ondi-Ahman” (D&C 78:15). Some years afterwards, viz., in 1835, W. W. Phelps composed his beautiful hymn bearing the name of Adam-ondi-Ahman, which was first published in the Messenger and Advocate (No. 9, vol. I); see also History of the Church, Vol. 2, p 365.
This hymn was a great favorite among the early Saints, although they, perhaps, did not understand at that time the significance of the name, nor even now do they understand its full significance. All that is known of its meaning is what the Lord revealed to the Prophet, viz., that it is significant of the fact that it designates the place where the Lord will come and meet with His people as described by Daniel the Prophet.
2. Daniel’s description of the events here referred to is found in the 7th chapter of his prophecies. The description is very imposing, hence I quote it: “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. * * * * * * I saw in the might visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before Him. And there was given Him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve Him: His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”
The prophet Daniel also saw in this connection that earthly powers would make war upon thy Saints and prevail against them—until the Ancient of Days should come. “And (then) the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the Saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.”
3. This most likely was Livingstone county, which borders both Daviess and Caldwell counties on the east.
4. The birth of the son took place on the 2nd of June. It was Alexander Hale Smith.
5. The Prophet’s uncle, who had but recently arrived at “Diahman.’
6. Perhaps the following more detailed description of Adam-ondi-Ahman, as also the allusion to at least one stirring event which occurred there in the past, may not be without interest: Adam-ondi-Ahman, or “Diahman,” as it is familiarly known to the Saints, is located on the north bank of Grand River. It is situated, in fact, in a sharp bend of that stream. The river comes sweeping down from the northwest and here makes a sudden turn and runs in a meandering course to the northeast for some two or three miles, when it as suddenly makes another bend and flows again to the southeast. Grand River is a stream that has worn a deep channel for itself, and left its banks precipitous; but at “Diahman” that is only true of the south bank. The stream as it rushes from the northwest, strikes the high prairie land which at this point contains beds of limestone, and not being able to cut its way through, it veered off to the northeast, and left that height of land standing like palisades which rise very abruptly from the stream to a height of from fifty to seventy-five feet. The summit of these bluffs is the common level of the high rolling prairie, extending off in the direction of Far West. The bluffs on the north bank recede some distance from the stream, so that the river bottom at this point widens out to a small valley. The bluffs on the north bank of the river are by no means as steep as those on the south, and are covered with a light growth of timber. A ridge runs out from the main line of the bluffs into the river bottom some two or three hundred yards, approaching the stream at the point where the bend of the river is made. The termination of the bluff is quite abrupt, and overlooks a considerable portion of the river bottom. On the brow of the bluff stood the old stone altar, and near the foot of it was built the house of Lyman Wight. When the altar was first discovered, according to those who visited it frequently, it was about sixteen feet long, by nine or ten feet wide, having its greatest extent north and south. The height of the altar at each end was some two and a half feet, gradually rising higher to the center, which was between four and five feet high—the whole surface being crowning. Such was the altar at “Diahman” when the Prophet’s party visited it. Now, however, it is thrown down, and nothing but a mound of crumbling stones mixed with soil, and a few reddish boulders mark the spot which is doubtless rich in historic events. It was at this altar, according to the testimony of Joseph Smith, that the patriarchs associated with Adam and his company, assembled to worship their God. Here their evening and morning prayer ascended to heaven with the smoke of the burning sacrifice, prophetic and symbolic of the greater sacrifice then yet to be, and here angels instructed them in heavenly truths.
North of the ridge on which the ruins of the altar were found, and running parallel with it, is another ridge, separated from the first by a depression varying in width from fifty to a hundred yards. This small valley with the larger one through which flows Grand River, is the valley of Adam-ondi-Ahman. Three years previous to the death of Adam, declares one of the Prophet Joseph’s revelations, the Patriarchs Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalaleel, Jared, Enoch, and Methuselah, together with all their righteous posterity, were assembled in this valley we have described, and their common father, Adam, gave them his last blessing. And even as he blessed them, the heavens were opened, and the Lord appeared, and in the presence of God, the children or Adam arose and blessed him, and called him Michael, the Prince, the Archangel. The Lord also blessed Adam, saying: “I have set thee to be the head—a multitude of nations shall come of thee, and thou art a prince over them for ever.” So great was the influence of this double blessing upon Adam, that, though bowed down with age, under the outpouring of the Spirit of God, he predicted what should befall his posterity to their latest generation (D&C 107). Such is one of the great events which occurred on this old historic land of Adam-ondi-Ahman.
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Great literature demands continual reinterpretation
Saturday, April 24, 2010 10:25 am by M. in Jane Eyre, Movies-DVD-TV, Wuthering Heights No comments
The Times publishes an article about the Brontë movies in the making and includes a first picture of Mia Wasikowska as Jane Eyre. Credits: Laurie Sparham. Picture Source.
In 1847 a pair of extraordinary novels appeared two months apart, apparently written by brothers.
Jane Eyre proved an immediate success while Wuthering Heights was sneered at as “wild, confused, disjointed and improbable”. Today both are among the classics of English literature.(...)
Alison Owen, the producer of Jane Eyre (and mother of the singer Lily Allen), said: “There is something about the current situation that the world finds itself in where the Brontës more suit the mood of the moment [than Austen]. Jane Austen is a lighter cut than the Brontës, who are much more brooding and bleak.” (...)
Owen said she believed that Fukunaga can pull off the same trick that the Indian director Shekhar Kapur managed with her 1998 film Elizabeth. “He is someone who is outside the culture, so he can shake it up, [meaning] we don’t get the chocolate-box version that everyone is familiar with.”
Andrea Arnold, who is directing Wuthering Heights, is a former children’s TV presenter who is one of arthouse cinema’s favourite new auteurs. (...)
Although the directors are certain to bring an idiosyncratic vision to the novels, Brontë enthusiasts should not be alarmed just yet. Fukunaga told The Times: “We are not reinventing the wheel here.” Both projects are expected to stick faithfully to the books and have sent out early statements of intent by casting actors of roughly the right age to play the heroines, in contrast to many previous screen versions. (...)
Christine Langan, the head of BBC Films, acknowledged that revisiting classics is a fraught business. “There will be people saying, ‘Why the hell are they doing that all over again?’.” But the film industry is an uncertain place at the best of times and more than ever the search is on for stories with which audiences feel a familiar connection.
Six years ago 400 prominent women were asked which books had made the greatest difference to their lives. Wuthering Heights came second — just behind Jane Eyre. (Ben Hoyle)
The Times also makes a very interesting (and pertinent) comment on these new more 'social' approaches to the Brontë novels:
Philip Larkin said that he wrote poetry out of an impulse to preserve. Those who care about preserving English literature may feel apprehension at the prospect of film adaptations of the two best-known novels of the Brontë sisters. But while the directors may seem unlikely, a quiet anticipation of their interpretations would be justified.
Cary Fukunaga, who has directed a film about the travails of Mexican immigrants to the US, is to tackle Charlotte’s Jane Eyre for BBC Films. Andrea Arnold, who has made two films set on deprived housing estates, will direct Emily’s Wuthering Heights for Film4. Purists will note that Fukunaga had not read the book when he was approached to do the film, but admires the script.
Social realism and kitchen sink drama are movements distinctively of the 20th rather than the 19th century. But they are a legitimate prism through which to understand the Brontës’ work. Novels of the 18th and 19th centuries, especially those by women, have suffered from popular perception that they are primarily costume dramas about more refined times. Yet George Eliot wrote of the clash between country and industrialisation, and faith and scepticism. Jane Austen used irony to show how her heroines’ sensibilities became more ordered. And the Brontë sisters both exemplified and superseded the spirit of the Romantic movement.
Jane Eyre is torn by her wish for emotional fulfilment and her sense of spiritual obligation. Both Brontë novels are unusual for their times, in resisting an easy moralism and questioning what is expected of women. Great literature demands continual reinterpretation. Directors who come to the works afresh are amply qualified for the task.
Concerning Andrea Arnold's Wuthering Heights production, the UK Film Council has awarded the production £300,000 Lottery funding:
The UK Film Council is pleased to continue to support Andrea's inspirational career as one of Britain's most exciting female directors, after backing her previous award-winning filmsWasp, Red Road and Fish Tank. Wuthering Heights has received £300,000 Lottery funding from the UK Film Council, and is co-financed by Film4, Goldcrest and Screen Yorkshire. Artificial Eye acquired UK rights from HanWay Films who are responsible for worldwide sales.
Categories: Jane Eyre, Movies-DVD-TV, Wuthering Heights
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Bad News About Christianity
Ever suspected that your Church leaders and Christian school masters didn't tell you the full truth about their religion?
Tony Blair and Christopher Hitchens debate religion
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-11843586
27 November 2010 Last updated at 06:08 GMT
Tony Blair and Christopher Hitchens debated the idea 'Religion is a force for good in the world'
Former UK PM Tony Blair has defended the role of religion in global affairs, in a televised debate in Canada with atheist columnist Christopher Hitchens
Mr Blair, a Catholic convert, said faith was a force for good and it was "futile" to attempt to drive it out.
But Mr Hitchens, who is terminally ill with cancer, argued religion forced people into doing terrible things.
In a vote after the debate, the audience voted two-to-one in Mr Hitchens' favour.
A 23-country poll paid for by the debate's Canadian organisers suggests the world is evenly split on the issue.
The confrontation took place in front of a sell-out audience of 2,700 people in Toronto's Roy Thomson Hall.
The two men were asked to debate the motion: "That religion is a force for good in the world".
'Cruel experiment'
The BBC's Paul Adams, who was in the hall, said it was a carefully moderated and largely polite debate, without the rumbles of thunder many had been hoping for.
Continue reading the main story
Former Labour PM, aged 57
Brought up in a Christian family, he says he became a practising Christian while studying at Oxford University
Converted to Catholicism in 2007
Launched Tony Blair Faith Foundation in 2008
Sixty-one-year-old journalist, author and critic
Refused to take part in prayers at his Christian boarding school
Says his "bohemian and rackety" lifestyle may have caused his cancer of the oesophagus
Regarded as a leader of the "New Atheism"
Blair and Hitchens keep the gloves on
Mr Blair, a lifelong Christian who converted to Catholicism after leaving office in 2007, acknowledged that "horrific acts" had been committed in the name of religion.
But he said that a "world without faith would be morally diminished".
He said the most challenging issue for people of faith was how to explain the relevance of ancient scripture in the modern world.
Mr Blair also insisted that his decision to support the US invasion of Iraq was based on policy and not on his faith.
Mr Hitchens, who has previously described Christianity, Judaism and Islam as the "real axis of evil", said religion was "a cruel experiment whereby we are created sick and ordered to be well".
Humans gained little, and compromised their freedom, by acting like sheep, said Mr Hitchens.
He said religions created a "celestial dictatorship" which was "greedy for praise from dawn to dusk". He won a laugh from the audience and Mr Blair when he compared such an authority to the North Korean leadership.
In the end, the audience seemed more impressed, and perhaps more entertained, by Mr Hitchens, says our correspondent, and he won the debate by a margin of two to one.
Global poll
Prior to the debate, the organisers had commisioned a 23-country poll on religion by Ipsos.
Paul AdamsBBC News, Toronto
Anyone expecting verbal pugilism, or a blood-soaked gladitorial contest, with Tony Blair as the Christian thrown to the hungry atheist lion, might have walked out into Toronto's chilly night a little disappointed.
It's not that the two men didn't debate with conviction, but the format engendered politeness - this is Canada, after all- and somewhat stifled argument.
And perhaps the lion is wounded. Mr Hitchens is starting to look frail, in the throes of a cancer that he acknowledges will probably kill him. Tony Blair, by contrast, looks a picture of well-dressed health.
When asked which of each other's arguments they found convincing, both men were polite, respectful.
Tony Blair admitted that it wasn't always easy for people of faith to explain the importance of scripture in the modern world.
Mr Hitchens admitted no such intellectual difficulties, saying he preferred the awe-inspiring wonders of the cosmos to what he sees as the destructive teachings of organised religion.
An audience of 2,700 sat in rapt attention, frequently applauding both men. But a random sample afterwards tended to tell a consistent story. People weren't necessarily opposed to Mr Blair's argument, but they found Mr Hitchens the more persuasive speaker.
Some 48% of the 18,192 people questioned by Ipsos took the view that "religion provides the common values and ethical foundations that diverse societies need to the thrive in the 21st Century".
Fractionally more - 52% - supported the view that "religious beliefs promote intolerance, exacerbate ethnic divisions, and impede social progress in developing and developed nations alike".
Rich countries were less likely to see religion as a force for good than poor countries - the main exception being the United States, where 65% said it had a positive impact.
The Ipsos poll, conducted in September, found that Europe was the region most doubtful about the benefits of religion, with just 19% in Sweden agreeing that it was a force for good.
At the other end of the scale, in Saudi Arabia and Indonesia, it was seen as a positive force by more than 90% of those questioned.
Within North America, there was a pronounced divide. In Canada, only 36% agreed with the positive view of religion whereas 64% saw it as a negative force - figures almost exactly the reverse of those in the US.
Christopher Hitchens has continued his outspoken attacks on religion in interviews as he is treated for cancer of the oesophagus.
He is scathing about those who suggest his illness might lead him to retract his atheism.
In a BBC Newsnight interview to be broadcast on 29 November, he says he is not afraid of death, but regrets the fact that it will cause distress to friends and family.
Blair v Hitchens on the BBC
BBC World Service radio will air the Blair-Hitchens debate on 4 December, followed by Radio 4 on 11 December
It can be viewed on BBC World News and the News Channel on 1 January 2011
In comments released by the debate's organisers he said it was "bizarre" that Mr Blair, a Catholic since 2007, had converted "at one of the most conservative times for the Catholic Church, under one of the most conservative popes".
Speaking before the debate, Tony Blair said: "The good that people of faith all over the world do every day, motivated by their religion, cannot be underestimated and should never be ignored."
It could, and should, be a force for progress, he said.
Posted by Bad News at 8:43 AM 8 comments:
Fr James Robinson 03
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3192776/Evil-paedo-priest-jailed-for-21-years.html?OTC-RSS&ATTR=News
Add a comment (7)
AN ex-priest who carried out a horrific campaign of sexual abuse against young boys was jailed for 21 years today.
Paedophile James Robinson was found guilty of 21 charges of sexual abuse between 1959 and 1983.
The beast was extradited back to the UK from California last year after fleeing to the US in 1985 after he was first accused.
Birmingham Crown Court was told the disgraced priest abused six youngsters over four decades.
His victims are all now in their 40s, 50s and 60s.
The court heard he had moved from parish to parish sexually abusing children, including two altar boys.
He gave them gifts and took them on trips in his sports car to get close to them.
Passing sentence, Judge Patrick Thomas QC branded Robinson devious and manipulative and slammed him for running away from his accusers.
He said: "The offences you committed were unimaginably wicked and caused immense and long-lasting — we can only hope not permanent — damage to the six victims.
"You used, you abused your position of trust, your position of authority and total trust within the communities that you moved to and from."
He added: "You enjoyed, I have no doubt at all, selecting your victims, choosing vulnerable children.
"You enjoyed doing your best to habituate them, to groom them into accepting what you did to them.
"You were and are sufficiently devious, manipulative and bold to have got away with a highly risky sequence of sexual encounters over a period of 25 years."
Despite fleeing the country after the allegations surfaced Robinson was kept on by the Archdiocese of Birmingham until December 2001, earning up to £800 a month and bagging a separate payment of £8,400 in 2000.
But Robinson, 73, still claimed in court he could not afford to return to Britain.
Describing the Catholic Church's role in Robinson's case as highly questionable, Judge Thomas said: "It is not for me to judge.
"Others may take the view that a full investigation and full disclosure of the results of that investigation is due to the members of that church and [Robinson's victims]."
Robinson turned his back on a professional boxing career in his 20s to become a Roman Catholic priest. He worked in the Black Country, Staffordshire, Birmingham and Coventry after being ordained in 1971.
Robinson, originally from Brownhills, near Walsall, West Mids, received a unanimous verdict.
He did not face charges relating to two of his six victims because they contacted cops after he was extradited. But they were allowed to give evidence in support of the other four.
Judge Thomas added: "You fled the country and hid yourself away, hoping and believing that you were beyond the reach of the law.
"Fortunately, the law does not forget, your victims would not forget and you have been brought to justice."
Another three victims came forward during the police investigation but declined to take part in the prosecution and cops believe there are more.
Detective Sergeant Harry May said: "I have no doubt there are more victims, not only in this country but in America.
"On a personal note, I would like to say how brave these men have been, giving their testimonies in court.
"We couldn't have done it without them."
Detective Chief Inspector Steve Bimson, who headed the Major Investigation Team, said: "He became ingrained in these families, he became a trusted member of the family, so he could target these individuals.
"But it wasn't recognised at the time that this was taking place.
"We have heard evidence from people who thought he was a fine priest who would come into a parish and make changes and start motivating people.
"They found it difficult to believe he had committed this abuse.
"But clearly the evidence and the decision of the jury by accepting what the victims have said, demonstrates this abuse has taken place and Robinson did live this double life."
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3192776/Evil-paedo-priest-jailed-for-21-years.html?OTC-RSS&ATTR=News#ixzz14QOJYWr8
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/8081958/Church-attacked-after-paedophile-priest-jailed-for-sexual-abuse.html
Church attacked after paedophile priest jailed for sexual abuse
The Catholic Church was criticised in court as a paedophile former priest was jailed for a campaign of sexually abuse against young boys that spanned four decades.
By Nick Collins
Published: 11:30PM BST 22 Oct 2010
James Robinson, 73, who fled to the US in 1985, was found guilty of 21 sexual offences at Birmingham Crown Court yesterday after being extradited from America.
The jury heard he carried out a string of abuses against six victims, including two altar boys, between 1959 and 1983.
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Robinson, who worked in the Black Country, Staffordshire, Birmingham and Coventry after being ordained as a priest in 1971, denied all the charges but was jailed for 21 years.
The court heard Robinson continued to be paid up to £800 a month by the Archdiocese of Birmingham until December 2001, despite officials being aware of the allegations.
Robinson told the court he had been unable to afford to return to Britain, but the jury later heard that in February 2000 the archdiocese sent him a cheque worth £8,400.
Judge Thomas said: "The role of the Catholic Church [in the case] is questionable, but it's not for me to judge.
"Others may take the view that a full investigation and full disclosure of the results of that investigation is due to the members of that church and [the victims]."
Describing the defendant as "devious, manipulative and bold", the judge said Robinson's crimes were "unimaginably wicked".
He added: "You used, you abused your position of trust, your position of authority and total trust within the communities that you moved to and from."
The judge also condemned the defendant's decision to emigrate in the hope of outrunning the law, adding: "Fortunately, the law does not forget, your victims would not forget and you have been brought to justice."
The Most Reverend Bernard Longley, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Birmingham, issued a statement after the case confirming that Robinson would be defrocked after his convictions.
The archbishop, who refused to answer questions about the Church's role in Robinson's case, said: "The Archdiocese of Birmingham sincerely regrets James Robinson's serious betrayal of the trust placed in him."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-11595092
22 October 2010 Last updated at 15:31 GMT
Former priest jailed for 'wicked' sex abuse of boys
Robinson worked in churches in Staffordshire, Birmingham and Coventry
An "unimaginably wicked" former priest has been given a prison sentence of 21 years for sexually abusing boys in the West Midlands.
Richard John James Robinson, 73, was found guilty of 21 charges relating to offences against boys, all aged under 16, between 1959 and 1983.
One victim told Birmingham Crown Court he had "carried" Mr Robinson's face with him ever since being assaulted.
Robinson was extradited from the US in August last year.
He had worked in churches in Staffordshire, Birmingham and Coventry until the mid-1980s, when he moved to California.
Abuse victim 'thought it was love'
Journalist confronted abuse priest in US
Abuse conviction hailed as 'victory'
Sentencing him, Judge Patrick Thomas QC said Robinson was "devious and manipulative".
"The offences you committed were unimaginably wicked and caused immense and long-lasting - we can only hope not permanent - damage to the six victims.
Judge Thomas said of Robinson's targeting of the boys: "You enjoyed doing your best to habituate them, to groom them into accepting what you did to them.
"You were, and are, sufficiently devious, manipulative and bold to have got away with a highly risky sequence of sexual encounters over a period of 25 years."
He also criticised Robinson for refusing to return to the UK to face his accusers, saying he believed he was beyond the reach of the law.
'Father Robinson had moved on too many times. But finally we had a tip-off he was living in a trailer park in the US,' says Kenyon
The court had also heard Robinson was paid £800 a month by the Archdiocese of Birmingham until December 2001, after officials had been made aware of the allegations.
Robinson had said in court he was unable to afford to return to Britain, even though the Church had sent him a cheque for £8,400.
Judge Thomas said it was not for him to judge the Catholic Church's role in proceedings.
Robinson engaged in a course of behaviour that we would recognise today as a grooming process”
Det Ch Insp Steve Bimson
"Others may take the view that a full investigation and full disclosure of the results of that investigation is due to the members of that church and Robinson's victims."
The court heard prosecutor John Atwood say Robinson had "something of a knack for spotting the quiet child of the family".
He told the court Robinson was sexually attracted to young boys and used the trust and respect that came with his position to prey on vulnerable children for his own sexual gratification.
The court also heard he used his status as a priest to gain "unfettered and unlimited" access to boys, giving them gifts and taking them on trips in his sports car.
Robinson did not face charges relating to two of the six victims who gave evidence, because they contacted the police after he was extradited.
However, they were allowed to give evidence in support of the other four victims.
The court heard Robinson's behaviour did not appear suspicious to his victims' families because "it was a different world back then".
'Grooming process'
Robinson took the boys to football matches and rock concerts and some of them stayed overnight at the house he shared with his mother.
Detective Sergeant Harry May: "Robinson has showed no sense of dignity or any remorse for his victims"
The prosecutor said the abuse had left some of the men emotionally damaged and needing counselling as adults.
He said the boys did not speak out at the time because they were bewildered, ashamed and felt they would not be believed.
Charges against Robinson included serious sexual assault, indecent assault and indecency against a child.
BBC journalist Paul Kenyon tracked Robinson down in the US and confronted him about the allegations for a documentary in 2003.
Speaking after the case, Det Ch Insp Steve Bimson said the sentence reflected the serious nature of the offences.
"For each of his victims, Robinson engaged in a course of behaviour that we would recognise today as a grooming process.
"He would become a trusted friend of the family able to mix freely in the family home, becoming liked and admired by the victims' parents, before engaging the victim in his sexual activity."
The Archdiocese of Birmingham said in a statement it sincerely regretted James Robinson's "serious betrayal of the trust placed in him".
The Archbishop of Birmingham, the Most Reverend Bernard Longley, said: "We hope that today's outcome will enable the victims and their families to bring the process of healing and ultimately bring some peace of mind."
He said the archdiocese had co-operated with police throughout the inquiry and had "robust safeguarding policies" as part of its commitment to the safety and protection of children and vulnerable people.
Abuse victim 'thought it was love' 22 OCTOBER 2010, ENGLAND
Journalist confronted abuse priest in US 22 OCTOBER 2010, ENGLAND
Abuse conviction hailed as 'victory' 22 OCTOBER 2010, ENGLAND
Accused priest's 'surprise' visit 07 OCTOBER 2010, ENGLAND
Man tells court 'of priest abuse' 05 OCTOBER 2010, ENGLAND
Ex-priest 'had dreadful weakness' 04 OCTOBER 2010,
Posted by Bad News at 8:56 AM 24 comments:
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Social Tee Box
Presidents Cup 2026 at Medinah
We are all excited. The next U.S. location for the 2026 Presidents Cup has been announced by the PGA TOUR today (December 11, 2020). Medinah Country Club, close to Chicago, IL, and less than a 30-minute drive from O'Hare airport, will be the venue for the 2026 event.
Presidents Cup Venues
After 2019 in Melbourne (Australia), 2022 at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, 2024 at Royal Montreal, the 2026 will feature Medinah as the place to be for the U.S. Team and the International Team to compete against each other.
Originally, the 2026 Presidents Cup was slotted for TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, but we are equally happy to see the event now coming to the historical course at Medinah Country Club. Follow us or join our email newsletter to stay up-to-date for possible volunteer opportunities. We are still almost 6 years away, so be patient.
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U.S. Supreme Court justices question human rights claims against Nestle and Cargill
Tuesday, 1 December 2020 17:18 GMT
FILE PHOTO: A man walks at the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington, U.S. November 10, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo
The two companies are asking the court to reverse a lower ruling that allowed the lawsuit against them to proceed
WASHINGTON(Reuters) - U.S. Supreme Court justices on Tuesday appeared wary of barring lawsuits against American companies over alleged human rights abuses abroad but signaled they could toss out a case accusing Cargill Inc and a Nestle SA subsidiary of knowingly helping perpetuate slavery at Ivory Coast cocoa farms.
The two companies are asking the nine justices to reverse a lower court ruling that allowed the lawsuit, brought on behalf of former child slaves from Mali who worked at the farms, filed against them in 2005 to proceed.
The case concerns a 1789 U.S. law called the Alien Tort Statute that lets non-U.S. citizens seek damages in American courts in certain instances. The business community has long sought to limit corporate liability under this law.
Some justices questioned whether the lawsuit actually made clear that company officials knew that the farms involved used child slavery.
“After 15 years, is it too much to ask that you allege specifically that the defendants ... who are before us here, specifically knew that forced child labor was being used on the farms or farm cooperatives with which they did business?” conservative Justice Samuel Alito asked.
The lawsuits targeted the U.S. subsidiary of Swiss-based Nestle, the world’s biggest food producer, and commodities trader Cargill, one of the largest privately held U.S. companies.
The plaintiffs accused the companies of aiding and abetting human rights violations through their active involvement in purchasing Ivory Coast cocoa and turning a blind eye to the use of slave labor on the farms despite being aware of the practice in order to keep cocoa prices low.
A federal district court in Los Angeles dismissed the lawsuit twice, most recently in 2017. That court found that the claims were barred by recent Supreme Court decisions that made it harder for plaintiffs to sue corporations in U.S. courts for alleged violations overseas.
The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in 2018 revived the claims, citing the allegations that the companies provided “personal spending money” to local farmers to guarantee the cheapest source of cocoa. The 9th Circuit found that the payments were akin to kickbacks and that the low price of cocoa was dependent upon the child slave labor.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other business interests backed the two companies in the case, as did President Donald Trump’s administration.
The Supreme Court in 2013 and 2018 cases curbed the ability of plaintiffs to sue corporations in U.S. courts under the Alien Tort Statute for overseas human rights violations. The court said in those rulings that there needed to be a strong connection between the alleged conduct and actions that took place in the United States. But the court did not definitively rule that companies can never be sued under that law.
Since the 2018 ruling, which was 5-4, the court has shifted further to the right with the appointment by President Donald Trump of conservative justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; Editing by Will Dunham
(Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.)
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EXPERT VIEWS - How can the world boost efforts to end child labour in 2021?
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Meet the Center for Internet and Society (Past Event)
280B - Stanford Law School
The Center for Internet and Society (CIS) is a public interest technology law and policy program at Stanford Law School and a part of Law, Science and Technology Program at Stanford Law School. CIS brings together scholars, academics, legislators, students, programmers, security researchers, and scientists to study the interaction of new technologies and the law and to examine how the synergy between the two can either promote or harm public goods like free speech, innovation, privacy, public commons, diversity, and scientific inquiry. Read more about Meet the Center for Internet and Society
International Criminal Justice and Transitional Justice: Tensions and Synergies? (Past Event)
New York City Bar Association
After 20 years of international criminal trials, it is time to reassess the relationship between such trials and transitional justice. Do such trials promote the aims of transitional justice or thwart them? Are there synergies between rule of law initiatives and accountability measures or are they operating at cross-purposes? Our speakers will address these fundamental questions in the context of the latest developments in the field, such as the trial of Hissene Habré. Read more about International Criminal Justice and Transitional Justice: Tensions and Synergies?
Artificial Intelligence: Law and Policy (Past Event)
The University of Washington School of Law is delighted to announce a public workshop on the law and policy of artificial intelligence, co-hosted by the White House and UW’s Tech Policy Lab. The event places leading artificial intelligence experts from academia and industry in conversation with government officials interested in developing a wise and effective policy framework for this increasingly important technology. The event is free and open to the public but requires registration. - Read more about Artificial Intelligence: Law and Policy
Carleton College Weekly Convocation (Past Event)
Attorney and scholar Morgan Weiland ’06 will present Carleton College’s weekly convocation on Friday, April 22 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel. A leader in the study of the law and policy around the internet and other emerging technologies, Weiland has been active in policy debates surrounding telecommunications, mass surveillance, and network neutrality.
Carleton convocations are free and open to the public. They are also recorded and archived for online viewing at go.carleton.edu/convo/. Read more about Carleton College Weekly Convocation
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Kyiv must seek collapse of Putin regime, not ‘restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity at any price,’ Portnikov says
Some of the devastation in the Donbas after product of Putin's military aggression into peaceful Ukraine. (Image: Slavyansk Delovoy)
2015/11/20 - 20:25 • International, More
Edited by: A. N.
Ukrainian commentator Vitaly Portnikov argues that the goal of the Ukrainian government should not be “the restoration of territorial integrity at any price but rather the undermining of the economy of the aggressor country and the collapse of Putin’s political regime.”
Vitaly Portnikov, Ukrainian political analyst and writer
Western media say that the EU and the US “do not intend” to lift their sanctions against Russia “in exchange for cooperation in the struggle with international terrorism. This is completely logical: Russia was sanctioned in response to its annexation of Crimea and the occupation of the Donbas,” he says.
Thus, these sanctions against Russia will be extended at the upcoming EU summit. But the real question is “for how long?” And Ukraine has a vital interest in that question.
The Kremlin understands all this perfectly well, Portnikov says. It assumes that sanctions will be extended for several months, and consequently, it plans to use that time to “show that Ukraine itself is not fulfilling the Minsk agreements” while Moscow is doing everything necessary so that the sanctions won’t be extended again.
Instead, the West will increasingly view both Russia and Ukraine as being to blame and therefore there will be calls not to punish only one side, something that will contribute to pressures to lift the sanctions against Moscow and push for “a final resolution of the conflict and the restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine all together.”
Given that “the crisis in the Donbas could be solved in 24 hours if Putin ended the occupation and support of the militants,” that is Moscow’s position, the one it is “discussing with representatives of the pro-Russian lobby in the West,” Portnikov says. And that reality should dictate Kyiv’s approach and negotiating goals.
Russian terrorists are deliberately destroying the infrastructure of the Donbas. Destroyed railway bridge over the road Sloviansk-Donetsk-Mariupol
“Kyiv’s chief task must be the extension of sanctions against the aggressor for the maximum extent possible [now] and work for their further prolongation” when more decisions are made in the future, he argues.
And he says that Ukrainians “must remember that our goal is not the restoration of territorial integrity at any price but the undermining of the economy of the aggressor country and the collapse of the political regime of Russia. Only this – and nothing else – will secure us long-term security and normal development in the future.”
Portnikov’s position on this will infuriate many in Ukraine but even more in Moscow and the West, both of whom have made the issue of the restoration of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, albeit defined in entirely different ways and to be used for entirely different purposes, the centerpiece of their policies.
But Portnikov’s realism on this point is likely to spark new debates on how Kyiv should proceed especially now when many in Moscow are demanding and many in the West are considering an easing of the sanctions regime imposed on Russia because of its actions in Ukraine in the name of cooperation between Russia and the West in the war against ISIS.
Tags: international, Russia, sanctions against Russia
Paul A. Goble
Paul Goble is a longtime specialist on ethnic and religious questions in Eurasia. He has served as director of research and publications at the Azerbaijan Diplomatic Academy, vice dean for the social sciences and humanities at Audentes University in Tallinn, and a senior research associate at the EuroCollege of the University of Tartu in Estonia. Earlier he has served in various capacities in the U.S. State Department, the Central Intelligence Agency and the International Broadcasting Bureau as well as at the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Euromaidan Press republishes the work of Paul Goble with permission from his blog Windows on Eurasia.
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Roster File
This is how BB-8 works, straight from Sphero’s co-founder
BB-8 has enamored Star Wars fans since we first saw the little droid in trailers and teasers, and once it was revealed that the droid was actually a practical effect, meaning it wasn’t created in a computer, the fans had a good time trying to figure out how it worked.
The $150 version of the toy has since been released — it’s amazing, by the way — and Games4Life caught up with Adam Wilson, the co-founder and chief scientist at Sphero, to talk about the toy’s design.
We were scared that he wouldn’t be able to say much, but after launch not many surprises were left. “I mean, I can tell you everything now!” he said with a laugh. “As of today I can just explore all of that. Really it’s our Sphero robot ball, a self-balancing, gyro-driven ball inside of there. And on the top of that it has keyed magnets, so one of them is positive and the other is negative.”
This means that the head can only connect in one direction, so the robot always knows which way is “forward.” The folks at uBreakiFix actually tore their toy apart to get a look at the internal mechanism if you want to see the little droid without its shell. A fair warning for any tinkerers; there doesn’t seem to be a way to open BB-8 without destroying the outer shell.
What’s interesting is that the arm that supports the head isn’t articulated in any way. The entire internal structure of the robot moves when the head moves. “If you want to just spin the head, it’s still the same thing, the sphero inside of there is turning,” Wilson explained. “When you’re spinning the head around, the whole mechanism is spinning around, giving it a new forward.”
“It’s very tricky because you can’t see the mechanism inside,” he continued. “We have clear ones for development. It’s a complicated physical system for sure.”
The $80 version of the toy, which was made by Hasbro, opens much more easily, so you can see a simplified version of the same mechanism.
What’s interesting is that this version of the droid came after the movie was finished; The Force Awakens used a variety of practical effects for the movie version of the droid.
“They had already shot the movie and made a prop … they had shot all the movie with these props but none of them were full working droids,” Wilson explained. “They were half-droids with a man and a green screen. They were still physical props but it wasn’t a solo act. It couldn’t stand on its own.”
The idea of a fully functional BB-8 was attractive, however. Sphero was a part of Disney Techstars, an accelerator working with startups, and they had a meeting with Disney CEO Bob Iger where they were shown an image of the droid and asked if it would be possible to make a functional, standalone robot.
“We wanted to try to come lower than $150 actually, but it was a struggle”
“We had already done a lot of stuff like this, with magnets on the head,” Wilson said. “We showed him our idea of how that would work, we showed him a magnet head that day.” Sphero isn’t involved with the creation of the larger versions of the droid you may have seen at events and may come to Disney’s theme parks, but according to Wilson those droids may be using some of the ideas that Sphero shared with Disney.
“We wanted to try to come lower than $150 actually, but it was a struggle,” he explained. For a while they thought it would even be released at $200, but they wanted to get the features and price to the point where they themselves said they would buy the product and be happy with it.
“We felt that $150 was a pretty good number, and it leaves a little bit of meat on the bone for both Disney and us to make money on this product, because it’s really hard to make money on toys,” Wilson said. “We also know what the competition is for the same character … we just felt we had to surpass a certain point. It has to do a lot more than just be an RC toy to be worth that.”
The toy doesn’t just roll around; it can react to voice commands and learn about its environment. It can even be updated with new features as the movie grows closer. The Sphero team had exacting standards for the details and design of the robot’s external shell. All of these things work together creates a toy that’s one of the most interesting products on the market, even if you’re not particularly interested in Star Wars.
Knowing how it’s done is fascinating, but the real magic of the design happens when you see one in action, rolling around and interacting with its environment and the people in it. The Sphero team has made an amazing toy.
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Ocean City proposes $5M Bond
for Public Works Building
By MICHAEL MILLER Staff Writer
OCEAN CITY - City Council on Tuesday introduced an ordinance to borrow $5.3 million to build a new public works center designed by Garrison Architects of Mt. Laurel, NJ..
Meanwhile, developer Jack L. Snyder and Associates this week offered the city nearly that much to buy the two blocks where the new building will go. Solicitor Gerald Corcoran said the offer was moot because the land - at least for the moment - is not for sale. "If it was $1 billion, you couldn't accept it," he said.
The city wants to consolidate six different buildings in one new, two-story center at 12th Street and Haven Avenue. One in five full-time city employees works in this department, paving roads, cutting grass and repairing or replacing whatever breaks on the island.
Bonding for the 42,500-square-foot building has been postponed several times, most recently last year when the city opted instead to dredge lagoons and replace the Boardwalk between 12th and 14th streets.
Public Works Director George Savastano said the building is needed because many of his employees' workplaces are falling apart. Buildings such as a converted 1920s dairy are unusable for all but storage because they are in such bad condition.
Council voted 4-2 to introduce the bond. A public hearing will be scheduled next month."It's worth every penny," Councilman Ron Denney said.
Councilmen Ray Jones and Jody Alessandrine dissented. Alessandrine said the city's taxes have increased significantly since the project was proposed several years ago."It's been said that $5.3 million is affordable for us. I think zero is even more affordable," he said.
The city has spent $1.3 million to buy land, draw up engineering documents and prepare the site. Some residents want the city to build at 46th Street and West Avenue.
Business Administrator Richard Deaney said postponing the project could cost the city more in rent for temporary trailers or renovations to dilapidated workplaces. This project is a priority, he said.The immediate tax impact would be minimal because the city has planned for the expense in its budget and long-range capital plan, he said."Mark my words tonight," he said. "If you don't spend it on this purpose, you'll spend it on something else."
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Assad offers talks with opposition, refuses to quit
Syrian embattled President al-Assad says he can engage in dialogue with the opposition to end the 23-month-long conflict and accuses the UK of playing unconstructive role by militarizing the 'terrorists'
Sunday 3 Mar 2013
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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said in a rare interview he is ready to negotiate with the opposition but will not step down, as the UN chief and his Syria envoy offered to broker peace talks between his regime and rebel leaders.
Assad offered to hold talks with rebels to try to end the crisis on condition they lay down their arms, but made a distinction between the "political entities" he would talk with and "armed terrorists".
"We are ready to negotiate with anyone, including militants who surrender their arms," Assad told The Sunday Times in a videotaped interview conducted last week in his Damascus residence, the Al-Muhajireen palace.
"We can engage in dialogue with the opposition, but we cannot engage in dialogue with terrorists."
His offer of talks was aired as UN chief Ban Ki-moon and his Syria envoy Lakhdar Brahimi said they were prepared to broker peace talks between the Assad regime and the opposition.
A joint statement by the pair said the UN would "be prepared to facilitate a dialogue between a strong and representative delegation from the opposition and a credible and empowered delegation from the Syrian government".
The offer came after both sides in Syria had indicated a "willingness to engage in dialogue", the UN said.
They also warned that both the regime and opposition fighters "have become increasingly reckless with human life" and said perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity must be brought to justice.
In Tehran on Saturday, Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said Assad, who took over as president in 2000 following the death of his father Hafez, would take part in next year's presidential election and that it was up to the Syrian people to choose their own leader.
Syria is locked in a 23-month-long conflict in which the United Nations estimates more than 70,000 have been killed. But Assad rejected the idea that the fighting is linked to his continued role as president.
"If this argument is correct, then my departure will stop the fighting," Assad said. "Clearly this is absurd, and other recent precedents in Libya, Yemen and Egypt bear witness to this."
Assad accused the British government of wanting to arm "terrorists" in his country.
"How can we expect them to make the violence less while they want to send military supplies to the terrorists and don't try to ease the dialogue between the Syrians?"
Britain has been pushing for the lifting of a European ban on arms supplies to Syrian rebels, but at a meeting last month European Union foreign ministers decided instead to allow only "non-lethal" aid and "technical assistance" to the opposition.
Assad added that "Britain has played a famously unconstructive role in different issues for decades, some say for centuries" and talked of "a bullying hegemony".
The British government is currently bound by an EU arms embargo which European foreign ministers decided not to lift at a meeting in Brussels on February 18.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague had called for changes to the arms ban "so that we can provide a broader range of support to the National Coalition", the opposition umbrella group in Syria.
Assad in his interview dismissed the suggestion that Britain could play a constructive role in resolving the fighting, saying: "We don't expect an arsonist to be a firefighter."
He accused Britain of wanting to escalate the conflict through its desire to supply military equipment to the rebels.
"How can we expect to ask Britain to play a role while it is determined to militarise the problem?" Assad said.
On the ground, the army said Saturday it had seized control of a key road linking the central province of Hama to Aleppo international airport, the scene of fierce battles since mid-February.
Fierce clashes raged in the northern city of Raqa, where 16 rebels and 10 soldiers were killed, according to the chief of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman.
At least 133 people were killed nationwide on Saturday, the Observatory said.
They included two Palestinians hanged by rebels from trees at Yarmuk refugee camp in Damascus on suspicion of aiding the regime by pinpointing rebel targets, the Observatory said.
The Israeli military said mortar rounds believed to have been fired from Syria hit the southern Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday without causing damage or casualties.
Al-Muhajireen
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L7 to Release Their First Album in 20 Years
The grunge vets have launched a PledgeMusic for their first full-length since 1999
Taking their reunion one big step forward, L7 have announced their first album in two decades.
Today the reunited grunge vets launched a PledgeMusic campaign with pre-orders for their first album since 1999's Slap-Happy. While details for the comeback album are sparse, it is expected to arrive in February 2019 via Don Giovanni.
A note from L7's PledgeMusic page reads as follows:
After having an amazingly great experience with our L7 reunion tour in 2015 as well the release of a documentary on our band, L7: Pretend We're Dead, the band felt inspired to do some songwriting and return to the studio once again. The end results were recording the tracks "Dispatch From Mar-a-Lago" and "I Came Back to Bitch." Our first new tunes in 18 years!
We've had such a blast hanging out, writing, and recording with each other again that we decided to keep the ball rolling. More song ideas have been flowing out of us every time we get together and play, so we've decided to make a full length album which we will record this year.
You can donate to the campaign, as well as check out its various perks, over here. You can also check out a video for the campaign at the bottom of the page
In addition to the new album news, L7 have fleshed out their upcoming tour. You can see the updated schedule, which includes dates in Toronto and Montreal, down below.
04/10 Jersey City, NJ - White Eagle Hall
04/11 Boston, MA - Paradise
04/12 New York, NY - Brooklyn Steel
04/13 Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero
04/15 Cleveland, OH - Beachland Ballroom
04/16 Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Club
04/18 Indianapolis, IN - Vogue
04/19 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
04/20 Chicago, IL - Metro
04/21 Detroit, MI - El Club
05/27 Las Vegas, NV - Punk Rock Bowling & Music Festival
06/09 Leicestershire, UK - Download Festival UK
06/29-30 Madrid Spain - Download Madrid
06/13 Paris, France - La Cigale
06/15 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkweg Amsterdam
06/17 Berlin, Germany - SO36
06/27 Zürich, Switzerland - Dynamo Zürich (offiziell)
06/28 Segrate, Italy - Circolo Magnolia, Punk In Drublic
07/23 Grand Rapids, MI - Pyramid Scheme
07/24 Detroit, MI - St. Andrew's Hall
07/25 Toronto, ON - The Danforth Music Hall
07/27 Montreal, QC - 77 Festival
10/06 Glasgow, UK - Garage
12/06 London, UK - Electric Ballroom
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L7 and Joan Jett have teamed up for a rework of the Runaways hero's 1983 song "Fake Friends." In addition to their new cover, L7 have also s...
L7 Scatter the Rats
More than nineteen years ago, L7 went on "an indefinite hiatus" after putting out their sixth studio album, Slap-Happy, two years prior, to...
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L7 have announced a North American tour in support of Scatter the Rats, the reunited band's first new album in 20 years. The tour kicks o...
L7 Detail Their First Album in 20 Years
Last April, L7 announced plans to release their first new album in 20 years. And while the effort has yet to see release, the grunge vets ar...
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American Museum of Natural History. Mollusks of New York State (Exhibit)
uncontrolled form
Shells of the New York Area
dates of use: 1971
Permanent exhibition. Opened Fall 1972. Located on Floor 1, Section WC. The Mollusks of New York State at the American Museum of Natural History was planned by William K. Emerson, William E. Old, and Harold S. Feinberg of the Department of Invertebrate Zoology (2, 1971/72, p. 27), and showcases common mollusks of the region (1, 1972, p. 78). It shares a corridor with the Evelyn Miles Keller Memorial Exhibit, which also exhibits mollusks.
(1) American Museum of Natural History. Annual Reports. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1971/72.
(2) American Museum of Natural History. The American Museum of Natural History: An Introduction. New York: American Museum of Natural History, 1972.
Information for the hall appears in the following Museum publications:
Annual Reports for years 1971 (pages 27, 36), 1972 (page 30) 1973 (page 13, 20)
AMNH: Floor 1, Sections WC. [Additional location information: West Corridor ]
Emerson, William K.
Exhibit curator (2, 1971/72, p. 27).
Evelyn Miles Keller Memorial Exhibit.
Shares corridor with exhibit
Feinberg, Harold S.
Old, William E.
Written by: Clare O'Dowd
Last modified: 2018 December 7
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Happy Hours transforming lives in St Mary
Published:Wednesday | October 7, 2015 | 10:34 AM
Five-year-old students listen to their teacher and principal, Monica McKenzie (right) at the Happy Hours Early Childhood Development Centre in Cromwell Land, Highgate.
Orantes Moore
Monica McKenzie, founder of the Happy Hours Early Childhood Development Centre in Highgate, St Mary.
HIGHGATE, St Mary:
A veteran kindergarten principal in Highgate, St Mary is hoping that new state-of-the-art teaching equipment, tablet computers for students, and recently completed building renovations will help transform her school into the parish's premier early-childhood learning institution.
According to Monica McKenzie, founder of the Happy Hours Early Childhood Development Centre in Cromwell Land, Highgate, while her day care centre has experienced many changes over the last two years, the introduction of the Tablets in Schools project has been the most significant.
She told Rural Xpress: "The Tablets in Schools scheme has benefited us so much because in addition to giving the children and teachers tablets to work with, we have also received things such as MimioTeach equipment (interactive whiteboards).
"The scheme has settled the children because they are really serious about the tablets. Instead of running up and down, they come in and spend their free time exploring on the tablets, which are also integrated into the lesson plans. The whole world is technologically inclined now, so I think it's really good that they are able to feel free on these instruments."
McKenzie opened Happy Hours in 1981 and spent the next three decades helping the institution establish a reputation as one of the best preschool facilities in St Mary.
"I decided to open this school 34 years ago because I didn't want to leave my son at home with a helper," she explained.
"This was the first day care in St Mary and because people in this community were not used to the idea, for the first year, I only had two children; and one of them was my son (laughs)."
Although the road to success has been long and laborious, the principal insists that she still gets a thrill from supporting parents with their children's education.
McKenzie said: "When you see enthusiastic parents getting excited about the accomplishments of their children, it really lets us know we are doing something good for the community."
Nevertheless, she notes that over time, there has been a gradual shift in parents' attitudes towards child-rearing.
"I think it has deteriorated because these days, babies are having babies, and they don't like to be corrected or told anything.
"They are aggressive, like a mother hen who will pick you if you go near her chicks. I always say that before a parent brings their child to a kindergarten school, they should do parenting classes.
"I think you have to start with [parents] because they have to understand the importance of good nutrition and the child coming to school everyday; some of them don't think these things are important. They are too permissive in certain areas."
Over the last two years, Happy Hours has undergone a huge revamp, thanks to the CHASE Fund, which provided capital to construct a new roof and two additional classrooms.
Looking ahead, McKenzie believes that preschool education will only improve, and hopes the upgrades to her own facility may encourage the Early Childhood Commission (ECC) to grant her one of their first licences.
"The ECC took over a few years ago, and yes, there were complaints about their stringent standards, but because of those standards, I can see basic schools really improving in years to come.
"Parents tell me their children are waking them up to come to our 'pretty' school and [other schools] are now trying to see if they can upgrade their buildings, and that's what the Early Childhood Commission wants."
rural@gleanerjm.com
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Lesbian Lifestyle
We May Have Lost Ruth Bader Ginsburg, But We’ll Always Have Her Fight In Us
September 22, 2020 Robin Kish
It’s almost as if we’ve lost a little bit of ourselves as well.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg is, in short, legendary. Her decades-long legal battles for gender equality, along with her frequent dissenting opinions as SCOTUS veered right in the 2000s, made her a beacon of hope, a real-life hero, a celebrity, and icon later in life, and even a meme: the Notorious RBG.
Her death on Friday — from complications of metastatic pancreatic cancer — left many across the nation heartbroken at the enormity of her loss. That her seat on the Supreme Court could be filled by a Trump nominee is especially bitter, but beyond the politics of the moment, and, perhaps, the decades to come, is also the shocking reminder that someone so larger than life — a bonafide intellectual giant and badass, the lone figure standing between us and the darkness — could be taken from us.
At least, that was how I felt when I returned home from my run Friday night to hear my wife deliver the news: Ruth Bader Ginsburg had died. I thought she was mistaken. The woman had survived four previous bouts with cancer, heart surgery, and three fractured ribs. Maybe this was just more fake news. It’s easy to imagine a figure like Ruth Bader Ginsburg, revered for her defiance and her dissenting opinions, a four-time survivor of cancer, as somehow transcending mortality. But no, this was a sad reality: We had officially lost her.
Ginsburg rose, improbably, at a time when women were confined to the domestic sphere. She was one of only nine women admitted to Harvard Law School in 1956. She later transferred to Columbia Law School where she graduated with top honors — but was unable to secure a job. As reported Friday in NPR, “[I]t was bad enough that she was a woman, [Ginsburg] recalled later, but she was also a mother, and male judges worried she would be diverted by her ‘familial obligations.'”
After she secured a teaching position at Rutgers University in the 1960s, she had to hide her second pregnancy “by wearing her mother-in-law’s clothes,” NPR reports. “The ruse worked: her contract was renewed before her baby was born.”
She rose to further legal — and public — prominence after she started litigating gender rights. In Morwitz v. Commissioner, she petitioned on behalf of an unmarried man to claim a tax deduction for caregiving costs, which previously extended only to women and widowers. She wrote the amicus curiae brief in Reed v. Reed, which resulted in SCOTUS extending the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to women.
She was nominated by President Jimmy Carter to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia in 1980, where she earned a reputation — oddly enough — for being a somewhat moderate jurist. In 1993, when she was nominated by Bill Clinton to be the second woman to serve in SCOTUS, some feminist critics were worried because of her critical views on Roe v. Wade, which she believed took the wrong line of reasoning: determining a woman’s right to choose based on privacy, and not on gender equality, which she feared would leave the Court’s decision vulnerable to future litigation.
But Ginsburg’s liberal views, and her star power, only strengthened, especially as the court swung toward the conservative side during the administration of George W. Bush. In 2009, she took an unprecedented step following the SCOTUS decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear, which resulted in the court denying Lilly Ledbetter equal pay on account of statute of limitations; in her dissent, Ginsburg called on Congress to undo the Court’s interpretation of the law and later worked with President Obama on the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
In 2014, she issued a fiery dissent of the Court’s decision to side with Hobby Lobby by granting for-profit employers the right to deny employees contraception on the grounds of religious belief. In her dissent, she pointed out that the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act — which the majority opinion cited as reasons for siding with Hobby Lobby — did not allow religious groups to. “The reason why,” she wrote, “is hardly obscure: Religious organizations exist to foster the interests of persons subscribing to the same religious faith. Not so of for-profit corporations. Workers who sustain the operations of those corporations commonly are not drawn from one religious community. Indeed, by law, no religion-based criterion can restrict the workforce of for-profit corporations. … The distinction between a community made up of believers in the same religion and one embracing persons of diverse beliefs, clear as it is, constantly escapes the Court’s attention. One can only wonder why the Court shuts this key difference from sight.”
Her willingness to stand up to the patriarchy in general — and her male SCOTUS colleagues specifically — has made her a figurehead of feminism and an icon to our community.
At a time when the country appears particularly on edge — and when the rights of women, minorities, and LGBTQ+ persons to control their own bodies and choices are under grave threat from an increasingly right-leaning government — having a voice on our side in the highest court of the land means something, even if all that voice could do was dissent with the majority opinion.
Ginsburg might have been larger than life, but she understood what it was like to be a woman and to face discrimination purely on the basis on one’s sex. She brought that understanding to the law and helped make things better for women everywhere. As Sheryl Gay Stolberg writes in the New York Times, the grief we feel is “also a deeply personal loss.” With Ginsburg’s death, it’s almost as if we’ve lost a little bit of ourselves as well.
But I doubt Ginsburg would want us to dwell in our sorrow for too long. Yes, she was an icon. Yes, she stood up to those who kept their feet on our necks (if I might borrow a phrase from her). And while we might have lost one of our most powerful advocates, Ginsburg herself knew all too well what it was like to lack power — yet that never stopped her from fighting for it.
May her memory be a blessing. May her memory be a revolution. Let’s let the sense of loss, and the grief we feel now, drive us to preserve her legacy — and ours.
deathobituaryrbgruth bader ginsburgSCOTUSSupreme Court
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Analysis: The day America realized how dangerous Donald Trump is
by JewishNews-David
When the history of the 45th presidency is written, Wednesday, January 6, will go down as the day America realized how dangerous President Donald Trump really is.
In the span of hours, the country finally witnessed the price of its five-year experiment turning its election process into a reality show that produced an unhinged megalomanic as commander-in-chief who amassed so much power through his lies and fear-mongering that he was able to engineer an insurrection as a final act that left democracy dangling by a thread.
Wednesday’s siege at the Capitol marked the culmination of Trump’s years-long quest to cultivate a fiercely loyal base that would do anything for him by playing on their fears and resentments as he lured them into believing his incessant lies about the sinister motives of government, election fraud and his own conduct.
The consequences were deadly: five people have died as a result of Wednesday’s riot, including a Capitol Police officer. Some of Trump’s supporters were armed and ready for war: an Alabama man allegedly parked a pickup truck with 11 homemade bombs, an assault rifle and a handgun two blocks from the Capitol hours before authorities discovered it, according to federal prosecutors. Another man allegedly showed up with an assault rifle and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, telling acquaintances he wanted to shoot or run over House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Pipe bombs were found near the headquarters of the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee as authorities tried to dispel the mob and secure the Capitol.
But three days later, Trump appears no more aware of the consequences of his actions than on the day of the riot when he delighted in the mayhem. Bunkered at the White House with an ever-shrinking circle of aides, he has offered no remorse for inciting the crowd and offered only a forced denunciation of their actions. Aides, weary and disgusted, refuse to come near him. His central line to the outside world, Twitter, was severed Friday night. People who admired him, worked for him and followed him down dark paths before now say he has crossed into a delusional place, entirely detached from reality.
Supporters of President Donald Trump climb the west wall of the the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington.
Wednesday’s shocking events can be traced to the inception of Trump’s candidacy. From the earliest days of the 2016 presidential race, his rallies crackled with tension and anger — a testament to his skill in finding the fault lines on issues of class and race and exploiting them to draw in followers who felt marginalized and wronged by their leaders. His supporters had hungered for a charismatic leader like him who would empower the “silent majority” and serve as a voice for their grievances. He thrilled them as he blasted through societal norms and the guardrails of democracy, while offering safe harbor to White supremacists, conspiracy theorists, anti-government renegades, racists and anti-Semitic activists who fell in line behind a political figure who would channel their rage in exchange for their fealty.
As he lurched from one shocking maneuver to the next, Trump commanded the constant attention of the press, broadening his universe of followers as he used Twitter as his megaphone. By threatening to punish his critics and by firing civil servants who tried to check his thirst for power, he cowed members of the Republican Party and his own aides, who became complicit in his unraveling of democracy. Meanwhile, much of America grew numb to his circus act, shrugging off the magnetic power of Trumpism as though it was a passing fad.
Trump faces fallout
That all changed Wednesday as the country watched the mob encouraged by Trump scale the walls of Capitol, beating back police officers as they smashed through the historic building’s doors and windows, shattering glass to force their way in bearing metal pipes, sticks and other weapons. Lawmakers from both parties were forced to cower below the seats in their respective chambers before being evacuated to secure locations, as the insurrectionists ransacked congressional offices and attempted to occupy the nation’s seat of government on the day Congress was affirming President-elect Joe Biden as the winner of the 2020 election. The barbarism of the day was underscored by chilling reports that some of the Trump faithful were on the hunt for Vice President Mike Pence — who had refused to accede to the President’s demand that he overthrow the election results and was presiding over the counting of the Electoral College votes.
As the horrifying riot unfolded in the “people’s house,” it became clear that Trump had finally gone too far. His political capital was already weakened by the Republicans’ defeats in two runoff races in Georgia that were poisoned by the President’s lies about voter fraud — with some in the GOP openly blaming Trump for their resulting loss of the Senate majority.
And the breach of the barricades that put the lives of the nation’s lawmakers in danger began to break — at least for now — the spell that Trump has cast over his party. When order was restored some outraged Republicans condemned the President for his role in inciting the violence; others signaled it was time to move on and rebuild the Republican Party after four years in which the President has tried to bully them into submission.
With Democrats now poised for full control of Congress, Trump was now facing real consequences for his actions. During the overnight certification of results, which had been delayed by the rioters, the rumblings began among Democratic members of Congress about whether he could be ousted through the 25th Amendment or impeached for a second time to prevent him from holding office again.
Momentum has only grown among Democrats for fast-track impeachment beginning next week, and the latest draft of the resolution obtained by CNN included one article of impeachment for “incitement of insurrection.” Many Republicans, however, say that step is futile for a President who has less than two weeks left in his term.
Still as the glass was being swept up from the Capitol grounds, some GOP lawmakers considered supporting his impeachment. More than a dozen administration officials, including two Cabinet secretaries, have resigned citing their concerns with Trump’s response to the riot.
“I want him to resign. I want him out. He has caused enough damage,” Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski told the Anchorage Daily News in a report published Friday, making her the first Republican senator to call on Trump to resign because of Wednesday’s riot.
Protesters supporting U.S. President Donald Trump break into the U.S. Capitol on January 06, 2021 in Washington, DC. Congress held a joint session today to ratify President-elect Joe Biden’s 306-232 Electoral College win over President Donald Trump. Pro-Trump protesters entered the U.S. Capitol building during demonstrations in the nation’s capital.
Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, a frequent Trump critic who favored acquitting Trump in the first impeachment trial last year, said Friday during an interview on Hugh Hewitt’s radio show that he was seriously considering whether he would vote to remove the President from office once articles of impeachment are introduced. “There are a lot of questions that we need to get to the bottom of,” he said.
Sasse also voiced concerns about Trump’s response to the riot, noting that senior White House officials had told him that Trump “wanted chaos on television” and was “confused about why other people on his team weren’t as excited as he was” as rioters pummeled Capitol Police trying to get into the building.
“The question of ‘Was the President derelict in his duty?’ That’s not an open question. He was,” the Nebraska Republican said.
Earlier, Republican Utah Sen. Mitt Romney — the lone GOP senator to vote to convict Trump in 2020 — called Wednesday’s invasion of the Capitol “an insurrection incited by the President,” and Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, a member of the GOP leadership team, said the combination of the losses in the Georgia Senate races and the storming of the Capitol underscored the GOP’s need to move beyond Trump.
“Our identity for the past several years now has been built around an individual,” Thune told CNN this week. “You got to get back to where its built around a set of ideals and principles and policies.”
Facing staff resignations and a looming impeachment, Trump made a meager attempt to mitigate the damage by finally acknowledging he won’t be serving a second term in a prerecorded video Thursday evening. But the next day, he was tweeting about his supporters having a “giant voice” and said he would not attend President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration, a hint that he would continue his efforts to delegitimize the election results.
That was the final straw for Twitter, which announced that it was permanently suspending Trump’s account “due to the risk of further incitement of violence.” With his political fate hanging in the balance, he had been silenced, at least for the moment.
A day that encapsulated the danger of Trump
For weeks, while advancing the false claims that the presidential election was rigged and mired in fraud, Trump had whipped up excitement about the January 6 certification of results, inviting his supporters to descend on Washington and promising it would be “wild.”
He arrived at the Ellipse to address the “Save America March” shortly after his personal attorney Rudy Giuliani warmed up the crowd by falsely suggesting voting machines were “crooked” and insisting that Pence could change the election outcome, which the vice president did not have the power to do. “Let’s have trial by combat!” the former New York Mayor told the crowd as they awaited the President.
Backstage, Trump’s son and his girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, recorded themselves dancing to the soundtrack and encouraging Trump supporters to “fight.”
President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a rally Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington.
Inciting the crowd with an address threaded with lies — including that “the states got defrauded” in the election and “want to revote” — Trump stirred anger toward his vice president, telling the crowd once again that he hoped Pence would “do the right thing” — pressuring him to toss out the election results, which would have been illegal and beyond the bounds of his constitutional authority.
He already knew that his vice president would not take that step.
Pence had informed him in a tense conversation that he could not overturn the election results, leading Trump to curse at him, according to a source familiar with the conversation. But Trump did not let up at the Wednesday rally as he railed against “weak Republicans” and “pathetic Republicans” who refused to bend to his whims, while calling lawmakers who planned to contest the election results “warriors.”
“We’re gonna walk down to the Capitol. And we’re gonna cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women,” the President said as he marshaled the crowd for action. “You’ll never take back our country with weakness, you have to show strength and you have to be strong.”
But as his supporters marched down Pennsylvania Avenue and began their assault on the Capitol, Trump had returned to the White House consumed with his schemes for overriding an election that he lost with 232 electoral votes to Biden’s 306. To the dismay of his aides, he delighted in watching the riot that injured dozens of officers and sent fears of a coup racing across the Capitol. Aides struggled to get him to understand how serious the situation had become. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, one of the President’s staunchest allies, had a “heated exchange” with the President as rioters overran the Capitol building, urging him to denounce the attack and try to quell the violence, according to a source briefed on the exchange. But Trump declined to do so. Asked on Fox whether he expected Trump to address the situation, McCarthy said only: “I don’t know.”
Trump did not even attempt to secure the safety of the vice president, even though several of his supporters who were part of the violent mob were heard shouting “Where’s Mike Pence?” in the midst of their Capitol rampage. Those threats alarmed Pence and his family, a source close to the vice president told CNN’s Jim Acosta, widening the breach between the President and Vice President.
In fact as the siege unfolded, Trump demonstrated the callous depths of his narcissism by trying to pressure senators to derail the affirmation of the election results, as they feared for their safety in the midst of a riot he had incited.
CNN reported Friday that Trump mistakenly called Republican Sen. Mike Lee on his personal cell phone as the rampage was unfolding while trying to reach Sen. Tommy Tuberville, a newly elected Republican from Alabama. Lee fielded the President’s call shortly after 2 p.m. ET, at a time when senators had been evacuated from the Senate floor to protect them from the approaching mob. Lee handed Tuberville his phone, a spokesman for the senator confirmed to CNN, and the President proceeded to try to convince Tuberville to slow down the certification of the Electoral College vote. The call ended when the senators were moved to a secure location.
At the White House, Trump’s daughter and senior adviser Ivanka Trump and chief of staff Mark Meadows tried to convince Trump to record a message that would direct the rioters to stand down.
But the resulting message satisfied no one as he ad-libbed, telling the insurgents who had stormed the Capitol: “We love you. You’re very special.”
On Thursday, the wave of administration resignations and condemnations of the President by former Trump staffers continued as shaken staff members cited real concerns about the stability and continuity of government. On Capitol Hill, GOP lawmakers expressed anger about Trump’s role in that dark moment in the country’s history.
Trump went about his business, including awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to a pair of professional golfers in the East Room.
His attempts to proceed as normal angered some aides even further.
With the President increasingly isolated, Trump’s aides, including his daughter, Meadows and White House Counsel Pat Cipollone, warned him that he was in real danger of being removed or impeached. Though reluctant to denounce his supporters, he agreed to record a second video released Thursday where he acknowledged a new administration is coming — without congratulating Biden. (Cipollone is now among those who are considering resigning, two sources familiar with his thinking told CNN’s Pamela Brown.)
But Trump’s thinking hadn’t changed.
“I think that video was done only because almost all his senior staff was about to resign, and impeachment is imminent,” a White House adviser, who spoke with senior officials as the debacle was unfolding, told CNN’s Jim Acosta. “That message and tone should have been relayed election night … not after people died.”
Later, Trump appeared to some aides like he regretted taping the spot, asking those around him whether it was being well received.
The arrests of Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol began to pile up Friday including Derrick Evans, a West Virginia state legislator who is being charged with entering a restricted area and entering the US Capitol, and Richard Barnett of Arkansas who was photographed sitting at a desk in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office during the Capitol siege. Barnett was charged with knowingly entering and remaining in restricted building grounds without authority, violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds as well as the theft of public property, federal officials said Friday.
Lonnie Leroy Coffman of Alabama, who allegedly parked the pickup truck with the weapons cache near the Capitol Hill Club near the Capitol, told police he also had mason jars filled with “melted Styrofoam and gasoline” — a combination that could have the same effect as napalm if it exploded, court documents said, because “it causes the flammable liquid to stick to objects that it hits upon detonation.”
While the possibility of removal of the President through the 25th Amendment looks increasingly remote, in part because Pence has no interest in participating in that process, more Republicans are turning their attention to helping Biden transition into the job.
McCarthy rejected calls for Trump’s impeachment Friday, but referred to Biden as the President-elect for the first time: “I have reached out to President-elect Biden today and plan to speak to him about how we must work together to lower the temperature and unite the country to solve America’s challenges,” the California Republican said.
After Trump indicated in one of his final tweets that he won’t attend Biden’s inauguration, the President-elect expressed relief at the prospect of his absence Friday, stating it was the one of the few things they had ever agreed on. Pence, however, would be welcome to attend, Biden said.
Wednesday’s events, Biden argued, proved that Trump is “not fit to serve.” If the nation were six months from inauguration, Biden said, he would be all for “moving everything” to get Trump out of office, including invoking the 25th Amendment. But with less than two weeks to go, the President-elect said he was focused “on us taking control” and would leave decisions about impeachment up to the Congress.
The President’s encouragement of a mob Wednesday, Biden said, reminded him of what happens in nations with tin horn dictators. But he said the country’s realization of the danger Trump poses could make his job easier as he attempts to unite a divided country — though that remains an open question.
“I’ve had a number of Republicans who are former colleagues call me.
They are as embarrassed and mortified by the President’s conduct as the Democrats are,” Biden said Friday. “What this President has done is ripped the band-aid all the way off to let the country know who he is, and what he’s about, and how thoroughly unfit for office he is.”
As reported by CNN
Jewish News and Israel news – Breaking News
© 2021 Jewish News and Israel news - Breaking News. All rights reserved.
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People Do Vote For Tyranny
by Clare M. Lopez
Radicalislam.org
http://lopez.pundicity.com/12656/vote-tyranny
As the world watches and waits for the Egyptian people to vote in a nationwide referendum to be held December 15 on a new constitution drafted largely by the Muslim Brotherhood, it would be well to consider another constitutional referendum from 33 years ago when another people who'd just been through a revolution went to the polls and cast their votes firmly in favor of tyranny.
On October 24, 1979, after a tumultuous year of revolution, the Iranian people turned out by the millions and voted overwhelmingly (over 98%) to approve a new constitution that subjugated the country to the rule of Islamic Law under the leadership of a single man – the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini – an Islamic cleric with unlimited power.
The vote was no snap response, as the full text of the new Iranian constitution had been published for the electorate's consideration more than four months earlier (from June, 1979). More than 15 million Iranian voters willingly chose to subordinate themselves, their children and their country to an Islamic theocratic dictatorship, whose provisions were spelled out to them and accepted by them in an explicitly worded constitutional document that described the totalitarian system of Velayat-e Faqih (Rule of the Jurisprudent) and dedicated the nation to jihad.
Further, the preamble to the constitution made clear that the Iranian revolution was not intended to stop at the country's borders but rather would strive for the formation of a "single world community" (ummah) in accordance with the "universal values of Islam," thus committing Iran and its military forces to open-ended aggression and warfare (which followed soon enough).
While the draft Egyptian constitution contains no such institution as a Supreme Leader or Velayat-e Faqih, it does state in Article 2 that "Principles of Islamic Sharia are the principal source of legislation," thus ensuring that genuine liberal democracy (in which the people and their representatives craft laws free of theological constraints) will have no chance in the new Egypt.
Also, as both Andrew McCarthy (here) and Barry Rubin (here) point out, the new constitution makes clear that implementation of sharia will be far stricter under the Muslim Brotherhood than it ever was under Mubarak: Article 219 defines the "principles of Islamic Sharia" to be bound by "sources accepted in Sunni doctrines and by the larger community," which means the four classical schools of Sunni jurisprudence and the Islamic institution of scholarly consensus (ijma). The Hanafi, Hanbali, Maliki and Shafi'i schools hold that the principles of Islamic Law were fixed many centuries ago and have remained immutable ever since.
So, despite a cursory nod in the direction of individual "rights and freedoms" (Article 81), the very next words of the Egyptian draft document, stipulating that such rights and freedoms "shall be practiced in a manner not conflicting with the principles pertaining to State and society included in Part I of this Constitution," make clear that means Egyptians get whatever "human rights" are allowed under sharia (see below).
Just like the 1990 Cairo Declaration of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which exempted all Muslim countries from compliance with the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and declared that under Islam, human rights means sharia and only sharia.
Further, much as Article 96 of the Iranian constitution designated the Guardian Council (comprised of 12 jurist experts in Islamic Law) to determine the "compatibility of the legislation passed by the Islamic Consultative Assembly with the laws of Islam," so too does Egypt's new constitution designate al-Azhar's "Senior Scholars … to be consulted in matters pertaining to Islamic law."
Thus, a non-elected assembly of Islamic jurists will be granted the authority to approve or disapprove any legislation the Egyptian parliament passes, with judgment to be based solely on Islamic laws set down in the 10th century.
Those laws assign the death penalty for adultery, apostasy from Islam, homosexuality and, in some cases, for blasphemy or slander (criticism) against Islam. They establish legal inequality between Muslims and non-Muslims and between men and women. And lest any think these laws apply only to Egyptians or only to Muslims, sharia also mandates jihad against non-believers for the express purpose of imposing sharia globally.
In addition, as Yousef al-Qaradawi, the Muslim Brotherhood's senior jurist, decades of accumulated Brotherhood ideology, and the campaign speeches of Ikhwan stalwarts like Khairat al-Shater or Mohammed Morsi himself all attest, mainstream Islamic doctrine also mandates virulent hatred of infidels and Jews.
The Muslim Brotherhood may not move immediately to implement all of these principles, but approval of the new constitution would give them the authority and the popular mandate to do so. Morsi himself has left no doubt about how he intends to govern, pledging to an enthusiastic crowd in a May 2012 campaign speech on Egyptian TV that he is dedicated to "The shari'a, then the shari'a, and finally, the shari'a."
And the thing is, the Egyptian people, who are over 70% literate, know all this either from their own reading or through their imams and mosques. Andrew Bostom has been indefatigable in drawing our attention to credible surveys of the Egyptian public which unambiguously and overwhelmingly demonstrate that they want "strict application of Sharia law in every Islamic country (74%)," to "keep Western values out of Islamic countries (91%)" and to "unify all Islamic countries into a single Islamic state or Caliphate (67%)."
As recently as December 2010, a Pew survey found that 82% of Egyptians favor the stoning to death of people who commit adultery, 77% approved of whipping and hand amputation for theft and 84% said they thought apostates from Islam should be executed.
Despite the last spasms of protest from Egypt's tragically outnumbered liberals and secularists, does anyone still have any serious doubts about how this referendum is going to go? Backed and emboldened by the Obama administration in Washington, D.C., the Muslim Brotherhood has orchestrated its takeover of Egypt masterfully from the beginning: It won the initial constitutional amendments referendum by a landslide, then, together with its Salafist allies, grabbed an overwhelming majority in the January 2012 parliamentary elections, before taking the presidency in June 2012.
As Andrew McCarthy has pointed out, though, "The constitution was always the prize" and now that looks to be soon within their grasp as well. Once the December 15 up or down vote enshrines these sharia principles as law of the land, just as in Iran, there will be no going back for Egypt for a long, long time.
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US Home Values Continue to Surge in August
Nearly 35% of Metros in the U.S. Saw Double-Digit Annual Appreciation, Which Will Begin to Level Out as Inventory Shortages Ease and Mortgage Rates Rise
SEATTLE, Sept. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — National home value appreciation continued to climb in August, up 0.4 percent from July to a Zillow(R) Home Value Index(i) of $162,100, according to the August Zillow Real Estate Market Reports(ii) . Home values were up 6.6 percent annually in August, the largest gain since July 2006, when home values rose 7.9 percent year-over-year.
National home values have risen or remained flat month-over-month for almost two years, though the pace of monthly home value appreciation has slowed in recent months. August marked the third consecutive month in which monthly home values rose more slowly than the month prior.
A majority (85 percent) of the 382 metros covered in August experienced annual home value appreciation. Among the 30 largest metro areas covered by Zillow, 20 saw annual appreciation of 10 percent or more. Metros with notable annual increases in August include Sacramento (34.1 percent), Las Vegas (30.6 percent) and Riverside, Calif. (29.7 percent).
For the 12-month period from August 2013 to August 2014, U.S. home values are expected to rise another 5.2 percent, to approximately $170,500, according to the Zillow Home Value Forecast(iii) . Large metro areas expected to show the most appreciation over the next year include Riverside (21.9 percent), Sacramento (19.2 percent) and Los Angeles (13.2 percent).
“August marked the end of one of the hottest summer home shopping seasons in years, as home value appreciation rates continued their rocket ride upward — perhaps dangerously so in some metro areas,” said Zillow Chief Economist Stan Humphries. “Double-digit appreciation rates do help to lift homeowners out of negative equity and to entice sellers into a low-inventory environment, but this rapid growth is not normal and cannot and should not be expected to last. We are already beginning to see moderation in the monthly pace of home value appreciation, which will be good for the market overall and in the long term.”
National rents also rose in August compared with July, up 0.5 percent to a Zillow Rent Index(iv) of $1,293. Year-over-year, national rents were up 1.9 percent in August.
The number of completed foreclosures in August fell to 5.17 homes foreclosed out of every 10,000 homes nationwide, down from 5.27 homes in July. Foreclosure resales represented 8.28 percent of homes sold in the U.S. in August, down 0.3 percentage points from July and 3.1 percentage points from August 2012.
Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) Zillow Rent Index (ZRI)
Metropolitan 2013 2013
Areas ZHVI Month-Month % Change Year-Year % Change ZRI Month-Month % Change Year-Year % Change
United States $162,100 0.4% 6.6% $1,293 0.5% 1.9%
New York, NY $351,800 0.6% 3.3% — — —
Los Angeles, CA $483,200 1.7% 22.8% $2,318 0.4% 1.6%
Chicago, IL $169,700 1.2% 4.9% $1,541 0.4% 0.8%
Philadelphia,
PA $189,600 0.0% 2.5% $1,503 0.1% 0.7%
Washington, DC $341,900 0.8% 8.9% $2,089 0.4% 1.5%
Miami-Fort
Lauderdale,
FL $170,200 1.5% 15.2% $1,659 0.6% 4.0%
Atlanta, GA $126,000 1.6% 13.3% $1,138 0.4% 1.2%
Boston, MA $341,200 1.2% 10.1% $1,997 0.1% 3.5%
CA $633,700 1.5% 28.1% $2,555 0.3% 2.9%
Detroit, MI $93,700 1.7% 20.3% $1,044 0.7% 2.0%
Riverside, CA $241,700 3.0% 29.7% $1,586 0.2% 2.6%
Phoenix, AZ $181,400 1.5% 20.9% $1,145 0.0% -0.4%
Seattle, WA $305,900 1.4% 16.0% $1,672 0.7% 3.8%
Minneapolis-St
Paul, MN $197,100 2.0% 16.3% $1,463 0.4% 1.5%
San Diego, CA $436,000 1.8% 23.7% $2,149 0.2% 2.5%
St. Louis, MO $128,300 -0.1% 1.7% $1,091 1.0% -1.4%
Tampa, FL $127,000 1.7% 15.6% $1,207 0.2% 2.8%
Baltimore, MD $230,000 0.3% 6.0% $1,683 0.4% 0.2%
Denver, CO $248,600 1.3% 14.5% $1,577 0.9% 5.6%
Pittsburgh, PA $112,900 0.8% 4.6% $1,005 1.2% -2.0%
Portland, OR $256,800 1.3% 15.8% $1,433 0.5% 3.3%
Sacramento, CA $279,600 2.0% 34.1% $1,466 0.3% 0.3%
Orlando, FL $143,000 1.8% 17.5% $1,246 0.3% 3.8%
Cincinnati, OH $127,700 0.7% 4.0% $1,122 -0.9% 7.3%
Cleveland, OH $115,100 0.3% 5.1% $1,109 0.2% 3.3%
Las Vegas, NV $156,600 2.8% 30.6% $1,159 0.3% 0.9%
San Jose, CA $734,500 0.9% 24.0% $2,685 0.6% 3.8%
Columbus, OH $132,200 0.4% 6.4% $1,192 0.8% 3.4% ————— ——– ——————– —————— —— ——————– ——————
Charlotte, NC $139,100 0.3% 2.9% $1,144 0.0% 0.3%
Indianapolis,
IN $137,500 0.8% 10% $1,155 0.2% 1.1%
About Zillow:
Rising Home Prices Help with Underwater Mortgages
Rising home prices drove down the number of U.S. homeowners struggling with underwater mortgages in the second quarter, leaving 14.5 percent of residential properties with a mortgage in negative equity, a report from CoreLogic showed on Tuesday. The rate was down from 19.7 percent in the first quarter, 22.3 percent a year ago and 26 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009, which was the most since CoreLogic began keeping statistics earlier that year.
Negative equity, another term for underwater mortgage, refers to properties whose value is less than what is owed on the mortgage. Negative equity rates spiked in the aftermath of the housing crisis, which began in earnest five years ago and set off a multiyear free-fall in prices. But recovery in the sector over the past year has helped improve some homeowners’ standings. There were 7.1 million underwater homes in the second quarter compared with a downwardly revised 9.6 million in the first three months of 2013, CoreLogic said.
According to the S&P/Case Shiller composite index of 20 metropolitan areas, prices were up 12.1 percent in the 12 months to June. “Price appreciation obviously had a positive impact on home equity over the first half of 2013, especially in the second quarter,” CoreLogic Chief Executive Anand Nallathambi said in a statement.
About 3.5 million homeowners regained positive equity in the first half of the year, the report said.
Nevada had the highest percentage of properties in negative equity in the second quarter at 36.4 percent. Rounding out the top five were Florida, Arizona, Michigan and Georgia. These five states combined accounted for 34.9 percent of negative equity in the United States.
The housing market, however, is far from fully healed. In addition to the 7.1 million homes with underwater mortgages, another 1.7 million were considered to be in near-negative equity in the second quarter, a description for properties with less than 5 percent equity. Even a modest fall in prices could put those mortgages underwater, and economists expect a recent rise in mortgage rates to slow the pace of price gains in the months ahead.
Mark Fleming, CoreLogic’s chief economist, said that a slowing in price gains could slow the rate at which homeowners return to positive equity.
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by Nettrice Gaskins | Apr 30, 2012
Maya Lin. "Dew Point 18 (detail)," 2007. Blown glass. © Maya Lin Studio, Inc., courtesy The Pace Gallery. Photo courtesy The Pace Gallery.
In this week’s roundup Maya Lin invites and challenges viewers, Alfredo Jaar makes history, Mike Kelley, Pepón Osorio, Carrie Mae Weems, and Jessica Stockholder explore everyday things, and more.
Maya Lin recently launched What Is Missing?, as part of the fifth, and last, of her memorial projects, which began with the Vietnam Veterans Memorial built on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in 1982. The web-based, multimedia memorial coincides with her exhibition in the Heinz Architectural Center, Carnegie Museum of Art. The show closes May 13.
Mike Kelley, Pepón Osorio, Carrie Mae Weems, and Jessica Stockholder have work in Everyday Things: Contemporary Works from the Collection at the Rhode Island School of Design. This show features artworks that depict commonplace objects and imagery, utilize everyday elements in their construction, or serve as functional artist-made objects, including benches, chairs, and light fixtures. This work is on view through February 24, 2013.
Richard Serra‘s, Kiki Smith‘s and Martin Puryear‘s works are currently on view in Inside|Out at the Speed Art Museum (Louisville, KY). The exhibition illustrates how art and nature connect at the “New” Speed when the Museum reopened after its renovation and expansion project. Inside|Out looks at sculptures and prints made by these artists, among others. The exhibition closes September 23.
Jeff Koons lent his entire body of work to designer Lisa Perry’s latest collection of apparel and accessories. Perry’s art-inspired collection featuring Koons’s work is available at her boutique and on her website. Some of the proceeds will go to the Koons Family Institute, an initiative of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Alfredo Jaar is featured in Making History at Frankfurter Kunstverein (Frankfurt, Germany). The exhibition addresses how photographs shape our view of history as well as the images that are withheld from us. Jaar’s photographs investigate the potential effect and ideological power of published photographic icons in his work, as well as in a large-scale installation. This show runs through July 8.
Barry McGee‘s stickers are featured in Stuck Up: A Selected History of Alternative and Popular Culture told through Stickers at the UGLYgallery and New Bedford Art Museum (Massachusetts). Contemporary artists not necessarily known for stickers, such as Jenny Holzer, are shown side by side with anonymous stickers peeled from the streets of New York City. This exhibition will run concurrently at the New Bedford Art Museum and UGLYgallery through May 4.
Nettrice Gaskins
Nettrice Gaskins is an artist and educator who holds a Ph.D. in Digital Media. Gaskins previously compiled the Magazine's "Weekly Roundup" and occasionally contributes articles on afrofuturism.
Pepón Osorio
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A Bakewell Media Publication
Home News The Life of Kamala Harris Represents Preliminary Steps for Change
The Life of Kamala Harris Represents Preliminary Steps for Change
The presence of Madam Vice President-elect Kamala Harris represents the new era of America.
She solidified the time for change and exemplifies the tide of cultural balance. As the first Black and South Asian woman to be listed on a major political ballot, and the first woman to be voted on as vice president, Harris raises the awareness of a nation before her words begin to cut through her lips.
As the past generation takes her win as a nod to the countless steps made in the past for women empowerment and racial equity, the future will use her resolve as a vessel to sail through the future with a fresh force. She is symbolic of the change America is seeing, Harris embodies the energy of a new day in American history.
Kamala Devi Harris was born on October 20, 1964, in Oakland, California to Donald Harris and Shyamalan Gopalan. Harris was the first-born and that preliminary title follows her into a professional career.
Harris’ family were people of strategy, with her parents holding their own in economic study and cancer research center; Kamala and her younger sister Maya were brought up in a house of mental elevation.
As a daughter of South Asian and Jamaican genetic makeup, she was aware of cultural awareness early on.
That energy is draped over her heart; Harris plans to be planted in that solidarity, to be persistent until physical evidence of Justice. She knows how to continue on into battle, even if the odds seemed to be stacked up against her.
Empowered by the jostle of her mother, Harris pushed through seemingly unbreakable boundaries.
She holds the title as the first Black woman to have held district and general attorney roles in California’s history.
From 2004 to 2011, Harris had a meteoric effect on many communities as district attorney, finding her essence in the initiative that gives first-time drug offenders the chance to earn a high school diploma and find employment in California.
Knowing her place was at the top, Harris bloomed with the determination and perseverance to become a lawyer, district attorney, and U.S. Senator.
Longing for change, Harris wore her courtroom introduction, like a pendant of honor and embodied the statement: “Kamala Harris, For the People.”
From there, she has installed those words as part of her personal trait that shines through her platform of public policy. Harris followed in her destined role with the armor to fight against an enemy of any size.
Harris shared experiences fighting in court; she fought for the residents of working-class communities and victims of a failed system.
Harris expressed that she could recognize the hunter and hunted, and she is well suited for the battle for the sovereignty of fairness.
Before she was the first Black woman and South Asian American to be voted in as vice president, Harris was a student in a sea of new minds.
Harris attended Howard University and she graduated with her B.A. in 1986. She completed her courses to earn a Juris Doctor degree from Hastings College.
Passionate to fight for justice, Harris was admitted to the state bar in 1990.
She was the leading attorney of the Career and Criminal Unit in San Francisco, eight years later.
As U.S. Senator, her “quiet and exquisite power” burrowed through testosterone filled rooms, creating the tunnel vision needed to become the vice president.
Harris overcame strongholds that left the previous political aesthetic narrow, she was the first Black woman to be on a major ballot, breaking the mold of the White male line up found in the American timeline of political candidacy.
Harris continues to stand on the words she discovered while being a prosecutor; she is for the people.
Relishing in the memories of fighting for children and survivors of sexual assault, Harris was never afraid of confrontation. She would take on some of the most prominent banks and conglomerate companies that tried to take advantage of smaller voices.
Harris formally accepted her nomination as vice president on August 19.
Her speech consisted of mindfulness, alignment, faith, and the fight this country needs to elevate to a new definition of equality and freedom. Harris disclosed the details of her alignment with Biden, she stated, “We must elect Joe Biden.
I knew Joe as Vice President. I knew Joe on the campaign trail.
But I first got to know Joe as the father of my friend.”
Her election is the steepest crack into the glass ceiling; Harris cultivated her answer for evolution of human quality to be the vehicle navigated by the Biden Administration.
There is a shared goal of moving forward with a new sense of purpose, healing generational wounds, and restoring the health of the nation.
The Harris name now embarks on authority; she has pushed a new standard forward.
The story of her victory told America, there is no need to wait permission to make the change for equality. COVID-19 has heavily influenced the need for change.
Harris stressed her strong faith in the Biden Administration to be the best guide through this new terrain.
She stated, “We believe that our country—all of us, will stand together for a better future.
We already are.”
Public policy is being represented by a Black woman, Harris continues to mirror a new dimension of change and aspires the nation to accept the new frontier.
She continues to lean on a pillar of Justice and center her purpose to bring balance back into a system that has seen the same type of political figures in seats of power.
Vice President-elect Harris continues to break barriers with each step she takes on Capitol Hill soil and her position works as a pivotal point for the course of history.
There is much to be admired about this time of acceptance. Harris intends to bring an overflow of inclusivity and balance in the White House. Her words come with high potency to make needed change, but her presence solidifies that it will take place under her watch.
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AllRefer.com > Pictures & Images > Electronic Control Squadron at Naval Air Station - Flying over Idaho
Electronic Control Squadron at Naval Air Station - Flying over Idaho
A five-ship formation flies over the Idaho Sawtooth Mountains Nov. 1. Col. Anthony Rock, 366th Fighter Wing commander, led the formation of two F-15E Strike Eagles, and F-15 Eagle, an F-16 Fighting Falcon, all from the 366th FW at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, and an EA-6B Prowler from the 388th Electronic Control Squadron at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash., a geographically separated unit from the 366th FW The 366th FW began the first phase of its F-16 drawdown when five jets departed the base Nov. 2. The departure is part of the wing’s realignment. The 366th FW began the first phase of its F-16 Fighting Falcon drawdown when five jets departed the base Nov. 2. The departure is part of the wing’s realignment from an F-16, F-15C and F-15E base to an all F-15E Strike Eagle installation by 2011. The move, outlined in the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure recommendation, is al
A five-ship formation flies over the Idaho Sawtooth Mountains Nov. 1. Col. Anthony Rock, 366th Fighter Wing commander, led the formation of two F-15E Strike Eagles, and F-15 Eagle, an F-16 Fighting Falcon, all from the 366th FW at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, and an EA-6B Prowler from the 388th Electronic Control Squadron at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash., a geographically separated unit from the 366th FW The 366th FW began the first phase of its F-16 drawdown when five jets departed the base Nov. 2. The departure is part of the wing’s realignment. The 366th FW began the first phase of its F-16 Fighting Falcon drawdown when five jets departed the base Nov. 2. The departure is part of the wing’s realignment from an F-16, F-15C and F-15E base to an all F-15E Strike Eagle installation by 2011. The move, outlined in the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure recommendation, is also part of the Air Force initiative to become a smarter and leaner force by consolidating its F-15 and F-16 fighter aircraft. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald)
Squadron & Thunderbird
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Squadron & Thunderbird Pictures
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Indigofera aralensis Gagnep.
This species is accepted, and its native range is Indo-China.
Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam
Indigofera aralensis Gagnep. appears in other Kew resources:
Herbarium Catalogue (1 records)
Identified As
Pierre, L. [998], Thailand K000848666
Balslav, H. & Chantaranothai, P. (2018). Flora of Thailand 4(3.1): 221-371. The Forest Herbarium, Royal Forest Department.
Lock, J.M. & Heald, J. (1994). Legumes of Indo-China a checck-list: 1-164. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Herbarium Catalogue Specimens
'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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Indigofera fulgens Baker
This species is accepted, and its native range is Tanzania to Northern Prov., W. Madagascar.
Accepted Infraspecifics
Not Threatened
According to Flora of Tropical East Africa
[FTEA]
Leguminosae, J. B. Gillett, R. M. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1971
Softly woody shrub up to 2 m. tall; stems often slightly zigzag, pubescent at first, then glabrescent.
Stipules filiform, pubescent, up to 18 mm. long; rhachis pubescent, up to 13 cm. long, including a petiole of ± 10 mm., prolonged 5–9 mm. beyond lateral leaflets; leaflets 11–23, with filiform stipellae 2–3 mm. long exceeding the petiolules, rather paler beneath than above, elliptic-lanceolate, pointed at the base, up to 25 mm. long and 11 mm. wide, sparsely silky pubescent on both surfaces.
Inflorescences
Racemes densely many-flowered, pubescent, up to 11 cm. long including a peduncle of up to 15 mm.; bracts linear-lanceolate, up to 8 mm. long, out-topping the buds, pubescent, caducous; pedicels pubescent, 1.5 mm. long in flower, up to 3 mm. long and usually reflexed in fruit.
Calyx pubescent; lobes triangular, ± as long as the tube, the lower longer than the upper.
Corolla white puberulent outside; standard and keel pointed.
Stamens 13–15 mm. long.
Ovary glabrous, with ± 14 ovules.
Pod (immature) almost straight, up to 4 cm. long, glabrous.
In thickets on sandy soils; 0–500 m.; rainfall ± 950 mm.
T8 subsp. brachybotrys (Bak.) Gillett with stamens ± 10 mm. long, in Madagascar
Madagascar, Mozambique, Northern Provinces, Tanzania
Includes 1 Accepted Infraspecifics
Indigofera fulgens subsp. fulgens
Indigofera fulgens Baker appears in other Kew resources:
First published in D.Oliver & auct. suc. (eds.), Fl. Trop. Afr. 2: 101 (1871)
Schrire, B.D. (2012). Flora Zambesiaca 3(4): 1-245. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Lock, J.M. (1989). Legumes of Africa a check-list: 1-619. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Du Puy, D.J., Labat, N.-N., Rabevohitra, R., Villiers, J.-F., Bosser, J. & Moat, J. (2002). The Leguminosae of Madagascar: 1-737. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Gillett in Kew Bulletin, Add. Ser. 1: 86 (1958).
J.P.M. Brenan, Check-lists of the Forest Trees and Shrubs of the British Empire no. 5, part II, Tanganyika Territory p. 429 (1949).
Bak. in Flora of Tropical Africa 2: 101 (1871).
Du Puy, D. J. et al. (2002). The Leguminosae of Madagascar. RBG Kew.
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Last Name: Gill – Would you like to know the origin, Coat of Arms and Ancestors of the Surname Gill? – X-Finder
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Coat of Arms of your Family
The surname Gill can be of English, Scottish, Irish, Dutch or Jewish origin. In England the name is derived from the short form of the given names Giles, Julian, or William. It may also be a topographical name for someone who lived by a ravine or deep glen, the Middle English ‘gil(l)’ ( Old Norman ‘gil’, gill of a fish, also used as a transferred sense of a ravine ). A family could acquire a place name as a surname under three different circumstances: 1. the gentleman lived or worked in or near some topographical formation or landscape feature, either natural or artificial. 2. he formerly lived in a village and thus acquired the reputation of being from that place. 3. he owned or was lord of the village or manor designated. However, it is safe to say that in most cases a placename merely identifies the place where the original bearer of the name formerly resided; as is the case with the surname Gill. To the Scots and Irish the name is an anglicized form of the Gaelic name Mac Gille (Sc), Mac Giolla (Ir), patronymics from an occupational name for a servant or a short form of various personal names formed by attaching this elementt to the name of the saint. To …
Coat of arms: Erminois an eagle displaed with two heads sable on a chief i…
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Harry Belafonte wants to resolve issues with JAY Z + Beyoncé, requests a sit down [Video] | News
|By Natasha Nanner
Renowned social activist Harry Belafonte is hoping to resolve his issues with JAY Z and Beyoncé by inviting the superstar couple for a one-on-one sit down, in which they can perhaps address their differences and reach some common ground.
The icon recently rubbed Mr Carter up the wrong way with a remark reportedly claiming that the rapper and his wife have turned their back on social responsibility and could be utilising their celebrity status more effectively. Jay then responded via his new album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, and also went into more depth about why Harry’s comment had offended him during a #FactsOnly interview with Elliott Wilson last week.
“Belafonte went about the wrong way. The way he did it within the media and then he bigged-up Bruce Springsteen. It was like woo, you just sent the wrong message like all around…” Jay told Elliott.
Now, Belafonte – who is currently protesting the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin case – has attempted to clear the air by explaining what he really meant by his controversial remark.
When asked on MSNBC about whether Jay should continue touring with Justin Timberlake, Harry responded:
“I would be hard pressed to tell Mr. JAY Z what to do with this time and his fortune. All I can be critical is of what he is not doing. This conflict that is emerging was not from me as a direct attack on Jay-Z or Beyonce. I was at a press conference in Switzerland. Questions were raised by the international press. They asked about the artists and the social engagement of the past based on a film we were watching…and how artists responded earlier in my life and how they responded today.
“And I made the observation that the highly powerful voice that our community has – Black America has – there is so much celebrity power that it was sad to see that the collective of the celebrity power had not been applied to bring consciousness to the inequities that we face,” Belafonte said. “Artist that heard that responded in a very strong way. You’ll find that Jamie Foxx, you’ll find Chuck D [of Public Enemy]…you find that any number of highly profiled people have taken that critique and called for [a meeting]. We’ve sat. We’ve talked. And I will tell you now that these people that I’ve just mentioned are officially behind Dream Defenders. They are prepared to come down. They are prepared to perform. I would hope that Jay-Z would not take personally what was said because it was not said about him personally.”
He then extended an invitation to Jay and Bey, with hopes that the trio can sit down privately and talk things through.
“Having said that, I would like to say to Jay-Z, to Beyonce: My heart is wide open and filled with nothing but hope and the promise that we can sit and have a one-on-one. And lets understand each other rather than try to answer these questions and these nuances in a public place.”
Watch the full interview below and skip to the 11 minute mark to watch the section JAY Z and Beyonce.
Coincidentally, the MCHG rapper and Beyoncé recently attended a Trayvon Martin protest rally in New York.
beyonce Harry Belafonte Jay-Z music news trayvon martin
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Cayla Petree named 2019-2020 NJCAA Div. I Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year
LEVELLAND — Leading the Lady Texans to a 32-1 clip and their first outright conference title since 2013, Cayla Petree was named the 2019-2020 NJCAA Div. I Women's Basketball Coach of the Year Friday.
Petree led the Lady Texans to a No. 2 overall seed at the Women's Basketball National Tournament proving to be one of the top teams on both ends of the floor throughout the season. South Plains ripped off a 26 game win streak to begin the year, earning the program a No. 1 national ranking for just the second time in program history, both coming under Petree's guidance.
Already named the WBCA Two-Year College National Coach of the Year, as well as the WJCAC Coach of the Year and WhoopDirt.com Coach of the Year, the Lady Texans finished first nationally with a 50.6 percent shooting clip for the season and gave up just 49.5 points per game, the top mark in the NJCAA.
Petree, who will be moving on to Gulf Coast State next season, amassed an overall record of 127-36 during her five-year stint in Levelland, leading the Lady Texans to back-to-back conference crowns and three national tournament appearances. South Plains reached the Elite Eight of the national tournament during the 2018-2019 season and was undoubtedly a national title contender again this year.
Petree's squad without question reached its full potential, with five players earning all-Conference honors, with six members from the 2019-2020 team inking Div. scholarships.
Sophomore sharpshooter Sarah Shematsi signed with LSU on Nov. 13, while Caroline Germond and Channel Noah inked with TCU. The Lady Texans will also send 6-foot-5 center Ruth Koang to the South Eastern Conference next year after Koang committed to the University of Alabama on March 20. Most recently, 6-foot-1 forward Ka'Lia Smith announced she will be moving on to play for the University of Texas at Arlington next season, and sophomore Oceane Robin announced her commitment to California Baptist University at Riverside.
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Review of "A Bronx Tale"
The new musical A Bronx Tale has gone through many iterations—one person show, major motion picture and now big, splashy Broadway musical. The show is based on the recollections of actor Chazz Palminteri during his formative years growing up in a tightly knit Italian neighborhood in the Bronx. The musical is a traditionally structured production, as opposed to such other new, more innovative works as Dear Evan Hansen and Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812. Nonetheless, A Bronx Tale is, an entertaining and satisfying piece of musical theater.
Bobby Conte Thornton (center) and Nick Cordero (right) and members of the cast from "A Bronx Tale."
The story follows the trajectory of Palminteri from little tyke through his teenage years during the late 1950’s to late 1960’s. Known as Calogero, his life forever changes when he witnesses a daytime murder by the neighborhood wiseguy, Sonny, but doesn’t rat him out to the police. To show his gratitude Sonny takes him under his wings, to the displeasure of his mother and, especially, his father who sees the local ruffian as a malignant influence. However, the boy is transfixed by the hooligan’s lifestyle and respect he receives from people on the street. As Calogero gets older and becomes more intertwined with the hoodlums the question becomes will the seductiveness these mobsters radiate be too great to resist? Will he succumb to the appeal of the street or break free to pursue a better, healthier way of life?
As a playwright, Palminteri has crafted a memoir that is funny as well as poignant and introspective. Having the teenage protagonist consistently step out of character to act as the narrator of the show helps frame the action and provide necessary exposition for the audience. It’s not just a coming of age story about an impressionable young man and the trials and tribulations he faces growing up in an insulated section of New York City. It is also a tale of choices and the clash of values and ethics he faces between the hard-working beliefs and ethics of his parents and those of his “adopted” family.
Nick Cordero and Hudson Loverro from "A Bronx Tale."
The music and lyrics by Alan Menken and Glenn Slater combine traditionally structured Broadway songs with doo wop numbers reminiscent of the times as well as rhythm and blues tinged vocals. The score can by brash, high-spirited, and wistful.
The cast is led by Nick Cordero as the wiseguy Sonny. He’s charismatic, menacing and no-nonsense. He gives the character a magnetic allure even though we are chilled by his demeanor and actions. Bobby Conte Thornton, making his Broadway debut as the teenage Calogero, imbues the wide-eyed youth with internal conflicts and struggling allegiances. He admirably grows as a character from a naïve, uncorrupted individual to a more mature person questioning his life, choices and direction.
Hudson Loverro, as the younger Calogero, brings a spunky enthusiasm and professionalisms to his role. Richard H. Blake, as their father, conveys an earnestness and principled firmness to his character. Ariana DeBose as the teenage boy’s love interest, Jane, has an engaging presence, an independent-minded persona, and an attitude to take on and overcome all obstacles.
Members of the ensemble from "A Bronx Tale."
Sergio Trujillo’s choreographer can be exuberant, as with the opening number, “Belmont Avenue.” The production numbers move to the rhythms and sounds of the day. As with his previous work in Jersey Boys, Memphis, and On Your Feet! they can be sexy, sultry, and full of energy as the dance routines evolve naturally from the action on stage.
Directors Robert de Niro and Jerry Zaks know their way around the material—de Niro was the director of the acclaimed film version and both helmed the out-of-town tryout in Spring 2016 at New Jersey’s Papermill Playhouse. They bring a knowing language and histrionics to the characters. The duo spend the first act slowly developing and massaging the overall arc of the musical with a street smart sensibility. This gives them the opportunity to ramp up the storyline with a rush of material and commotion, culminating in a conclusion that neatly ties up the dramatic machinations of the show.
A Bronx Tale, a welcoming addition to this season’s line-up of new musicals.
Review of "The Band's Visit"
In the new Broadway show, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a 15-year-old boy with Asperger’s is thrust into a journey of self-discovery and an examination of relationships with his mother and father, teachers, and others. Audience members are given a window into the mind of an individual with this Austism Spectrum Disorder, thanks to the brilliance of the creative team and director, Marianne Elliott, and the remarkable performance of Alex Sharp in the lead role. However, there are traits and actions that Christopher exhibits which are not fully explained in the drama, a hit in London before opening in New York this fall. Why does someone like Christopher not want to be touched? What is the significance of his model train-building obsession? Why does he need to always tell the truth and be so literal?
The following will provide playgoers background information on general Asperger’s characteristics. Joining me in writing this column is my wife, Jane Thierfeld Brown, a national authority on students with Aspergers, who has co-authored three books on the subject and presents on the topic at colleges and universities across the country. Our goal is to help enrich the theatrical experience of those attending a performance of this dazzling production by exploring some of the behaviors in the show at a more rudimentary level.
Cannot Lie - Christopher informs people that he cannot lie. Many people with Asperger’s are literal and concrete in their thinking so lying does not make sense to them. Lying, many times, takes premeditation, manipulation and forethought, something that is incongruous to individuals with Asperger’s. Therefore, the character of Christopher needs to always tell the truth.
Being Touched – In the show, Christopher does not like physical contact. This is very common for individuals with Asperger’s. Unwarranted or unexpected touching can be overstimulating for many persons on the spectrum. Often people’s senses are highly acute, much more so then their neurotypical counterparts. This can make individuals with Asperger’s predisposed to becoming overly stimulated by lights, sounds, smells and touch. For some people with Asperger’s being touched can produce unintentional violent behavior, which may lead to unnecessary restraint and further anguish by the person with Asperger’s. In The Curious Incident of the Dog Christpher’s mother and father are the only ones able to touch and communicate with the boy by raising an upright hand, fingers apart. The teenager can reciprocate the movement, by touching their outstretched hands for just a few seconds. This ritual has a secondary effect of calming him down when agitated.
Being Literal – Individuals with Asperger’s can be very literal in how they see the world and in their responses. For example, in the show Christopher is told to be quiet. His simple response is how long he needs to be silent? He doesn’t understand this is just a figure of speech and, therefore, doe not know how long he actually cannot speak. This can we be wearing on other teenagers and adults that do not realize this need. Individuals like Christopher also do not comprehend the nuances of idioms or sarcasm, a fact which confounds his parents several times during the show.
Trains – According to the website of the National Austism Society of the United Kingdom (http://www.autism.org.uk/), an obsession with trains can help individuals with Asperger’s “manage [their] anxiety and [give them] some measure of control over a confusing and chaotic world.” Many people with Asperger’s are drawn to trains for two reasons. First, is the preciseness of train schedules, which fits into their need for structure, order, and predictability. Second, is the orderliness that train track patterns form. In the show, Christopher spends most of the production laying out tracks in a certain pattern, which can be seen as one of his coping mechanisms. In real life, a teenager like Christopher would always construct the train tracks in the identical arrangement, rarely varying its sequencing and organization. A possible third reason is the television show, Thomas the Tank Engine. The high interest in trains and the easily understood facial expressions of the trains draw many individuals with Asperger’s to this character/show.
The Grid – What makes the scenic design for the show so effective and meaningful is its basic floor-to-floor, wall-to-wall black grid system. It synthesizes all the needs of Christopher—structure, order, control, predictability and preciseness into the basic math construct of graph paper. The Grid is a conduit for showing the teenager’s traits, behaviors and defined movements. Simple in concept, The Grid echo’s Christopher’s need for order and his way of perceiving the world.
In The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time we are introduced to a teenage boy with Asperger’s. During the production audience members are given a glimpse into Christopher’s world. It can be confusing and unsettling for him as well as for people on his periphery. Hopefully, the explanations presented above will make the theater-going experience more enlightening and further enhance the virtuosity of the production. The information should also help us better understand individuals with Asperger’s we interact with in society.
Review of "In Transit"
For people that appreciate a cappella music for their stylized vocal arrangements and exquisite sounds then the new Broadway musical, In Transit, will be an entertaining treat.
The show, with book, music, and lyrics by Kristen Anderson Lopez, James-Allen Ford, Russ Kaplan and Sara Wordsworth, follows the lives of five individuals as they wrestle with personal crises, cope with unfulfilling relationships, and maneuver through the sometimes unforgiving city of New York and its transit system. The plot of the musical uncovers no new emotional territory and retreads familiar themes, but the strength of the production is the vocal gymnastics, not the dramatic machinations.
The score is comprised of songs that are tuneful and catchy, that bop and rock to the beat box backing of the talented Chesney Snow. The focus is on the crisp, unadulterated singing performed by the actors and actresses. The voices are beautifully blended and artistically arranged and orchestrated with tight harmonies and a sweetly satisfying balance. Kudos for the a cappella arrangements by Deke Sharon and musical supervision by Rick Hip-Flores. They deserve high praise for the wall of sound they have created for the acting troupe.
The cast doesn’t have to stretch their acting muscles but, nevertheless, deliver sound performances that keep the audience modestly intrigued between songs. Chesney Snow, one of the two rotating beat boxers in the production, is a proficient and masterly artist. He handles many roles—accompanist (remember there are no instruments in the musical), narrator, and a somewhat linkage with the central stories. Justin Guarini as Trent and Arbender Robinson as Steven are agreeable performers portraying a gay couple trying to navigate their avowed relationship. Erin Mackey as Ali is equally agreeable as a jilted lover. James Snyder as the frazzled, career challenged, Nate and Margo Seibert as the struggling and driven actress, Jane have more developed characters then the other actors. Their performances draw us in to their plights and make us want to cheer for them.
In her dual role as Director/Choreographer Kathleen Marshall gives the production a consistent flow and dynamism. The actors playfully mimic the feel of a New York subway car, with all the bumps and tussles associated with a ride. The musical is at its best when the entire ensemble is on stage. It gives an opportunity for Ms. Marshall to up the energy as the theater pulsates with vibrancy, a reminder of the flurry of activity during the evening rush hour.
The creative team, led by set designer Donyale Werle, Lighting Designer Donald Holder, Sound Designer Ken Travis, and Projection Designer Caite Hevner has meshed their talents to fashion a creditable subway station albeit with a number of added bells and whistles we wouldn’t normally see below ground. A moveable strip down the center of the flooring gives movement to a static stage as an imaginary subway line arrives and departs on an infrequent timetable.
In Transit, an enjoyable and appealing musical not just for a cappella aficiandos.
Review of "Finian's Rainbow"
For musical theater enthusiasts there is no better way to spend a cold, frigid New York afternoon or evening then at the splendid, feisty revival of Finian’s Rainbow at the Irish Repertory Theater. There is much to enjoy about this scaled down version of the classic show. First, and foremost, is the talented cast led by Melissa Errico and Ryan Silverman. They are wonderful performers with beautiful voices and a chemistry that is real and tender. Second, is the theater. It is a marvelous performance space that allows the audience to develop a special and close relationship with the actors and actresses on stage. Lastly, is the timeless score by Burton Lane and E.Y. Harburg. What other show has such remarkable, lyrical songs in one production? They include "How Are Things in Glocca Morra?," "If This Isn't Love," "Necessity," and one of my all-time favorites, “Old Devil Moon.”
For those not familiar with the 1947 musical, the plot centers on Finian (Ken Jennings) and his daughter Sharon (Melissa Errico), who have arrived from Ireland to settle in the south’s Rainbow Valley to make a new life for themselves. Finian has brought with him a swiped pot of gold in the belief that if he buries it the land will become exceptionally fertile. But Og (Mark Evans), a leprechaun has followed them to these shores to recover the stolen goods before he loses his otherworldly powers and turns human.
Melissa Errico and Ryan Silverman in "Finian's Rainbow."
Soon after father and daughter arrive they are quickly accepted by the towns folk, especially Woody (Ryan Silverman), who has a hankering for the young lass and they quickly become a couple. At the same time Og develops a warm spot for Woody’s mute sister Susan (Lyrica Woodruff). But trouble is brewing as the area’s bigoted Senator Rawkins (Dewey Caddell) has set his sights on underhandedly snatching the town’s fertile hillsides. Yet, through some inadvertent magic the politician’s plans are thwarted. The land is saved, marriages abound, and a happy ending resounds from the rafters.
The book by E.Y. Harburg and Fred Saidy, while whimsical, romantic, and carefree on the surface, stealthily addresses such meaningful issues as race relations, consumerism, and immigration policies. Both authors were known for injecting a sophisticated wit and social commentary into their work. Even though the show is over 70 years old the topics and subject matter, sadly, still resonate loudly in today’s political climate.
Mark Evans and Melissa Errico in "Finian's Rainbow."
Burton Lane and E.Y. Harburg have written a rousing score with beautiful ballads, joyous and celebratory numbers, and comedic gems. But, as with the book of the musical, a number of the songs also have finely honed appraisals and pointed observations.
The set design by James Morgan is fanciful, somewhat flippant and full of imagery with, for example, musical notes painted on the walls of the small stage.
Everyone in the cast is of the highest caliber. The notables include Ken Jennings, mischievous and impish as Finian. Melissa Errico, broad smiling and shimmering voice, has an innocent charm and independent streak, which makes her portrayal so winning. Ryan Silverman is charismatic and self-assured as Ms. Errico’s love interest. He exudes a down home appeal and gallantry, as well as a roguish lure. Mark Evans, tall, lanky, with a beguiling grin, provides a comedic spark throughout the production. Lyrica Woodruff, graceful and elegant, beautifully conveys her thoughts and emotions through her artistically executed dance steps.
Members of the ensemble of "Finian's Rainbow."
Director Charlotte Moore skillfully does more with less by utilizing her small band of performers to give the production a full-bodied look. The action on stage, when the whole cast is present, is bustling with energy and liveliness. The flow of the movement comes across as natural without any fussiness or showiness. She also demonstrates a lighter touch with the intimate and comedic moments as with the “Old Devil Moon” and “Something Sort of Grandish” numbers, respectively.
Finian’s Rainbow, a handsome, tuneful revival at the Irish Repertory Theater through January 29th.
Review of "Sweet Charity"
This following is based on a previous review of the production.
The premise for Theaterworks’ entertaining production, Christmas on the Rocks, is very simple. Ask seven playwrights—John Cariani, Jeffrey Hatcher, Jenn Harris & Matthew Wilkas, Jacques Lamarre, Theresa Rebeck, Edwin Sanchez, and Jonathan Tolins--to take iconic Christmas characters from holiday themed movies and television classics and reimagine them as older, more disenchanted and indifferent individuals. The result—seven very short playlets (no more then 12 minutes each) that are at times funny, poignant, joyful, and touching.
Jenn Harris in the Theaterworks production of "Christmas on the Rocks."
Each scene takes place in a seedy bar overseen by an aged bartender, played with a convincing worldweariness by Ronn Carroll. The other two cast members, the Matthew Wilkas and Jenn Harris, portraying a variety of characters, rotate scenes until they unite in the finale. Which portions of the linked plays did I like the most? What about those I found only mildly amusing? I’d rather not say, leaving the decision to each audience member. Each of the seven had their own charm and wit. Some I preferred might not have registered with other theater-goers and vice versa. The plots? Again, mum’s the word. Half of the fun of Christmas on the Rocks is discovering who the character is when they walk through the bar’s front door. However, be forewarned--brush up on your holiday films and TV shows before attending a performance. This will maximize your viewing pleasure and understanding of the inside jokes.
All three actors were marvelous, displaying subtle, humorous or over-the-top portrayals, depending on the particular scene. With a different wig and change of clothing both Harris and Wilkas were able to become a multitude of completely different, totally convincing characters. Bravo.
Matthew Wilkas in the Theaterworks production of "Christmas on the Rocks."
Michael Schweikardt’s set design of the run-down pub was so authentic looking. His attention to detail was superb. Look for Kris Kringle’s cane and Tiny Tim’s walking stick to the side of the bar and the dollar bills taped to the mirror. The address of the establishment—1225. A lit chihuahua’s head at the top of the liquor cabinet was an offbeat touch.
Director Rob Ruggiero effortlessly connects each of the seven plays to form a seamless whole. He skillfully guides each performer to bring out the essence of their role whether it is the comic, the inspirational, or the nuttiness or all three. Ruggiero perfectly paces each scene to elicit just the right blend of emotion and entertainment.
Christmas on the Rocks, hopefully a new holiday tradition in the Hartford area, playing now through December 23rd.
Review of "Other People's Money"
The all-star production of The Front Page is a fun and entertaining show. Every actor—from John Goodman to Sherie Renee Scott to John Slattery—is first-rate and has their role down pat in this well-oiled, comedic machine. But the play doesn’t soar until the appearance of Nathan Lane towards the end of Act II of the three-act show. His timing, facial expressions, manic gestures, and vocal inflections are pure delectation. The actor’s performance elevates the rest of his cast members making The Front Page, towards the end, an irresistible laughfest.
Playwrights Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur, both former Chicago newspapermen, have created a love letter to the rough and tumble world of tabloid journalism practiced in the early part of the 20th Century. The two have written a seamless piece where scenes literally burst upon one another with biting quips and wise-cracking banter coming fast and furious. The players—reporters, politicians, police, and other colorful characters--are lovable louts, hapless losers, and self-important incompetents. Bureaucrats and elected officials can’t be trusted and are blunderingly corrupt. Cynical? Yes. But Hecht and MacArthur have the personal knowledge and writing background to infuse all the show’s disparate components into an enjoyable confectionary mix.
John Goodman and members of the cast from "The Front Page."
The plot they developed centers around Hildy Johnson (John Slattery), a brash, veteran reporter for the Examiner. He’s just told his boss, Walter Burns (Nathan Lane), he’s leaving the business to get married and take a regular job in a New York advertising firm. While saying goodbye to his colleagues at the jail house press room Earl Williams (John Magaro), a condemned man, escapes in their very building, setting off a massive manhunt and scattering of all the hardened scribes, except Hildy. Just as he is about to leave the premises Williams smashes through one of the room’s windows, injured and dazed. This scenario sets into motion a raucous and crazed series of events that involves the oafish sheriff (John Goodman), clownish mayor (Dan Florek), Joe’s would-be girlfriend (Sherie Rene Scott), assorted newspaper men such as the prim and proper Bensinger (Jefferson Mays) and a host of other broadly drawn characters.
John Slattery and Nathan Lane from "The Front Page."
The cast is led by the illustrious Nathan Lane as the cantankerous, loud-mouthed editor, Walter Burns. The man can do no wrong on a Broadway stage. Enough said. Other notables in the exceptional cast include John Slattery, who is suitably dapper as the carousing, and pugnacious star reporter, Hildy Johnson. John Goodman is marvelous as the befuddled, bungling Sheriff Hartman; Dan Florek is marvelous as the bumbling mayor; Jefferson May gives the scribe Bensinger a fastidious pomposity; Sherie Rene Scott, is splendid as the downtrodden, misunderstood Mollie Malloy; and Holland Taylor is wonderfully flummoxed as the mother-in-law to be, Mrs. Grant.
Nathan Lane, Holland Taylor, and cast members from "The Front Page."
Director Jack O’Brien has effectively been able to take this notable group of actors and actresses and adroitly meld their considerable flair and savvy into a flawlessly rendered production. He has every scene humming and judiciously mapped out with skillful movements and fast-paced repartee. The interactions are sometimes too mannered and slick, but the overall composition is a harmonious success.
The Front Page, an admirable production, with a talented cast anchored by the virtuoso performance of the incomparable Nathan Lane.
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Review of "Christmas on the Rocks"
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style.newsbelow.co.uk style Back Daily Mail Deliveroo will expand to 100 new towns and cities across UK
12 Jan 11:49am
Deliveroo will expand to 100 new towns and cities across UK
Deliveroo has announced plans to expand to cover 100 more towns and cities across the UK this year, including Yeovil, ast Kilbride, King's Lynn, Scarborough, Llanelli and Exmouth.
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Tag: Messi
Chelsea, Inter and the teams Messi has never scored against
Of all the teams the Barcelona forward has faced, he has failed to hit the net against just 12, including Tuesday’s Champions League opponents
A career spent as one of the world’s most prolific goalscorers and perennially at the top of the game, Lionel Messi has upset a huge number of teams as a star for Barcelona.
The Argentine’s exploits have led the Catalan side to global success and helped keep them within the top echelons of European football.
So consistent has Messi been that it is easier to name the teams he has failed to score against in his senior career since he emerged in Barca’s senior side as a 17-year-old in October 2004.
Of all the teams Messi has faced in the near 13 and a half years since his first appearance for the Blaugrana, he has failed to hit the net against just 12.
He will get the chance to knock one of those teams off the list on Tuesday when his side visit Chelsea in the Champions League. Goal runs through the teams the Camp Nou icon has never scored against.
#12 Gramenet
Messi’s third official appearance and first start for Barcelona was also his first defeat with the senior side, as Frank Rijkaard’s men lost to Gramenet in the Copa del Rey.
Despite the presence of Messi, Henrik Larsson and Andres Iniesta in the starting XI, the Blaugrana could not find a way through against the third-tier team and conceded the decisive goal in extra-time.
It is the only time Messi has come up against his side’s Catalan neighbours.
#11 Udinese
With just one goal to his name for the Camp Nou outfit, Messi was still far off the level that carried him to five Ballons d’Or when he lined up against Udinese in September 2005.
Back then, he was just a promising youngster lucky enough to be playing in attack alongside Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto’o.
It was the Brazilian who showed he was still the grandmaster in the Champions League encounter, scoring a hat-trick in a 4-1 win.
Messi, meanwhile, was withdrawn in the 70th minute and although he scored in his next Champions League appearance, he was left out of the next two group games, one of which was the return clash with Udinese.
#10 Cadiz
In December 2005, Messi missed another rare chance to add another name to his long list of victims in a game against Cadiz.
The Argentine got an assist as Barca won 3-1, setting up Samuel Eto’o early in the second half.
Messi was injured when the two sides met later in the season in a much tighter affair but, luckily, Ronaldinho was on hand to score the winning goal as Barca went on to win the league.
He has not faced them since.
#9 Real Murcia
The 2007-08 season may have been a disappointment for Barcelona, as they finished third in La Liga, an incredible 18 points behind champions Real Madrid.
However, it ended with a lot of fun, as they recovered from the concession of an early goal to storm to a 5-1 lead over Real Murcia in the final game of the season.
Messi again got two assists, but it was Giovani dos Santos who took the plaudits for his hat-trick. While Barca have faced Murcia several times since, Messi has not played in any of those games.
Al Sadd
Barca strolled to Club World Cup success in 2011 with 4-0 wins over Al Sadd and Santos.
Although Messi outshone a young Brazilian superstar by the name of Neymar by scoring twice in the tournament decider, the Argentine was unsuccessful in finding the net against Al Sadd in the semi-finals.
He did, however, set up Seydou Keita for Barca’s third goal in a routine win.
#7 Girona
Messi may have drawn a blank against Girona in his first meeting with the newly-promoted side earlier this season, but they hardly needed him at his best.
Barca were gifted two own goals by the hosts before Luis Suarez put the game beyond doubt.
Messi could bring this list of teams down from 12 to 10 by the end of the week, as Barca travel to Chelsea on Tuesday before taking on Girona again at the weekend.
#6 Liverpool
Messi, Ronaldinho, Xavi and Deco could do little to prevent Liverpool from marching to the 2007 Champions League final when they met at the last-16 stage.
Rafael Benitez’s men got the crucial away goals with a 2-1 win in Camp Nou before Barca edged the return leg 1-0. Despite Messi starting and finishing each game, he could not find a crucial goal to put Rijkaard’s men through.
The Anfield side have been lucky to have evaded his reach in the near 11 years since.
#5 Benfica
Barcelona came up against Benfica early in Messi’s career, when they overcame the Portuguese side in the quarter-finals on their way to Champions League success in 2006.
The Rosario-born star was was ruled out for the tie through injury, however, and did not get a chance to face them again until 2013.
He orchestrated one win over the Eagles with two assists, but Benfica go down as another side that he hasn’t scored against in two attempts.
#4 Xerez
Messi certainly has a reasonable excuse for having never struck lucky against Xerez.
Although he played against them twice in La Liga in 2009-10, he was a second-half substitute each time and played a limited role in victories for Pep Guardiola’s team.
#3 Inter
It was Jose Mourinho’s Inter who halted Barca’s march to another Champions League crown when they knocked the Catalan side out in dramatic circumstances in the semi-finals in 2010.
The two sides met four times in the competition, having also been drawn in the same group, but Messi was kept quiet in the three times he featured against that year’s tournament winners.
#2 Rubin Kazan
Russian side Rubin Kazan have proved a surprisingly stubborn side when it comes to facing the Blaugrana in Europe.
Even the attacking prowess of the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has proved futile in any game he has played against them.
The Argentine has been on the winning side against Rubin just once in the four times he has faced them, drawing two and losing one.
#1 Chelsea
A fixture with a lot of history, meetings between Barcelona and Chelsea in the Champions League generate a great deal of excitement and controversy.
Of the eight times Messi has taken on the Stamford Bridge side in the last 12 years, he has been on the winning side just once, in 2005-06.
He did have an integral role in the most exciting moment between the two sides in recent years when he set up Andres Iniesta for the big winner in their 2009 semi-final leg at Stamford Bridge.
However, in eight games against the Blues, Messi has never found the net.
Will that change on Tuesday?
Format ImagePosted on 20/02/2018 Author [email protected]Categories SoccerTags champions league, Chelsea, La Liga, Messi, Premier LeagueLeave a comment on Chelsea, Inter and the teams Messi has never scored against
‘Conte one of the world’s best managers’ – Valverde defends Chelsea boss
The Blues boss continues to come under pressure after an inconsistent campaign, but the Barcelona coach has defended his opposite number
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is “one of the best managers in the world”, according to his opposite number at Barcelona, Ernesto Valverde.
The two giants of European football will face-off on Tuesday in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie at Stamford Bridge.
Despite two convincing home wins in the last seven days, the pressure remains on Conte after an indifferent defence of the Premier League title his side won last season.
The former Juventus boss continues to be linked with a move away from west London, with Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan all reportedly interested in his services next season.
But Valverde insists his team will not be taking the Blues lightly while leaping to the defence of Conte.
“Antonio Conte is one of the best coaches in the world,” he told a press conferene. “He’s got a fantastic CV, not just here in England after winning the league with Chelsea, but with Juve and with his national team.
“His teams are well drilled tactically. They know what to do in every moment and it’s a real challenge.
“We’re planning to change our dynamic a little bit away from home. They’re physical, they defend well. They’ve got players who can hit you well on the counterattack.”
Tuesday’s clash will mark the 13th time Barca have faced Chelsea in the Champions League, with the Premier League outfit holding the recent edge.
The Blues are unbeaten in their last seven games against the Blaugrana, though Barca have won three of the five knockout ties between the teams across two legs.
Valverde admits he is looking forward to adding another chapter to their rivalry, but took time to remind his hosts of previous results.
“History counts,” he said.
“The main players change during the game. [Lionel] Messi, [Andres] Iniesta might still be there, but I think it’s good that there’s been a little rivalry, it gives us a little bit more expectation.”
Surprisingly, Barca star Messi has never scored in 655 minutes of action against Chelsea, although Valverde knows his team will offer plenty of support to the Argentina international as he seeks to end that unhappy sequence.
“This tie is important for Leo, for me, for everyone. For Barcelona. It’ll be tough, but it’s important because we want to qualify,” he said.
“Leo perhaps hasn’t had much luck against Chelsea before, but Tuesday is a different game.”
Source: www.goal.com
Format ImagePosted on 20/02/2018 20/02/2018 Author [email protected]Categories SoccerTags Barcelona, champions league, La Liga, MessiLeave a comment on ‘Conte one of the world’s best managers’ – Valverde defends Chelsea boss
Conte: Chelsea will need a ‘perfect game’ to stop Barcelona and Messi
The Italian tactician is aware of the challenge facing his side against the Spanish giants in their upcoming Champions League tie
Antonio Conte acknowledged Chelsea must produce the “perfect game” to get the better of Spanish giants Barcelona in their Champions League last-16 tie.
Premier League champions Chelsea welcome La Liga leaders Barca and Lionel Messi to Stamford Bridge for the opening leg on Tuesday.
It has been a difficult season for Conte and Chelsea amid uncertainty over the Italian’s future following back-to-back defeats in the league, though the Londoners have responded with wins over West Brom and Hull City.
Conte, however, insisted Chelsea face a huge challenge against Barca, who stayed undefeated in Spain courtesy of Saturday’s 2-0 win at Eibar , which moved Ernesto Valverde’s men 10 points clear.
“On one hand you know this team are one of the best in the world – maybe they are favourites to win this competition,” Conte said. “On the other hand we must be excited because we have a great opportunity to play a massive game against a really strong team and to show which is our level.
“For sure we are talking about one of the best teams in the world. We have to try to, I repeat, have the perfect game. The perfect game to try to make the best decisions for this type of team, because this is a different opponent. They have fantastic characteristics with the ball, but they can have weaknesses without the ball and we have to try and exploit this.”
Five-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi has led the way this season with a La Liga-high 20 goals for Barcelona.
But Conte believes it would be dangerous for Chelsea to focus solely on stopping Messi, who has never scored against the Blues.
“I hope to continue this tradition [of Messi not scoring against Chelsea] but I repeat we are talking about a fantastic player and we must have great respect,” Conte added. “But at the same time we must try to be excited to play this type of game and this challenge.
“We are talking about one of the best players in the world but, for sure, we have to work together, work with the team and not only with one player to try and stop him. Because I think that when we feel this type of challenge to man-mark [a player], Messi can become very dangerous.”
Three of the four Premier League clubs in the last 16 of the Champions League have already played, with Liverpool and Manchester City both earning impressive wins away from home while Tottenham were held to a 2-2 draw against Juventus in Turin.
Format ImagePosted on 18/02/2018 Author [email protected]Categories SoccerTags Antonio Konte, Barcelona, champions league, La Liga, Messi, Premier LeagueLeave a comment on Conte: Chelsea will need a ‘perfect game’ to stop Barcelona and Messi
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Home » Review » Movie » Borealis
By Michael Nazarewycz @ScribeHard on April 6, 2016
A man uses a father/daughter road trip to flee his debts and his demons in this uneven but effective drama.
A collision at the intersection of tragedy and addiction can leave countless emotional fragments strewn across life’s road. Decisions already handicapped by the perpetual specter of compulsive demons become further clouded by the blinding pain of raw emotion brought on by an unthinkable happening. Eventually, the consequences of the initial collision produce decisions that create consequences of their own, until life becomes nothing more than a spiraling series of missteps taken in an attempt to correct each previous misstep. Borealis, a comedy-sprinkled drama from writer Jonas Chernick and director Sean Garrity, looks at the victim of one such collision, a man whose years-long addiction and years-old tragedy have put him in a position to make a series of increasingly poor choices that not only threaten his safety, but the safety of his 15-year-old daughter.
That man is Jonah (screenwriter Chernick), his addiction is gambling, and the tragedy that befell him was the death of his wife and mother to their only child, Aurora (Joey King). After years of emotionally-charged bad decisions, Jonah finds himself in deep debt to Tubby (Kevin Pollak). The bad news about Tubby is he works for a loan shark. The worse news is that Tubby and Jonah go back to when they were kids, so Tubby finds a soft spot when Jonah wants to borrow money to place a bet. One cry of “all-in” later Jonah is $100,000 in the red.
Jonah’s day gets worse. Not long after playing the biggest losing hand of his life, his daughter’s eye doctor tells him that her eyesight, which has already been riddled with disease, has grown so bad that she will be completely blind in weeks. Unable to break the devastating medical news to the daughter he already has a fractured relationship with, and unable to meet the demands of Tubby and his hired muscle Brick (Clé Bennett), Jonah drags his reluctant little girl on a road trip to see the Northern Lights—partly to give her a fleeting glimpse of something he considers to be indescribably beautiful, and partly to avoid the financially painful inevitability.
For a 95-minute drama with only three primary players and three supporting players, Borealis attempts to do a lot. This is a blessing for the film. It provides a wide open space for its considerable talent to put on display a litany of emotions and memories, plus it affords opportunities for the story to avoid cliché. But the film’s “don’t just swing for the fences, swing for the parking lot” approach is inevitably its curse, as the supersaturation of backstories, plot lines, ideas, and character motivations become more than the filmmakers can handle.
The core of the story is wonderful. This father and daughter—a fractured pair as a result of mom’s passing, yet also individually broken by addiction and disease—are thrust into a unique circumstance. They are being chased as a result of one’s flaw while simultaneously chasing the clock as a result of the other’s flaw. This alone is fertile ground for emotional exploration, and adding an interesting circumstance to the mother’s death makes it even more compelling.
But that circumstance—or rather, the ripple effect from it—is never examined below surface-level. Clearly Jonah (and most likely Aurora) has been affected by this loss, and surely the loss has influenced the survivors’ behavior and contributed to the distance between them, but it is only presented to either generate pity or take a shortcut to an emotional goal; it’s never presented as a real catalyst for dysfunctional behavior.
Everything else in the film suffers from this same problem. It isn’t a case of superficiality so much as it’s a case of underdevelopment. Things like Jonah’s gambling and Aurora’s vision loss—real meaty topics—are only heavy character traits and high-level cause-and-effect cases. Other things like the childhood relationship between Tubby and Jonah, and the adult relationship between Jonah and his current flame Kyla (Emily Hampshire), are presented like early concept musings, not fully developed relationships. What remains after all of these missed chances is another road picture, a film about getting from Point A to Point Z, with stops at B through Y along the way.
It’s frustrating because these ideas are terrific as individual notions and as a creative collective. They’re also perfectly enjoyable presented as they are, but they are ultimately unsatisfying.
There are, though, some very satisfying parts of this film, led by great performances. Chernick shines as the father with all the wrong answers and the weight of the world—a world he helped create, both as a father and a gambler—on his shoulders. King is marvelous as the teen who is too angry with her father to help mend their relationship and too proud to let her deteriorating eye condition stop her from doing what she wants. And Pollak delivers the goods as the hard-ass with the soft spot.
The humor sprinkled throughout is genuinely funny, even if it doesn’t quite fit. Instead of providing a respite from the drama, the humor actually undercuts it. It’s an example of one more thing the filmmakers attempt to stuff into a picture that is already jammed with so much concept. Still, funny is funny.
There’s a lot to admire about Borealis, but the film sags under the weight of its own ambition, loading up on many solid concepts but never developing any of them thoroughly enough to do the film a greater good. Still, Borealis is very much worth seeking out, particularly for the performances by Chernick, King, and Pollak.
This review was originally published on October 7, 2015 as part of our coverage of the Vancouver International Film Festival.
Borealis Movie review
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Here Come the Videofreex
History is made behind the camera in this detached documentary about the world's first citizen journalists.
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The four highest mountains in Washington are potentially active stratovolcanos. Prior to its eruption in 1980, Mount St. Helens was the fifth-highest mountain in Washington at 9,677 ft (2,950 m), but it is now reduced to 8,365 ft (2,550 m), making it the 52nd highest peak in the state. Colorado springs jail. This map of the Cascade Mountains in Washington highlights major interstate and state highways, cities and towns. Find scenic wilderness areas featuring North Cascades National Park, and points of interest including Mount St. Helens, Mt. Baker, Mt. Adams, and ski areas such as Stevens Pass and Crystal Mountain. . Washington Landscape, Climate And Economy. Because the Cascade Mountains run parallel to the coast the entire length of the state, Washington is divided into two distinct climates. The western third has a temperate rain forest climate, while the eastern two-thirds of the state is warmer and drier. China bistro san mateo. There are at least 63 named mountain ranges in the United States of America state of Washington.Names, elevations and coordinates from the U.S. Geological Survey, Geographic Names Information System.Some of the ranges extend into neighboring states of Idaho and Oregon and British Columbia, Canada. ukrfuxteaf.youdontcare.com. Like most of the other mountains in Washington State, you can climb Mt. Adams, but it's also fine for hiking, camping, and outdoor recreation, although, more remote than Mt. Rainier. The plus side of this is that it is less crowded. Wine forum of oklahoma. FREE interactive map and complete list of ALL the mountains in Washington from the state highest point to the lowest summits of WA. Mountain Adventures. Washington's 6 Signature Mountains Are Waiting This is how you reach the top of the world. By Allison Williams 6/8/2015 at 8:01am Published in the June 2015 issue of Seattle Met rhkykdubil.freeddns.com. The Pacific Crest Trail passes 500 miles along the length of the range across Washington on its way to the Canadian border; The Olympic Mountains in the Olympic Peninsula of western Washington only rise up shy of 8,000 ft but look much higher because they lie only 12 to 22 miles from the Pacific Ocean. mhiimizfjf.dns04.com. Washington Often referred to by its full title, Washington State, to distinguish it from national capital Washington, D.C. on the other side of the USA, Washington offers rugged coastline, deserts, forests, mountains, volcanoes, and hundreds of coastal islands to explore. syvhdgvrlo.changeip.net. This is a generalized topographic map of Washington. It shows elevation trends across the state. Detailed topographic maps and aerial photos of Washington are available in the Geology.com store. See our state high points map to learn about Mt. Ranier at 14,411 feet - the highest point in Washington . vdvgssyimv.dynamic-dns.net. Washington Pass and Rainy Pass are two mountain passes on State Route 20 in the North Cascades mountains of Washington State. Rainy Pass is a
The detailed map shows the US state of State of Washington with boundaries, the location of the state capital Olympia, major cities and populated places, rivers and lakes, interstate highways, principal highways, and railroads. ... The Wenatchee Mountains in the center of the state are a major subrange of the Cascade Range. Blue Mountains oregon Map Pacific northwest Ski areas Map with Washington State oregon Idaho is one of the pictures that are related to the picture before in the collection gallery, uploaded by secretmuseum.net.You can also look for some pictures that related to Map of Oregon by scroll down to collection on below this picture. If you want to find the other picture or article about Blue ...
The four highest mountains in Washington are potentially active stratovolcanos. Prior to its eruption in 1980, Mount St. Helens was the fifth-highest mountain in Washington at 9,677 ft (2,950 m), but it is now reduced to 8,365 ft (2,550 m), making it the 52nd highest peak in the state. The Washington State highway map includes more than highways. It also shows exit numbers, mileage between exits, points of interest and more. Select a section of the state map. Choose from among 18 sections of the state. Click on the number to view that section: Map Legend . Washington Barry the bald eagle meets rocker Goldie the American goldfinch, the state bird of Washington. They rock out in the city of Seattle, tour forests, and learn about the state's industry. There's rain in the forecast, but that doesn't stop Barry and Goldie from flying out to some of Washington's biggest volcanoes—making this episode explosive!
In the northeast the Rocky Mountains slice across the state, extending into Canada. The deep-valleyed Columbia Mountains are the most significant range. Washington's most important river is the Columbia. It rises in British Columbia, Canada, then flows south through the state, forming most of its natural border with Oregon. Wilderness Maps are topographic maps that show natural features such as mountains, valleys, plains, lakes, rivers, and vegetation using contour lines depicting elevation gain or loss. Each map covers all or part of one wilderness area and the scale is generally 1 inch per mile (1:63,360). Topographic Maps
The Pacific Crest Trail passes 500 miles along the length of the range across Washington on its way to the Canadian border; The Olympic Mountains in the Olympic Peninsula of western Washington only rise up shy of 8,000 ft but look much higher because they lie only 12 to 22 miles from the Pacific Ocean. The Cascade Mountain Range divides the state into two parts – Western Washington and Eastern Washington. Western Washington is the most densely populated; approximately 60% of the state’s population lives west of the mountains. Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia, Vancouver and Bellingham are all located on the west side of the state. Washington State is one of the country’s most northern states, and while it’s not known for its major ski resorts like Utah or Colorado are, that doesn’t mean the Evergreen State is always so evergreen — it gets plenty of snow, too, and has mountains galore.
Maps of Washington state generally have a tendency to be an excellent source for getting started with your own research, given that they provide substantially valuable information and facts quickly. Washington Maps is usually a major resource of considerable amounts of details on family history. ... Interactive Map of Washington County ... The Washington Weather Map below shows the weather forecast for the next 10 days. Control the animation using the slide bar found beneath the weather map. Select from the other forecast maps (on the right) to view the temperature, cloud cover, wind and precipitation for this country on a large scale with animation.
This is a generalized topographic map of Washington. It shows elevation trends across the state. Detailed topographic maps and aerial photos of Washington are available in the Geology.com store. See our state high points map to learn about Mt. Ranier at 14,411 feet - the highest point in Washington ... The map above is a Landsat satellite image of Washington with County boundaries superimposed. We have a more detailed satellite image of Washington without County boundaries. Find washington state mountains stock images in HD and millions of other royalty-free stock photos, illustrations and vectors in the Shutterstock collection. Thousands of new, high-quality pictures added every day.
Mountain Adventures. Washington's 6 Signature Mountains Are Waiting This is how you reach the top of the world. By Allison Williams 6/8/2015 at 8:01am Published in the June 2015 issue of Seattle Met Washington State Location Map. Full size. Online Map of Washington. Large detailed tourist map of Washington with cities and towns. 5688x4080 / 11,1 Mb Go to Map. Washington county map. 2000x1387 / 369 Kb Go to Map. Washington road map. 2484x1570 / 2,48 Mb Go to Map. Road map of Washington with cities. Washington Zone Forecast RSS Feed Listing. Below are listed the National Weather Service forecast counties/zones (by names & by codes) for Washington. Select a forecast county/zone to see the URL for the RSS feed. Forecast zone map for the state of Washington (Link opens new browser window) List sorted by Zone codes | List of States
Mount Shuksan is one of the most beautiful mountains in the world, and one of the most commonly photographed. It has been included on lists of the greatest mountains in America, is one of the tallest peaks in Washington, and has a staggering 14 different routes to the top. Map of Washington State This is a print from my original watercolor and ink painting. The image measures 14 3/4 x 18 3/4 printed on 16 x 20 acid free matte fine art paper with archival inks.
Like most of the other mountains in Washington State, you can climb Mt. Adams, but it's also fine for hiking, camping, and outdoor recreation, although, more remote than Mt. Rainier. The plus side of this is that it is less crowded. This is our Washington State Map page. Below is a large detailed map of Washington State in the United States of America. Below that is a map showing Washington State Counties. Near the bottom of the page are links to street maps of most Washington State cities and towns. The NRCS Snow Survey Program provides mountain snowpack data and streamflow forecasts for the western United States. Common applications of snow survey products include water supply management, flood control, climate modeling, recreation, and conservation planning.
FREE interactive map and complete list of ALL the mountains in Washington from the state highest point to the lowest summits of WA. This list showcases the incredible variety of peaks that blanket the state of Washington. Unlike the "100 Highest" or "Bulger" list, which is disproportionately focused on the North Cascades, this list covers peaks in every corner of the state, and all of them are dominant peaks in their vicinity, like high-prominence peaks worldwide. W ashington State Map . Leavenworth is situated on the east side of the Cascade Mountains in North Central Washington State. The closest larger city is Wenatchee just 22 miles east on Highway 2. Leavenworth is 100 miles east of I-5 from Everett over Stevens Pass on Hwy 2. CLICK ON MAP TO ENLARGE ...
This map of the Cascade Mountains in Washington highlights major interstate and state highways, cities and towns. Find scenic wilderness areas featuring North Cascades National Park, and points of interest including Mount St. Helens, Mt. Baker, Mt. Adams, and ski areas such as Stevens Pass and Crystal Mountain. ... State Travel Info. Map Archives; Travel Times; Winter Driving Tips; Additional Info. Disclaimer; Bordering State Travel; Other Traffic Products; ADVERTISEMENT. Mountain Passes. ... Mountain pass email updates; Follow the mountain pass Twitter feed. Seasonal Closures. Mountain Pass Closure and Opening Dates; From the salty sea air surrounding the Puget Sound, flowering fruit trees from Leavenworth, Wenatchee and Lake Chelan, acres of fresh cut hay and farmland in the Methow and Skagit Valleys, and miles upon miles of lush evergreen forest along the Stevens Pass Greenway and North Cascades National Park. This is the road trip of a lifetime.
Washington Often referred to by its full title, Washington State, to distinguish it from national capital Washington, D.C. on the other side of the USA, Washington offers rugged coastline, deserts, forests, mountains, volcanoes, and hundreds of coastal islands to explore. There are three major Washington State mountain ranges in the Pacific Northwest state of Washington. On the Olympic Peninsula, the Olympic Mountains are clearly visible from Seattle. Surrounded on three sides by water, the views of the region from the wild, remote peaks of the Olympics are unsurpassed. Volcanoes of Washington, USA - information / VolcanoDiscovery / VolcanoDiscovery. Try our new app!: Volcanoes & Earthquakes - our new free App for Android shows the latest earthquakes and active volcanoes on a map and as list, as well as volcano news from all the world.
Washington Landscape, Climate And Economy. Because the Cascade Mountains run parallel to the coast the entire length of the state, Washington is divided into two distinct climates. The western third has a temperate rain forest climate, while the eastern two-thirds of the state is warmer and drier. Blue Mountains is a mountain in Washington and has an elevation of 2733 feet. Blue Mountains is situated north of Summerville. From Mapcarta, the free map. STATE OF WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES Brian Boyle, Commissioner of Public Lands Art Stearns, Supervisor DIVISION OF GEOLOGY AND EARTH RESOURCES Raymond Lasmanis, State Geologist GEOPHYSICAL MAP GM-27 COMPLETE BOUGUER GRAVITY ANOMALY MAP, CASCADE MOUNTAINS, WASHINGTON By V Z.F. DANES AND W.M. PHILLIPS Prepared In cooperation with
Washington Pass and Rainy Pass are two mountain passes on State Route 20 in the North Cascades mountains of Washington State. Rainy Pass is a An insiders guide to Washington State Scenic Drives and Road Trips. The Olympic Peninsula and Pacific Ocean. Winding roads over Chinook Pass and around Mount Rainier. Road Trips to Eastern Washington and the rolling hills of the Palouse Scenic Byway.
This Washington State Map shows Washington's Interstate Highways, the State's National Parks including North Cascades National Park, Olympic National Park, and Mt Rainier National Park. The map includes major cities, lakes, and rivers. The State Capital, Olympia, is labeled as bright yellow. National Parks, major lakes, and cities include links ... Physical map of Washington showing rivers, lakes, mountains, elevations and other topographic features. ... Washington is a state in the Pacific Northwest area of the United States placed north of Oregon, west of Idaho, and south of the Canadian territory of British Columbia on the shore of the Pacific Ocean. ... which achieve heights ...
Washington's highest point is the peak of Mount Rainier, which reaches a height of 14,417 ft or 4394 meters. Learn how this Washington topographic image was created with digital elevation data. Physical Features of Washington. The majestic mountain ranges of Washington state are the most prominent features visible in this map. These free maps include: two county maps (one with the county names listed and the other blank), a state outline map of Washington, and two major city maps. One major city map lists the ten cities: Everett, Seattle, Bellevue, Kent, Federal Way, Tacoma, Yakima, Vancouver, Spokane and the capital of Olympia.
There are at least 63 named mountain ranges in the United States of America state of Washington.Names, elevations and coordinates from the U.S. Geological Survey, Geographic Names Information System.Some of the ranges extend into neighboring states of Idaho and Oregon and British Columbia, Canada. “ From Washington Pass Overlook to the Gorge Creek Falls, we saw panoramic mountains, 17 waterfalls mostly from our car, and the brilliantly teal colored Diablo Lake. “ Beautiful lush rain park with majestic mountains, Lake Diablo and the lushness of a gigantic rain forest . This map shows cities, towns, main roads and secondary roads in Oregon and Washington. Go back to see more maps of Oregon Go back to see more maps of Washington
The Blue Mountains Province is located in the southeast corner of the state, south of the Snake River. The majority of the Blue Mountains lie within Oregon. Within the rain shadow of the Cascade Range, its arid climate supports a unique ecosystem that differs greatly from mountain ranges to the west. Washington Snowpack Summary Maps and Graphs . Products are current as of today's data
Other states might have some cool mountains here and there, but none as enchanting as ours in Washington! Between the Cascade Range, Skagit Range, Olympic Mountains and more, this state is certainly a hiker’s dream. Most of us have already heard of Mount Rainier and Mount Baker, but here are 20 ... FIVE NEW 2017-2018 titles: Map 99S- Olympic Coast Beaches, 475SX- Wallowa Mountains, 174SX- Middle Fork Snoqualmie, 2800S Flagstaff and 622SX Bend-Three Sisters Green Trails, Inc. P. O. Box 77734, Seattle, WA 98177.
Washington State is quite diverse. With mountains and rain forest, wine country and urban landscapes, we've got something to fit every personality. Search below to find a region or city to visit. Visit our interactive map to plot places to stay, things to do or transportation options. Rocky Mountains: A portion of the Rocky Mountains cuts across Washington in the northeast corner of the state. The Washington Rocky Mountains are called the Columbia Mountains and consist of ridges and valleys cut by the Columbia River and its tributaries including the Okanogan River.
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An Episode of 'Chappelle's Show' Featuring Ron Jeremy Has Been Deleted from Streaming Services
By Josiah Hughes
Ron Jeremy has been slapped with dozens of rape and sexual assault charges over the last few months. While he has pleaded not guilty to them all, an episode of Chappelle's Show that features the porn star has been removed from streaming services.
According to The Daily Beast, an episode from Season 2 entitled "The Internet & Moment in the Life of Lil Jon" has been removed from streaming services. The episode features a sketch called "If the Internet Was a Real Place" in which Chappelle interacts with Jeremy.
Both HBO Max and Comedy Central have pulled the episode from their streaming libraries, and it had previously been removed from CBS All Access back in June when the allegations first surfaced. The episode is still available to purchase on digital providers.
Dave Chappelle has not yet commented on the matter. Instead, he's hosting SNL this week.
More Dave Chappelle
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Kevin Smith Reveals 'Clerks III' Script Pages, Link to My Chemical Romance Song
Last year, Clerks mastermind Kevin Smith revealed that he would base the forthcoming third instalment of the film series around the lyrics o...
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Home > Untagged
Nubuor writes.... "PROFESSORS AKOSUA ADOMAKO AMPOFO, AKOSUA ADOMA PERBI, DR. OBADELE KAMBOH AND TWO OTHERS INSTIGATE VIOLENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA AGAINST THE STATUE OF MAHATMA GANDHI UNDER THE COVER OF DARKNESS AFTER FAILING TO CONVINCE THE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY WITH THE FORCE OF ARGUMENT IN THE FACE ACADEMIC AND INTELLECTUAL ARGUMENTS BY THE GANDHIMUSTSTAND MOVEMENT FOR THE RETENTION OF THE STATUE
Under the cover of darkness, some persons, believed to be supporters of the GandhiMustComeDown Movement, are reported to have defaced the statue of Mahatma Gandhi on the premises of the University of Ghana.
The futile campaign by the Movement for the removal of the statue was started by Prof. Akosua Adomako Ampofo, a half German and half Ghanaian, Dr. Obadele Kamboh, an African-American (all of the Institute of African Studies) and supported by Prof. Akosua Adoma Perbi of the History Department. A law lecturer at the Law Faculty, Dr. Kwadwo Appiagyei-Atua, and the organizer of the Chale Wote Festival, Mr. Mantse Aryeequaye, are the other members of the group.
Upon the Movement's campaign for online co-signatories to a Petition they were yet to submit to the Council of the University of Ghana on the emotive grounds that Gandhi was an anti-African racist in his youth and administrative lapses in the decision leading to the erection of the statue, a counter-movement, the GandhiMustStand Movement, emerged to correct the factual basis of the Petition.
The GandhiMustStand Movement came out with a Counter-Petition and also went online to campaign for co-signatories while conducting an educational exercise.
This led to a Radio Univers debate between the two Movements.
The two Movements later submitted their respective Petition and Counter-Petition to the Registry of the University. Both were to be submitted to the Council of the University for its deliberation on the statue issue.
Thereafter, information circulated that the GandhiMustComeDown Movement had planned a demonstration on the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, October 2, which the United Nations Resolution 61/271 declared as 'International Day of Non-Violence'.
To commemorate the Day, the GandhiMustStand Movement issued a Press Release, which was circulated online, among the media and the University community from September 30 to October 2.
The GandhiMustStand Movement also planned to organize a symposium on October 6 instead of October 2 to commemorate the International Day of Non-Violence since the latter date fell on a Sunday.
The demonstration did not come on as said to have been planned.
It is not known whether the Press Release and its wide circulation occasioned the change of heart to cancel it since consciousness of the weak grounds upon which the Petition was based appear exposed.
This morning, October 4, news online, as shared below, has reported that under the cover of darkness the Mahatma Gandhi statue at the University of Ghana has been defaced. See pictures of the violent act in the news item shared below.
Meanwhile, Professor Akosua Adomako Ampofo is reported to have left for the United States after granting a media interview in Ghana. She is believed to be co-ordinating her Movement's activities here in Ghana with another in the US. PROFESSORS AKOSUA ADOMAKO AMPOFO, AKOSUA ADOMA PERBI, DR. OBADELE KAMBOH AND TWO OTHERS INSTIGATE VIOLENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA AGAINST THE STATUE OF MAHATMA GANDHI UNDER THE COVER OF DARKNESS AFTER FAILING TO CONVINCE THE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY WITH THE FORCE OF ARGUMENT IN THE FACE ACADEMIC AND INTELLECTUAL ARGUMENTS BY THE GANDHIMUSTSTAND MOVEMENT FOR THE RETENTION OF THE STATUE
Meanwhile, Professor Akosua Adomako Ampofo is reported to have left for the United States after granting a media interview in Ghana. She is believed to be co-ordinating her Movement's activities here in Ghana with another in the US. PROFESSORS AKOSUA ADOMAKO AMPOFO, AKOSUA ADOMA PERBI, DR. OBADELE KAMBO AND TWO OTHERS INSTIGATE VIOLENCE AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GHANA AGAINST THE STATUE OF MAHATMA GANDHI UNDER THE COVER OF DARKNESS AFTER FAILING TO CONVINCE THE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY WITH THE FORCE OF ARGUMENT IN THE FACE ACADEMIC AND INTELLECTUAL ARGUMENTS BY THE GANDHIMUSTSTAND MOVEMENT FOR THE RETENTION OF THE STATUE
Meanwhile, Professor Akosua Adomako Ampofo is reported to have left for the United States after granting a media interview in Ghana. She is believed to be co-ordinating her Movement's activities here in Ghana with another in the US. "
Item Reviewed: Rating: 5 Reviewed By: RegulaRebel
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System Leadership
International Programme/Project Management
Equality Associates
Andy Harvey
Hassan Mahamdallie
Jeremy Newton
Nicola Turner
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Dr Andy Harvey is an acknowledged expert in sexuality and gender inclusion having written extensively in peer-reviewed publications on the subject. He is an experienced education manager, having designed and delivered courses on equalities for clients in the voluntary and trade union sectors with a focus on diversity in the workplace. He has a particular interest in researching and publishing about the complex relationships between sport, gay men and heterosexual masculinity. He is a member of the TUC’s Alliance against Homophobia in Sport and has previously sat on the Advisory Panel for the Football Association on inclusion. He has strong interpersonal and communication skills. His attitude to work is to be flexible and committed to delivering results. Andy works well with a broad array of partners and keeps the goals of the organisation at the forefront of his work. He has previously worked with Birkbeck College, the Terrence Higgins Trust, the Trades Union Congress, Novas Scarman Trust, the International Labour Organisation, the Professional Footballers Association and the Musicians Union.
© 2021 Venu Dhupa
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Media Advisory: Allied Pilots Association Announces Informational Picketing at DOT on Oct. 14
Dépèche transmise le 13 octobre 2009 par Business Wire
--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Allied Pilots Association:
WHO: Allied Pilots Association (APA), collective bargaining agent for the 11,500 pilots of American Airlines (NYSE: AMR), the nation’s second-largest passenger carrier.
WHAT: Informational picketing professional pilots in uniform from American Airlines and other carriers. The purpose is to highlight opposition to U.S. job outsourcing resulting from international airline alliances. American Airlines is currently seeking to broaden the scope of its alliance by securing worldwide antitrust immunity with fellow oneworld Alliance members British Airways and Iberia.
WHERE: Department of Transportation (DOT) headquarters offices, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, D.C. 20590.
WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009 beginning at 11 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
The DOT is expected to rule very soon on whether to grant American Airlines’ application for antitrust immunity.
Antitrust immunity is inherently anti-competitive, harming consumer interests.
Antitrust immunity is also anti-worker—job outsourcing is a by-product of alliances. American Airlines management has refused to provide even industry-standard job protections for the pilots and other employees as part of its plans.
The European Commission (EC) announced earlier this month that American Airlines’ plans may violate rules governing restrictive business practices. The EC is investigating the oneworld Alliance and the Star Alliance for possible illegal conduct.
If permitted to expand their scope, immunized airline alliances may lead to increased foreign control of U.S. airline operations, including maintenance practices and crew training.
Antitrust immunity has implications for national security—U.S. carriers must remain ready to be deployed as needed for Civil Reserve Air Fleet duty. That readiness could be compromised by the type of virtual merger with foreign carriers that American Airlines is seeking.
Founded in 1963, the Allied Pilots Association—the largest independent pilot union in the U.S.—is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. APA represents the 11,500 pilots of American Airlines, including 1,889 pilots on furlough. The furloughs began shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Also, several hundred American Airlines pilots are on full-time military leave of absence serving in the armed forces. The union’s Web site address is www.alliedpilots.org. American Airlines is the nation’s second-largest passenger carrier and fifth-largest cargo carrier.
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Sun Country Airlines Inaugural Flight to Reagan National
Dépèche transmise le 1 avril 2011 par Business Wire
ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today, Sun Country Airlines celebrated their inaugural flight to Washington Reagan National Airport that departed from Terminal 2 – Humphrey at 6:00am. This morning’s flight commenced the new service to Washington D.C. now flying six times a week through April 30, 2011 and daily beginning May 1, 2011. The round trip flights will originate in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN with an intermediate stop at the Capital Region International Airport in Lansing, MI before continuing onto Washington, D.C.
“This service will provide a great benefit to customers in both Minnesota and Michigan by providing low fares and the great award-winning service that Sun Country is know for.”
“This is a great addition to Sun Country’s expanding route network,” said Stan Gadek, president and CEO of Sun Country Airlines. “This service will provide a great benefit to customers in both Minnesota and Michigan by providing low fares and the great award-winning service that Sun Country is know for.”
The Hometown Airline celebrated the inaugural flight with a Ribbon Cutting ceremony hosted by the St. Paul Chamber of Commerce and Metropolitan Airport Commission at Terminal 2 – Humphrey. Inaugural receptions also took place at the Lansing Capital Region Airport and Reagan National Airport.
Flight schedule and times for the Washington D.C. route are available at www.suncountry.com.
*Stan Gadek will be available for interviews. B-roll of Minneapolis/St. Paul inaugural activities will be provided.
About Sun Country
Sun Country Airlines (MN Airlines, LLC, d.b.a. Sun Country Airlines) is based in St. Paul, Minnesota. The award-winning airline, which flies to popular destinations in the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean, has earned a reputation for offering world-class service at an affordable price. Sun Country has been named a “Top Ten Domestic Airline” by Travel+Leisure for the fifth year in a row. The airline offers vacation packages through Sun Country Vacations, a program that allows travelers to book airfare, hotel, cruises, rental cars and more in a single, convenient transaction. The Hometown Airline also offers Sun Country Charters – taking your group flight, private charter or leased aircraft virtually anywhere with a commitment to service, consistent on-time performance, dependable maintenance and a customized and reliable charter experience. Most recently launched is Sun Country Business Concierge, a personalized and comprehensive business travel service for any airline, any hotel, anywhere. For more information, including a complete list of destinations and details on Sun Country Vacations, Charters or Business Concierge, visit www.suncountry.com.
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Raised among the splendors of antiquity, Bagher Azadi, known affectionately as Bob, is a distinguished artist.
In Southern Kurdistan, amid a great panorama of beauty, Bob was born and raised in the ancient city of Kermanshah. This ancient city, so rich in culture, lies at the foot of the Zagros Mountains in Iran. It was founded in the 4th century AD. Remnants of the ancient civilizations still remain on the outskirts of Kermanshah, at Bist-Sotun. The age old story of King Khosrow Parviz and Farhad, the stone cutter, who were both in love with Shirin, a Christian princess, is associated with the ancient rock-carvings at Bist-Sotun.The carvings tell the story of the rise of King Darius, the Great.
Kermanshah, was once a trading center on the caravan routes between the Mediterranean Sea and Central Asia; these roads were part of the ancient “Silk Roads”, the roads of Marco Polo, Alexander the great,Kublai-Khan and Attila, the Hun.
Bagher grew up in a large, middle class family. His father, a strong, honest and religious man was a retailer; he owned a shoe store. He was popular and played the Setaar. He had thirteen children, eight boys and five girls from two wives. He was a strict disciplinarian who believed the rough treatment he handed out to his boys would make them strong.
Like his older brothers Bagher’s father took him at a tender young age to work at the “bazaar”, the ancient marketplace where master craftsmen and artists sold their craft. The fine workmanship displayed in the construction and manufacture of hand-knotted Persian carpets, extraordinarily crafted knives, elegant shoes, graceful handmade
pottery, beautiful inlaid wood works and exquisite jewelry inspired young Bagher. His camaraderie with these artists nourished his interest in the diversified articulations of humanity.
When Bagher was twelve years old he was an apprentice goldsmith,designing and making gold chains and rings. By the age of seventeen,he had expanded his artistic talents into woodcarvings and poetry. Bagher graduated from High School an artist in his own right. He went on to college and became a schoolteacher. His creativity flowed from the one project into the other. His inquisitive nature and multiple talents even brought him into building a prototype three-cylinder, two-cycle automotive style gasoline engine. He decided at that time to attend a German college to further his technical education.
In 1978 Bagher came to the United States, hungry for more knowledge; he continued his education, while his hobbies became even more varied. He expanded his artistic talents through poetry and music. Bob’s musical talents quickly blossomed while he nourished his fine workmanship in woodcarving. He designed and built a Setaar, his instrument of choice. The music of the Setaar can be heard in most Persian musical ensembles. Bob loves this instrument and has been found playing until the early hours of the morning,inspired by the beautiful sweet sound of ancient Persian melodies.
In his early years in the United States, Bob started dabbling in ceramics. He found it the perfect medium for expressing his poetry and philosophy. He says that the process starts as an inseparation that comes to him,as if the hand of God is guiding him in his expression of thought.
He works in an intense and frenzied pace, until he is utterly exhausted,to get the thesis of his painting established. The formula for making one of his exquisitely decorated ceramic plate paintings requires weeks of intensive labor and creative work.
The paint flows onto his ceramic composition, with painstaking detail paid to every aspect of this craft. Six layers of paint and glaze are each fired separately. The end result is an inspirational and refined depiction of his poetry, study of truth and religion.
The Ceramic Plate Shows have awarded Bob first place for many of his ceramic plate paintings, a true testament to the quality of his paintings.His plates are so admired, he is often asked if they are for sale, the answer he finds difficult, as they have become part of him, his philosophy stated and his imagination put into artistic expression.
People from all over the world have related stories of these cherished plates, received by dear friends and family members. His philosophy,his love of art his enthusiasm for perfection have made Bob an extraordinary artist.
© Copyright 2016 AzadiArt. All rights reserved.
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Media Release: Harvey the hospice mascot in London Marathon record bid
HOSPICE hero, Frank Gilroy, is making a new bid for the record books at this year’s London Marathon.
On April 24, the renowned sports physiotherapist and philanthropic fundraiser from Giffnock, East Renfrewshire, who has raised £110,000 for The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice, aims to reclaim the Guinness World Record for running the Marathon as the fastest charity mascot. A title he last won in 2014.
Says a spokesperson: “Dressed as Harvey, the heart-shaped hospice mascot, fitness-mad Frank wants to complete the 26-mile route of the capital in less than three hours and 42 seconds, the record currently held by Harry the Hornet from Peace Hospice Care in Watford.”
Frank, who trains with Bellahouston Harriers and will be taking part in the Marathon with the 12-member Cy-Run team, said: “I will be running as Harvey with the support of the team. In training we are now up to 70 to 80 miles a week. No-one beats the Glasgow mascot!”
The hospice, based in Carlton Place in the city centre, has £4 million to raise to reach the £21 million target to build a new facility in Bellahouston Park. Fundraisers like Frank have been vital to the success of the Brick by Brick Appeal.
He added: “We started fundraising for the hospice four years ago and my team’s target is now £125,000. We would love to have rooms in the new hospice named in memory of loved ones who have passed away, including my uncle who was treated at home by the hospice.”
The foundations go down this summer for the new build and patients will move in 2018. The state-of-the art building will have 16 en-suite bedrooms, allowing privacy and comfort for patients and families. Rooms will have space for loved ones to stay overnight and eat together, enjoying the comforts of a home from home.
The new hospice will also care for young people aged from 15 with special facilities including a lounge where they can spend time with their friends, play music and relax in a comfortable environment.
To support Frank and the Cy-Run team, visit https://www.justgiving.com/HarveyLondonMarathon/
To find out more about The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice, visit www.ppwh.org.uk/donate
About The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice
The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice at Carlton Place, Glasgow, is a charity, founded in 1980.
We provide free, person-centred and family-focused palliative care and support. Our specialist staff and wonderful volunteers are trained to work with those individuals and families who are living with significant challenges to their health and wellbeing.
In day care and on the wards, more than 1200 patients and families are cared for every year.
The hospice depends on the generosity of supporters and the community to raise the £3 million in voluntary donations that is required to maintain our invaluable services for the people of Glasgow.
We have outgrown our much-loved hospice building – it no longer meets our requirements or vision for the future of care of patients and their families – and are raising £21 million to build a brand new, purpose-built hospice on a leafy green site in the city’s Bellahouston Park. The foundations go down in 2016 and patients are expected to move in spring 2018.
Our aim is to bring 21st-century hospice care to the people of Glasgow, a major step forward in the provision of palliative care services, providing us with the flexibility to develop and improve our services and lower our age limit to 15 year-old patients.
Issued by The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice.
Angela McManus
The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice
71 Carlton Place, Glasgow G5 9TD
www.facebook.com/glasgowhospice / www.twitter.com/PPWH
MEDIA RELEASE issued by The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice. You too can post media releases (aka press releases) on allmediascotland.com. Email here for more information.
Check out too twitter.com/allCharitiesPR and twitter.com/allSportsPR.
The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice contact details…
Contact: Angela McManus
Email: angela.mcmanus@ppwh.org.uk
Website: http://www.ppwh.org.uk
By Hospice · March 31, 2016 at 12:00 · Comments Off
The Prince & Princess of Wales Hospice · Charity and the voluntary sector · Glasgow, Kilmarnock and West (postcodes G, KA and PA)
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Media release: A first for The Last Jedi soundtrack
Scotland’s national orchestra will be first outside the USA to perform new movie music live
THE Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) will be one of the first orchestras to perform the music of the latest Star Wars film The Last Jedi live next month, when it celebrates the canon of music associated with the most popular science fiction series of all time, to audiences in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Perth.
Composer, John Williams, will conduct the world premiere of a new suite of music from The Last Jedi with the San Diego Symphony Orchestra on Wednesday 31 January and the RSNO, with conductor, Richard Kaufman, will present the european premiere of music from the latest Star Wars film on Friday 2 February at the Usher Hall, Edinburgh.
The programme will also appear twice at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Saturday 3 February and once at Perth Concert Hall on Sunday 4 February.
In addition to the music from the last eight Star Wars films, including one of the first live opportunities to hear themes from the latest movie The Last Jedi, the RSNO will perform selected works from John Williams’ score for Superman, which marks its 40th anniversary this year.
John Williams’ career spans six decades. He has written music for some of the most popular and recognisable scores in cinematic history, including the Star Wars series, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Superman and Indiana Jones.
Williams has received numerous awards, including five Oscars, and has received 51 Academy Award nominations, more than any other living person and the second most-nominated person of all time, behind Walt Disney.
In 2005, the American Film Institute selected Williams’ music for the original Star Wars movie as the greatest American film score of all time.
Richard Kaufman, who was previously a violinist in John Williams’ Orchestra and appears on many of the original soundtracks, has been the RSNO’s go-to maestro for its film programmes over the past five years and has developed the live film music strand as one of the orchestra’s most popular series of concerts.
Says conductor, Richard Kaufman: “John Williams is certainly the greatest living film composer and, without question, is also one of history’s finest creators of film music.
“In the grand tradition of legendary film music composers, including Steiner, Waxman, Tiomkin, Herrmann, Newman and only a few others, John Williams’ music is consistently the primary reason for a film’s success.
“Just imagine Star Wars, Jaws, E.T., Indiana Jones, Schindler’s List, Harry Potter, and so many other movies without the extraordinary musical contribution of John Williams!
“With now 51 Oscar nominations, the latest for his score to The Last Jedi, and with the unanimous respect and affection of the entire Hollywood community and audiences around the world, John has made a profound and lasting mark on film history.
“And most importantly, he has done it all with humility, gracious appreciation, and dignity. When John’s music is performed by the ladies and gentlemen of the RSNO, it’s not merely a concert… it becomes an exciting musical event to be cherished by all who have the unique opportunity to experience some of Hollywood’s most memorable film music played by one of the world’s greatest symphony orchestras.”
Published by Variety Magazine earlier this month, actor, Mark Hamill, who has played the role of hero, Luke Skywalker, since the first Star Wars film in 1977, recalled hearing John’s music for the first time: “Tears were streaming down my face,” he says.
“I was so overwhelmed, so moved, so delighted. He elevated our modest little movie into an epic. We owe him so much. Aside from George Lucas, nobody deserves more credit for the success of those films than John Williams.”
The Music of Star Wars (sponsored by Capital Document Solutions) is at the Usher Hall, Edinburgh on Friday 2 February (7.30pm), the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on Saturday 3 February (3.00pm and 7.30pm) and at Perth Concert Hall on Sunday 4 February (7.30pm). For more information visit www.rsno.org.uk.
MEDIA RELEASE issued by RSNO. You too can share your stories (aka press or media releases), on this site. Email here for more information.
Check out too twitter.com/allMusicPR and twitter.com/allEdinburghPR, twitter.com/allGlasgowPR and twitter.com/allPerthPR.
RSNO contact details…
Contact: Daniel Pollitt
Email: daniel.pollitt@rsno.org.uk
Website: http://www.rsno.org.uk
By daniel.pollitt@rsno.org.uk · January 26, 2018 at 12:20 · Comments Off
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra · Music · Scotland-wide
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Malibu City Hall
23825 Stuart Ranch Road - Malibu
Malibu 25th Anniversary Celebration of Cityhood
Date(s) - Mon. Mar 28, 2016
The City of Malibu will celebrate the 25th anniversary of its founding on Monday, March 28, at City Hall. The community is invited to join the City Council, neighbors, and friends in marking this important milestone in the City’s history. Enjoy small bites, a champagne toast, commemorative gifts, and a live band!
The celebration will begin during the City Council meeting (which will begin at the earlier time of 6:00 PM) when the City Council will present recognitions to many of those in the community who helped shaped Malibu. A special commemorative video produced for the anniversary will also be screened.
Following the meeting (approximately 7:00 PM), the “Art of the Board,” a surfboard art installation celebrating Malibu’s surfing history and culture, will be unveiled. The City invited the community to participate in this tribute to Malibu’s surfing history by submitting historical, unique, and rare surfboards to be included in the installation, which will be suspended in the City Hall atrium. The installation, sponsored by the Cultural Arts Commission, will remain on display through September 2016.
To commemorate the special installation and the City’s 25th anniversary, renowned graphic artist John Van Hamersveld designed a special poster, which he will autograph for guests at the anniversary event. Van Hamersveld, a resident of Ramirez Canyon from 1980-1992, was the art director of Surfer Magazine in 1962-64, created the iconic poster for the classic surfing film “The Endless Summer,” and has designed album covers for The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.
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John Todd/ISI Photos
Berhalter speaks to the media, CCL blues, and the end of a rough week
It's been a busy week and United States national team boss Gregg Berhalter took the time to speak with the media in Houston and touch on several important topics. Elsewhere, it was a tough week for most players both abroad and in the CONCACAF Champions League where the same movie is stuck on repeat.
UNITED STATES national team head coach Gregg Berhalter addressed the media on Wednesday in Houston ahead of the United States national team’s friendly against Chile later this month and he touched on several key topics. Meanwhile, it’s been a pretty tough week for American players both abroad and domestic.
Here is a breakdown of several of the top stories.
Berhalter addresses the media
United States national team head coach Gregg Berhalter was in Houston on Wednesday and took questions from the media. He said a lot of interesting things.
With regards to LA Galaxy playmaker Efrain Alvarez, Berhalter was specific and said that he is considering all players who are eligible to represent the United States. The New Jersey native clearly emphasized that dual nationals certainly part of the equation.
But Alvarez, 16, is still new to the game after only making his MLS debut on Saturday. Alvarez made an immediate impact with the winning assist. Born in the United States to Mexican parents, Alvarez once represented the United States but is now playing for the youth teams of Mexico.
“Regarding Efrain, for us it's been interesting to watch from the background because he's a guy that has taken a pathway that you would call it a somewhat normal pathway although it's accelerated because of his age,” Berhalter said. “He started out in the academy of the LA Galaxy, he played for the LA Galaxy, he went to the second team of the LA Galaxy and he did really well with the second team. Now he's making an impact with the first team. That's exactly what we want to see continue. It would be great that he continues to chip away and get playing time and now can be a consistent performer for one of the top clubs in MLS. We'll be there watching the whole thing. When he's doing what we're expecting him to do, they'll be an opportunity for him with the U.S. national team.
“Regarding a potential choice for him, is we want to create an environment that players want to be in. We want to create a team spirt that players want to be a part of. If we do, we're confident we can get players like that and keep players like that in our program.”
This is the right approach. Alvarez is clearly not ready for the full men’s national team right now. The only reason why he is being mentioned is because he is eligible for Mexico and some hope that a call-up to the senior team would swing his allegiance – or even cap tie him to the full national team.
But calling up players to the full national team just to cap-tie (when they otherwise wouldn’t be called up) is bad precedent and it hurts the program in the long run. Call-ups are a finite resource and it doesn’t help a locker room when some players are being pushed aside to make room for others just because of their nationality. If Alvarez really wanted to play for the United States right now, he would be on the U-17 or U-20 team. But right now, he prefers Mexico.
The same could be said for other dual nationals like Kik Pierie (the Dutch youth international defender at Heerenveen who was born in the US to Dutch parents and raised in Holland) or Arsenal’s Folarin Balogun who was born in New York but raised in England.
But Berhalter is right in that a winning program is the best solution. That is what attracts players and I’m convinced the failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup is what opened the door for Jonathan Gonzalez to defect.
There are always top American dual national prospects at the youth levels of good clubs. But making the U.S. program a winning team is what will attract players. Despite the 2018 World Cup setback, the U.S. really isn’t that far off. The U.S. U-20 teams have been outperforming Mexico for most of the past four years and that will narrow the gap over time.
Expect a Euro-heavy roster
For the March friendlies, Berhalter hinted that this roster could be very different from the January camp roster. He was quick to point out that he was pleased with the January camp but with this coming in the March window, Berhalter now has European-based players at his disposal to evaluate.
With a European-heavy roster, he could take the results from this upcoming camp and combine them with the January camp. Then he could use that to figure out his March roster.
Said Berhalter: “If you could imagine the January Camp helping us look at a certain number of players and this next camp helping us look at another certain number of players, by the time we get to May, we should have a good idea of these two number groups and we should be able to get a roster that we think can compete in the Gold Cup.”
This doesn’t mean that the roster will entirely European based. There likely will be some domestic-based players. But the Gold Cup will likely be a blend.
The U-20 roster overlap
Although it is stating the obvious, Berhalter said that “Tyler Adams will not be playing in the U-20 World Cup” this summer. This points to the fact that Adams is now at a point in his development where he is playing with the full national team.
What Berhalter did not mention, however, is the potential makeup of an Olympic roster. If clubs are willing to cooperate, would Berhalter, Stewart, and U.S. Soccer send Adams, Pulisic, McKennie, and others to the Olympics with the U-23 team? It is an interesting question.
Berhalter also said that "there are not that many overlapping players, believe it or not" between the full national team and the U-20 team. With Adams now out of the mix with the U-20 team, Josh Sargent and Tim Weah are the only other two realistic options. Top youth players like Alex Mendez, Serginio Dest are not there yet and Mark Mckenzie, despite being called-up to January camp, is also behind others on the U.S. team’s depth chart.
Sargent and Weah’s cases are different. Weah has played well for Celtic when he has been on the field, but his minutes are still sporadic. He seems more U-20 ready than Sargent although Weah could face a potential conflict with his club if Celtic advances to the Scottish Cup final which takes place after the opening of the U-20 World Cup.
Saief and Corona come stateside
After this week Kenny Saief and Joe Corona will both be playing in the United States. Corona inked a deal with the LA Galaxy and Kenny Saief will join FC Cincinnati on loan from Anderlecht.
Corona will leave Mexico for the first time in his pro career after a successful career south of the boarder where he won two Liga MX titles, the first with Club Tijuana (where he is a club legend and scored the decisive goal help it earn promotion to the top flight for the first time ever) and also with Club America in December. This is a solid pickup for Corona who should fit well into the Latin-flavored Galaxy’s new approach under Guillermo Barros Schelotto.
Kenny Saief, 25, meanwhile will join up with an FC Cincinnati team that looks like it needs a lot of work to build itself up in MLS. Saief will join Cincinnati on loan through the summer when the club can look for more reinforcements during the summer window. ASN understands there is an option for Cincinnati to purchase Saief but that it is also very high and would require tough negotiations to keep him in the league beyond that date.
Is Hines Ike next?
ASN has also learned that a few teams in MLS are looking to sign American central defender Brenden Hines-Ike on loan from Kortrijk in Belgium. The Colorado native moved to Belgium last season from Sweden where he was one of the best defenders in the league. While Hines-Ike played a lot ot start the season, his minutes have decreased following a coaching change.
Two teams who have expressed interest are the Houston Dynamo and Orlando City SC.
Green sees red, Amon MIA
Earlier this week, Jonathan Amon did not get off the bench for Nordsjaelland and his minutes have continued to dwindle after a strong start to the season. The South Carolina native is facing a test in his development. While talented, he was able to succeed in Denmark up to this point because he was so different and so unique. But he’s been found out by other teams in Denmark and needs to add more to his game – as well as improve his defense. He can do it, but this is a test all young players have to go through (and not all succeed).
Meanwhile, Julian Green received a red card earlier this week in Greuther Furth’s 1-0 loss to Hamburg. The red came after a second yellow card for a blatant dive in the box. If Greuther Fruth loses patience with Green, it is unclear what his next step will be.
CONCACAF Champions League Blues
The first leg of the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League was brutal for the remaining MLS teams as all are behind heading into the second leg.
Sporting Kansas City has the best chance after a slight 2-1 loss on the road to Independiente. The away goal is very valuable and Kansas City should be a tough venue for Independiente to make that result hold. The poor first leg was helped by the strange decision of Sporting coach Peter Vermes to start many of his key players for three games inside of a week – despite not being in midseason form.
The remain results came from the Red Bulls losing at home to Santos Laguna 2-0, Houston losing to Tigres 2-0 at home, and Atlanta United losing 3-0 on the road.
It’s a bitter story to see this year after year. While MLS is making headway against the mid and lower tier Liga MX teams, the top Liga MX teams remain a different level altogether. This year, three of the best teams in Mexico all made it to this stage of the tournament. If there is any solace, the best teams of Liga MX are at a high level and play some of the best soccer outside of the top leagues in Europe.
The Red Bulls was the toughest loss because the team played well for long stretches but couldn’t finish its chances. Then it lost focus briefly on defense.
Houston’s loss was hardly a surprise because Houston is not one of the top teams in the United States.
Atlanta United’s loss is more alarming for that club because the early signs on Frank DeBoer are not promising. The team has just not responded to him the way they did with Tata Martino and it raises a question as to why Atlanta didn’t try to find a coach who would build off of what Martino did as opposed to rebuilding something else entirely?
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Home→Charles Reiffel
Charles Reiffel
Charles Reiffel (1862-1942) Prince I know not o/cb 30 x 24″, Motyka frame p.o.r.
This painting came from the estate of John Forward, Palm Springs. Forward was the mayor San Diego in 1930. His wife, Martha Thompson Forward, was an excellent and competent artist and a Reiffel student. Family lore said that she suggested he paint the horse and rider after he had placed the background greenery. There is a small depiction of this scene in the large Reiffel mural in the San Diego History Center. I was told that there had been a further workup of this scene in a now demolished post office in La Jolla at one time.
A modernist landscape painter and lithographer who became prominent in California, Charles Reiffel was born in Indianapolis, Indiana. Early in his career, he worked in Cincinnati for the Stowbridge Lithography Company.
He studied briefly with Carl Marr in Munich and, mainly self-taught, traveled for six years throughout Europe, sketching and studying in museums. He did commercial art in England and then worked as a lithographer in Buffalo, New York, and in 1912 in Silvermine, Connecticut where he purchased a home. About 1921, he abandoned lithography for easel painting. In Silvermine “Charles Reiffel was a member of the artist colony The Silvermine Group of Artists, “The Knockers” and first exhibited with them in 1913 (New Canaan, Norwalk & Wilton, CT). They would meet every Sunday in Solon Borglum’s barn and discuss their work. He was a founding Member of the Silvermine Guild in 1922 an Art school still in existence.” (Vollmer)
In 1925, Reiffel and his wife went to Southern California and were so taken with the countryside, they moved near San Diego. His landscapes of southern California brought him fame, and he also painted the Grand Canyon and other Southwest landscapes.
He died in San Diego on March 14, 1942.
Peggy and Harold Samuels, The Illustrated Biographical Encyclopedia of Artists of the American West
Edan Hughes, Artists in California, 1786-1940
E. Vollmer, Email to AskART
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Newspaper Text Messages
Seminary VP named to Kentucky adoption/foster care post
Tom Latek, Kentucky Today
Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin has appointed a seminary vice president, Daniel S. Dumas, to oversee the revamping of the state’s adoption and foster care system.
Dumas, senior vice president for institutional administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, and his wife Jane have two adopted sons, Aidan and Elijah.
Dan Dumas, pictured with his wife Jane and adopted sons Aidan and Elijah, has been named by Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin to oversee the revamping of the state’s adoption and foster care system.
At the seminary, Dumas, 51, also is professor of Christian ministry and leadership and executive director of the Center for Christian Preaching.
Dumas, in a news release from Bevin’s office, said he is “resolved to make our adoption and foster care system faster, safer, more affordable and more accessible. Gov. Bevin and I are committed, along with many other Kentuckians, to not back down until every orphan in Kentucky has a loving home.”
In his role at Southern Seminary, Dumas has led strategic initiatives, building projects and renovations, and budget expansion. Bevin’s office noted that Dumas “has prior experience in strategic consulting, leadership coaching and serving in the United States Navy.”
“There is no reason a child in Kentucky, who is ready to be adopted, should be without a family,” Bevin said. “We have to rethink the way we do foster care in this state, and Dan Dumas is just the visionary to help lead that charge. Dan is a servant leader, and his proven track record of excellence in innovation will help us cut through the red tape currently keeping 8,000 of Kentucky’s foster children from their forever families.”
Four of the Bevins’ nine children were adopted in 2012 from Ethiopia.
Improvement of the state’s adoption and foster care system has been a cornerstone of the Bevin administration since taking office in December 2015. During his State of the Commonwealth address early this year, Bevin announced his intent to appoint a leader with the objective to transform Kentucky into the gold standard for adoption and foster care systems.
Dumas is the author of four books: A Guide to Adoption & Orphan Care, A Guide to Biblical Manhood, Fool’s Gold: Discerning Truth in an Age of Error and A Guide to Expository Ministry.
He will join the governor’s staff June 19.
Paul Chitwood, executive director of the Kentucky Baptist Convention, said he is “thrilled that Gov. Bevin has appointed a Kentucky Baptist to this strategic leadership role and even more excited that the appointee is Dan Dumas. I have known Dan since his arrival at Southern Seminary [in 2007] and have appreciated the orphan care modeled by his own family and through his church. We all know the safety net for Kentucky’s abused and neglected kids is horribly broken. Dan is uniquely qualified to lead the repair efforts.”
Southern Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. said Dumas is “a great leader, and he has a tremendous heart for service and ministry. He will be greatly missed in this key leadership capacity at Southern Seminary.”
The Christian faith “puts a great priority upon taking care of the vulnerable – and children especially,” Mohler said. “Adoption is presented as a picture of our salvation in Christ. Dan Dumas understands this well, and he and Jane have lived this joyful commitment before us all, as have Matt and Glenna Bevin.”
Dumas is an elder at Crossing Church in Louisville. Prior to coming to Southern Seminary in 2007, Dumas served at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, Calif., as an elder, executive pastor and executive director of conferences. He holds degrees from Criswell College in Dallas and The Master’s Seminary in Los Angeles.
Mohler said Dumas will continue to contribute to Southern Seminary as special assistant to the president for several strategic projects.
(EDITOR’S NOTE – Tom Latek is the capitol correspondent for Kentucky Today, a news resource of the Kentucky Baptist Convention. Baptist Press senior editor Art Toalston contributed to this report.)
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Volcanoes - Fire and Ice
Mona Evans
A volcanic eruption is a magnificent, but terrifying, sight. A weakness in the Earth's crust forms a channel for molten rock from the interior to spew it out onto the surface.
Earth's crust is broken into large pieces called plates and they are moving in slow motion. Where two plates are pushing together or pulling apart, the stresses on the crust lead to volcanic activity. You can see from this map that most volcanoes are on the edges of plates. But the map also shows a prominent exception: the Hawaiian Islands.
Geologists think the Hawaiian Islands were created by the movement of the Pacific Plate over a "hot spot" where magma wells up through the crust and then solidifies. This produces volcanoes called shield volcanoes. The largest volcano on Earth, Mauna Loa, is a shield volcano. It rises to over 4000 meters (13,000 ft) above sea level and also goes down another 13 km (8 miles). That's big, but not compared to the biggest volcano in the Solar System, Olympus Mons on Mars.
Olympus Mons, which is also a shield volcano, is almost 22 km (14 miles) high, nearly three times the height of Mt Everest. Its volume is about 100 times greater that of Mauna Loa. In this picture an image taken from orbit is used to compare Olympus Mons to the state of Arizona.
A number of Martian volcanoes are larger than Mauna Loa. Since there are no moving crustal plates on Mars, when the magma from a hot spot came through the crust, all of it went to forming one volcano, not a chain of them. The lower gravity of Mars also helps, as such a volume of material in Earth's gravity would simply collapse long before it got to the size of Olympus Mons.
The volcanoes on Mars are extinct, but we aren't so sure about Venus. Basalt is a rock formed from cooled magma, and 90% of the surface of Venus is basalt. There are also several shield volcanoes on Venus which are larger than Mauna Loa. The largest of all is Maat Mons, named for Ma'at the ancient Egyptian goddess of truth and justice. (Almost all of the features on Venus are named for women and goddesses.)
Some observations of Venus have had astronomers thinking that there could be current volcanic activity on Venus, but we can't really tell because of its thick clouds. The Magellan probe was able to map Venus from orbit only by using radar which can penetrate the clouds.
There is no doubt about volcanic eruptions on Jupiter's moon Io. Its volcanic activity was first spotted in 1979 Voyager images, and it's the most volcanically active body in the Solar System.
Our own Moon was once active, which is obvious from such features as its maria, but it hasn't been active for a very long time. Yet Io is about the same size as the Moon and about the same distance from Jupiter as the Moon is from Earth. How does Io have over 400 volcanoes and an orbit taking 42 hours instead of 28 days? It's due to the mass of the parent planet. Jupiter has over three hundred times the mass of Earth, and the tidal interactions between it and Io are strong, generating considerable internal heat in the moon and stresses in its crust.
Although we associate volcanoes with heat, probes have discovered evidence of volcanic activity on the icy moons of the outer planets. It's called cryovolcanism and instead of molten rock, water or other liquid is ejected. The first cryovolcano (ice volcano) was discovered by Voyager 2 on Neptune's moon Triton in 1989, but more recently, Cassini-Huygens has found them in the Saturnian system.
A cryovolcano ejecting methane on Saturn's largest moon Titan may well be an important source of methane in Titan's thick atmosphere. However one cryovolcano on Enceladus was mostly water vapor, though with small amounts of nitrogen, methane and carbon dioxide. We know the composition of the volcanic plume because the Cassini spacecraft flew through it in 2009. Here is a Cassini photograph of ice jets on Enceladus.
There are probably other active volcanoes on other moons of the giant planets and possibly on Kuiper Belt bodies such as Quaoar. Vulcanism is a very useful way of learning more about the structure of heavenly bodies.
"Active Volcanoes of Our Solar System," https://geology.com/articles/active-volcanoes-solar-system.shtml
Fascinating Facts about Saturn's Moons
Jupiter's Galilean Moons
Enceladus - 10 Amazing Facts
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Clean Coal Technologies (CCTC) Announces Upcoming Annual Shareholder Webcast
by Admin | Apr 29, 2020 | Company News
Annual Shareholder meeting to be Webcast on April 30, 2020 due to Coronavirus NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / April 29, 2020 / Clean Coal Technologies, Inc., (OTCQB: CCTC) (“CCTI” or the “Company”), the leading clean-energy company utilizing patented and proven technology to convert run of mine coal into a cleaner burning and more efficient stabilized fuel, today announced that the company’s annual Shareholder Meeting will be held online and tape-delayed due to the current coronavirus pandemic. Shareholders are encouraged to submit questions for management to address via email before the Thursday 7.00am ET deadline. “We are very sorry that we will not be able to host our annual Shareholder Meeting under normal circumstances and in-person,” stated Sean Mahoney, spokesperson for CCTI. “Due to the current pandemic, most companies are being forced to operate in this way in order to maintain social distancing and avoid any person-to-person transmission of the virus. Therefore we are encouraging shareholders to submit questions that management can address via our tape-delayed webcast.” The Annual shareholder Meeting for Clean Coal Technologies, Inc will take place via web-cast on April 30, 2020 at 10:00am ET. For log-in information please use this link: https://zoom.us/j/91551686239 For shareholder questions, please submit them to: aneary@cleancoaltechnologiesinc.com About Clean Coal Technologies, Inc. Clean Coal Technologies, Inc., a cleaner-energy technology company with headquarters in New York City, NY, holds patented process technology and other intellectual property that converts raw coal into a cleaner burning fuel. The Company’s trademarked end products, “Pristine” coals, are significantly more efficient, less polluting, more cost-effective, and provide more heat than untreated coal. The principal elements of the Company’s pre-combustion...
Recent Trends in the Energy Industry will Contribute Significant to Growth of the Clean Coal Technology Market
by Admin | May 22, 2019 | Company News
Coal remains an important source of energy for the world and the demand is growing rapidly in many developing countries as they enjoy long-overdue economic growth. Over the 50 years from 2000 to 2050, demand might double to exceed 7000 million tonnes of coal equivalent and so account for almost 30% of the world’s primarily energy supply, up from todays 25%.
Management letter to the Shareholders Recapping 2018
by Admin | Jan 16, 2019 | Company News
2018 was an excellent year for the global coal industry – a year that saw increased prices, increased production and, most importantly increased global demand, and it was, in many ways, a very good year for CCTI. After performing initial tests successfully, 2018 saw the Test Plant relocated from Oklahoma to it’s permanent location in the heart of the Powder River Basin, ground zero in Coal Country, and a site where CCTI will have total jurisdiction over the plant and all future testing which will include coals from all over the world. This is a very important and fundamental step in the development and roll-out of our Pristine technology. While the plant was in Oklahoma we were able to perform many critical proof-of-concept stages to our development, however, we were restricted to testing only PRB Coal and were subject to all the rules and regulations imposed by the Power Station where we operated. This severely restricted what CCTI could do with the plant and the testing which consistently added time and costs to our progress. In 2018 we cemented the very important relationship with the Energy Research Division of Wyoming University, one of the most highly regarded Energy Research Teams in the global coal industry. The University is committed to ensuring that CCTI’s technologies reach that global coal industry with the most comprehensive capabilities and credibility possible. They have and continue to invest substantial amounts of time and money to support our technology. Their team has spent the better part of 2018 coordinating closely with the engineers at Kiewit to perfect and enhance the design and engineering for the...
Clean Coal Technologies (OTC: CCTC) Expects six licensing deals next 12 months worth $1 million each
by Wall Street Reporter | Nov 5, 2018 | Company News
Clean Coal Technologies (OTC: CCTC) CEO Robin Eves discusses the companies progress in commercializing and licensing its clean coal technology. Expects six licensing deals in next 12 months worth $1 million each + royalties. Read...
by JONATHAN GALLARDO | News Record Writer | Sep 30, 2018 | Company News
What a difference a decade makes. In the electricity production industry, coal was not only king 10 short years ago, it was the conquering emperor, and the Powder River Basin was its seat of power. The PRB saw a record year of production in 2008 when it mined and shipped more than 446 million tons of coal and supplied about 50 percent of all the coal burned to produce electricity in the United States. And as with any empire, the focus of the local energy industry was holding and increasing that power and not so much on the future line of succession. To that end, the nation’s largest coal producers assumed billions of dollars of debt in acquisitions. Fast-forward a decade dominated by federal regulation and a global population shifting more toward an anti-fossil fuels philosophy and the crash has been hard. Three of the world’s — and Powder River Basin’s — largest coal producers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization. The basin has lost thousands of direct and indirect coal industry jobs, and the PRB has seen its share of energy generation plummet from 50 percent to about 30 percent. The numbers tell the story. From that high of 446.5 million tons of coal produced in 2008, the Powder River Basin was down 36 percent by 2016 at 287 million tons and 32 percent in 2017 at 305 million tons produced. And as much as the debate over climate change and global warming has impacted coal-generated electricity in the U.S. and abroad, it’s also created a shift in focus for coal and carbon. While thermal coal will continue...
Could technology open doors to a cleaner-burning future for coal?
by By Donna Schmidt | Sep 20, 2018 | Company News
Clean Coal Technologies and the University of Wyoming are collaborating on a cleaner, more efficient way for the US and the world to produce and consume coal The term ‘clean coal’ has taken on various definitions over the years and has grown to encapsulate several ideas to better coal’s environmental impact. At the heart of all of these solutions is the desire to reduce coal pollution, typically by recapturing carbon released as the product is utilised, or similar. For many, the idea of coal as a dirty word is changing. Read the full...
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New old arguments
Well the new year has started out where the old year ended. It all started with this article about the shooting at an Indiana Kroger's food store. A store manager shot and killed an "armed" robber. Now mind you, this robber was no nice guy. He had several previous offenses and he was clearly a felon. Did he have a gun? Did he intend bodily harm? Was the clerk in immanent danger? Should the manager have been allowed to have his gun at work in violation of Indiana law? Should the manager, a gun permit holder, have shot the robber point blank? Could the robber have just taken the money and run as is the case in many armed robberies? How should employees react to such incidents? Do employers want guns in the work place? If not, who does? Is it a good idea for employees to be armed at work? Opinions vary. This one expresses my views pretty well.
I can see it now: Shoot-out in canned goods! Gunfire in the cereal aisle (those granola-eating liberals had it coming…they weren’t even packing heat!) So what if Kroger has to pay zillions of dollars to innocent shoppers who might inadvertently step into the line of fire? So what if a trigger-happy employee misconstrues a “situation” and starts shooting? So what if…well, let’s just say there are innumerable scenarios that would not end well.
This one expresses the conundrum presented by this work place shooting by an employee.
News reports say some Kroger workers fear the employee who shot Atkinson will be fired, causing supporters of the store manager to launch a Facebook site expressing support for him. It is unclear whether the employee had a license to carry a concealed handgun. Many larger, chain retail stores train their employees not to forcibly resist robbers, including chasing after shoplifters who flee the store with stolen merchandise, for liability reasons. Marion Co. Prosecutor Terry Curry and IMPD have indicated that they do not currently have plans to file charges against the store manager who shot Atkinson.
It turns out that the employee did have a permit to carry and he, indeed, will not be charged with a crime. From another linked article within the above article comes this:
The gun rights battle continues to rage. While many people said they support what the worker did, some of those same people don't think guns should be allowed in the workplace.
Kroger spokesman John Elliott said Tuesday he wouldn't discuss his company's policy because of the ongoing investigation.
Marsh, a competitor to Kroger, said its policy reads that "possession of any weapon of any kind on company property, in any company building or at company-sponsored events is not allowed," with some exceptions.
Sen. Brent Steele, R-Bedford, said that while companies can have such policies, he thinks they shouldn't and doesn't believe an employer should second-guess an employee's right to self-defense.
"If they've got a policy that says that their employees can't do that, I wouldn't work for them, personally," Steele said. "I guess they can fire him, but at least the guy is alive, so he can go get him another job."
Comments on my previous blog post seem to pretty much express the views of gun rights activists. You can read them on the comment section but suffice it to say that most of these folks support the idea of people carrying loaded guns in the work place in case they might be needed in a situation like the one above. They also seem to be saying that companies shouldn't be allowed to keep their employees from carrying their guns at work.
With more people carrying in more public places, does this mean that we will see more workplace shootings like this one in California? The economy is bad. People are out of work. Homes are being foreclosed. In this case, there was security at the company: "The complex is surrounded by a fence and patrolled by a security guard. Employees need a security card to get into the building, said Gil Alexander, a spokesman for Southern California Edison." So do work places have to have metal detectors if they have a policy against carrying guns at work? Would other workers with guns have been able to stop this man? He shot himself once and he also shot 12 people ( according to one account), 2 dead plus the shooter. Most people would want to get away from the situation rather than challenge a deranged and angry person with a gun. Besides, there is no guarantee that a permit holder would be able to shoot someone like this once the element of surprise happens. Or there is a real possibility that someone with a legal gun could attempt to shoot back and maybe or maybe not hit the shooter and maybe or maybe not hit innocent employees or customers.
Other work place shootings include in a beauty shop in California, a law office in San Francisco, an Omaha shopping mall, at hospitals, at a Minnesota sports bar,and post offices ( "going postal"). It happens anywhere. Some think guns are needed in self defense in these places, most do not.
But then there is this one-a store clerk in Aurora, CO killed one of two armed robbers and left 2 store workers wounded. This one appears to be justifiable as this same store has been the target of many robberies and one other time, resulted in a robber shot by the store's owner. And this shooting of an armed robber at a Las Vegas pawn shop resulted in the death of the robber. Luckily for the store owner, he was uninjured. So these are just several incidents of likely many that occur on a fairly regular basis all across our country. Some business owners choose to have guns at work and there are places where more danger exists than others. In these cases, guns did make a difference to the safety of the business owner. That is not always the case though. And yes, some shootings are justifiable.
This comprehensive study about work place gun violence and prevention of the same suggests that allowing guns in the work place increases the risk of homicide during work hours. Some states, including my own state of Minnesota, have passed laws specifically allowing guns to be stored in cars in parking lots at the work place. The guns must be locked in a glove compartment or trunk and not visible. Many employers would prefer that these laws were not in place. But the gun lobby got them passed anyway. And the whole thing is complicated by unclear language in the laws, leaving employers to guess at how to institute work place safety. The second amendment trumps work place safety apparently. The second amendment is silent on guns in the work place but that hasn't stopped the gun lobby from pushing the laws using their rights as a cover for their desire to carry guns everywhere they go during the course of a day.
Here are a number of articles about the guns in the work place:
This one is a discussion about work place security.
This one is from the Brady Campaign/Center regarding work place violence.
Here is one about the open carry movement and what it means for corporations and businesses.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a lengthy article about safety in their places of employment.
The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence has this article on their website about how the NRA has managed to pass laws allowing guns in work places in spite of opposition from businesses.
And finally this article about guns, the work place and domestic violence.
These articles to which I have linked raise many issues: work place safety, insurance issues, domestic violence as the cause of some work place shootings, how to recognize volatile work place situations, anger issues for employees, and a host of other issues which are not black and white. The solution to work place violence is also not black and white. But most people recognize that when there are guns in the work place, they may very well be used against other employees rather than for self defense. There are certainly enough work place shootings to merit concern.
Guns for self defense in the home are one thing. I understand why some people have chosen to keep guns for that purpose. But once guns are introduced into public places, it changes the equation. The U.S. is awash in guns. We have more guns per person than any other country. We are allowed to carry guns in public places that other countries do not allow. We have a second amendment which almost all other countries do not have. We also have more shootings and people dying from gun injuries or surviving with life long complications from their injuries.
The conundrum is how to keep the "bad people" from using guns in crimes; it is how to keep guns away from children; it is how to make sure guns are stored safely so the "bad guys" don't steal them and use them illegally or sell them in the illegal market place; it is how to get young people involved in drugs and gangs to stop feeling as if having a gun is a must; it is how to keep those same young people from being able to buy guns cheaply on the streets; it is how to keep law abiding gun owners from using them against someone they know and/or love in a domestic dispute or dispute over property, or "stuff"; it is how to make sure that only responsible people can legally purchase guns wherever they go to buy them; it is how to keep guns away from a suicidal teen; it is how to make sure guns don't discharge accidentally or get misused to accidentally shoot someone. These are the things that worry me and keep me blogging. My common sense tells me that we can do something about those things I worry about. My solutions are different than those of the gun rights activists. The public is on my side. The gun lobby is not.
Those surveyed supported the idea that gun laws and gun rights complement each other. The poll offered this statement: “We can do more to stop criminals from getting guns while protecting the rights of citizens to freely own them.” Among all gun owners and NRA members, 86 percent agreed.
Somewhere in the middle is where change can happen.
Posted by japete at 7:02 PM
vention, Open Carry, conceal and carry permit holders, guns in the work place, homicides in the work place, NRA, shootings in public places
anthony January 3, 2012 at 1:53 PM
One of the problems with the store policy is that they might fire you if you resist even without using a firearm. Here is a recent story where the robbers threaten to shoot a clerk so he fights back and is fired for doing so. It seems as if some corporations a see employee death as an part of doing business. At least he lived to be fired and did not make it into a statistic that day.
I will always be more afraid of the criminal with the gun and not the legal carrying Manager but even then I choose not to let them be my only protectors.
http://www.fox10tv.com/dpp/news/local_news/pensacola/sales-clerk-fights-back-gets-fired
japete January 3, 2012 at 1:57 PM
Employers have a right to set work place rules. I take it that you would take that right away from them if you don't agree with it? It's hyperbole to say that employers see death as part of doing business. That is exactly why they have work place safety rules- to prevent injuries and deaths.
JayF January 3, 2012 at 2:03 PM
"We can do more to stop criminals from getting guns while protecting the rights of citizens to freely own them."
I too believe that "we can do more to stop criminals from getting guns." But gun control advocates are always reminding us of those who were not criminals before they misused a gun, and I suspect that in attempting to do something about that, gun control advocates will not be concerned with "protecting the rights of citizens to freely own them."
"In countries where there are fewer guns per capita coupled with reasonable gun laws there are fewer gun deaths."
I too am not against all reasonable gun laws (although we may differ as to what is reasonable). What concerns me is that if those reasonable gun laws do not result in the decrease in guns per capita that you seek. more gun laws will follow the reasonable gun laws.
Yes, Jay, as you know, I am planning to come for all of your guns. Did I say anything about decreasing the guns per capita? I would like to decrease the guns per criminal, per domestic abuser, per minor, per adjudicated mentally ill person.
One of the interesting things about the gun control issue is that people feel so strongly about it that their position on a gun matter is often at odds with their other principles (this happens with both sides).
For example, there are many who say that "employers have a right to set work place rules" who have little objection to federal & state legislatures and agencies placing all sorts of limits upon the rights of employers to set work place rules on many other matters.
Yes, Jay. You are right. It's sort of like most of us on the GVP side wanting some federal background check laws since the state laws are a checkerboard of laws that allow guns to get from a state with looser laws into a state with stronger laws. But we are against the National conceal and carry reciprocity bill. You guys support the national reciprocity bill but object to other federal laws saying the states should decide. And it seems to me, anyway, that you would be in favor of over ruling work place rules in favor of gun rights. And I think the work place ( private employers for the most part) should be able to decide. And yet, I am in favor of certain other federal regulations regarding the work place, particularly if they keep people safe or keep business from taking advantage of ordinary folks like you and me.
"I am planning to come for all of your guns"
You say that a lot, and I suppose that it's aimed at those who worry about such, but I see I need to say this again: I'm not one of them.
"Did I say anything about decreasing the guns per capita?"
What you said was this:
Both parts are presented equally -- yet you want the "reasonable gun laws" but not the "fewer guns per capita"?
What if it's the "fewer guns per capita" that results in the "fewer gun deaths"?
"I would like to decrease the guns per criminal, per domestic abuser, per minor, per adjudicated mentally ill person."
What will you do about those who have no record of such until they misuse a gun? You often mention those -- do you not intend to try to do something about them?
Like I said. Fed vs states is out the window when it comes to gun issues.
Gun rights folks will always take the pro-gun position and GVP folks will always take the anti-gun position.
I accept that -- I am disgusted only when one side displays phony outrage, pretending that they don't do the same thing.
We are always in hope of doing something about stopping guns from getting into the illegal market. As for the record- if everyone had to have a background check on gun sales, criminals would have to look harder to get their guns. I know there are already so many illegal guns on the streets and in general in the pool. We need to drain the pool of illegal guns and stop them from getting into the pool in the first place. And that should not involve you unless one of your guns is stolen and you fail to report it so it becomes part of the illegal market. Or unless you buy a gun for someone who can't buy one legally in a straw sale or unless you sell a gun to a felon.
Agreed, Jay. Both sides do it. How can we stop that from happening?
Bryan Strawser January 3, 2012 at 4:21 PM
japete writes:
"Should the manager have been allowed to have his gun at work in violation of Indiana law?"
How was he in violation of Indiana law? He had a permit to carry. There's no law in Indiana preventing him from carrying at work. At most, he violated Kroger's policies. Not a legal violation.
"They also seem to be saying that companies shouldn't be allowed to keep their employees from carrying their guns at work."
I believe employers should be able to set work rules, including prohibiting individuals from carrying at work.
"Some states, including my own state of Minnesota, have passed laws specifically allowing guns to be stored in cars in parking lots at the work place. The guns must be locked in a glove compartment or trunk and not visible."
This is not correct.
MN 624.714 specifically states that an employer may not prohibit the storage of a firearm in one's vehicle in a parking lot or area. The specific language is "an employer or a postsecondary institution may not prohibit the lawful carry or possession of firearms in a parking facility or parking area."
MN statutes say nothing about the method of storage. Firearms do not have to be locked in the glove box or trunk and may be visible - though I would not at all recommend that method of storage.
MN 97B.045 makes other requirements around storage of firearms for transport but they are (mostly) null and void for individuals carrying under a Minnesota Permit to Carry.
James January 3, 2012 at 4:47 PM
What is an "illegal gun"? I've seen that term thrown around yet I've never seen it defined. Is it a gun in the possession of a person who cannot legally own one? Are they guns that have slipped through police armories and have been returned to the streets instead of scrapped? Are they guns stolen from homes and cars? There is really almost no such thing as an illegal gun. Vast, vast majority are legally manufactured from the beginning and it, once again, comes down to the end user. The person and not the object that should be the point of focus. You can't drain a pool with a garden hose when it's being filled by an industrial pump.
All of the above. And we do make the person the focus. That is why we want background checks on all guns sales so illegal people can't buy guns. That is why we want to crack down on straw purchases and make sure guns are safely stored so people who can't get guns legally don't get them. Your last statement is true and that is what it feels like to those of us working on this issue. Why don't you guys help us out so we make the garden hose bigger and the industrial pump smaller?
jdege January 3, 2012 at 5:01 PM
"Did he have a gun? Did he intend bodily harm? Was the clerk in immanent danger?"
The standard is, as you well know, whether a reasonable person, in those circumstances, would have believed that he was in immanent danger.
If someone says he has a gun, and acts like he has a gun, and says he intends you harm, and acts like he intends you harm, you are a damned fool if you don't take him at his word.
Because people like me are not the problem but would be among those who have to pay for such laws. There is already laws against straw purchasing. You need to think about what it would take to enforce the law. It's actually quite impossible because there is no database or level of supervision capable of insuring every single gun buyer is not a straw purchaser. I buy a gun as a surprise gift for my father yet he might have difficulty with the NICS simply because he is not a citizen of this country. He has absolutely no criminal record nor anything that would prevent him from lawfully owning a handgun in my state yet the NICS might not understand the anomaly. So do I sell it to him anyway and make us both criminals? There are parts to the equation you simply are not seeing because you, at a personal level, have never dealt with it. Do you know the NICS often has problem and backlogs just handling the current volume of checks? Do you know what happens when the check returns no result within a specified period of time? The sale goes through anyway. What do you think will happen when millions of more entries are added every month? Reinforcing the garden hose and making it tougher does not make it flow a higher volume.
Yes, I do get that there are problems with NICS. Perhaps if we give it more funding, we could do a better job. As to your father ( don't know if this is real)- can you gift him a gun? Under most background check laws, there is an exemption for family members. I don't think any of this should stop the process of trying to work on the issue. Harder things have been before the American public before. We can find a way to do this if we but try.
You missed the point. Why would I have to jump through another hoop, have added expense, and wasted time for a law that will do absolutely nothing to deter illegal gun sales? What are the enforcement mechanisms? How do you propose a law that would make ALL firearms purchases including those between private individuals subject to a NICS check be enforced? Would you start from an arbitrary date and grand-father in 300,000,000 firearms that currently exist in the US? This is what happens when laws are proposed without thinking beyond legislation or considering the consequences.
How exactly would this affect you, James? Do you buy guns now from FFLs? It would be no different. It can and does work. Several states are doing it. It's not a big deal. It would start with gun purchases from the date of a new law if it ever passed. Private individuals can go to the nearest FFL just as you now go to the nearest grocery store or electronics store or furniture store to purchase other goods. This is not a hard thing. You guys are making it sound like some horrendous thing. It is not.
I have purchased one out of my several from an FFL. I generally purchase secondhand models that I have interest in collecting that are generally not found in retail outlets. So yes...it would affect me. Wouldn't affect the gang member on the other side of town though. Which several states are doing this? Handguns, long guns, or all guns? Do they actually require the transaction through a FFL or through a county office? Have you researched the patchwork of laws in these states? Have the laws in these states ceased firearms sales among criminal elements? You really don't know what you are asking for here. It is incredibly difficult which is why it hasn't gained any national level traction.
"How exactly would this affect you, James?"
Allowing the government to know who knows what guns affects all of us.
There are methods of ensuring background checks on all firearms transfers that do not allow the government to know which specific firearms are being transfered, or who are the individuals involved. Somehow, though, you never seem to support those.
Left Coast Conservative January 3, 2012 at 7:55 PM
"It can and does work. Several states are doing it. It's not a big deal. It would start with gun purchases from the date of a new law if it ever passed."
California does it, but I do not know if anyone can measure any benefit. Criminals still get TONS of guns on this state: just look at Lovelle Mixon:
"“I told him, ‘Man, you’re in a no-win situation. You’re a parolee. If they catch you, you’re going back to prison,’ ” said his cousin Jermaine Mixon, who said Mr. Mixon had showed him a gun that he would eventually turn on police officers on Saturday. “Lovelle said he was going to put the gun away. But I guess he was carrying it with him.”"
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/25/us/25parolee.html
Mixon was not unique, except for the fact that he killed 4 police officers with a weapon it was illegal for him to possess, was illegal for a person to sell to him without using an FFL. In California a prohibited person cannot even TOUCH a firearm, and yet they still get them and use them in crimes.
So Joan, extending FFL transfer requirements nationwide might have an effect, but I doubt it would really get rid of all guns in criminal hands.
I might be willing to give this a try on the national level, but that would be my limit to additional firearms regulations, and I would want something else in trade, like national concealed carry reciprocity.
Pat January 3, 2012 at 8:20 PM
"Nearest FFL"...as if there's one on every street!
California, Connecticut, DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island- see here- http://www.lcav.org/content/private_sales.pdf
Some are just for handguns. Yes, they usually get the checks from FFLs. If the sellers are doing their jobs, criminals should not be able to legally buy guns and would have to get them in some other way. That doesn't mean that criminals don't still get guns. America is awash in guns including lots of illegal guns on our streets. And criminals can go to nearby states where background checks are not required for all sales to get their guns. That is why a federal law would be good. I believe it is working in the states where the background checks are required. It might be more inconvenient but it's not the end of the world for goodness sake.
What happens when people buy guns from FFLs which I assume most people do actually? I guess all of those people are not too concerned about the government, jdege. But I know you libertarians just think the government is out to get your guns and would surely come calling if you buy guns from licensed dealers.
http://www.vpc.org/studies/dealers.pdf
looks like quite a few dealers to me but fewer than there used to be. There used to be more dealers than gas stations in the U.S. Now, of course, we have more big box type stores like Gander Mountain that do a lot of the gun sales and background checks. Like all other businesses, sometimes the smaller ones don't make it for one reason or another.
thestaplegunkid9 January 3, 2012 at 10:02 PM
Japete: "They also seem to be saying that companies shouldn't be allowed to keep their employees from carrying their guns at work."
Where on earth did you come up with this fiction?
I did not see a single comment stating that employers can't set their own gun policies. I know I repeatedly said they could.
Kroger's has every right to ban guns from inside their property and discipline or fire the employee for breaking the rules.
In response, citizens have every right to boycott Kroger's and hold protests outside store property in order to show their disapproval
However, whatever the results, the manager and his fellow workers are still alive. That's a worthy trade-off for any action Kroger's will take against him, up to and including being fired.
Japete: "That is exactly why they have work place safety rules- to prevent injuries and deaths."
Gun bans in places like Kroger's are about liability, not safety. Big companies are afraid of lawsuits. Lawsuits are expensive. Replacing rank-and-file employees killed or maimed by armed robbers is not. It's the classic example of companies putting a higher value on their bottom line then their workers lives.
Anyone who supports workers rights should oppose such gun bans, even if the company has the right to put them in place (which they do).
japete January 3, 2012 at 10:11 PM
I wonder why they would be concerned with litigation concerning guns? What could they possibly concerned about? I'm sure they are all about safety of their workers as well. And I don' t get what your last sentence is all about. It doesn't make sense. First of all, there are no gun bans. What are you talking about? There may be places where guns are banned for very good reasons. Workers and customers have a right to be safe from employees bearing guns at work.
"With more people carrying in more public places, does this mean that we will see more workplace shootings like this one in California?"
No because murderers don't care about violating company policy. They will carry guns whether it's against company policy or not.
If you look into this matter more closely, You'll find the majority of workplace shooting occur at places that have gun bans already.
And that is why they are banning guns in the work place- to keep more shootings from happening.
But that's silly, because it's been proven time and time again that gun bans don't work. Again, look into workplace shootings and you will see most of them occur in places that already ban employees from gun carrying.
Murders don't follow gun bans. Unless the company is willing to spend the money to have checkpoints and metal detectors at every entrance that are manning by armed guards (which nearly all are not), gun bans are simply impossible to enforce.
The only way gun bans would work is if criminals obeyed them. They never have and common sense tells us they never will, but the gun-ban crowd still insists on their effectiveness anyway.
James January 3, 2012 at 11:08 PM
That is an incredibly naive statement with absolutely no credible evidence to support it. Can you cite a source? Also, you still have not addressed by what mechanism a Federally mandated background check on all transfers could be enforced.
Bryan Strawser January 3, 2012 at 11:11 PM
"And that is why they are banning guns in the work place- to keep more shootings from happening. "
Southern California Edison prohibits guns from being carried by employees - yet still had a workplace shooting late last year. This appeared to do nothing to stop the shooting.
A bank was robbed in the twin cities last week that had a "Bank X bans guns on these premises" sign - this appeared to do nothing to stop the robbery.
There was the courthouse shooting in Northern Minnesota. Minnesota law prohibits the carry of a firearm in a courthouse. This appeared to do nothing to stop the shooting.
Virginia Tech has a ban on firearms on campus - yet we had the Virginia Tech shootings. This ban appeared to do nothing to stop the shooting.
Help me understand how these gun bans are supposed to keep more shootings from happening?
japete January 4, 2012 at 7:13 AM
I would wager that if guns were allowed in the work place, there would be more shootings in the work place.
I am not naive nor am I a lawmaker or policy maker who would decide how it would work. If we can send a man to the moon, I'm sure we could figure out how to make a federal background check bill work. FFLs are at all gun shows. That is how it works in the states where those laws have been passed. There are many FFLs for private sellers. Buyers and sellers can meet at the FFL and have the background check performed. This is not rocket science.
Look Bryan, I am not saying that ALL shootings would be stopped. I am saying that prevention is a good thing. You are saying that guns should be allowed. I am saying the fact that a work place gives a message that they don't welcome guns means they don't think it's a good idea. No one says that everyone will follow the rules. But the opposite- just allowing guns or telling people it's O.K. will also not work out very well. More guns do not equal a more polite society. We already have the highest rate of gun deaths per 100,000 in this country. You just don't see a lot of shootings in the work place in other countries where the laws are more restrictive. And don't send me examples of where that has happened. I know they do but they are much more rare than in this country. And the Governor of Virginia says he is unlikely to sign a guns on campus bill. He understands that more guns on college campuses would be a stupid and dangerous idea. He is right. Help me understand how more guns on college campuses will not result in drunk students shooting at each other or killing themselves in suicides or accidentally shooting someone in a dorm room or classroom or shooting a professor with whom they have a problem.
Bryan Strawser January 4, 2012 at 7:25 AM
"Help me understand how more guns on college campuses will not result in drunk students shooting at each other or killing themselves in suicides or accidentally shooting someone in a dorm room or classroom or shooting a professor with whom they have a problem. "
This is the same straw argument we hear about permits to carry when this legislation comes up in other states.
There's no data indicating that allowing firearms on campus is going to result on that - and from a civil liberties perspective, there's no compelling argument that could withstand the level of constitutional scrutiny required to curtail the exercise of this right on a college campus.
Not to mention there are tons of colleges that already allow this - and many colleges (like the U of MN and the MNSCU system) where students/staff are restricted from carrying but the general public is not.
Why are we not seeing all of these shootings, suicides, and dead professors on these campuses like you claim there would be?
You are trying to tell me that a lot of kids and professors are carrying guns at the U of M and MNSCU colleges and so therefore we should think that carrying guns has not resulted in a lot of shootings and gun crime? Talk about a straw man. That is ridiculous Bryan and you must know that. I don't think the Presidents of the colleges would agree with you that there a lot of people carrying guns on their campuses. Perhaps a handful of citizens who, like you, think it's O,K. to carry your guns around in places that generally ban guns from their premises. The reason there have been few, if any, shootings at U of M campuses has nothing to do with the fact that some gun rights extremists choose to carry their guns there.
Jim January 4, 2012 at 9:35 AM
Kids? I'm not sure about MN, but most states require a person be 21 years of age to get a Concealed Carry permit. Still young, I'll grant you, but not like some 18 year old who is away from home for the first time...
japete January 4, 2012 at 11:20 AM
Students. They will mixing with the younger "kids" on campuses and where they live. They will be at the same parties where alcohol is served. Where will the gun be stored by the "student" who carries once he/she is at home in an apartment or a frat house where younger students are also living?
thestaplegunkid9 January 4, 2012 at 11:35 AM
Utah has allowed CCW on all their public universities for over 7 years now. The bloodbaths and prophecies of doom predicted by the anti-gun crowd never occurred.
To this day there has not been any evidence showing that colleges that allow CCW on campus are any less safe or more violent then ones that don't.
Is there any evidence to show that a CCW permit holder stopped a shooter on a college campus? Is there any evidence to show that having people with guns on campus have made the campuses any safer?
Here is an article opposed to guns on campus that shares my views- http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/columns/east_valley_voices/article_f8bb40f6-365a-11e1-8682-001871e3ce6c.html
Pat January 4, 2012 at 12:37 PM
Not students and professors Joan - they're banned by the archaic laws of MN. The General Public however can not be banned from carry at public institutions in MN.
...and is there any evidence that legal carry of firearms on college campuses has made them any more dangerous?
Really Pat? Archaic? You guys just never cease to amaze me.
James- argumentative- asked and answered.
Baldr Odinson January 5, 2012 at 3:53 PM
I'm of the mind that allowing guns in the workplace is a dangerous policy. Not only are many concealed carriers ill-trained to begin with, but now you are in a tighter situation, with more people in closer confines and more chance of confusion. My workplace luckily prohibits guns on its property. If it allowed it, I would seriously consider not working there anymore, particularly since one of my coworkers in my office is very pro-gun and might carry. I don't trust his sense of judgement or safety.
Also, allowing an employee to take matters in his own hand and play "Wyatt Earp" rather than just give into the demands of the robber sets a very dangerous precedent. The employee should be fired. Will robbers think twice about robbing that store again? I doubt it. More likely they will come better-armed and shoot first.
And there's good reason why police say clerks should just give into demands. Few business robberies actually end with the robber shooting someone. They just want their money and will leave. It usually only turns deadly when the employee or manager puts up resistance or pulls out a gun. In the last couple years there have been something like 35 armed robberies in my town. Only one was deadly, at it was when the employee pulled out a gun and started shooting (he had it against the employer's rules). The robber died, but not before the robber got some shots off and nearly killed him. The next employee may not be as lucky.
Check out this law abiding college student on a campus with his gun--http://www.wsusignpost.com/2012/01/05/firearm-discharges-on-campus/
And? Seemed he taught himself a tougher lesson than any professor can give. That's why guns are supposed to be carried in holsters and not pants pockets.
Yes, and he taught the rest of us that we don't need idiots like this carrying guns around on college campuses. If there is one, there are bound to be more. I write about them in almost every post. It is not reassuring.
James January 6, 2012 at 2:26 AM
A lesson taught to your side of the issue but that certainly does not mean a majority. One incident in a state where 10 public colleges/universities allow CCW does not a trend make and trends, not singular incidents, are where policy should take shape.
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The Firefighter Case: Part I
October 9 2009, J. J. Maloney
South Kansas City Blast Site Five innocent people were convicted in February 1997 in the deaths of six Kansas City firefighters in 1988. These two stories run a total length of 20,000...
How To Deal With Prison Overcrowding
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About 50 percent of the individuals sentenced to time in prison are there because of drug-related crimes. Most are not major players in the drug trafficking industry, but rather are users or...
The Edinburgh Lynching
June 8 2016, Martin Baggoley
Mob lynchings have been extremely rare events in the United Kingdom. The most infamous occurred in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1736by Martin BaggoleyOn Monday April 6 1724, the Caledonian Mercury included...
The Scottsboro Boys: Jim Crow on Trial
September 12 2009, Denise Noe
The case of the Scottsboro Boys often seemed like one of dueling prejudices. Entrenched racism against blacks, anti-Semitism, the Madonna/Whore dichotomy, and regional stereotypes would all be on...
A Mother's Quest
April 27 2015, Michael Volpe
Four years after her daughter’s death, A Georgia woman is distraught with more questions than answers because she still doesn’t know the circumstances which led to her daughter’s death, and she...
Walking While Black: The Killing of Trayvon Martin
January 7 2013, Don Fulsom
Based on the dictates of Florida’s Stand Your Ground law, the jury in the Trayvon Martin murder case had virtually no legal basis to do anything but acquit George Zimmerman of both second-degree...
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Ten Who Escaped the Hangman in Ireland
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Before the Republic of Ireland abandoned the death penalty in 1990, it had a curious relationship to it, meting out the penalty but more often than not commuting or reprieving the condemned. by Colm...
The Last Witch Killing in the United Kingdom -- The Murder of Charles Walton in 1945
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In small villages throughout England, the killing of people alleged to be witches was not uncommon. In 1945, the murder of Charles Watson is considered to be the last of this phenomenon.by Chuck...
South Kansas City Blast Site Five innocent people were convicted in February 1997 in the deaths of six Kansas City firefighters in 1988. These two stories run a total length of 20,000 words, and won the Missouri Bar Association's annual "Excellence in Legal...
The case of the Scottsboro Boys often seemed like one of dueling prejudices. Entrenched racism against blacks, anti-Semitism, the Madonna/Whore dichotomy, and regional stereotypes would all be on full display as the Scottsboro Boys grabbed headlines for well over a decade...
Mob lynchings have been extremely rare events in the United Kingdom. The most infamous occurred in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1736by Martin BaggoleyOn Monday April 6 1724, the Caledonian Mercury included the first ever press report of a game of golf, which was played a short...
Before the Republic of Ireland abandoned the death penalty in 1990, it had a curious relationship to it, meting out the penalty but more often than not commuting or reprieving the condemned. by Colm Wallace Over 750 years of British occupation of Ireland resulted in many...
In small villages throughout England, the killing of people alleged to be witches was not uncommon. In 1945, the murder of Charles Watson is considered to be the last of this phenomenon.by Chuck LyonsThe murder of Charles Walton is considered the last witch killing in the United...
Four years after her daughter’s death, A Georgia woman is distraught with more questions than answers because she still doesn’t know the circumstances which led to her daughter’s death, and she blames law enforcement throughout Georgia for conducting a shoddy investigation which...
About 50 percent of the individuals sentenced to time in prison are there because of drug-related crimes. Most are not major players in the drug trafficking industry, but rather are users or are selling to make ends meet. These two groups in particular would likely benefit...
“Orange is the New Black”: Examining the Life of a Female Inmate
The Netflix produced television series, "Orange is the New Black," is a comedy-drama set in a women's prison in upstate New York. While the author finds it to be an entertaining show that touches on several important issues confronting incarcerated women, she has her own ideas...
The Waco Siege
The FBI’s raid on the Waco, Texas compound of Branch Davidian leader David Koresh on April 19, 1993 ended in total disaster with all 76 cult members dying in an inferno. by Robert Walsh “Behold, the Lord will come with fire and the chariots will be with flaming...
The Framing of Mumia Abu-Jamal
Excerpt from the book The Framing of Mumia Abu-Jamal by J. Patrick O'Connor Chapter One A Cause Celebre Mumia Abu-Jamal has been on death row since 1982. Over the years, as a result of his prison writings, the former radio reporter who prided himself on being "the voice...
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Cyril Searancke
Lieutenant Cyril Searancke, R.N. (2 February, 1888 – 27 April, 1916) served in the Royal Navy.
Born in Mitcheldean, Gloucestershire.
Searancke was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 30 August, 1909.
Searancke was appointed in command of T.B. 112 on 16 April, 1913 and was superseded in her on 11 July, 1914. On 9 July, however, a telegram from the Nore reported that he had deserted. He reappeared some time before the end of the year and was offered amnesty if he simply rejoined, which he did. Unfortunately, he was appointed to the battleship Russell on 24 November, 1914 and he was killed when she was lost to a mine off Malta on 27 April, 1916.
Naval Appointments
Edward S. Graham Captain of H.M. T.B. 112
16 Apr, 1913 – 11 Jul, 1914 Succeeded by
Hubert W. D. Griffith
Retrieved from "http://www.dreadnoughtproject.org/tfs/index.php?title=Cyril_Searancke&oldid=294817"
People (UK)
Lieutenants (UK)
Killed on Active Service
Killed on Active Service (UK)
H.M.S. Britannia (Training Ship) Entrants of May, 1903
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EDSA-Seminar on Job Inclusion
After the presentation of the results of the survey on job inclusion in Europe the seminar program went on with ca. 10 presentations on job inclusion from different countries. A short summary can be found here.
Experiences from Italy
Anna Contardi from AIPD in Rome, presented Italian experiences. Today about 25,000 adults live with DS in Italy, a part of them works. Anna addresses two problem areas, among others. Firstly, that many of these people are not prepared for the role of worker. Some are treated by families as if they were “eternal children” and so they behave. Others have a completely wrong self-image. It is difficult to integrate these young people into the world of work.
Then she stresses that it is not so hard to learn and do a job, but much harder to be a worker. Understanding how to behave in the workplace, what social role you play. Sometimes this is the reason why an employment relationship fails.
In Italy there are two options: A job in the first labour market or a job in a social enterprise. In these inclusion companies at least 30% of the staff are people with a disability. Many adults with DS work here.
13% of adults with DS who are in contact with Italian DS organizations work with a regular contract on the first labour market. In 2017, 131 new internships were added and 38 new employment contracts were signed.
It is also interesting to note that there are fixed contracts with large companies that have regularly hired people with DS for many years, including Mc Donald, Feltrinelli, Deichmann, Decathlon, Nespresso, Lagardere, …).
A successful campaign was a TV spot in which 6 interns with DS were filmed at work in a hotel. This video was broadcast daily for six weeks. Up to one million viewers saw the video. At the end of the video, interested employers were asked to contact AIPD. Result: 100 employers offered internships and jobs!
Of course, the Valueable Network project was also presented, to which 106 hotels and restaurants in six countries are now affiliated.
Promotion of Job Inclusion through EU projects
Two Erasmus projects, both coordinated from Portugal, are dealing with new training methods. Virtual DS aims to develop a training method focussing people with Down Syndrome, job trainers and company representatives, who then might work with Virtual Reality (VR) tools in supported employment settings. The main purpose is to improve the working ability of this group of people. DS associations from Portugal, Slovenia, Romania and Hungary are partners in this project.
The second project T21to community is about acquiring digital competence for the labour market. A two-year course, first developed in the “Promentor” project at the Universidad Autonomia in Madrid, was taken over by the University of Santarem in Portugal and further developed there. At present, 30 young people with Down’s syndrome in Italy, Croatia and Portugal regularly take part in the workshops and are thus made “fit for the job market”.
WORKFIT connects employers and employees
The DSA from England brought the Workfit project to Madrid.
WorkFit is a tailor-made service that connects employers with employees with Down syndrome. The program makes it easier for people with Down syndrome to find employment. It encourages employers to employ this target group and informs them about the framework conditions that are important for these workers in the workplace. Workfit supports the recruitment process and provides post-employment support.
WorkFit started placing candidates in 2012. So far 270 people have found permanent employment and 280 young people are doing internships in various fields. Almost 2000 employers/colleagues have been trained.
Emplea Foundation
The lecture by Fernando Bellver from the Emplea Foundation (European Association of Service Providers for Persons with Disabilities) dealt with the funding of Supported Employment in various European countries.
Adult education and vocational training program in Ireland
A three-year vocational training course for young people with DS comes from Ireland.
In the first two years, students attend a school four days a week for 32 weeks, with a work schedule covering topics such as literacy and technology, decision-making, rights and responsibilities and work skills.
The third year of the course does not take place in a classroom, but is a flexible program designed individually for the young adult. Various internships will be completed and a job will be sought.
France: Project DEFI 21 and ProDEFI
One of the priorities in the work of Trisomie21-Gard in South France is work integration. The project DEFI 21 (Defi means Challence) supports young people who are looking for a job, companies who want to hire people with DS and accompanies family. The Pro DEFI then takes care of further job coaching, career support etc. so that the working conditions are long-term.
AMIPI is also from France and stands for a challenging job in the car supply industry in several cities in western France, where people with Down syndrome have also found a challenging job.
Rytmus from Czech Republic
The DS Association in the Czech Republic does not have the capacity to provide its own specialist service for work integration. The association works together with the organization Rytmus, which offers a transition program in which it accompanies young people with DS and other disabilities in their preparation for the labour market, supports them in finding a job and offers assistance. Rytmus works closely with schools, preparing young people for working life during the final years of school.
“I am independent Because I Work-Program” from Turkey
The program “I am independent Because I Work” was launched by the Turkish DS Association. One part of the program deals with the role of a job coach and his preparation for this challenging work, because the success of such a job placement often depends on him. The cooperation between Job Coach on the one hand and the person with DS, with employers, colleagues and with the families is described in detail.
Germany: Workshops and social firms – an alternative to job inclusion?
In this presentation the worksituation of adults with DS in Germany was showed. Most of these persons do work, ca. 80 % of them in a workshop. (10 % in day activity centers, 10 % on the first job market). Workshops nowadays offer a lot of different and interesting work options and many of these places are modern enterprises. Some of the workshop workers are placed on outwards jobs on the first market or work in social firms. These are first positive steps in the direction of job inclusion, but payment is bad and the workers still have the status of a workshop worker.
EDSA’s Annual Meeting – a unique opportunity to exchange experiences
This report cannot possibly give a detailed account of everything that was on the agenda during the three days in Madrid. Of course, there are many opportunities to talk together, to exchange information and pass on information. Usually the participants have their newest publications, video’s and materials with them to show around.
We all appreciated the hospitality of the Spanish DS Association very much. Not only were we allowed to use the beautiful premises of the association, which are equipped with the latest technology, we were also well supplied with meals and drinks. For the traditional evening together a Flamenco teacher was engaged, who tried to teach us first Flamenco steps. Later we had dinner accompanied by flamenco dance and music.
Survey of EDSA members about Job Inclusion
3rd T21RS International Conference
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Greek Economy
History of Philanthropy
The Role of Philanthropy
With the ongoing socioeconomic crisis in Greece, it is hard to consider the appropriate role of philanthropy. However, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation was trying to cope with this issue since the beginning of the crisis which provided some praiseworthy results. By now, the foundation committed €300 million or $378 million to grants as a response to the crisis. Total grant commitments in Greece are now well over €1 billion. This foundation has two most important principles in their activities. The first one is that philanthropy should not be a replacement for a government’s responsibility to offer public services. The government has obligations to its citizens and has its role in this process. So it is crucial to admit that it is not philanthropy’s role to ensure government´s capacity for their own responsibilities. The second principle is that the priority of the foundation´s supports must be those who are affected by the crisis the most, such as homeless, unemployed, hungry and depressed people or people without healthcare. Addressing to their needs is and should always be the main goal of philanthropy.
This foundation´s commitment of €300 million has been allocated with the help of two major initiatives. The first one occurred in June 2012, as the Foundation committed an initial €100 million to the initiative “Against the Greek Crisis”. The initiative was continued in June 2015 when the Stavros Niarchos Foundation committed an additional €100 million. The second initiative was called “Recharging the Youth” with €100 million directed towards aim to help address Greece’s overly high youth unemployment rate, seeking the creation of better employment prospects and opportunities for the young.
Through that first €100 million for “Against the Crisis” the Foundation provided 377 grants in addition to the supporting social programs and sustainability of hundreds of Greek nonprofit organisations. Their grants primarily supported the Social Welfare and Health, but also Education and Culture.“Recharging the Youth” initiative is still underway.
The Foundation has already announced new initiatives with additional €100 million allocates. Their main goal is to distribute the funds within a year, which should in a way intensify their efforts against the crisis in Greece by simultaneously providing the most important support to Greek society and its most vulnerable groups. The Foundation has provided significant support already for the great number of grants within this new initiative, such as €20 million in total to the Municipalities of Athens and Thessaloniki, € 10 million each for addressing the immediate needs of citizens in these cities. In return these two municipalities will have the chance to perform collaborative hubs, assuming the duty of the coordination and cooperation with the neighbouring municipalities to implement synergistic actions.
Addressing issues of the Greeks as soon as possible with the allocation of these grants means the vital response to the problems and needs of the citizens that are facing different issues including the existential problems on a daily basis.
In addition, the Foundation approved grants totalling €3.7 million as part of this latest €100 million program. With these grants, the Foundation is trying to address urgent healthcare needs through the support of the hospitals as well as other non-profit organisations that experience all sorts of challenges.
In addition to the Foundation’s ongoing funding of the construction of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) in Athens, each one of these €100 million programmes is funded above and beyond the Foundation’s standard grant-making activities. This new centre which will provide new facilities for the National Library of Greece and the Greek National Opera, in addition to the 42 acres Stavros Niarchos Park.
This severe ongoing crisis opened the issue of building the SNFCC. Many consider that it should not continue in the presence of other urgent societal needs. Despite that, the Foundation concluded that the finalisation of the project is in the best interest of Greece observing the long term effects. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center can be perceived as an economic stimulus as well as a source of jobs. Finally, it is a testament and a commitment to the country’s future as well.
Broadly speaking, this is all that the Stavros Niarchos Foundation was able to do to provide a necessary answer to the crisis. It is possible that some other philanthropic institutions choose different strategies and priorities to implement, which does not mean it is wrong in any way. However, it is crucial that the philanthropic foundations in Europe and around the world have the insight in the current situation and consider providing the aid of the most vulnerable Greeks, particularly with the rising unemployment rates that are highest in Europe. The role of philanthropy is what make us human, and what we should observe as important part of our lives. Helping those in need within these difficult times should be obligatory.
Greece – A Year after the Crises
The Future Of The Greek Economy
ELPIS talks to the President and CEO of the United Nations Foundation, Kathy Calvin
The Creative Economy International Event was a resounding success!
ELPIS talks to the Founder and CEO of DonorsChoose, Charles Best
ELPIS talks to a Doctor Without Borders, Dr. Javid Abdelmoneim
ELPIS Philanthropy Advisors – Major Milestones 2012-2014
Tweets by Philanthropy
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Thinking and ranting out loud - my own thoughts and comments written whenever the mood takes me. Nothing is safe, Chop Chop!
Blog title from a song by Pink Floyd.
I asked my students if they would like to work for Google, almost all said "Yes!" - my response? "Make it happen!"
Google offices in Milan.
Image source: Zeospot.
Yesterday in class we were discussing interaction type jobs in which "talking, e-mailing, presenting, or persuading other people is the primary value-adding activity" (Laudon and Laudon, 2013). We discussed how Ireland has become a centre in Europe for this type of work, with many high tech companies like Google, eBay, PayPal, Linkedin, and Facebook setting up offices in Dublin. Most students said they would like to work for Google and I rather pompously said in response to "Make it happen". Coincidentally, I read an interview in the New York Times: "How to Get a Job at Google" in which Laszlo Bock (Senior VP of People Operations for Google) said first "Good grades certainly don't hurt", and then listed five hiring attributes they have across the company.
The first attribute is the most important one for me:
For every job, though, the No. 1 thing we look for is general cognitive ability, and it’s not I.Q. It’s learning ability. It’s the ability to process on the fly. It’s the ability to pull together disparate bits of information. We assess that using structured behavioral interviews that we validate to make sure they're predictive".
The others are:
Humility and ownership
Argue like hell
Learn from mistakes
Read the full article which makes for very interesting reading. The article ends with a shot at Colleges: "Too many colleges, he added, “don't deliver on what they promise. You generate a ton of debt, you don't learn the most useful things for your life. It’s [just] an extended adolescence.”
Launch of the Wild Atlantic Way
Today the Minister for tourism Michael Ring formally launched the Wild Atlantic Way. This project is funded to the tune of €10 million by Fáilte Ireland, and it is claimed to be the longest defined driving route in the world. Regular readers of this blog will know that I have travelled and blogged about my great experiences on the WAW.
My new book "Exploring Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way" is well on the way to publication. It should be available in May - we are planning a lunch for this too! Stay tuned for more news on this!
Jack Kavanagh Gala Ball
Last evening Roma and I went to the Jack Kavanagh Gala Ball in the DT Hilton Hotel (formerly the Burlington Hotel) - it was a fund raiser to give Jack a helping hand in his bid to qualify as a Pharmacist in Trinity College. Many people from the pharmacy community in Ireland were present in the crowd of over 650 people. Jack, who is just 21, spoke at the event before dinner and a more focussed, refined, and inspiring young man you will go a long way to find.
Image source: Jack Kavanagh Trust.
Good luck to him - his motto is "YOLO"!
Storm Damage and Repair in Ballingate
The recent storms have caused a lot of damage to the O'Loughlin family farm in Ballingate. My Dad described the storm as "terrifying". Below I've put a photos together to show the scale of the damage. Particularly sad for us is the disruption at the white gate to the front avenue, and the main tree in the front garden being felled. This tree was a favourite place for us to play as kids, but no more play for future generations of O'Loughlins in this tree. It will be sawed up for firewood.
50,000 miles of riding on my @HarleyDavidson #FLSTC #Magic
Yesterday my motorcycle passed the 50,000 miles (that's 80,467 kilometres) and I had to stop to record the moment. I bought the bike in January 2003, so this represents a modest 4,600 (approx) miles per year. I mostly use the bike to ride in and out from work (14 miles per day), but I have also had some memorable longer trips:
- The Wild Atlantic Way
- Dublin to Almancil (Portugal)
- Dublin to Murcia (Spain)
- Dublin to Sigean (France)
I'm hoping to holiday in northern Germany and ride on to Denmark and Sweden this coming summer. Here's to the next 50,000 miles, which at the same rate as the first 50,000 will occur in 2024 when I'm 64!
Year of Code - What a Great Idea! via @ukcoding #WhyCantWeDoThis
In the UK there is a great innovation in getting kids in school to learn how to code. Year of Code is an independent, non-profit campaign to encourage people across the UK to get coding for the first time in 2014.
Why can't we do this in Ireland? There's nothing stopping us! I know there are some excellent initiatives here such as Coderdojo, but not a national effort to get everybody coding. Learning a computer programming language is an important skill, and is arguably (for some) more important than learning a second or third spoken language. Some day it will be part of our secondary school curriculum, but in these difficult economic times it will be difficult to implement. Perhaps we could start in Transition Year (some schools probably do this already)?
Where there's a will, there's a way. Imagine the entrepreneurs of the future learning coding skills now!
10 Major Technology Trends in Education -- via THE Journal
Chris Riedel writing for The Journal lists 10 Major Technology Trends in Education based on a "400,000 surveys from 9,000 schools and 2,700 districts" across the United States. The 10 trends are:
Personal Access to Mobile Devices
Use of Video for Classwork and Homework
Mobile Devices for Schoolwork
Using Different Tools for Different Tasks
Paying Attention to the Digital Footprint
An increased Interest in Online Learning
Gaming is Growing, and the Gender Gap is Closed
Social Media in Schools
What Devices Belong in 'The Ultimate School?'
No surprise in some of these - two of the above interest me greatly. #3 is about video and the article notes that "46 percent of teachers are using video in in the classroom", and that "One-third of students are accessing video online — through their own initiative — to help with their homework". This is called the “Khan Academy effect”. Interestingly "23 percent of students are accessing video created by their teachers". I'd love to know what the figures are in Ireland, but I'm guessing that we cannot be that much different from the US.
The final item above (#10 - What Devices Belong in 'The Ultimate School?') tells us in the survey that "Fifty-six percent of students said laptops were most important; 51 percent chose digital readers; and 48 percent selected tablets", but more importantly that "62 percent of students want to bring their own devices". The era of BYOD is upon us and at the very least I would love to see all students at third and second level being equipped with a tablet computer for reading textbooks, taking and reading notes, and for research purposes. And of course that these devices are supported by the schools/colleges.
The full article is well worth a read to keep up with the latest thoughts and issues with technology in education.
Review: Sarah Millican at The Olympia
Last evening Roma and I went along to see comedienne Sarah Millican at the Olympia Theatre. I have seen her stand-up comedy routines many times on TV and she is a great guest to have on the talk shows. The tickets were a Christmas 2012 present from my daughters - this must be one of the best Christmas presents I've ever got because I laughed so much along with a packed audience.
She takes the piss out of herself in a very relaxed, but hilarious way. She joked a lot about her weight, her "fella", her "down there", vibrators, "poo", in a show with a lot of toilet humour and sexual innuendo. Oh - and there's a lot of bad language too, her recorded TV stand up shows are probably performed in front of audiences where she has to tone down the language a bit. This was one of the best night's out for a long time - I'll be sure to catch her show the next time her tour brings her to Dublin.
Image source: http://www.sarahmillican.co.uk
Sir Tom Finney - Preston North End Legend #RIPSirTom
News last evening that Preston North End football legend Sir Tom Finney has died at the age of 91 will sadden all people associated with football all over the world, especially football fans in England. Being a fan of Preston North End since the early 1970s (I was a big fan of fellow goalkeeper Alan Kelly), everyone I talked to about PNE always asked about Sir Tom.
Image source: The Mail On-line.
Tom Finney played for only one club - Preston North End, and for his country, England. He was the first man to win the Footballer of the Year title twice, and of course contributed to the breaking of Irish hearts when his late cross was headed into the Irish net by John Atyeo during qualification for the 1958 World Cup (see report on this in the Irish Examiner).
I have been to Deepdale in Preston several times to see PNE play and I have sat in the main stand named in his honour, two other stands are named in honour of Bill Shankly and Alan Kelly. The club shop features many items remembering him, not since the early 1960s has the club had any player approaching his class. Tomorrow I will wear my PNE jersey to salute Sir Tom Finney - a football great.
At the Sir Tom Finney Splash Memorial
for the PNE vs Wolves game 11-FEB-2007
Colleges embrace new world of social media via @pittsburghpg
Social media has rapidly come to be part of our lives - words like Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Linkedin now have a media currency in the way newspapers and television had in the past. Bill Schackner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in an article Colleges embrace new world of social media, writes that campus life is changing due to social-media becoming more and more part of everyday student activity.
European Institute of Communications.
I welcome developments like this, though many people have concerns about privacy, data protection, and misuse of social media for things like bullying. Schackner writes that one College has 31 big screen TVs, more than a dozen of which carry social media - Wow! The social media screens carry messages about simple things like Be careful if you're on the roads and get enough sleep before exams. One College official states that It's empowering when students see their own posts, tweets, or photos show up on the campus screens.
There can be too much of social media in our lives - it can be hard to keep up with the myriad of different platforms. But one thing we can be assured of is that the current younger generation are well able to handle all the different social media tools and it is they who will drive future development in this area.
I would like to see Irish Colleges engage more with their students via social media. There are Facebook pages and Twitter accounts to follow, but so far not too much evidence of joined up thinking. There is a real opportunity to use these tools for a better and more involved experience at College. But I feel it is up to the students to demand and drive social media usage for education while our Colleges are trying to figure out the best way to use and develop the right tools.
Electronic devices are safe to use during take-off and landing after all! #LessToBeGrumpyAbout
Ryanair have recently announced that passengers will now be able to access electronic devices during take-off and landing on its flights, after years of insisting that devices be switched off for safety reasons. While devices such as smartphones and tablets will still have to be in flight mode, passengers can now have a few precious extra minutes to play Solitaire, read a book, or listen to music. No doubt that Ryanair have stolen a march on their rivals with this relaxation of their rules, hoping of course that this will get them extra passengers.
Thank you Ryanair!
Image Source: Wikipedia.
So for every flight I've been on over the past 15 years or so, I am one (it seems to me) of the few people who did not immediately switch on their phone once the plane had landed. I'm OK with waiting a few more minutes until I get inside the terminal building - just like we are always asked to do. The sound of text messages and phones being switched on inside the aircraft annoys me while loads of passengers flout the regulations. Also seeing fellow passengers continuing to use computers and tablets well after the Captain has announced that they should be switched off is a constant irritant - were the regulations just for me?
This type of thing is probably more irritating (for this grumpy old man) as those who have always ignored the rules win, and I feel like an idiot for obeying all the rules. What next, feel free to use the bathroom during take-off and landing?
Anyway - I think this move is to be welcomed, it does seem a little silly that someone has to stop reading a Kindle or using an iPad if they do not interfere with the operation of the flight. Soon everybody will be doing it!
Reaction to my TheJournal.ie article
I'm pleased with the reaction to my article last Friday in TheJournal.ie on The Ryanair and Google Partnership – what’s in it for us? In just under a week it got well over 13,000 views which compares well other recent Opinion articles. Not too many shares or tweets, but a good few comments which (thankfully) were not negative to the article. This was my first article for an in-line journal - hope I get asked again!
Comment: As Data Proliferate, So Do Data-Related Graduate Programs (via @chronicle) #Analytics
Megan O’Neil, writing in The Chronicle of Higher Education, tells us that As Data Proliferate, So Do Data-Related Graduate Programs. She reports that the University of Texas at Austin has recently experienced "52 students selected from more than 400 applicants" and "One-year revenue from the self-funded program is projected to total about $1.7-million". This surely must set the pulses racing of every Financial Controller in every third-level College - soon, most Colleges will have courses on "Big Data".
Image source: Marketing Darwinism.
At the National College of Ireland we are currently running a Higher Diploma in Data Analytics with over 100 students. The Higher Education Authority (HEA) is funding many courses in ICT skills, including data analytics, through the ICTSkills and Springboard initiatives. Clearly, the powers-that-be agree with the likes of Forfás that there is a major ICT skills shortage and are prepared to front up the money to pay for the courses. Industry people are telling us that data analytics skills are in short supply, and that in particular data-savvy managers is where growth in jobs is foreseen.
If you are interested in applying to the National College of Ireland to study data analytics, there are two options open for our next course starting in March:
Springboard (you need to be on Job Seekers Allowance to apply) - go to Springboard Courses.
ICT Skills (open to both employed and unemployed) - go to ICTskills.ie.
Getting Rid of my Tag Cloud
Today I have removed the Tag Cloud from this blog. I never really found it that useful, preferring instead to use the Search tool to find content or to refer to older posts. It was also sometimes awkward to know what tag to put on a post, and I also found that "YouTube" and "Education" were dominating the tags.
So the tag cloud is no more - and I have to confess that I rarely used it. I see them featured on other blogs and they may be useful where there is less variety of topics than I have. You can see from the image to the left of my last tag cloud that my tags ranged from "Shoes", to the "Pope", and to "Choir".
Another reason for getting rid of the tag cloud is to free up some space on my home page. Hopefully this will soon be occupied with an ad display for my new book "Exploring Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way".
My @YouTube #Analytics almost back to normal
Since becoming addicted to data analytics, especially data from YouTube, I have been fascinated how predictable data patterns can be and what patterns are revealed over time. Below is a screen shot of views data from my YouTube Channel from 1st January 2010 to 31st December 2013:
The arrows point out the dramatic fall in numbers of views over the Christmas and New Year holiday period every year. While the overall trend is upwards, you can also see a slight fall off in views each summer followed by sharp increases in the autumn. Another noticeable trend is that the height of the wave-like trend is getting bigger as weekend views are not increasing at the same rate as mid-week views.
Taking a closer look at the Christmas and New Year holiday period is also interesting - below are the views data from 1st December 2013 to 31st January 2014:
Early in this period on 3rd December there were 11,761 views (a daily record for the channel), but you can see a steady fall in views towards Christmas. I was fascinated to see that 2,189 people viewed my videos on Christmas Day. It is not until the beginning of January 2014 that the views figure start to climb again. If previous years' data are to be repeated, the daily views will not recover to the early December 2013 numbers until March this year, but then continue to grow until the annual summer decline.
Musicals in the 1970s #nostalgia #CCR
Courtesy of one of my Cistercian College Roscrea class of 1977 colleagues (thanks Pat C.), here are a few photos of musicals that I participated in at school. I had not seen these photos before, and it was nice to be reminded of a time long ago when I actually got on stage in my short-lived musical career.
Lilac Time (1973): Isn't "she" lovely? Second from right in front row
Lilac Time (1973): I'm the middle one of the three "girls" on the left.
My Fair Lady (1975): I'm at the front left of group of "servants" on right.
My Fair Lady (1976): Dancing centre stage!
My Fair Lady (1976): The Ascot Races scene, I'm just to the right of the "window" on the left side of stage.
Memories!
Exploring Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way - Out Again!
Click to buy from Amazon Kindle.
Dr Eugene O'Loughlin
Careful With That Axe Archive
I asked my students if they would like to work for...
50,000 miles of riding on my @HarleyDavidson #FLST...
Year of Code - What a Great Idea! via @ukcoding #W...
10 Major Technology Trends in Education -- via THE...
Colleges embrace new world of social media via @pi...
Electronic devices are safe to use during take-off...
Comment: As Data Proliferate, So Do Data-Related G...
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I Stream, You Stream Vol. 37
by Patrick Bromley
Here are your picks for the last week of #Junesploitation!
June 23 - Barbara Crampton!
Re-Animator (1985, dir. Stuart Gordon) This is one of my favorite days of all #Junesploitation because we get to celebrate one of the best people alive. Stuart Gordon's debut movie is more or less perfect -- a brilliant blend of gross-out horror, comedy, demented sexuality and old-school mad scientist fun, brought to life with first-rate performances across the board. This is where our love affair with B-Cramps begins. (Watch on Shudder)
We Are Still Here (2015, dir. Ted Geoghegan) If you've already seen Re-Animator (and you should have) but haven't yet caught up with this one, it's another super solid choice for today. We are living through a Cramptonaissance, with the actor appearing in a number of high-profile indies in recent years and killing it every time she turns up. Her role as grieving mother Anne Sacchetti in first-time director Ted Geoghegan's love letter to late '70s/early '80s Italian horror is dramatic and heartbreaking; like in Re-Animator, she provides the emotional center amidst all the crazy shit going on. And one of the things I love about We Are Still Here -- my favorite horror movie of 2015, lest you forget -- is that in addition to the cold, creepy atmosphere, is that there is a lot of crazy shit in the climax. I love this movie. I love Barbara Crampton. (Watch on Netflix)
June 24 - Zombies!
Wrymwood: Road of the Dead (2014, dir. Kiah Roache-Turner) Here's an incredibly entertaining Australian film that got more or less lost in the shuffle of zombie stories with which we've been inundated in the last five or six years. It's fast-paced and crazy -- the zombie movie filtered through George Miller -- and adds some fun new ideas to the genre and features one of the coolest characters of recent years in Bianca Bradey's Brooke. (Watch on Netflix)
The Beyond (1980, dir. Lucio Fulci) Watching a Fulci movie on Zombie day is almost a no-brainer, and this one remains my favorite (even though I also love City of the Living Dead and my recent rewatch of House by the Cemetery shot it way up the list). Seeing on a big screen last year -- and introducing it to Erika, previously uninitiated in the wonderful weirdness of Fulci -- was a highlight of my moviegoing life. After you watch this one, you can listen to our podcast on it featuring the great Jackson Stewart! (Watch on Shudder)
June 25 - Teenagers!
I had originally planned to recommend a movie called Blue Summer that I have never seen but which appears to fit the bill as a 1970s drive-in movie about two teenage girls that hitchhike across America and have various adventures. Then I watched about half of it on Amazon Prime and it's one of the most sexually graphic movies I've seen that doesn't qualify as porn. I'm not going to recommend it (it's barely a movie), but only bring it up because I'm wondering what happened to Amazon's new content policy where they remove titles for being too graphic? Harvest Lake gets pulled but this one doesn't? (For the record, I don't want the movie pulled; I don't want any movie pulled.)
Instead, I'll guess I'll recommend some shit everyone has seen like License to Drive (1988, dir. Greg Beeman) because of Coreysploitation (Watch on Netflix) or Real Genius (1985, dir. Martha Coolidge) because of Kilmersploitation (Watch on Crackle) or Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985, dir. Alan Metter) because of Orbital Bebopsploitation (Watch on Hulu) or My Chauffeur (1986, dir. David Beaird) because of Foremansploitation. Sorry to let you all down this close to the finish line. (Watch with ads on Vudu)
June 26 - '90s Action!
Desperado (1995, dir. Robert Rodriguez) So many of the post-Tarantino movies of the 1990s don't hold up when watched today, but Desperado still does. I think it might be Robert Rodriguez's best movie (I love From Dusk Till Dawn, but it's kind of a mess, albeit in a good way), probably because it's such a simple narrative, is so show off-y in its style and features two incredible, star-making performances from Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek. Their chemistry is so hot, which I guess makes sense since they are two of the best looking people on the planet in this movie. You don't need any subscription to watch this one for free. (Watch on Crackle)
The Legend of Drunken Master (1994, dir. Chia-Liang Liu) I still haven't seen the original Drunken Master, which I feel terrible about (Twilight Time just put it out on a Blu-ray double feature with Snake in the Eagle's Shadow, which I absolutely have to get once I have $30 I don't need). But I really enjoy this '90s sequel, which finds Jackie in his very best put-upon state and ends with a sustained action sequence that I would put up against most of what the star has done. (Watch on Netflix)
June 27 - New Horror!
Beyond the Gates (2016, dir. Jackson Stewart) Was there ever any doubt? Whether or not writer/director Jackson Stewart came on the show a couple of times (most recently for our Italian Horror Party!) and whether or not he and I had become friendly, I would still love this movie. I know this because I loved it before any of that stuff had happened. I've talked about it enough on this site that hopefully most of you have seen it by now; if you haven't, please stop waiting. You may not love it like I do, which I understand. But I don't think there's any way you regret having seen it. (Watch on Netflix)
June 28 - '80s Comedy!
Joysticks (1983, dir. Greydon Clark) Keen eyes, quick hands, energize my soul again. Gonna see my name in lights, playing with my joystick. Wiggle left, jerk it right, zapping everything in sight. Shoot fast, shoot straight. Video to the max! One down, two to go, can't stop, on a roll. Video! Joystick. I need another quarter. Video! Joystick. Please let me have a quarter. Video! Joystick. I got to have a quarter. Totally awesome video games! (Watch on Amazon Prime Video)
June 29 - Free Space!
Vigilante (1983, dir. Bill Lustig) On one of the TWO podcasts we put out this week, guest Stephanie Crawford and I talked about how we both romanticize a certain kind of early '80s, 42nd Street sleaze even though neither of us was around to experience it. Movies like Vigilante are exactly what we're talking about. Robert Forster plays a blue collar worker whose family is murdered, sending him over the edge and into a group of vigilantes led by Fred Williamson. This is great, violent trash. (Watch on Brown Sugar)
June 30 - Monsters!
Q: The Winged Serpent (1982, dir. Larry Cohen) Here's a movie with a whole lot going for it: Larry Cohen's offbeat storytelling and sense of humor, Michael Moriarty's completely wacky performance, a super cool stop-motion monster, early '80s New York...I could go on and on. This might be one of my favorite giant monster movies of the last 40 years. If you don't already own the Scream Factory Blu-ray -- you should -- the movie is available to stream for free (with our without Larry Cohen commentary) on Shout! Factory TV. (Watch on Shout! Factory TV)
Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer (2007, dir. Jon Knautz) Here's a fun little low-budget throwback horror comedy about a plumber (Trevor Matthews) with rage issues who must fight off monsters when a supernatural entity takes over the body of his college professor (Robert Englund, having a blast). While the story and the script aren't always on point, there are practical makeup effects galore and enough of a sense of humor (its spiritual cousin being Army of Darkness) to be an entertaining 90 minutes. There are far worse ways to end #Junesploitation. (Watch on Shudder)
Labels: '80s comedies, 90s action movies, barbara crampton, beyond the gates, i stream you stream, jackie chan, joysticks, shudder, the beyond, vigilante movies, zombie movies
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Fri January 15th 2021
Home > Editorial > Resistance
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Dialogue L’Humanité is Vitally Important in Understanding the World Their cynicism Obama: The Dream of Another United States The Crisis Within Memories grow short, but the Challenge is real Reason in History Sarkozy Causes a Big Fuss... The Tunnel Flunked Out National Unity – For Whom? The convergence of all counter-attacks
ORIGINAL FRENCH ARTICLE: Résistance
by Maurice Ulrich
Translated Saturday 8 May 2010, by Kristina Wischenkamper and reviewed by Kristina Wischenkamper
In this Europe of free competition it’s not the Greek soldier we’re saving but profit rates.
The Greek people are rising up. They are calling for solidarity. It’s a call to which our newspaper has replied, its front page present yesterday in the ranks of the protests. It’s the beginning of a great war, said one protestor yesterday, quoted by AFP. It’s the markets and the banks who declared this war. From now on it’s a question of resistance, and not only in Greece. Spain is causing ‘the markets to crash’ read the headline of the economic daily Les Échos. Not really. More like the markets are causing Spain and Portugal to crash. The haste of Nicolas Sarkozy and his government to push through their pensions’ reform is understandable. Discussion? Time to reflect? Let’s get on with it. The reform is on the drawing board. It’s what the markets have been waiting for. The powers that be are eager to hand over to them one of the pillars of our social model.
There are those who call for political unity in Europe right now, without which, they say, there will be no salvation. But to carry out which policies? What’s come to the fore, today is the extreme noxiousness of a liberal Europe for its people. In the race for free and undistorted competition the poorest countries could only keep up with the richest by social dumping. The richest countries could only compete by playing on the same field. The message Europe is giving to Greece today – the same one it will give to Spain and Portugal tomorrow – is that the only way to keep in with a liberal Europe is to shatter salaries, pensions, and public services. But who really believes that tomorrow, or after tomorrow, our very own public services, pensions and salaries will be able resist?
Christine Lagarde promises ‘vigilance’ as far as Greece is concerned. That’s what she told the floor of the Assembly. The very same Christine Lagarde who some months back brushed aside all consideration of public oversight of banks gorged on public money. One must not, was the gist of it, give them the impression that we don’t trust them. Oh come on! It’s high surveillance for the people. And free rein to the predators who benefitted from 1% interest rates so that they in turn could lend at rates as high as 18%. It wasn’t leniency. It wasn’t inconsequential either. It was a way of putting back into place huge levels of profit. It’s not the Greek soldier who is being saved. It’s profit rates.
What’s happening in Greece isn’t a fluke. Even as the media incriminate, and not without justification, the policies of Greek leaders, we must remember that they were aided and abetted by the very same players who now want to strip Greece of its hide and make a golden fleece. It’s only the first of the crises that this capitalist Europe has in store for us. And it’s precisely this Europe that we have to change. We want a Europe of cooperation, a different role for the ECB [1], and we want the ECB to lend to Greece at 1% interest. It’s what our petition calls for, a call that has been widely heard and one that must be amplified.
As Marx himself said: the free worker who goes to the free market to sell his hide ‘has to expect to get it tanned.’ The same is true for the people on liberal Europe’s great competitive market. Yes. Now is the time to start resisting, to start working towards another kind of Europe. Now is the time to call up the people.
[1] European Central Bank
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Home Developments What’s New in Comparative Public Law
What’s New in Comparative Public Law
–Patrick Yingling, Reed Smith LLP
In this weekly feature, I-CONnect publishes a curated reading list of developments in comparative public law. “Developments” may include a selection of links to news, high court decisions, new or recent scholarly books and articles, and blog posts from around the comparative public law blogosphere.
To submit relevant developments for our weekly feature on “What’s New in Comparative Public Law,” please email contact.iconnect@gmail.com.
The Seoul Administrative Court in South Korea ruled in favor of gay pride parade organizers, invalidating a police ban on the parade imposed last month.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of an Arizona pastor and his church in a challenge to an ordinance that imposed stringent restrictions on signs directing the public to the church’s services.
The Constitutional Court of Zimbabwe held that the administration of corporal punishment to children by teachers, parents, and courts will remain in force for the time being.
The Supreme Court of the Philippines ruled that President Aquino’s executive order revoking the Arroyo administration’s “midnight appointments” is constitutional.
The U.S. Supreme Court held that state governments can restrict the kinds of messages printed on specialty license plates.
The Constitutional Court of Ukraine approved a bill that sharply limits legal immunity for judges and members of parliament.
Lawmakers in Hong Kong rejected a Beijing-backed reform package that would have forced voters to choose the city’s next leader only from a list of candidates approved by China’s government.
Leaders in Myanmar have tabled two amendment bills that would give parliament a greater say over court appointments and reduce the tenure of court appointees.
United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron renewed his call to repeal the Human Rights Act and institute a domestic bill of rights.
The Belgian Privacy Commission announced that it is suing Facebook for alleged violations of Belgian and European privacy laws.
Romania’s Superior Magistrates’ Council rejected 22 proposals that would have hindered the country’s ability to fight top-level corruption.
Cardozo Law Professor Michel Rosenfeld has been appointed a University Professor at Yeshiva University, becoming one of a prestigious few to be granted this honor for achieving outstanding goals in teaching, publications, and research.
Douglas NeJaime & Reva B. Siegel, Conscience Wars: Complicity-Based Conscience Claims in Religion and Politics, 124 Yale Law Journal 2516 (2015) (giving the term “complicity-based conscience claims” to claims by persons of faith seeking religious exemptions from laws concerning sex, reproduction, and marriage on the ground that the law makes the objector complicit in the assertedly sinful conduct of others and highlighting the distinctive form and social logic of such claims)
Claire Kilpatrick, Constitutions, Social Rights and Sovereign Debt States in Europe: A Challenging New Area of Constitutional Inquiry, EUI Department of Law Research Paper No. 2015/34 (2015) (examining the ways in which constitutions, social rights, and sovereign debt states in Europe expand and challenge existing constitutional and EU scholarship)
Adam S. Chilton, Using Experiments to Test the Effectiveness of Human Rights Treaties, U of Chicago, Public Law Working Paper No. 533 (2015) (discussing the motivations behind experimental work on human rights, the mechanisms that are being tested, and the findings of emerging literature)
Rivka Weill, Constitutional Statutes or Overriding the Court, Jerusalem Review of Legal Studies (Forthcoming) (reviewing Bruce Ackerman’s We the People: The Civil Rights Revolution and examining Ackerman’s work through the eyes of comparative constitutional law)
Nico Krisch, Pluralism in International Law and Beyond, in Fundamental Concepts for International Law: The Construction of a Discipline (Jean d’Aspremont & Sahib Singh, eds., Forthcoming) (tracing the rise of the pluralist paradigm, its different variants, and the broader implications it holds for the study and practice of law)
Thomas Bustamante, On the Difficulty to Ground the Authority of Constitutional Courts: Can Strong Judicial Review Be Morally Justified?, in Bustamante, T. et alli, “Democratizing Constitutional Law” (Forthcoming 2015) (adding to the current debates about the authority of constitutional courts, with a view to showing some of the difficulties present within systems of strong judicial review in constitutional democracies)
Christopher Sargeant, Factortame Revisited and the Constitution Reimagined: The UK Supreme Court Takes its First Ride on the HS2 Rail-Line, 5 UK Supreme Court Annual Review 157 (2015) (considering the recent decision of the UK Supreme Court in the HS2 case and arguing that notwithstanding the importance of the individual conclusions reached on the specific questions raised, the primary significance of this decision derives from the welcome reasoning of the Justices concerning the relationship between the UK legal order and that of the European Union)
Beatriz Pérez de las Heras, EU and US External Policies on Human Rights and Democracy Promotion: Assessing Political Conditionality in Transatlantic Partnership, Romanian Journal of European Affairs, Vol. 15, No. 2, June 2015 (examining recent changes to the foreign policies of the European Union and the United States with respect to human rights and democracy promotion and assessing the impact of these changes on the transatlantic partnership over the last five years)
National Law University, Jodhpur invites submissions for Volume II, Issue 1 of its Journal on Corporate Law and Governance.
The Utrecht Journal of International and European Law has issued a call for papers for its upcoming special issue on Intellectual Property in International and European Law.
SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities will hold its International Conference on Law of Obligations Surrounded by Other Normative Systems on November 6-7, 2015—registration is open until June 30, 2015.
Queen Mary University in London welcomes contributions for its inaugural conference of the Centre for Small States to be held on September 7, 2015.
Tilburg Law and Economics Center, Tilburg University, The Netherlands invites submissions for a conference on “Competition, Standardization, and Innovation” to be held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, on December 10-11, 2015.
Douglas NeJaime and Reva Siegel, Conscience Wars and Complicity Claims, Oxford Human Rights Hub
Victor Williams, Magna Carta’s 800th Anniversary, Jurist
Daniel Marari, Consolidating Democracy in Tanzania: Presidential Powers under the Proposed Constitution, ConstitutionNet
Andrew McLeod, Myanmar: Proposed amendments seek to entrench legislative supremacy and devolve marginal autonomy to local governments, ConstitutionNet
Michael Addaney, Sexual violence against children: Are girls in Mozambique little angels or sex objects?, AfricLaw
Franck Johannès, Faut-il réformer la Cour de cassation?, Le Monde
Author: Patrick Yingling Filed under: Developments
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Constitutional Politics of Ins... »
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Mayo | Environment
Secretive Irish Climate Science Denier Group Steps Up 'Bizarre' Parliamentary Lobbying 22:27 Sep 27 0 comments
EU Commission proposes new strict EU-wide rules on single-use plastics 12:29 May 29 0 comments
Protecting WIldlife in Ireland from Hedge Cutting and Gorse Burning 23:37 Feb 23 0 comments
WRECK THE « CLIMATE CHANCE » SUMMIT! At Nantes, France, from 26 to 28 September 2016 20:04 Jul 17 0 comments
Why the corporate capture of COP21 means we must Kick Big Polluters Out of climate policy 22:47 Dec 03 3 comments
OECD to offer mediation in Mayo Shell conflict
mayo | environment | other press Saturday March 07, 2009 21:54 by I T reader
Throughout the Corrib gas conflict there have been various offers and attempts at mediation.
Most famously, Minister Noel Dempsey appointed Peter Cassells, a former union activist who had recently worked on a Fianna Fáil by-election campaign which Dempsey had directed. Unsurprisingly, this mediation didn't work out.
Recently the new Minister, Eamon Ryan, has tried to start a "forum" for the various points of view, but many people have criticised the narrow remit of this, pointing out that the forum will not be able to examine the Shell scheme and its impact as a whole.
In this latest move, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has accepted a complaint from some local people on the health and safety aspects of the scheme. THE OECD is reported to be planning to offer mediation on this part of the project. No mention is made of the deal whereby Shell and the other Corrib partners will realise the full profits of the 8 billion euro gas field, allowing no benefit for the people of Ireland from their own resource.
There is also a risk that the mediation may find that the scheme can go ahead. Nobody from the OECD will have to live near the high pressure pipeline or drink water from the contaminated refinery outflow. Only the people of Erris can give meaningful consent to the scheme, since they will have to live with the consequences.
Saturday, March 7, 2009 IRISH TIMES
OECD to offer mediation in Corrib gas dispute
LORNA SIGGINS, Marine Correspondent
THE ORGANISATION for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is to offer to mediate between Shell and the north Mayo community over residents’ health and safety concerns about the Corrib gas project.
OECD representatives in the Netherlands and Ireland have made contact with both parties, following confirmation that a complaint lodged by community group Pobal Chill Chomáin is admissible.
The complaint, lodged last year by the north Mayo community group, claims that Corrib gas developers Royal Dutch Shell, Statoil Hydro and Marathon Oil have violated OECD guidelines for multinational companies.
The OECD guidelines comprise voluntary principles and standards for “responsible business conduct” by multinational companies. They are non-binding, but have considerable moral authority in the 30 OECD member states.
The guidelines relate to employment and industrial relations, human rights, environmental issues, information disclosure, combating bribery, consumer interests, science and technology, competition and taxation.
The complaint was lodged with OECD national contact points in both the Netherlands and Ireland, as Royal Dutch Shell has its headquarters in The Hague.
It is the first time that the Irish national contact point of the OECD has handled a complaint at this level. OECD contact points in Norway and Britain have also been notified by the Dutch and Irish representatives.
The OECD intervention has been welcomed as “very significant” by Pobal Chill Chomáin while Shell EP Ireland made no comment. Pobal Chill Chomáin spokesman Vincent McGrath said that such mediation promised to be far more extensive than that offered late last year under “confined” terms of reference by the Government.
“The key issue with this project is that it has to be examined in its totality in relation to its environmental impact, which the Government has failed to do so far,” he said.
To date, the key community groups have not participated directly in the forum established late last year by Minister for Energy Eamon Ryan and Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív, due to concerns over the terms of reference. It is understood that direct talks with the Ministers may take place later this month.
The Pobal Chill Chomáin complaint, supported by the peace and justice organisation Afri, specifies chapter five of the OECD guidelines and says the Corrib gas developers failed to “operate in consideration of relevant international agreements, principles, objectives and standards” and to provide the public with “adequate and timely information” on potential impacts.
It says the three companies breached chapter two of the guidelines in failing to comply with human rights, failing to “encourage the local capacity building” and failing to “act in partnership with the local community”.
The community group has also lodged a complaint on the project with the European Commission.
The Corrib gas developers have recently submitted a revised application for an onshore pipeline route to An Bord Pleanála and are also seeking planning permission for a beach valve station at Glengad, along with relevant ministerial consents.
Earlier this week, Shell EP Ireland also applied to Mayo County Council for a further amendment to original planning permission for the gas refinery at Bellanaboy.
The company plans to lay its offshore pipeline linking the well-head to the landfall at Glengad this summer. It had secured agreement with the Erris Inshore Fishermen’s Association last year in relation to discharges into Broadhaven Bay.
http://royaldutchshellplc.com/2009/03/07/oecd-to-offer-...pute/
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0307/1....html
Related Link: http://oecdwatch.org/cases/Case_146
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Gloria & Emilio Estefan: First Hispanic Musicians to Receive the Library of Congress’ Gershwin Prize
Posted on October 1, 2018 by Tom Castaneda
Gloria and Emilio Estefan have earned an extra special prize…
The 61-year-old Cuban singer and her 65-year-old Cuban producer husband will receive this year’s Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
The Estefans usher in two firsts for the prize: This year marks the first time it has been awarded to a married couple and the first time it’s awarded to musicians/songwriters of Hispanic descent.
“Emilio and Gloria Estefan… are the creative force behind the popularity of music steeped in the Latino culture,” said Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden. “This dynamic couple’s professional and personal journey truly mirrors the American dream and we are so pleased to honor their musical legacy.”
Married since 1978, the Estefans catapulted to global fame in 1985 with Miami Sound Machine, creating a unique sound that blended Latin and pop rhythms that pulsed through hits including “Conga,” “Turn the Beat Around,” “Get on Your Feet” and “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You.”
The Estefans were each named BMI’s songwriter of the year and between them have garnered 26 Grammys. Their life story and music were showcased in the Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical On Your Feet!, which they executive produced. In addition to their musical talents, they are also successful entrepreneurs, philanthropists and humanitarians.
Gloria is having a banner year of acknowledgment by the vaunted cultural institutions of the nation’s capital. This past December, Gloria was inducted into the Kennedy Center Honors. She also was part of the ensemble who last year feted 2017’s Gershwin Prize tribute to Tony Bennett.
The Estefans will receive the prize at an all-star tribute concert in March in Washington, D.C., that will later be aired on PBS.
This entry was posted in Awards and tagged BMI, Broadway, Carla Hayden, Conga, Emilio Estefan, Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, Get On Your Feet, Gloria Estefan, Grammys, Kennedy Center Honors, Library of Congress, Library of Congress Gershwin Prize, Miami Sound Machine, On Your Feet!, PBS, Rhythm is Gonna Get You, Songwriter of the Year, Tony Awards, Tony Bennett, Turn the Beat Around by Tom Castaneda. Bookmark the permalink.
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LABORATORY FOR VISIONARY ARCHITECTURE
Chris Bosse, Tobias Wallisser and Alexander Rieck founded LAVA in 2007. It was established as a network of creative minds with a research and design focus and has offices in Sydney, Shanghai, Stuttgart and Abu Dhabi.
LAVA explores frontiers that merge future technologies with the patterns of organisation found in nature and believes this will result in a smarter, friendlier, more socially and environmentally responsible future.
The potential for naturally evolving systems such as snowflakes, spider webs and soap bubbles for new building typologies and structures has continued to fascinate LAVA – the geometries in nature create both efficiency and beauty. But above all the human is the centre of their investigations.
LAVA combines digital workflow, nature’s structural principles and the latest digital fabrication technologies with the aim of achieving MORE WITH LESS: more (architecture) with less (material/ energy/time/cost).
Structure, material and building skin are three areas LAVA believes that architecture can learn so much from nature. Projects incorporate intelligent systems and skins that can react to external influences such as air pressure, temperature, humidity, solar-radiation and pollution.
LAVA designs everything from pop up installations to master-plans and urban centres, from homes made out of PET bottles to ‘reskinning’ aging 60s icons, from furniture to hotels, houses and airports of the future.
Design: Toko / Development: Damien Aistrope
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INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR ED CARDENAS
The Latina Book Club welcomes author, musician and counselor Ed Cárdenas.
We admire his fortitude, his productivity and his love for his family and 16 grandchildren. It is for them that he writes and composes.
Buenos Dias! Yo soy Ed Cárdenas. I was born in Taos, New Mexico, and raised on a small farm by my maternal grandparents. Growing up in a traditional home - where the only language spoken was Spanish - my grandparents taught me old traditional virtues, like respect and cariño, which set the foundation for my chosen field of social work. I am blessed to have roots in Taos. The land has presented a serene and wholesome milieu from nature; and its amable gente, that still practices cultural virtues like respect.
LOVITO
Inspiration for LOVITO began in 1999, when I developed heart disease. My cardiologist told me, “only love can save you.” I asked myself, where I could find such love? The answer came from my 16 grandchildren. I spent two weeks visiting with them and absorbing their sincere cariño (tender love). Their love inspired me to leave them something of substance that they could share with their children. I prayed to the Creator to guide my writing. After two amazing weeks, 13 Lovito books were written.
The main character in the series is Lovito, a 4-year-old boy wolf. The name "Lovito" is a combination of the English word, "love," and the Spanish suffix, "ito," which translates into "Little Love" or "Amorcito". Following is a description of the series:
LOVITO is a series of 13 children’s stories that build on character and life skills. The main thread throughout the series is teaching responsible behavior by emphasizing the balance between firmness and cariño (love). The LOVITO topics include: Respect, Responsibility, Generosity, Love and Truth, Trustworthiness, Confidence, Citizenship, Humor, Communication, Patience, Goals, Fairness, and Family Love. All stories are based on old cultural dichos (proverbs) and are bilingual (Spanish and English). The series can be of benefit to children from pre-school to third grade, parents and teachers, and mental health workers.
A total of 13 books have been written in both Spanish and English. In each story, you will find at least one main dicho to support the main concept in each book. Some of the dichos in Lovito were based on the dichos I grew up with, but I researched over 2,000 dichos to select ones that best supported the concepts in each story. The books have been used in the classroom to inspire internalization of cultural virtues in students and teachers. It has successfully been used in classroom management
I recently published EL LEGADO, a young adult story. The book is written in English and reinforced by cultural dichos and Spanish vocabulary words. The following quote on EL LEGADO from the renowned author of BLESS ME, ULTIMA Rudolfo Anaya, very well describes what the book is about:
I found EL LEGADO an easy-to-read book, sprinkled with enough magic to keep the reader interested to the end. The main character, Antonio is on a journey to reclaim his Hispanic heritage. The advice Antonio’s grandfather gives him becomes his guiding light, for it is our abuelitos (grandparents) who are keepers of the culture. The book is especially relevant to today’s young Hispanos who, like Antonio, want to learn the Spanish language and the traditions of their culture.
ABOUT THE WRITING
I find it easier to write for children, as I enjoy thinking like a kid. I must also say that I really enjoyed writing for youth in EL LEGADO. I see a need for youth to retrieve their culture and heal from its loss.
My writing schedule varies. At times, I may write for hours straight for 2 weeks. At other times, I write in short spurts whenever inspired. I let the Creator guide me. I don't force things.
I write in both Spanish and English. The Lovito series is written in Spanish and English, because it is imperative that young children have access to both languages - "El que lenguas sabe dos vale por dos." I thought EL LEGADO would best reach of our youth in English as many are more proficient in it. Since the main character grieves the loss of the Spanish language, it makes sense that the story would be told from in the English language.
My favorite Latino authors are Rudolfo Anaya and Yolanda Nava. They are both very inspiring as they write about our gente from the heart. My Favorite non-Latino writer is William Glasser, MD, who presents a down-to-earth theory on mental health that is very practical to use for most cultures.
Next for me is to continue developing the Lovito Bilingual and Bicultural Training Institute. The institute trains parents, teachers, and other human service workers in how to teach and model the Lovito virtue concepts.###
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ed Cárdenas, LISW is a native of Taos, New Mexico and has family roots in Río Lucio. He received his Master’s degree in social work from the University of Denver where he received the Dorothea Spellman Award for his creativity in working with groups. His graduate emphasis was in working with children, treatment, community service, and social planning. He is a Summa Cum Laude graduate from Metro State College in Denver.
Ed wrote and published the book, Beach Ball - Balancing our Relationship World. He released five of the thirteen LOVITO series books, stories that build character and life skills for children. Ed has also published EL LEGADO, a cultural retrieval novel for teenagers, and is currently in the process of publishing a book called El LIBRO DE DICHOS Y CONSEJOS, which is an accompanying book to EL LEGADO, and reinforces its concepts. Visit Ed at www.edcardenas.com.
READ LATINO !
children's books Ed Cardenas El Legado Hispanos interview latina book club latina bookclub Lovito New Mexico Rudolfo Anaya
Labels: children's books Ed Cardenas El Legado Hispanos interview latina book club latina bookclub Lovito New Mexico Rudolfo Anaya
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Andrew Reyes
Other Cook County, Illinois exonerations with official misconduct
At about 11 p.m. on October 12, 1991, 22-year-old Andrew Reyes and a friend, 17-year-old Glen Santoyo, were walking away from a neighborhood party in Blue Island, Illinois when a man, later identified as Paul Smith, walked toward them and uttered the word “spick.”
When Reyes asked who he was talking about, Smith, who appeared to be intoxicated, said, “You two” and stumbled into Reyes, who pushed him away. As Smith stepped back, he reached for his belt and Reyes saw something shiny that was in fact a knife. Santoyo grabbed Smith’s wrist and the two of them pushed Smith, who was in his 30s, to his knees.
At that point, about six other young men arrived, all having left the same party. In addition, a car pulled up and stopped about 35 or 40 feet away. Two men emerged from the car. Reyes and Santoyo then left.
The group of other men converged on Smith—beating and kicking him savagely. Smith survived, but ultimately emerged from a coma in a vegetative state. Police recovered an empty knife sheath at the scene.
On October 25, 1991, Reyes was arrested, as were several other young men. Reyes was charged with attempted murder and aggravated battery. By the time he went to trial on April 6, 1992 in Cook County Circuit Court, two others had been convicted of attempted murder. Antulio Esparza, who was one of the two men who got out of the car, was sentenced to nine years in prison. Brian Parker, who came from the party, was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Reyes chose to have his case heard by a judge without a jury. The primary witnesses for the prosecution were Rita Mendez and Patty Mendoza, who were passengers in the car that pulled up near where Smith was beaten.
Both testified that they did not see Reyes beating or kicking Smith. Both were impeached with their grand jury testimony when they said they did see Reyes taking part in the attack on Smith. Both said their earlier testimony was false.
The prosecution also called an assistant Cook County state’s attorney, Dan Reedy, who interviewed Reyes on the day of his arrest. Reedy testified that Reyes said he knocked Smith down and that others then joined in the beating before Reyes walked away. However, on cross-examination Reedy admitted that his summary of that interview said, “Mr. Reyes admits being at the scene, pushing the victim down with Glen Santoyo and began walking away from him as he sat on the ground. As he walked away, he saw” the others arrive and surround Smith.
While Reedy insisted that Reyes had told him he was there during the beating, Reedy also conceded that such information would have been important to include in his report.
Reyes, who was married with two children and worked as a tow truck driver, testified that after the verbal confrontation, he pushed Smith in the chest with an open hand. When Smith “pulled a knife,” Reyes said he and Santoyo pushed Smith the ground and they both left.
“I didn’t figure it was necessary for me and [Santoyo] to stay there as there were six people running up with the intention…to do something,” Reyes said. “Because I figure I had a family to take care of and if the police arrived, I was going to catch a case.”
He added, “I didn’t know that they were going to beat him up to that extent. I had no idea—They had the intention of beating him up, but I didn’t have any idea that they were going to do that much damage to him…I figured they were going to beat him up and let him go.”
He said he voluntarily went to the police station when he learned that police were looking for him. He denied that the men were his friends and came to help him. He said he only knew two of them and “They weren’t going to help me do nothing.”
On April 10, 1992, Judge Thomas Condon convicted Reyes of attempted murder and aggravated battery. The judge said he believed the grand jury testimony of Mendoza and Mendez rather than their in-court recantations. Judge Condon sentenced Reyes to 12 years in prison.
On August 5, 1993, the Illinois Appellate Court reversed the conviction based on insufficient evidence.
“At trial, both Mendoza and Mendez testified that they could not remember seeing Reyes kick Smith or hit him when he was on the ground,” the appeals court said. “They both admitted that Reyes may not have been on the scene during the entire incident. The witnesses’ testimony suggests that from a less than ideal vantage point, they observed a general melee in which people were coming and going. Mendoza testified that she did not watch for the entire duration of the incident. Mendez admitted she had consumed 15 beers at the party.”
The appeals court ordered the charges dismissed and Reyes was released.
Reyes’s appeals attorney, Leonard Goodman, subsequently sought a certificate of innocence for Reyes, who had no convictions prior to being charged in the assault of Smith. On October 28, 2010, Reyes was granted a certificate of innocence. His claim for state compensation was dismissed.
Most Serious Crime: Attempted Murder
Additional Convictions: Assault
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COVENANT LOGISTICS GROUP, INC. - FORM 10-K - February 29, 2016
EX-31.1 - EXHIBIT 31.1 (SECTION 302 CERTIFICATION - DAVID R. PARKER) - COVENANT LOGISTICS GROUP, INC. exhibit311.htm
EX-23.2 - EXHIBIT 23.2 (CONSENT OF LATTIMORE BLACK MORGAN & CAIN) - COVENANT LOGISTICS GROUP, INC. exhibit232.htm
EX-21 - EXHIBIT 21 (LIST OF SUBSIDIARIES) - COVENANT LOGISTICS GROUP, INC. exhibit21.htm
EX-23.1 - EXHIBIT 23.1 (CONSENT OF KPMG) - COVENANT LOGISTICS GROUP, INC. exhibit231.htm
EX-31.2 - EXHIBIT 31.2 (SECTION 302 CERTIFICATION - RICHARD B. CRIBBS) - COVENANT LOGISTICS GROUP, INC. exhibit312.htm
EX-99 - EXHIBIT 99 (FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF TRANSPORT ENTERPRISE LEASING, LLC) - COVENANT LOGISTICS GROUP, INC. exhibit99.htm
FORM 10-K
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015
For the transition period from to
Commission file number 0-24960
COVENANT TRANSPORTATION GROUP, INC.
(State / other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
400 Birmingham Hwy.
Registrant's telephone number, including area code:
423 - 821-1212
$0.01 Par Value Class A Common Stock – The NASDAQ Global Select Market
(Title of class)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.
[ ] Yes [X] No
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act.
[X] Yes [ ] No
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendments to this Form 10-K. [ ]
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definitions of "accelerated filer, "large accelerated filer," and "smaller reporting company" in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
The aggregate market value of the common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2015, was approximately $297.2 million (based upon the $25.06 per share closing price on that date as reported by NASDAQ). In making this calculation the registrant has assumed, without admitting for any purpose, that all executive officers, directors, and affiliated holders of more than 10% of a class of outstanding common stock, and no other persons, are affiliates.
As of February 26, 2016, the registrant had 15,779,282 shares of Class A common stock and 2,350,000 shares of Class B common stock outstanding.
Portions of the materials from the registrant's definitive proxy statement for the 2016 Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held on May 18, 2016, have been incorporated by reference into Part III of this Form 10-K.
Item 1B.
Unresolved Staff Comments
Mine Safety Disclosures
Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
Item 10.
Directors, Executive Officers, and Corporate Governance
Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters
Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence
Principal Accounting Fees and Services
Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders' Equity
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains certain statements that may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and such statements are subject to the safe harbor created by those sections and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical or current fact, are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including without limitation: any projections of earnings, revenues, or other financial items; any statement of plans, strategies, and objectives of management for future operations; any statements concerning proposed new services or developments; any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance; and any statements of belief and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. In this Annual Report, statements relating to the ability of our infrastructure to support future growth, our ability to recruit and retain qualified drivers, our ability to react to market conditions, our ability to gain market share, future tractor and trailer count and prices, expected functioning of our information technology systems, expected sources of working capital, liquidity and funds for meeting equipment purchase obligations, future inflation, future third-party service provider relationships and availability, future compensation arrangements with independent contractors and drivers, expected owner operator usage, future driver market, planned allocation of capital, future equipment costs, expected settlement of operating lease obligations, future asset sales, future insurance and claims, future tax expense and deductions, future fuel expense and the future effectiveness of fuel surcharge programs and price hedges, future effectiveness of interest rate swaps, expected capital expenditures (including the future mix of lease and purchase obligations), future asset utilization, future trucking capacity, expected freight demand and volumes, future rates, future depreciation and amortization, and future purchased transportation expense, among others, are forward-looking statements. Such statements may be identified by their use of terms or phrases such as "believe," "may," "could," "expects," "estimates," "projects," "anticipates," "plans," "intends," and similar terms and phrases. Forward-looking statements are based on currently available operating, financial, and competitive information. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified, which could cause future events and actual results to differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in the section entitled "Item 1A. Risk Factors," set forth below. Readers should review and consider the factors discussed in "Item 1A. Risk Factors," along with various disclosures in our press releases, stockholder reports, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
All such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Annual Report. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. We expressly disclaim any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in our expectations with regard thereto or any change in the events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based.
References in this Annual Report to "we," "us," "our," or the "Company" or similar terms refer to Covenant Transportation Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries.
Background and Strategy
We were founded in 1986 as a provider of expedited long haul freight transportation, primarily using two-person driver teams in transcontinental lanes. Since that time, we have grown from 25 trucks to approximately 2,700 trucks and expanded our services from predominantly long haul dry van to include refrigerated, dedicated, cross-border, regional, brokerage, and other offerings. The expansion of our fleet and service offerings have placed us among the nation's twenty-five largest truckload transportation companies based on 2014 revenue.
Generally, we transport full trailer loads of freight from origin to destination without intermediate stops or handling. We provide truckload transportation services throughout the continental United States, into and out of Mexico, and into and out of portions of Canada. Our truckload freight services utilize equipment we own or lease or equipment owned by independent contractors for the pick-up and delivery of freight. In most of our truckload business, we transport freight over nonroutine routes. Our dedicated freight service offering provides similar transportation services, but does so pursuant to agreements whereby we make our equipment available to a specific customer for shipments over particular routes at specified times. To complement our truckload operations, we provide freight brokerage services and accounts receivable factoring services. Through our asset based and non-asset based capabilities, we transport many types of freight for a diverse customer base.
We concentrate on market sectors where we believe our capacity in relation to sector size and our operating proficiency can make a meaningful difference to customers. The primary sectors in which we operate are as follows:
● Expedited / Long haul: In our expedited / long haul business, we operate approximately 1,200 tractors, approximately 735 of which are driven by two-person driver teams. Our expedited operations primarily involve high service freight with delivery standards, such as 1,000 miles in 22 hours, or 15-minute delivery windows that are difficult for competitors to satisfy with solo-driven tractors or rail-intermodal service. Our expedited services often involve high value, high security, or time-definite loads for integrated global freight companies, less-than-truckload carriers, manufacturers, and retailers. We believe we are one of the five largest team expedited providers, and that growth in omni-channel, organic food, manufacturing, and e-commerce freight make this an attractive sector.
● Temperature-Controlled: In our temperature-controlled business, we operate approximately 1,000 tractors, approximately 200 of which are driven by two-person driver teams, and also offer intermodal service in longer haul lanes. The temperature-controlled sector includes fresh and frozen foods, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and other freight where extreme heat or cold could cause damage. We believe we are among the ten largest temperature-controlled providers, and that factors such as United States population growth, increasing consumer preference for fresh and organic produce, and demographic trends requiring more pharmaceuticals make this an attractive sector.
● Dedicated: In our dedicated contract business, we operate approximately 500 tractors, approximately 20 of which are driven by two-person driver teams, primarily for manufacturers located in the southeastern United States. The dedicated sector typically involves longer-term contracts that allocate a specified number of tractors and trailers to a specific customer, with fixed and variable compensation. Many of our dedicated contract customers are automotive companies or tier one suppliers to the auto industry, with high service standards. We believe this sector is growing because of an improved manufacturing environment in the United States, particularly in the Southeast, customer concerns about trucking capacity, and a need for dependable service at plants.
● Capacity Provider Solutions and Services / Equipment Sales and Leasing: We primarily provide freight brokerage capacity to customers when the freight does not fit our network or profitability requirements. In addition, we participate in the market for used equipment sales and leasing through our 49% ownership of Transport Enterprise Leasing, LLC ("TEL"), and we assist current and potential capacity providers with improving their cash flows through secure invoice factoring services. We believe this suite of services links our interests with those of our customers and current and potential third party capacity providers. We intend to expand our presence in these sectors, which we believe offer attractive growth opportunities with lower capital investment than our asset-based truckload operations.
As our fleet has grown over three decades and our service platform matured, several important trends dramatically affected the truckload industry and our business. First, supply chain patterns became more fluid in response to dynamic changes in labor and transportation costs, ocean freight and rail-intermodal service standards, retail distribution center networks, governmental regulations, and other industry-wide factors. Second, the cost structure of the truckload business, particularly equipment, driver wages, and, at times, fuel prices, rose dramatically, impacting us and our customers' freight decisions. Third, customers used technology to constantly optimize their supply chains, which necessitated expanding our own technological capability to optimize our asset allocation, manage yields, and drive operational efficiency. Fourth, a confluence of regulatory constraints, safety and security demands, and scarcity of qualified applicants, negatively impacted our asset productivity and reinforced what a precious resource professional truck drivers are (and we believe increasingly will be) in our industry.
The key elements of our current strategic plan are:
● Organizational Excellence and Entrepreneurial Spirit. We have re-aligned our management team, added talent, and implemented best practices in part through using Franklin Covey's Four Disciplines of Execution® to bring a new focus to metrics, accountability, and incentive compensation. Through multiple programs recognizing individual initiative, we have also been instilling an ownership culture throughout our company. We also implemented a single enterprise management system across all subsidiaries to improve visibility and coordination of customers, operations, and financial activities.
● Focus on the Driver. Drivers are the lifeblood of our company and our industry. We employ a broad range of safety, lifestyle, compensation, equipment technology, and personal recognition methods to convey our respect and appreciation for our drivers and to improve their careers. A portion of these techniques involve sophisticated analytics to identify likely candidates, match teams, evaluate recruiting spending, deliver training content to drivers, and design tractor specifications. Over the past three years, our driver turnover percentage has improved toward the industry average after starting significantly higher.
● Focus on the Customer Experience. Our mission statement begins: "CTG's mission is to be a problem solver for every customer…" We offer premium service in sectors where we can make a difference, and we use our brokerage subsidiary, Covenant Transport Solutions, Inc. ("Solutions"), to cover loads that do not meet our requirements. With each interaction, we seek to enhance the value we bring to the customer relationship.
● Rigorous Capital Allocation Process and Reduce Leverage. Our senior management annually ranks capital investment opportunities against available capital and acceptable leverage levels, and material investments must pass return on investment and capital investment committee approval processes. In addition, reducing our total leverage has been a primary strategic goal. We believe our disciplined investment review has contributed to our improved results by allocating capital to more profitable business units and downsizing other units into greater profitability.
● Risk Management—Assess and Mitigate. We consistently evaluate risk areas with significant volatility, as well as the costs and benefits associated with mitigating the volatility. Diesel fuel prices, insurance and claims cost, and used equipment prices are all areas where we identified significant risk and volatility for our business. To manage these risks, we have employed fuel hedging contracts on a portion of our fuel usage not covered by customer fuel surcharges, lowered our self-insured accident liability retention, and expanded our ability to sell our used equipment to increase bargaining power with the tractor and trailer manufacturers.
● Technology. We purchase and deploy technology that we believe will allow us to operate more safely, securely, and efficiently. Our information systems are integrated into a single platform that represents a multi-year investment to upgrade the hardware and software of our information systems. This technology was purchased off the shelf, which minimizes our fixed cost investment, and enables us to stay current with the latest developments.
We believe the ongoing execution of our strategic plan has contributed to the substantial improvement in operating results and profitability we have generated over the past several years. Some of the significant successes resulting from our strategic planning efforts include the completion of a follow-on stock offering in 2014 that helped significantly deleverage our balance sheet; enhancements to recruiting, retention, and business intelligence; upgraded information technology; focus on service and on time delivery; and enhanced cross-marketing opportunities between our subsidiaries. Each of these accomplishments positively impacted the success of the key initiatives identified above, our overarching financial goals, and ultimately, the Company.
Following an excellent 2014, our fiscal 2015 results surpassed those of 1999 for the best annual results we have experienced in the Company’s 30 year history. Additionally, fiscal 2015 is our fourth consecutive year of profitability. We believe the return to profitability on a consistent basis is the result of certain initiatives we put in place that are providing positive results. However, we still have significant work ahead to achieve our goals, deliver a strong and stable product for our customers, provide a bright future for our employees and owner-operators, and create meaningful value for our stockholders.
We operate a relatively new tractor fleet and employ sophisticated truck technology that enhances our operational efficiencies and our drivers' safety. Our company-owned tractor fleet has an average age of approximately 1.7 years, which compares favorably to an average U.S. Class 8 tractor age of approximately 7.5 years in 2015. Some of the technologies we employ include the following: (1) freight optimization software that can perform sophisticated analyses of profitability and other measures on each customer, route, and load; (2) routing software that selects the best route, identifies fuel stops, and warns of deviations from routing instructions; (3) a tracking and communications system that permits direct communication between drivers and fleet managers, as well as constant location and delivery updates; (4) electronic logging devices in all of our tractors; (5) aerodynamics and other fuel efficiency systems that have significantly improved fuel mileage; and (6) safety technology, including rollover stability control, collision mitigation, and lane-change warning. We believe our modern fleet lowers maintenance costs, improves fuel mileage, improves safety, contributes to better customer service, and assists with driver retention.
We have one reportable segment, our asset-based truckload services ("Truckload").
The Truckload segment consists of three asset-based operating fleets that are aggregated because they have similar economic characteristics and meet the aggregation criteria. The three operating fleets that comprise our Truckload segment are as follows: (i) Covenant Transport, Inc. ("Covenant Transport"), our historical flagship operation, which provides expedited long haul, dedicated, temperature-controlled, and regional solo-driver service; (ii) Southern Refrigerated Transport, Inc. ("SRT"), which provides primarily long haul, regional, and intermodal temperature-controlled service; and (iii) Star Transportation, Inc. ("Star"), which provides regional solo-driver and dedicated services, primarily in the southeastern United States.
In addition, our Solutions subsidiary has service offerings ancillary to our Truckload operations, including: freight brokerage service directly and through freight brokerage agents, who are paid a commission for the freight they provide, and accounts receivable factoring. These operations consist of several operating segments, which neither individually nor in the aggregate meet the quantitative or qualitative reporting thresholds.
The following charts reflect the size of each of our operating subsidiaries measured by 2015 total revenue, net of fuel surcharge revenue, which we refer to as "freight revenue":
Distribution of Freight Revenue Among Operating Subsidiaries
Covenant Transport
Our Truckload segment comprised approximately 89%, 90%, and 93% of our total freight revenue in 2015, 2014, and 2013, respectively.
In our Truckload segment, we primarily generate revenue by transporting freight for our customers. Generally, we are paid a predetermined rate per mile for our truckload services. We enhance our truckload revenue by charging for tractor and trailer detention, loading and unloading activities, and other specialized services, as well as through the collection of fuel surcharges to mitigate the impact of increases in the cost of fuel. The main factors that could affect our Truckload revenue are the revenue per mile we receive from our customers, the percentage of miles for which we are compensated, and the number of shipments and miles we generate. These factors relate, among other things, to the general level of economic activity in the United States, inventory levels, specific customer demand, the level of capacity in the trucking industry, and driver availability.
The main expenses that impact the profitability of our Truckload segment are the variable costs of transporting freight for our customers. These costs include fuel expenses, driver-related expenses, such as wages, benefits, training, and recruitment, and purchased transportation expenses, which primarily include compensating independent contractors. Expenses that have both fixed and variable components include maintenance and tire expense and our total cost of insurance and claims. These expenses generally vary with the miles we travel, but also have a controllable component based on safety, self-insured retention versus insurance premiums, fleet age, efficiency, and other factors. Historically, our main fixed costs include rentals and depreciation of long-term assets, such as revenue equipment and terminal facilities, and the compensation of non-driver personnel.
We measure the productivity of our Truckload segment with three key performance metrics: average freight revenue per total mile (excluding fuel surcharges), average miles per tractor, and average freight revenue per tractor per week (excluding fuel surcharges). A description of each follows:
Average Freight Revenue Per Total Mile. Our average freight revenue per total mile is primarily a function of 1) the allocation of assets among our subsidiaries and 2) the macro U.S. economic environment including supply/demand of freight and carriers. The year-over-year increase from 2011 to 2015 is a result of allocating more tractors to our niche/specialized service offerings that provide higher rates (including expedited/critical freight, high-value/constant security, and temperature-controlled). Also, tighter capacity in the truckload freight market, especially for expedited/team transit, and shipper concerns about the prospect of tighter capacity considering the regulatory and driver market, afforded an environment more conducive to rate increases over such period.
Average Freight Revenue Per Total Mile (excludes fuel surcharge revenue)
Average Miles Per Tractor. Average miles per tractor reflect economic demand, driver availability, regulatory constraints, and the allocation of tractors among the service offerings. Utilization in 2015 declined from that of 2014 primarily due to a softer freight market especially in the last half of the year and the nature of certain fourth quarter e-commerce freight amplified by a 3.5% increase in average number of units for the year. All years were an improvement as compared to 2011, when we experienced issues with a system conversion.
Average Miles Per Tractor
Average Freight Revenue Per Tractor Per Week. We use average freight revenue per tractor per week as our main measure of asset productivity. This operating metric takes into account the effects of freight rates, non-revenue miles, and miles per tractor. In addition, because we calculate average freight revenue per tractor using all of our trucks, it takes into account the percentage of our fleet that is unproductive due to lack of drivers, repairs, and other factors. The increase in average freight revenue per tractor per week in 2015 is primarily due to increased rate and allocation of tractors to more productive service offerings, partially offset by decreased utilization.
Average Freight Revenue Per Tractor Per Week (excludes fuel surcharge revenue)
Our Solutions subsidiary comprised approximately 11%, 10%, and 7% of our total operating revenue in 2015, 2014, and 2013, respectively. Solutions derives revenue from arranging transportation services for customers directly and through relationships with thousands of third-party carriers and integration with our Truckload segment. Solutions provides freight brokerage services directly and through freight brokerage agents, who are paid a commission for the freight brokerage service they provide and accounts receivable factoring. The main factors that impact profitability in terms of expenses are the variable costs of outsourcing the transportation freight for our customers and managing fixed costs, including salaries and selling, general, and administrative expenses. Our brokerage loads increased to 36,217 in 2015, from 34,091 in 2014, while average revenue per load increased approximately 16% to $1,820 in 2015, from $1,575 in 2014, primarily due to additional peak-season freight opportunities during the fourth quarter of 2015, improved coordination with our Truckload segment, and additional business from new customers added during the year. Additionally, revenue from Solutions' accounts receivable factoring improved by approximately 6% year-over-year to $2.4 million in 2015 from $2.3 million in 2014.
In May 2011, we acquired a 49.0% interest in TEL. TEL is a tractor and trailer equipment leasing company and used equipment reseller. We have accounted for our investment in TEL using the equity method of accounting and thus our financial results include our proportionate share of TEL's net income since May 2011, or $4.6 million in 2015, $3.7 million in 2014, and $2.8 million in 2013. As a result, TEL's results and growth are significant to our current year results and, in our estimation, to our longer-term vision.
Refer to Note 16, "Segment Information," of the accompanying consolidated financial statements for further information about our reporting segment's operating and financial results for 2015, 2014, and 2013.
Customers and Operations
We focus on targeted markets throughout the United States where we believe our service standards can provide a competitive advantage. We are a major carrier for transportation companies such as freight forwarders, less-than-truckload carriers, and third-party logistics providers that require a high level of service to support their businesses, as well as for traditional truckload customers such as manufacturers, retailers, and food and beverage shippers. All of our asset-based subsidiaries are truckload carriers and as such we generally dedicate an entire trailer to one customer from origin to destination. We also generate revenue through providing ancillary services, including freight brokerage services and accounts receivable factoring.
In 2015 and 2014, one customer accounted for more than 10% of our consolidated revenue. UPS, our largest customer, was serviced by both our Truckload segment and our Solutions subsidiary providing for $75.8 million and $82.5 million of total revenue in 2015 and 2014, respectively. No customer accounted for more than 10% of our consolidated revenue in 2013. Our top five customers accounted for approximately 34%, 29%, and 25% of our total revenue in 2015, 2014, and 2013, respectively.
We operate tractors driven by a single driver and also tractors assigned to two-person driver teams. Our single driver tractors generally operate in shorter lengths of haul, generate fewer miles per tractor, and experience more non-revenue miles, but the lower productive miles are expected to be offset by generally higher revenue per loaded mile and the reduced employee expense of compensating only one driver. In contrast, our two-person driver tractors generally operate in longer lengths of haul, generate greater miles per tractor, and experience fewer non-revenue miles, but we typically receive lower revenue per loaded mile and incur higher employee expenses of compensating both drivers. We expect operating statistics and expenses to shift with the mix of single and team operations.
We operate throughout the U.S. and in parts of Canada and Mexico, with substantially all of our revenue generated from within the U.S. All of our tractors are domiciled in the U.S., and we have generated less than two percent of our revenue in Canada and Mexico in 2015, 2014 and 2013. We do not separately track domestic and foreign revenue from customers, and providing such information would not be meaningful. All of our long-lived assets are, and have been for the last three fiscal years, located within the United States.
In 2009, we began a multi-year project to upgrade the hardware and software of our information systems. The goal upon completion of the project was to have uniform operational and financial systems across the entire Company as we believe this provides improved customer service, utilization, and enhances our visibility into and across the organization. All of our operating subsidiaries are now operating on the new system. We encountered difficulties when we converted our Covenant Transport subsidiary to the new system in the third quarter of 2011, which disrupted our operations and impacted our customer service, driver relations, and results of operations. All significant problems associated with the Covenant Transport conversion were addressed by the end of January 2012 and efficiencies from the new system were realized by Covenant Transport in 2012. We implemented the new operating system at SRT in February 2014. As expected with any large conversion project, SRT experienced inefficiencies that resulted in a year-over-year reduction in first quarter 2014 profitability; however, by the second quarter of 2014 those inefficiencies were largely resolved. In 2015 we have begun realizing the efficiencies of having all subsidiaries on one operating platform and expect to evaluate where we can leverage the system to add further efficiencies across the Company.
Drivers and Other Personnel
Driver recruitment, retention, and satisfaction are essential to our success, and we have made each of these factors a primary element of our strategy. We recruit both experienced and student drivers as well as independent contractor drivers who own and drive their own tractor and provide their services to us under contract. We conduct recruiting and/or driver orientation efforts from five of our locations, and we offer ongoing training throughout our terminal network. We emphasize driver-friendly operations throughout our organization. We have implemented automated programs to signal when a driver is scheduled to be routed toward home, and we assign fleet managers specific tractor units, regardless of geographic region, to foster positive relationships between the drivers and their principal contact with us.
The truckload industry has periodically experienced difficulty in attracting and retaining enough qualified truck drivers. It is also common for the driver turnover rate of individual carriers to exceed 100% in a year. At times, there are driver shortages in the trucking industry. In past years, when there were driver shortages, the number of qualified drivers had not kept pace with freight growth because of (i) changes in the demographic composition of the workforce; (ii) alternative employment opportunities other than truck driving that became available in a growing economy; (iii) individual drivers' desire to be home more often; and (iv) regulatory requirements that limit the available pool of drivers.
Driver retention continued to be challenging in 2015, especially April through October, as economic growth provided more employment opportunities that attracted professional drivers. Despite these challenges our number of drivers remained approximately flat at December 31, 2015 as compared to the 2014 year. Despite having a similar number of drivers as of December 31, 2015, our average number of teams for 2015 increased as a percentage of our fleet to 35.3% compared to 32.1% in 2014 and our average truck count for the year was increased as compared to December 31, 2014, as a result of open trucks, including wrecked units, averaging approximately 4.6% for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared to approximately 5.1% for the year ended December 31, 2014.
We believe having a happy, healthy, and safe driver is the key to our success, both in the short term and over a longer period. As a result, we are actively working to enhance our drivers' experience in an effort to recruit and retain more drivers.
Independent contractors provide a tractor and a driver and are responsible for all operating expenses in exchange for a fixed payment per mile. We do not have the capital outlay of purchasing the tractor. The payments to independent contractors are recorded in revenue equipment rentals and purchased transportation. When independent contractor tractors are utilized, we avoid expenses generally associated with company-owned equipment, such as driver compensation, fuel, interest, and depreciation. Obtaining equipment from independent contractors and under operating leases effectively shifts financing expenses from interest to "above the line" operating expenses.
Internal education and evaluation of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration ("FMCSA") Compliance Safety Accountability program ("CSA") (formerly Comprehensive Safety Analysis 2010) are priorities as we develop plans to keep our top talent and challenge those drivers that need improvement. Overall, we believe this regulation will bring challenges as well as opportunities for truckload carriers. CSA, in conjunction with the new U.S. Department of Transportation ("DOT") reductions in hours-of-service for drivers, has reduced and will likely continue to impact effective capacity in our industry as well as negatively impact equipment utilization. Nevertheless, for carriers that successfully manage the new environment with driver-friendly equipment, compensation, and operations, we believe opportunities to increase market share may be available. Driver pay may increase as a result of regulation and economic expansion, which could provide more alternative employment opportunities. If economic growth is sustained, however, we expect the supply/demand environment to be favorable enough for us to offset expected compensation increases with better freight pricing.
We use driver teams in a substantial portion of our tractors. Driver teams permit us to provide expedited service on selected long haul lanes because teams are able to handle longer routes and drive more miles while remaining within DOT hours-of-service rules. The use of teams contributes to greater equipment utilization of the tractors they drive than obtained with single drivers. The use of teams, however, increases the accumulation of miles on tractors and trailers as well as personnel costs as a percentage of revenue and the number of drivers we must recruit. For the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, teams operated approximately 35.3% and 32.1% of our tractors, respectively.
We are not a party to any collective bargaining agreement. At December 31, 2015, we employed approximately 3,600 drivers and approximately 800 non-driver personnel. At December 31, 2015, we also contracted with approximately 223 independent contractors.
Revenue Equipment
At December 31, 2015, we operated 2,656 tractors and 6,978 trailers. Of these tractors, 2,318 were owned, 115 were financed under operating leases, and 223 were provided by independent contractors, who own and drive their own tractors. Of these trailers, 4,068 were owned, 2,239 were financed under operating leases, and 671 were financed under capital leases. Furthermore, at December 31, 2015, approximately 64% of our trailers were dry vans and the remaining trailers were refrigerated vans.
We believe that operating high quality, late-model equipment contributes to operating efficiency, helps us recruit and retain drivers, and is an important part of providing excellent service to customers. We operate a modern fleet of tractors, with the majority of units under warranty, to minimize repair and maintenance costs and reduce service interruptions caused by breakdowns. We also order most of our equipment with uniform specifications to reduce our parts inventory and facilitate maintenance. At December 31, 2015, our tractor fleet had an average age of approximately 1.7 years, and our trailer fleet had an average age of approximately 4.8 years. As of December 31, 2015, 100% of our tractor fleet had engines compliant with stricter regulations regarding emissions that became effective in 2007 and 99.8% of our tractor fleet had engines compliant with stricter regulations regarding emissions that became effective in 2010. We equip our tractors with a satellite-based tracking and communications system that permits direct communication between drivers and fleet managers. We believe that this system enhances our operating efficiency and improves customer service and fleet management. This system also updates the tractor's position every thirty minutes, which allows us and our customers to locate freight and accurately estimate pick-up and delivery times. We also use the system to monitor engine idling time, speed, performance, and other factors that affect operating efficiency. At December 31, 2015, 100% of our fleet was equipped with electronic on board recorders ("EOBRs," now referred to as electronic logging devices, or "ELDs"), which electronically monitor truck miles and enforce hours-of-service regulations.
Over the past decade, the price of new tractors has risen dramatically and there has been significant volatility in the used equipment market. This has substantially increased our costs of operation.
Industry and Competition
Truckload is the largest segment of the for-hire ground freight transportation market based on revenue, surpassing the combined market size of less-than-truckload, railroad, intermodal, and parcel delivery combined. The truckload market is further segmented into sectors such as regional dry van, temperature-controlled van, flatbed, dedicated contract, expedited, and irregular route.
The U.S. trucking industry is highly competitive and includes thousands of "for-hire" motor carriers, none of which dominate the market. Service and price are the principal means of competition in the trucking industry. We compete to some extent with railroads and rail-truck intermodal service but attempt to differentiate ourselves from our competition on the basis of service. Rail and rail-truck intermodal movements are more often subject to delays and disruptions arising from rail yard congestion, which reduce the effectiveness of such service to customers with time-definite pick-up and delivery schedules. Historically, in times of high fuel prices or decreased consumer demand, however, rail-intermodal competition becomes more significant.
Our industry is subject to dynamic factors that significantly affect our operating results. These factors include the availability of qualified truck drivers, the volume of freight in the sectors we serve, the price of diesel fuel, and government regulations that impact productivity and costs. Recently, our industry has experienced softening freight demand, scarcity of qualified truck drivers, decreased fuel costs, and new regulations that limit productivity. In 2015, these factors contributed to an environment of tight trucking capacity and rising freight rates for many trucking companies, including us. However, the freight environment softened in the second half of 2015 and continuing into early 2016. Based on our assessment of future regulatory changes, driver demographics, and expected growth rates of our major customers and sectors, we expect a favorable pricing environment to continue for the next several years, offset in part by higher driver pay and other inflationary costs. We believe large and diversified companies, like ourselves, are best positioned to capitalize on the current industry environment, because we can offer significant capacity commitments to major customers, safe and comfortable new equipment to drivers, and optimized routing and other business analytics to make the most of our drivers' federally limited operating hours.
We believe that the cost and complexity of operating trucking fleets are increasing and that economic and competitive pressures are likely to force many smaller competitors and private fleets to consolidate or exit the industry. As a result, we believe that larger, better-capitalized companies, like us, will have opportunities to increase profit margins and gain market share. In the market for dedicated services, we believe that truckload carriers, like us, have a competitive advantage over truck lessors, which are the other major participants in the market, because we expect to be able to offer lower prices by utilizing back-haul freight within our network that traditional lessors may not have.
Our operations are regulated and licensed by various U.S. agencies. Our Canadian business activities are subject to similar requirements imposed by the laws and regulations of Canada, as well as its provincial laws and regulations. We operate within Mexico by utilizing third-party carriers within that country. Our company drivers and independent contractors also must comply with the safety and fitness regulations of the DOT, including those relating to drug and alcohol testing and hours-of-service. Such matters as weight and equipment dimensions are also subject to U.S. regulations. We also may become subject to new or more restrictive regulations relating to fuel emissions, drivers' hours-of-service, ergonomics, or other matters affecting safety or operating methods. Other agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") and the Department of Homeland Security ("DHS") also regulate our equipment, operations, and drivers.
The DOT, through the FMCSA, imposes safety and fitness regulations on us and our drivers, including rules that restrict driver hours-of-service. In December 2011, the FMCSA published its 2011 Hours-of-Service Final Rule (the "2011 Rule"). The 2011 Rule requires drivers to take 30-minute breaks after eight hours of consecutive driving and reduces the total number of hours a driver is permitted to work during each week from 82 hours to 70 hours. The 2011 Rule also provides that the 34-hour restart may only be used once per week and must include two rest periods between one a.m. and five a.m. (together, the "2011 Restart Restrictions"). These rule changes became effective in July 2013. We believe the 2011 Rule led to decreased productivity and caused some loss of efficiency, as drivers and shippers have needed supplemental training, computer programming has required modifications, additional drivers have been employed or engaged, additional equipment has been acquired, and shipping lanes have been reconfigured.
In December 2014, the 2015 Omnibus Appropriations bill was signed into law. Among other things, the legislation provided temporary relief from the 2011 Restart Restrictions, and essentially reverted back to the more straight forward 34-hour restart rule that was in effect before the 2011 Rule became effective. In 2016, Congress is expected to consider a study conducted by the FMCSA related to the 2011 Restart Restrictions. Congressional action based on the findings of the study could result in a reinstatement, continued suspension, or complete withdrawal of the 2011 Restart Restrictions. If the 2011 Restart Restrictions are reinstated, we may experience a decrease in production and loss of efficiency similar to that experienced during 2013 and 2014 when the 2011 Restart Restrictions were in effect.
The DOT uses two methods of evaluating the safety and fitness of carriers. The first method is the application of a safety rating that is based on an onsite investigation and affects a carrier’s ability to operate in interstate commerce. We currently have a satisfactory DOT safety rating under this method, which is the highest available rating under the current safety rating scale. If we received a conditional or unsatisfactory DOT safety rating, it could adversely affect our business, as some of our existing customer contracts require a satisfactory DOT safety rating. In January 2016, the FMCSA published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking outlining a revised safety rating measurement system which would replace the current methodology. Under the proposed rules, the current three safety ratings of "satisfactory," "conditional," and "unsatisfactory" would be replaced with a single safety rating of "unfit." Thus, a carrier with no rating would be deemed fit. Moreover, data from roadside inspections and the results of all investigations would be used to determine a carrier’s fitness on a monthly basis. This would replace the current methodology of determining a carrier’s fitness based solely on infrequent comprehensive onsite reviews. The proposed rules will undergo a 90-day public comment period, after which, a final rule could either be published or become subject to further legislative reviews and delays. Therefore, it’s uncertain if or when these proposed rules could take effect. However, if such rules were enacted, and we received a rating of unfit, it would adversely affect our operations.
In addition to the safety rating system, the FMCSA has adopted the Compliance Safety Accountability program ("CSA") as an additional safety enforcement and compliance model that evaluates and ranks fleets on certain safety-related standards. The CSA program analyzes data from roadside inspections, moving violations, crash reports from the last two years, and investigation results. The data is organized into seven categories. Carriers are grouped by category with other carriers that have a similar number of safety events (e.g., crashes, inspections, or violations) and carriers are ranked and assigned a rating percentile to prioritize them for interventions if they are above a certain threshold. Currently, these scores do not have a direct impact on a carrier’s safety rating. However, the occurrence of unfavorable scores in one or more categories may (i) affect driver recruiting and retention by causing high-quality drivers to seek employment with other carriers, (ii) cause our customers to direct their business away from us and to carriers with higher fleet safety rankings, (iii) subject us to an increase in compliance reviews and roadside inspections, or (iv) cause us to incur greater than expected expenses in its attempts to improve unfavorable scores, any of which could adversely affect our results of operations and profitability.
Under CSA, these scores were initially made available to the public in five of the seven categories. However, pursuant to the FAST Act, which was signed into law in December 2015, the FMCSA is required to remove from public view the previously available CSA scores while it reviews the reliability of the scoring system. During this period of review by the FMCSA, we will continue to have access to our own scores and will still be subject to intervention by the FMCSA when such scores are above the intervention thresholds. Currently, certain of our subsidiaries are exceeding the established intervention thresholds in one or more of the seven categories of CSA, in comparison to their peer groups; however, they all continue to maintain a satisfactory rating with the DOT. We will continue to promote improvement of these scores in all seven categories with ongoing reviews of all safety-related policies, programs, and procedures for their effectiveness.
In 2011, the FMCSA issued new rules that would require nearly all carriers, including us, to install and use electronic on-board recording devices ("EOBRs," now referred to as electronic logging devices, or "ELDs") in their tractors to electronically monitor truck miles and enforce hours-of-service. These rules, however, were vacated by the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals in August 2011. The final rule related to mandatory use of ELDs was published in December 2015, and requires the use of ELDs by nearly all carriers by December 10, 2017. We have proactively installed ELDs on 100% of our tractor fleet.
In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the DHS and other federal, state, and municipal authorities implemented and continue to implement various security measures, including checkpoints and travel restrictions on large trucks. The U.S. Transportation Security Administration ("TSA") adopted regulations that require a determination by the TSA that each driver who applies for or renews his or her license for carrying hazardous materials is not a security threat. This could reduce the pool of qualified drivers who are permitted to transport hazardous waste, which could require us to increase driver compensation, limit our fleet growth, or allow trucks to sit idle. These regulations also could complicate the matching of available equipment with hazardous material shipments, thereby increasing our response time on customer orders and our non-revenue miles. As a result, it is possible we could fail to meet the needs of our customers or could incur increased expenses to do so.
In November 2015, the FMCSA published its final rule related to driver coercion, which took effect on January 29, 2016. Under this rule, carriers, shippers, receivers, or transportation intermediaries that are found to have coerced drivers to violate certain FMCSA regulations (including hours-of-service rules) may be fined up to $16,000 for each offense. The FMCSA and certain legislators have proposed other rules that may be published as early as 2016, including (i) the use of speed limiting devices on heavy duty trucks to restrict maximum speeds, (ii) the creation of a national clearinghouse so employers and prospective employers could query to determine if current or prospective drivers have had any drug/alcohol positives or refusals, and (iii) an increase in the allowable length of twin trailers from 28 feet to 33 feet. If these rules take effect, they could result in a decrease in fleet production, driver availability, and freight tonnage available to full truckload carriers, all of which could adversely affect our business or operations.
We are subject to various environmental laws and regulations dealing with the hauling and handling of hazardous materials, fuel storage tanks, air emissions from our vehicles and facilities, engine idling, and discharge and retention of storm water. Our truck terminals often are located in industrial areas where groundwater or other forms of environmental contamination could occur. Our operations involve the risks of fuel spillage or seepage, environmental damage, and hazardous waste disposal, among others. Certain of our facilities have waste oil or fuel storage tanks and fueling islands. A small percentage of our freight consists of low-grade hazardous substances, which subjects us to a wide array of regulations. Additionally, increasing efforts to control emissions of greenhouse gases may have an adverse effect on us. Although we have instituted programs to monitor and control environmental risks and promote compliance with applicable environmental laws and regulations, if we are involved in a spill or other accident involving hazardous substances, if there are releases of hazardous substances we transport, if soil or groundwater contamination is found at our facilities or results from our operations, or if we are found to be in violation of applicable laws or regulations, we could be subject to cleanup costs and liabilities, including substantial fines or penalties or civil and criminal liability, any of which could have a materially adverse effect on our business and operating results.
EPA regulations limiting exhaust emissions became more restrictive in 2010. In 2010, an executive memorandum was signed directing the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ("NHTSA") and the EPA to develop new, stricter fuel efficiency standards for heavy trucks. In 2011, the NHTSA and the EPA adopted final rules that established the first-ever fuel economy and greenhouse gas standards for medium-and heavy-duty vehicles. These standards apply to model years 2014 to 2018 and require the achievement of an approximate 20 percent reduction in fuel consumption by the 2018 model year, which equates to approximately four gallons of fuel for every 100 miles traveled. In addition, in February 2014, President Obama announced that his administration will begin developing the next phase of tighter fuel efficiency standards for medium-and heavy-duty vehicles and directed the EPA and NHTSA to develop new fuel efficiency and greenhouse gas standards by March 31, 2016. In response, in June 2015, the EPA and NHTSA jointly proposed new stricter standards that would apply to trailers beginning with model year 2018 and tractors beginning with model year 2021. After an extended comment period ending in October 2015, a final rule has not been published. If this rule or a similar rule was enacted, we believe these requirements could result in increased new tractor prices and additional parts and maintenance costs incurred to retrofit our tractors with technology to achieve compliance with such standards, which could adversely affect our operating results and profitability, particularly if such costs are not offset by potential fuel savings. We cannot predict, however, the extent to which our operations and productivity will be impacted.
The California Air Resources Board ("CARB") also adopted emission control regulations that will be applicable to all heavy-duty tractors that pull 53-foot or longer box-type trailers within the state of California. The tractors and trailers subject to these CARB regulations must be either EPA SmartWay certified or equipped with low-rolling, resistance tires and retrofitted with SmartWay-approved aerodynamic technologies. Enforcement of these CARB regulations for model year 2011 equipment began in January 2010 and will be phased in over several years for older equipment. We currently purchase Smart Way certified equipment in our new tractor and trailer acquisitions. As of January 1, 2014, CARB regulations require certain drayage trucks with 2006 or older model year engines to upgrade to 2007 or newer model year engines. We believe some industry participants may have difficulty complying with this new requirement, which may tighten drayage freight capacity and decrease drayage competition in California. Federal and state lawmakers also are considering a variety of other climate-change proposals. Compliance with such regulations could increase the cost of new tractors and trailers, impair equipment productivity, and increase operating expenses. These effects, combined with the uncertainty as to the operating results that will be produced by the newly designed diesel engines and the residual values of these vehicles, could increase our costs or otherwise adversely affect our business or operations.
In order to reduce exhaust emissions, some states and municipalities have begun to restrict the locations and amount of time where diesel-powered tractors may idle. These restrictions could force us to purchase on-board power units that do not require the engine to idle or to alter its drivers' behavior, which could result in a decrease in productivity.
Fuel Availability and Cost
The cost of fuel trended lower in 2015, compared to 2014 and 2013, as demonstrated by a decrease in the Department of Energy ("DOE") national average for diesel of approximately $1.12 per gallon for 2015 compared to 2014. Our fuel cost was further decreased in 2015 due to an increase in our average fuel miles per gallon during 2015 as a result of purchasing equipment with more fuel-efficient engines.
We actively manage our fuel costs by routing our drivers through fuel centers with which we have negotiated volume discounts and through jurisdictions with lower fuel taxes, where possible. We have also reduced the maximum speed of many of our trucks, implemented strict idling guidelines for our drivers, purchased technology to enhance our management and monitoring of out-of-route miles, encouraged the use of shore power units in truck stops, and imposed standards for accepting broker freight that includes minimum rates and fuel surcharges. These initiatives have contributed to significant improvements in fleet wide average fuel mileage. Moreover, we have a fuel surcharge program in place with the majority of our customers, which has historically enabled us to recover some of the higher fuel costs. However, even with the fuel surcharges, the price of fuel has affected our profitability. Our fuel surcharges are billed on a lagging basis, meaning we typically bill customers in the current week based on a previous week's applicable index. Therefore, in times of increasing fuel prices, we do not recover as much as we are currently paying for fuel. In periods of declining prices, the opposite is true. In addition, we incur additional costs when fuel prices rise that cannot be fully recovered due to our engines being idled during cold or warm weather, empty or out-of-route miles, and for fuel used by refrigerated trailer units that generally is not billed to customers. In addition, from time-to-time customers attempt to modify their surcharge programs, some successfully, which can result in recovery of a smaller portion of fuel price increases. Rapid increases in fuel costs or shortages of fuel could have a materially adverse effect on our operations or future profitability.
To reduce the variability of the ultimate cash flows associated with fluctuations in diesel fuel prices, we periodically enter into various derivative instruments, including forward futures swap contracts. Historically diesel fuel has not been a traded commodity on the futures market so heating oil has been used as a substitute, as prices for both generally move in similar directions. Recently, however, we have been able to enter into hedging contracts with respect to both heating oil and ultra-low sulfur diesel ("ULSD"). Under these contracts, we pay a fixed rate per gallon of heating oil or ULSD and receive the monthly average price of New York heating oil per the New York Mercantile Exchange ("NYMEX") and Gulf Coast ULSD, respectively. Because the fixed price is determined based on market prices at the time we enter into the hedge, in times of increasing fuel prices the hedge contracts become more valuable, whereas in times of decreasing fuel prices the opposite is true. At December 31, 2015, we had forward futures swap contracts on approximately 12.1 million, 12.1 million, and 7.6 million gallons of diesel to be purchased in 2016, 2017, and 2018, respectively, or approximately 25%, 25%, and 15% of our projected annual 2016, 2017, and 2018 fuel requirements, respectively. Due to declining petroleum prices in 2015, the fair value of our fuel hedging contracts at December 31, 2015, represented a $27.3 million liability.
In the trucking industry, revenue has historically decreased as customers reduce shipments following the winter holiday season and as inclement weather impedes operations. At the same time, operating expenses have generally increased, with fuel efficiency declining because of engine idling and weather, causing more physical damage equipment repairs. For the reasons stated, first quarter results historically have been lower than results in each of the other three quarters of the year, excluding charges. Over the past several years, we have seen increases in demand at varying times, specifically May through October, based primarily on restocking required to replenish inventories that have been held significantly lower than historical averages. Additionally, we have seen surges between Thanksgiving and Christmas resulting from holiday shopping trends toward delivery of gifts purchased over the internet, as well as the impact of shorter holiday seasons.
At December 31, 2015, our corporate structure included Covenant Transportation Group, Inc., a Nevada holding company organized in May 1994, and its wholly owned subsidiaries: Covenant Transport, Inc., a Tennessee corporation; Southern Refrigerated Transport, Inc., an Arkansas corporation; Star Transportation, Inc., a Tennessee corporation; Covenant Transport Solutions, Inc., a Nevada corporation; Covenant Logistics, Inc., a Nevada corporation; Covenant Asset Management, LLC, a Nevada limited liability company; CTG Leasing Company, a Nevada corporation; Driven Analytic Solutions, LLC, a Nevada limited liability company, Covenant Properties, LLC, a Nevada limited liability company, and IQS Insurance Retention Group, Inc., a Vermont corporation.
Our headquarters is located at 400 Birmingham Highway, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37419, and our website address is www.ctgcompanies.com. Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and all other reports we file with the SEC pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act") are available free of charge through our website. Information contained in or available through our website is not incorporated by reference into, and you should not consider such information to be part of, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Additionally, you may read all of the materials that we file with the SEC by visiting the SEC's Public Reference Room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. If you would like information about the operation of the Public Reference Room, you may call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. You may also visit the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. This site contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding the Company and other companies that file electronically with the SEC.
ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Our future results may be affected by a number of factors over which we have little or no control. The following discussion of risk factors contains forward-looking statements as discussed in Item 1 above. The following issues, uncertainties, and risks, among others, should be considered in evaluating our business and growth outlook.
Our business is subject to general economic and business factors affecting the trucking industry that are largely out of our control, any of which could have a materially adverse effect on our operating results.
The truckload industry is highly cyclical, and our business is dependent on a number of factors that may have a negative impact on our results of operations, many of which are beyond our control. We believe that some of the most significant of these factors are economic changes that affect supply and demand in transportation markets, such as:
recessionary economic cycles, such as the period from 2007 through 2009, and the uncertainty surrounding such supply and demand in 2016;
changes in customers' inventory levels and in the availability of funding for their working capital;
excess tractor capacity in comparison with shipping demand; and
downturns in customers' business cycles.
Economic conditions that decrease shipping demand or increase the supply of available tractors and trailers can exert downward pressure on rates and equipment utilization, thereby decreasing asset productivity. The risks associated with these factors are heightened when the U.S. economy is weakened. Some of the principal risks during such times, which risks we experienced during prior recessionary times, are as follows:
we may experience a reduction in overall freight levels, which may impair our asset utilization;
certain of our customers may face credit issues and could experience cash flow problems that may lead to payment delays, increased credit risk, bankruptcies, and other financial hardships that could result in even lower freight demand and may require us to increase our allowance for doubtful accounts;
freight patterns may change as supply chains are redesigned, resulting in an imbalance between our capacity and our customers' freight demand;
customers may solicit bids for freight from multiple trucking companies or select competitors that offer lower rates from among existing choices in an attempt to lower their costs, and we might be forced to lower our rates or lose freight; and
we may be forced to accept more freight from freight brokers, where freight rates are typically lower, or may be forced to incur more non-revenue miles to obtain loads.
We also are subject to potential increases in various costs and other events that are outside of our control that could materially reduce our profitability if we are unable to increase our rates sufficiently. Such cost increases include, but are not limited to, fuel and energy prices, taxes and interest rates, tolls, license and registration fees, insurance premiums, revenue equipment and related maintenance costs, and healthcare and other benefits for our employees. We could be affected by strikes or other work stoppages at our service centers or at customer, port, border, or other shipping locations. Changing impacts of regulatory measures could impair our operating efficiency and productivity, decrease our revenues and profitability, and result in higher operating costs. In addition, declines in the resale value of revenue equipment can also affect our profitability and cash flows. From time to time, various federal, state, or local taxes may also increase, including taxes on fuels. We cannot predict whether, or in what form, any such cost increase or event could occur. Any such cost increase or event could adversely affect our profitability.
In addition, we cannot predict future economic conditions, fuel price fluctuations, or how consumer confidence could be affected by actual or threatened armed conflicts or terrorist attacks, government efforts to combat terrorism, military action against a foreign state or group located in a foreign state, or heightened security requirements. Enhanced security measures could impair our operating efficiency and productivity and result in higher operating costs.
We may not be successful in achieving our strategic plan.
Our current strategic plan includes instilling an enterprise-wide culture, allocating our available capital toward business units we expect to generate acceptable returns, improving the career and experience of our professional drivers, offering our customers significant value in markets and sectors where we can make a difference, and effectively managing the risks associated with our business. To this end, several of our initiatives include growing our expedited dry van and temperature-controlled teams, increasing the number of tractors and trailers allocated toward dedicated contract operations in targeted markets, effectively managing the attraction, development, and retention of qualified drivers, capitalizing on our enterprise management system including improving the performance at SRT, our most recent (and final) subsidiary to implement this technology, and continuing to manage our exposures to fluctuations in fuel prices, claims, interest rates, used truck prices, and other potentially volatile expenses through a variety of hedging, insurance, contractual, and other methods. Such initiatives will require time, management and financial resources, changes in our operations and sales functions, and monitoring and implementation of technology. We may be unable to effectively and successfully implement, or achieve sustainable improvement from, our strategic plan and initiatives or achieve these objectives. In addition, our operating margins could be adversely affected by future changes in and expansion of our business, including the expected expansion of expedited dry van and temperature-controlled teams. Further, our operating results may be negatively affected by a failure to further penetrate our existing customer base, cross-sell our services, pursue new customer opportunities, or manage the operations and expenses of new or growing services. There is no assurance that we will be successful in achieving our strategic plan and initiatives. If we are unsuccessful in implementing our strategic plan and initiatives, our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flows could be adversely affected.
We operate in a highly competitive and fragmented industry, and numerous competitive factors could impair our ability to improve our profitability.
These factors include:
we compete with many other truckload carriers of varying sizes and, to a lesser extent, with less-than-truckload carriers, railroads, intermodal companies, and other transportation companies, many of which have more equipment and greater capital resources than we do;
many of our competitors periodically reduce their freight rates to gain business, especially during times of reduced growth rates in the economy, which may limit our ability to maintain or increase freight rates or maintain significant growth in our business;
many of our customers, including several in our top ten, are other transportation companies, and they may decide to transport their own freight;
many customers reduce the number of carriers they use by selecting "core carriers" as approved service providers, and in some instances we may not be selected;
many customers periodically accept bids from multiple carriers for their shipping needs, and this process may depress freight rates or result in the loss of some business to competitors;
the trend toward consolidation in the trucking industry may create other large carriers with greater financial resources and other competitive advantages relating to their size;
advances in technology require increased investments to remain competitive, and our customers may not be willing to accept higher freight rates to cover the cost of these investments; and
competition from non-asset-based logistics and freight brokerage companies may adversely affect our customer relationships and freight rates.
We may be unsuccessful in improving our profitability.
We may not be able to sustain or increase profitability in the future. Achieving profitability depends upon numerous factors, including our ability to effectively and successfully implement other strategic plans and initiatives, increase our average revenue per tractor, improve driver retention, and control expenses. If we are unable to improve our profitability, then our liquidity, financial position, and results of operations may be adversely affected.
We self-insure for a significant portion of our claims exposure, which could significantly increase the volatility of, and decrease the amount of, our earnings.
Our future insurance and claims expense could reduce our earnings and make our earnings more volatile. We self-insure for a significant portion of our claims exposure and related expenses. We accrue amounts for liabilities based on our assessment of claims that arise and our insurance coverage for the periods in which the claims arise, and we evaluate and revise these accruals from time to time based on additional information. Due to our significant self-insured amounts, we have significant exposure to fluctuations in the number and severity of claims and the risk of being required to accrue or pay additional amounts if our estimates are revised or the claims ultimately prove to be more severe than originally assessed. Historically, we have had to significantly adjust our reserves on several occasions, and future significant adjustments may occur. Further, our self-insured retention levels could change and result in more volatility than in recent years.
We maintain insurance above the amounts for which we self-insure with licensed insurance carriers. Although we believe our aggregate insurance limits are sufficient to cover reasonably expected claims, it is possible that one or more claims could exceed those limits. If any claim was to exceed our coverage, we would bear the excess, in addition to our other self-insured amounts. Our insurance and claims expense could increase, or we could find it necessary to again raise our self-insured retention or decrease our aggregate coverage limits when our policies are renewed or replaced. Our operating results and financial condition may be adversely affected if these expenses increase, if we experience a claim in excess of our coverage limits, if we experience a claim for which we do not have coverage, if we experience an increase in number of claims, or if we have to increase our reserves.
Our auto liability insurance policy contains a provision under which we have the option, on a retroactive basis, to assume responsibility for the entire cost of covered claims during the policy period in exchange for a refund of a portion of the premiums we paid for the policy. This is referred to as "commuting" the policy. We have elected to commute policies in two of the past six years. We have received approximately $7.1 million in policy premiums, net of additional reserves for claims commuted, in respect of commuting these policies. In exchange, we have assumed the risk for all claims during the years for the policies commuted. Our subsequent payouts for the claims assumed have been less than the refunds. We expect the total refunds to exceed the total payouts; however, not all of the claims have been finally resolved and we cannot assure you of the result. We may continue to commute policies for certain years in the future. To the extent we do so, and one or more claims result in large payouts, we will not have insurance, and our financial condition, results of operation, and liquidity could be materially and adversely affected.
Our self-insurance for auto liability at one of our subsidiaries and our use of a captive insurance company could adversely impact our operations.
Covenant Transport, Inc. has been approved to self-insure for auto liability by the FMCSA. We believe this status, along with the use of a captive insurance company, allows us to post substantially lower aggregate letters of credit and restricted cash than we would be required to post without this status or the use of a captive insurance company. Our wholly owned captive insurance subsidiary is a regulated insurance company through which we insure a portion of our auto liability claims in certain states. An increase in the number or severity of auto liability claims for which we self-insure through Covenant Transport, Inc. or insure through the captive insurance company or pressure in the insurance and reinsurance markets could adversely impact our earnings and results of operations. Further, both arrangements increase the possibility that our expenses will be volatile.
To comply with certain state insurance regulatory requirements, cash and cash equivalents must be paid to our captive insurance subsidiary as capital investments and insurance premiums, which are restricted as collateral for anticipated losses. Significant future increases in the amount of collateral required by third-party insurance carriers and regulators would reduce our liquidity and could adversely affect our results of operations and capital resources. Further, regulations applicable to the captive insurance subsidiary may increase our costs, limit our ability to change premiums, restrict our ability to access cash held by this subsidiary, and otherwise impede our ability to take actions we deem advisable.
Fluctuations in the price or availability of fuel, hedging activities, the volume and terms of diesel fuel purchase commitments, and surcharge collection and surcharge policies approved by customers may increase our costs of operation, which could materially and adversely affect our profitability.
Fuel is one of our largest operating expenses. Diesel fuel prices fluctuate greatly due to economic, political, weather, and other factors beyond our control, each of which may lead to an increase in the cost of fuel. Fuel also is subject to regional pricing differences and often costs more on the West Coast, where we have significant operations. Additionally, fuel pricing can be affected by the rising demand in developing countries and could be adversely impacted by the use of crude oil and oil reserves for other purposes and diminished drilling activity. Such events may lead not only to increases in fuel prices, but also to fuel shortages and disruptions in the fuel supply chain. Because our operations are dependent upon diesel fuel, significant diesel fuel cost increases, shortages, or supply disruptions could materially and adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.
From time to time, we use hedging contracts and volume purchase arrangements to attempt to limit the effect of price fluctuations. We may be forced to make cash payments under the hedging arrangements. Our hedging arrangements effectively allow us to pay a fixed rate for fuel that is determined based on the market rate at the time we enter into the hedge. In times of falling diesel fuel prices, including recently, our costs will not be reduced to the same extent they would have reduced if we had not entered into the hedging contracts and we may incur significant expense in connection with our obligation to make cash payments under such contracts. Accordingly, in times of falling diesel fuel prices, our profitability and cash flows may be negatively impacted to a greater extent than if we had not entered into the hedging contracts.
We use a fuel surcharge program to recapture a portion of the increases in fuel prices over a base rate negotiated with our customers. Our fuel surcharge program does not protect us against the full effect of increases in fuel prices. The terms of each customer's fuel surcharge program vary and certain customers have sought to modify the terms of their fuel surcharge programs to minimize recoverability for fuel price increases. A failure to improve our fuel price protection through these measures, increases in fuel prices, a shortage or rationing of diesel fuel, or significant payments under hedging arrangements, could materially and adversely affect our results of operations.
We depend on the proper functioning and availability of our information systems and a system failure or unavailability or an inability to effectively upgrade our information systems could cause a significant disruption to our business and have a materially adverse effect on our results of operations.
We depend on the proper functioning and availability of our information systems, including financial reporting and operating systems, in operating our business. Our operating system is critical to understanding customer demands, accepting and planning loads, dispatching equipment and drivers, and billing and collecting for our services. Our financial reporting system is critical to producing accurate and timely financial statements and analyzing business information to help us manage effectively. We recently finished implementing a multi-year project to upgrade the hardware and software of our information systems with respect to most of our subsidiaries. We have experienced difficulties in converting portions of our operations, including inefficiencies resulting in a reduction in average miles per tractor and increased driver turnover. While not as significant as experienced with Covenant Transport, Inc.'s system conversion in 2011, SRT's conversion to the new system in early 2014 provided some of the aforementioned difficulties.
Our operations and those of our technology and communications service providers are vulnerable to interruption by fire, earthquake, power loss, telecommunications failure, terrorist attacks, Internet failures, computer viruses, and other events beyond our control. Although we attempt to reduce the risk of disruption to our business operations should a disaster occur through redundant computer systems and networks and backup systems, there can be no assurance that such measures will be effective. If any of our critical information systems fail or become otherwise unavailable, whether as a result of the upgrade project or otherwise, we would have to perform the functions manually, which could temporarily impact our ability to manage our fleet efficiently, to respond to customers' requests effectively, to maintain billing and other records reliably, and to bill for services and prepare financial statements accurately or in a timely manner. Our business interruption insurance may be inadequate to protect us in the event of an unforeseeable and extreme catastrophe. Any significant system failure, upgrade complication, security breach, or other system disruption could interrupt or delay our operations, damage our reputation, cause us to lose customers, or impact our ability to manage our operations and report our financial performance, any of which could have a materially adverse effect on our business.
Our Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (our "Credit Facility") and other financing arrangements contain certain covenants, restrictions, and requirements, and we may be unable to comply with such covenants, restrictions, and requirements. A default could result in the acceleration of all or part of our outstanding indebtedness, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition, liquidity, results of operations, and the market price of our Class A common stock.
We have a $95.0 million Credit Facility with a group of banks and numerous other financing arrangements. Our Credit Facility contains certain restrictions and covenants relating to, among other things, dividends, liens, acquisitions and dispositions outside of the ordinary course of business, affiliate transactions, and a fixed charge coverage ratio, if availability is below a certain threshold. We have had difficulty meeting budgeted results and have had to request amendments or waivers in the past. If we are unable to meet budgeted results or otherwise comply with our Credit Facility, we may be unable to obtain amendments or waivers under our Credit Facility, or we may incur fees in doing so.
Certain other financing arrangements contain certain restrictions and non-financial covenants, in addition to those contained in our Credit Facility. In addition, certain of our fuel hedging contracts are with lenders under our Credit Facility and could be terminated by such lenders if the Credit Facility is terminated or replaced. If we fail to comply with any of our financing arrangement covenants, restrictions, and requirements, we will be in default under the relevant agreement, which could cause cross-defaults under our other financing arrangements. In the event of any such default, if we failed to obtain replacement financing, amendments to, or waivers under the applicable financing arrangements, our lenders could cease making further advances, declare our debt to be immediately due and payable, fail to renew letters of credit, impose significant restrictions and requirements on our operations, institute foreclosure procedures against their collateral, or impose significant fees and transaction costs. If acceleration occurs, economic conditions such as the recent credit market crisis may make it difficult or expensive to refinance the accelerated debt or we may have to issue equity securities, which would dilute stock ownership. Even if new financing is made available to us, credit may not be available to us on acceptable terms. A default under our financing arrangements could result in a materially adverse effect on our liquidity, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our substantial indebtedness and capital and operating lease obligations could adversely affect our ability to respond to changes in our industry or business.
As a result of our level of debt, capital leases, operating leases, and encumbered assets, we believe:
our vulnerability to adverse economic conditions and competitive pressures is heightened;
we will continue to be required to dedicate a substantial portion of our cash flows from operations to lease payments and repayment of debt, limiting the availability of cash for other purposes;
our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and industry will be limited;
our profitability is sensitive to fluctuations in interest rates because some of our debt obligations are subject to variable interest rates, and future borrowings and lease financing arrangements will be affected by any such fluctuations;
our ability to obtain additional financing in the future for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, or other purposes may be limited; and
we may be required to issue additional equity securities to raise funds, which would dilute the ownership position of our stockholders.
Our financing obligations could negatively impact our future operations, our ability to satisfy our capital needs, or our ability to engage in other business activities. We also cannot assure you that additional financing will be available to us when required or, if available, will be on terms satisfactory to us.
We have significant ongoing capital requirements that could affect our profitability if we are unable to generate sufficient cash from operations and obtain financing on favorable terms.
The truckload industry is capital intensive, and our policy of operating newer equipment requires us to expend significant amounts annually. We expect to pay for projected capital expenditures with cash flows from operations, borrowings under our Credit Facility, proceeds from the sale of our used revenue equipment, proceeds under other financing facilities, and leases of revenue equipment. If we are unable to generate sufficient cash from operations and obtain financing on favorable terms in the future, we may have to limit our fleet size, enter into less favorable financing arrangements, or operate our revenue equipment for longer periods, any of which could have a materially adverse effect on our profitability.
We derive a significant portion of our revenue from our major customers, the loss of one or more of which could have a materially adverse effect on our business.
A significant portion of our revenue is generated from our major customers. In 2015 and 2014, one customer accounted for more than 10% of our consolidated revenue. This customer was serviced by both our Truckload segment and our Solutions subsidiary. Our top five customers accounted for approximately 34%, 29%, and 25% of our total revenue in 2015, 2014, and 2013, respectively. Generally, we do not have long-term contractual relationships with our major customers. Accordingly, in response to economic conditions, supply and demand in our industry, our performance, our customers' internal initiatives, or other factors, our customers may reduce or eliminate their use of our services, or threaten to do so to gain pricing or other concessions from us.
Economic conditions and capital markets may adversely affect our customers and their ability to remain solvent. Our customers' financial difficulties can negatively impact our results of operations and financial condition, especially if our customers were to delay or default on payments to us. For some of our customers, we have entered into multi-year contracts, and the rates we charge may not remain advantageous. A reduction in or termination of our services, by one or more of our major customers, could have a materially adverse effect on our business and operating results.
We depend on third-parties, particularly in our brokerage business, and service instability from these providers could increase our operating costs and reduce our ability to offer brokerage services, which could adversely affect our revenue, results of operations, and customer relationships.
Our brokerage business is dependent upon the services of third-party capacity providers, including other truckload carriers. For this business, we do not own or control the transportation assets that deliver our customers' freight, and we do not employ the people directly involved in delivering the freight. This reliance could also cause delays in reporting certain events, including recognizing revenue and claims. These third-party providers seek other freight opportunities and may require increased compensation in times of improved freight demand or tight trucking capacity. Our inability to secure the services of these third-parties could significantly limit our ability to serve our customers on competitive terms. Additionally, if we are unable to secure sufficient equipment or other transportation services to meet our commitments to our customers or provide our services on competitive terms, our operating results could be materially and adversely affected. Our ability to secure sufficient equipment or other transportation services is affected by many risks beyond our control, including equipment shortages in the transportation industry, particularly among contracted truckload carriers, interruptions in service due to labor disputes, changes in regulations impacting transportation, and changes in transportation rates.
Increases in driver compensation or difficulty in attracting and retaining qualified drivers could adversely affect our profitability.
Like many truckload carriers, we experience substantial difficulty in attracting and retaining sufficient numbers of qualified drivers, including independent contractors. Our industry periodically experiences a shortage of qualified drivers, particularly during periods of economic expansion, in which alternative employment opportunities are more plentiful and freight demand increases, or during periods of economic downturns, in which unemployment benefits might be extended and financing is limited for independent contractors who seek to purchase equipment or for students who seek financial aid for driving school. Regulatory requirements, including CSA and hours-of-service changes, and an improved economy could further reduce the number of eligible drivers or force us to increase driver compensation to attract and retain drivers. We have seen evidence that stricter hours-of-service regulations adopted by the DOT have tightened, and may continue to tighten, the market for eligible drivers. A shortage of qualified drivers and intense competition for drivers from other trucking companies will create difficulties in maintaining or increasing the number of our drivers, including independent contractor drivers. The compensation we offer our drivers and independent contractors is subject to market conditions, and we may find it necessary to increase driver and independent contractor compensation in future periods. In addition, we and our industry suffer from a high turnover rate of drivers. The high turnover rate requires us to continually recruit a substantial number of drivers in order to operate existing revenue equipment. Our use of team-driven tractors in our expedited business requires two drivers per tractor, which further increases the number of drivers we must recruit and retain in comparison to operations that require one driver per tractor. If we are unable to continue to attract and retain a sufficient number of drivers, we could be forced to, among other things, adjust our compensation packages, increase the number of our tractors without drivers, or operate with fewer trucks and face difficulty meeting shipper demands, any of which could adversely affect our growth and profitability.
If our independent contractor drivers are deemed by regulators or judicial process to be employees, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected.
Tax and other regulatory authorities have asserted that independent contractor drivers in the trucking industry are employees rather than independent contractors. Federal legislators have introduced legislation in the past to make it easier for tax and other authorities to reclassify independent contractor drivers as employees, including legislation to increase the recordkeeping requirements for those that engage independent contractor drivers and to heighten the penalties of companies who misclassify their employees and are found to have violated employees' overtime and/or wage requirements. Additionally, federal legislators have sought to abolish the current safe harbor allowing taxpayers meeting certain criteria to treat individuals as independent contractors if they are following a long-standing, recognized practice, extend the Fair Labor Standards Act to independent contractors, and impose notice requirements based upon employment or independent contractor status and fines for failure to comply. Some states have put initiatives in place to increase their revenues from items such as unemployment, workers' compensation, and income taxes, and a reclassification of independent contractor drivers as employees would help states with this initiative. Taxing and other regulatory authorities and courts apply a variety of standards in their determination of independent contractor status. Our classification of independent contractors has been the subject of audits by such authorities from time to time. While we have been successful in continuing to classify our independent contractor drivers as independent contractors and not employees, we may be unsuccessful in defending that position in the future. If our independent contractor drivers are determined to be our employees, we would incur additional exposure under federal and state tax, workers' compensation, unemployment benefits, labor, employment, and tort laws, including for prior periods, as well as potential liability for employee benefits and tax withholdings.
We operate in a highly regulated industry, and changes in existing regulations or violations of existing or future regulations could have a materially adverse effect on our operations and profitability.
We operate in the U.S. pursuant to operating authority granted by the DOT and in various Canadian provinces pursuant to operating authority granted by the Ministries of Transportation and Communications in such provinces. We operate within Mexico by utilizing third-party carriers within that country. Our company drivers and independent contractors also must comply with the safety and fitness regulations of the DOT, including those relating to drug and alcohol testing and hours-of-service. Such matters as weight and equipment dimensions also are subject to government regulations. We also may become subject to new or more restrictive regulations relating to exhaust emissions, drivers' hours-of-service, ergonomics, on-board reporting of operations, collective bargaining, security at ports, and other matters affecting safety or operating methods. Future laws and regulations may be more stringent and require changes in our operating practices, influence the demand for transportation services, or require us to incur significant additional costs. Higher costs incurred by us or by our suppliers who pass the costs onto us through higher prices could adversely affect our results of operations.
Safety-related evaluations and rankings under CSA could adversely affect our profitability and operations, our ability to maintain or grow our fleet, and our customer relationships.
Under CSA, drivers and fleets are evaluated and ranked against their peers based on certain safety-related standards. As a result, certain current and potential drivers may not be hired to drive for us and our fleet could be ranked poorly as compared to our peer carriers. We recruit and retain first-time drivers to be part of our fleet, and these drivers may have a higher likelihood of creating adverse safety events under CSA. The occurrence of future deficiencies could affect driver recruitment by causing high-quality drivers to seek employment with other carriers or could cause our customers to direct their business away from us and to carriers with higher fleet safety rankings, either of which would adversely affect our results of operations. Additionally, competition for drivers with favorable safety ratings may increase and thus could necessitate increases in driver-related compensation costs. Further, we may incur greater than expected expenses in our attempts to improve our scores as a result of those scores.
Certain of our subsidiaries have exceeded the established intervention thresholds in a number of the seven CSA safety-related categories. Based on these unfavorable ratings, we may be prioritized for an intervention action or roadside inspection, either of which could adversely affect our results of operations. In addition, customers may be less likely to assign loads to us. We have put new procedures in place in an attempt to address areas where we have exceeded the thresholds. However, we cannot assure you these measures will be effective.
Receipt of an unfavorable DOT safety rating could have a material adverse effect on our operations and profitability.
We currently have a satisfactory DOT rating, which is the highest available rating under the current safety rating scale. If we were to receive a conditional or unsatisfactory DOT safety rating, it could adversely affect our business as customer contracts may require a satisfactory DOT safety rating, and a conditional or unsatisfactory rating could negatively impact or restrict our operations.
The FMCSA has proposed regulations that would modify the existing rating system and the safety labels assigned to motor carriers evaluated by the DOT. Under the proposed regulations, the methodology for determining a carrier’s DOT safety rating would be expanded to include the on-road safety performance of the carrier’s drivers and equipment, as well as results obtained from investigations. Exceeding certain thresholds based on such performance or results would cause a carrier to receive an unfit safety rating. If these proposed regulations are enacted and we were to receive an unfit safety rating, our business would be adversely affected in the same manner as if we received a conditional or unsatisfactory safety rating under the current regulations.
Properties with environmental problems may create liabilities for us.
Under various federal, state, and local environmental laws, statutes, ordinances, rules, and regulations, as an owner of real property, we may be liable for the costs of removal or remediation of certain hazardous or toxic substances at, on, in, or under our properties, as well as certain other potential costs relating to hazardous or toxic substances (including government fines and penalties and damages for injuries to persons and adjacent property). These laws may impose liability without regard to whether we knew of, or were responsible for, the presence or disposal of those substances. This liability may be imposed on us in connection with the activities of an operator of, or tenant at, the property. The cost of any required remediation, removal, fines, or personal or property damages and our liability therefore could exceed the value of the property and/or our aggregate assets. In addition, the presence of those substances, or the failure to properly dispose of or remove those substances, may adversely affect our ability to sell or rent that property or to borrow using that property as collateral, which, in turn, would reduce our liquidity and adversely affect our operations.
We are not aware of any environmental condition with respect to any of our property interests that we believe would be reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on us. However, in connection with the eleventh amendment to our Credit Facility and pledging of certain properties as collateral, we commissioned Phase I environmental inspections on certain real properties we own. A number of these inspections revealed conditions that warranted a Phase II inspection. If we receive unfavorable results from such inspections, we may incur significant unanticipated expenditures, which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.
Increased prices, reduced productivity, and scarcity of financing for new revenue equipment may adversely affect our earnings and cash flows.
We are subject to risk with respect to higher prices for new tractors. Prices have increased and may continue to increase, due, in part, to government regulations applicable to newly manufactured tractors and diesel engines and due, in part, to the pricing discretion of equipment manufacturers. In addition, we have recently equipped our tractors with safety, aerodynamics, and other options that increase the price of the tractors. More restrictive U.S. Environmental Protection Agency emissions standards have required vendors to introduce new engines. Compliance with such regulations has increased the cost of our new tractors and could impair equipment productivity, lower fuel mileage, and increase our operating expenses. These adverse effects, combined with the uncertainty as to the reliability of the vehicles equipped with the newly designed diesel engines and the residual values realized from the disposition of these vehicles, could increase our costs or otherwise adversely affect our business or operations as the regulations become effective.
The market for used equipment is cyclical and can be volatile, and any downturn in the market could negatively impact our earnings and cash flows. We have a combination of agreements and non-binding statements of indicative trade values covering the terms of trade-in commitments from our primary equipment vendors for disposal of a portion of our revenue equipment. From time to time, prices we expect to receive under these arrangements may be higher than the prices we would receive in the open market. We may suffer a financial loss upon disposition of our equipment if these vendors refuse or are unable to meet their financial obligations under these agreements, if we do not enter into definitive agreements consistent with the indicative trade values, if we fail to or are unable to enter into similar arrangements in the future, or if we do not purchase the number of replacement units from the vendors required for such trade-ins.
If we are unable to retain our key employees, our business, financial condition, and results of operations could be harmed.
We are highly dependent upon the services of the following key employees: David R. Parker, our Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer and Joey B. Hogan, our President. We currently do not have employment agreements with Messrs. Parker or Hogan. The loss of any of their services could negatively impact our operations and future profitability. We must continue to develop and retain a core group of managers and attract, develop, and retain sufficient additional managers if we are to continue to improve our profitability and have appropriate succession planning for key management personnel.
We may not make acquisitions in the future, or if we do, we may not be successful in our acquisition strategy.
We made ten acquisitions between 1996 and 2006. Accordingly, acquisitions have provided a substantial portion of our growth. We may not have the financial capacity or be successful in identifying, negotiating, or consummating any future acquisitions. If we fail to make any future acquisitions, our historical growth rate could be materially and adversely affected. Any acquisitions we undertake could involve the dilutive issuance of equity securities and/or incurring indebtedness. In addition, acquisitions involve numerous risks, including difficulties in assimilating or integrating the acquired company's operations or assets into our business, the diversion of our management's attention from other business concerns, risks of entering into markets in which we have had no or only limited direct experience, and the potential loss of customers, key employees, and drivers of the acquired company, all of which could have a materially adverse effect on our business and operating results.
Our 49% owned subsidiary, TEL, faces certain additional risks particular to its operations, any one of which could adversely affect our operating results.
In May 2011, we acquired a 49% interest in TEL, a used equipment leasing company and reseller. We account for our investment in TEL using the equity method of accounting. TEL faces several risks similar to those we face and additional risks particular to its business and operations. The ability to secure financing and market fluctuations in interest rates could impact TEL's ability to grow its leasing business and its margins on leases. Adverse economic activity may restrict the number of used equipment buyers and their ability to pay prices for used equipment that we find acceptable. In addition, TEL's leasing customers are typically small trucking companies without substantial financial resources, and TEL is subject to risk of loss should those customers be unable to make their lease payments. Further, we believe the used equipment market will significantly impact TEL's results of operations and such market has been volatile in the past. There can be no assurance that TEL will experience gains on sale similar to those it has experienced in the past and it may incur losses on sale. As regulations change, the market for used equipment may be impacted as such regulatory changes may make used equipment costly to upgrade to comply with such regulations or we may be forced to scrap equipment if such regulations eliminate the market for particular used equipment. Further, there is an overlap in providers of equipment financing to TEL and our wholly owned operations and those providers may consider the combined exposure and limit the amount of credit available to us.
Under the purchase agreement we entered into, we have an option to acquire 100% of TEL through May 2016. If we exercise the option, our consolidated indebtedness would increase. If we fail to exercise the option, the counterparties have the right to purchase our 49% ownership at a defined price. Further, the other owners of TEL and we have discussed amending the option price formula (in each direction) to reflect changes in the business since inception of our investment. We expect any revision to result in an increase in the amount we would have to pay to exercise the option. There is no assurance that we will be able to agree on a revised formula or that TEL's ownership incentives will not be changed as a result of this process.
Finally, we do not control TEL's ownership or management. Our investment in TEL is subject to the risk that TEL's management and controlling members may make business, financial, or management decisions with which we do not agree or that the management or controlling members may take risks or otherwise act in a manner that does not serve our interests. If any of the foregoing were to occur, the value of our investment in TEL could decrease, and our financial condition, results of operations, and cash flow could suffer as a result.
We are exposed to risks related to our receivables factoring arrangements.
We engage in receivables factoring arrangements pursuant to which our clients, consisting of smaller trucking companies, factor their receivables to us for a fee to facilitate faster cash flow. We advance 85% to 95% of each receivable factored and retain the remainder as collateral for collection issues that might arise. The retained amounts are returned to the clients after the related receivable has been collected. We evaluate each client's customer base under predefined criteria. These factored receivables are generally unsecured, except when personal guarantees are received. While we have procedures to monitor and limit exposure to credit risk on these receivables, there can be no assurance such procedures will continue to effectively limit collection risk and avoid losses. We periodically assess the credit risk of our client's customers and regularly monitor the timeliness of payments. Slowdowns, bankruptcies, or financial difficulties within the markets our clients serve may impair the financial condition of one or more of our client's customers and may hinder such customers' ability to pay the factored receivables on a timely basis or at all. If any of these difficulties are encountered, our cash flows and results of operations could be adversely impacted.
Our Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer and his wife control a large portion of our stock and have substantial control over us, which could limit other stockholders' ability to influence the outcome of key transactions, including changes of control.
Our Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, David Parker, and his wife, Jacqueline Parker, beneficially own or have sole voting and dispositive power over approximately 21% of our outstanding Class A common stock and 100% of our Class B common stock. On all matters with respect to which our stockholders have a right to vote, including the election of directors, each share of Class A common stock is entitled to one vote, while each share of Class B common stock is entitled to two votes. All outstanding shares of Class B common stock are owned by the Parkers and are convertible to Class A common stock on a share-for-share basis at the election of the Parkers or automatically upon transfer to someone outside of the Parker family. This voting structure gives the Parkers approximately 39% of the voting power of all of our outstanding stock. As such, the Parkers are able to substantially influence decisions requiring stockholder approval, including the election of our entire board of directors, the adoption or extension of anti-takeover provisions, mergers, and other business combinations. This concentration of ownership could limit the price that some investors might be willing to pay for the Class A common stock, and could allow the Parkers to prevent or could discourage or delay a change of control, which other stockholders may favor. The interests of the Parkers may conflict with the interests of other holders of Class A common stock, and they may take actions affecting us with which other stockholders disagree.
Litigation may adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Our business is subject to the risk of litigation by employees, independent contractor drivers, customers, vendors, government agencies, and other parties through private actions, class actions, administrative proceedings, regulatory actions, and other processes. Recently, trucking companies, including us, have been subject to lawsuits, including class action lawsuits, alleging violations of various federal and state wage and hour laws regarding, among other things, employee meal breaks, rest periods, overtime eligibility, and failure to pay for all hours worked. A number of these lawsuits have resulted in the payment of substantial settlements or damages by the defendants. The outcome of litigation, particularly class action lawsuits and regulatory actions, is difficult to assess or quantify, and the magnitude of the potential loss relating to such lawsuits may remain unknown for substantial periods of time. The cost to defend litigation may also be significant. Not all claims are covered by our insurance, and there can be no assurance that our coverage limits will be adequate to cover all amounts in dispute. To the extent we experience claims that are uninsured, exceed our coverage limits, involve significant aggregate use of our self-insured retention amounts, or cause increases in future premiums, the resulting expenses could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition, or cash flows.
Seasonality and the impact of weather affect our operations and profitability.
Our tractor productivity decreases during the winter season because inclement weather impedes operations, and some customers reduce their shipments after the winter holiday season. Our expedited operations, which is a growing part of our business, historically have experienced a greater reduction in first quarter demand than our other operations. Revenue also can be affected by bad weather and holidays, since revenue is directly related to available working days of shippers. At the same time, operating expenses increase due to declining fuel efficiency because of engine idling and higher fuel prices and due to harsh weather creating higher accident frequency, increased claims, and more equipment repairs. We also could suffer short-term impacts from weather-related events such as hurricanes, blizzards, ice storms, and floods that could harm our results or make our results more volatile. Weather and other seasonal events could adversely affect our operating results.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Our corporate headquarters and main terminal are located on approximately 180 acres of property in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This facility includes an office building of approximately 182,000 square feet, a maintenance facility of approximately 65,000 square feet, a body shop of approximately 60,000 square feet, and a truck wash. Our Solutions subsidiary is also operated and managed out of the Chattanooga facility. We maintain seven terminals, which are utilized by our Truckload segment located on our major traffic lanes in or near the cities listed below. These terminals provide a base for drivers in proximity to their homes, a transfer location for trailer relays on transcontinental routes, parking space for equipment dispatch, and the other uses indicated below.
Recruiting/
Texarkana, Arkansas
Hutchins, Texas
LaVergne, Tennessee
ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
From time-to-time, we are a party to ordinary, routine litigation arising in the ordinary course of business, most of which involves claims for personal injury and property damage incurred in connection with the transportation of freight.
We maintain insurance to cover liabilities arising from the transportation of freight for amounts in excess of certain self-insured retentions. In management's opinion, our potential exposure under pending legal proceedings is adequately provided for in the accompanying consolidated financial statements.
In August 2014, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio issued a pre-trial decision in a lawsuit against SRT relating to a cargo claim incurred in 2008. The court awarded the plaintiff approximately $5.9 million plus prejudgment interest and costs and denied a cross-motion for summary judgment by SRT. Previously, the court had ruled in favor of SRT on all but one count before overturning its earlier decision and ruling in favor of the plaintiff. SRT filed a Notice of Appeal with the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals on September 24, 2014. On November 5, 2015, the Sixth Circuit reversed the district court in part, finding that the plaintiff could not recover under two of its causes of action. The Sixth Circuit remanded the proceedings to the district court for further factual determinations relating to whether the plaintiff could recover under a third cause of action.
We are defendant in a lawsuit that was filed on August 17, 2015 in the Superior Court of the State of California, Los Angeles County. This lawsuit arises out of the work performed by the plaintiff as a company driver for Covenant Transport during the period of August, 2013 through October, 2014. Plaintiff is seeking class action certification under the complaint. The case was removed from state court in September, 2015 to the U.S. District Court in the Central District of California, and subsequently, the case was transferred to the U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Tennessee on October 5, 2015 where the case is now pending. The complaint asserts that the time period covered by the lawsuit is "the four (4) years prior to the filing of this action through the trial date" and alleges claims for failure to properly pay for rest breaks, inspection time, waiting time, fueling and paperwork time, meal periods and other related wage and hour claims under the California Labor Code.
Based on our present knowledge of the facts and, in certain cases, advice of outside counsel, management believes the resolution of open claims and pending litigation, taking into account existing reserves, is not likely to have a materially adverse effect on our consolidated financial statements.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Price Range of Common Stock
Our Class A common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, under the symbol "CVTI." The following table sets forth, for the calendar periods indicated, the range of high and low sales price for our Class A common stock as reported by NASDAQ from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2015.
Calendar Year 2014:
On February 26, 2016, the last reported sale price of our Class A common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market was $22.18.
As of February 26, 2016, we had approximately 102 stockholders of record of our Class A common stock; however, we estimate our actual number of stockholders is much higher because a substantial number of our shares are held of record by brokers or dealers for their customers in street names. As of February 26, 2016, Mr. Parker, together with certain of his family members, owned all of the outstanding Class B common stock.
We have never declared and paid a cash dividend on our Class A or Class B common stock. It is the current intention of our Board of Directors to continue to retain earnings to finance our business and reduce our indebtedness rather than to pay dividends. The payment of cash dividends is currently limited by our financing arrangements. Future payments of cash dividends will depend upon our financial condition, results of operations, capital commitments, restrictions under then-existing agreements, and other factors deemed relevant by our Board of Directors.
See "Equity Compensation Plan Information" under Item 12 in Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for certain information concerning shares of our Class A common stock authorized for issuance under our equity compensation plans.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
The table below sets forth the information with respect to purchases of our Class A common stock made by or on behalf of us during the quarter ended December 31, 2015:
of Shares
Price Paid
as Part of
Plans or
Shares that
May Yet Be
Includes 26,173 shares of Class A common stock withheld at an average price of $18.89 per share (under the terms of grants under the Covenant Transportation Group, Inc. Third Amended and Restated 2006 Omnibus Incentive Plan) to offset tax withholding obligations that occurred upon vesting and release of restricted shares. The withholding of shares was permitted under the applicable award agreements and was not part of any stock repurchase plan.
ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA
(In thousands, except per share and operating data amounts)
Years Ended December 31,
Statement of Operations Data:
Freight revenue
$ 640,120 $ 578,204 $ 538,933 $ 527,435 $ 512,026
Fuel surcharge revenue
84,120 140,776 145,616 146,819 140,601
Salaries, wages, and related expenses
244,779 231,761 218,946 217,080 211,169
46,458 47,251 50,043 45,839 43,862
Revenue equipment rentals and purchased transportation
118,583 111,772 102,954 85,010 63,353
Operating taxes and licenses
Insurance and claims (1)
Communications and utilities
General supplies and expenses
Depreciation and amortization, including gains and losses on disposition of equipment and impairment of assets
Goodwill impairment charge (2)
- - - - 11,539
67,782 39,646 20,394 23,209 (1,061 )
Other expense (income):
- (13 ) (3 ) (13 ) (155 )
Equity in income of affiliate
4,570 3,730 2,750 1,875 675
63,907 32,582 12,747 12,400 (16,439 )
21,822 14,774 7,503 6,335 (2,172 )
$ 42,085 $ 17,808 $ 5,244 $ 6,065 $ (14,267 )
Basic income (loss) per share
$ 2.32 $ 1.17 $ 0.35 $ 0.41 $ (0.97 )
Diluted income (loss) per share
Basic weighted average common shares outstanding
Selected Balance Sheet Data:
Total assets (3)
Long-term debt and capital lease obligations, less current maturities
Total stockholders' equity
$ 202,160 $ 169,204 $ 100,360 $ 94,673 $ 87,055
Selected Operating Data:
Capital expenditures (proceeds), net (4)
$ 148,994 $ 89,455 $ 91,976 $ (15,738 ) $ 54,402
Average freight revenue per loaded mile (5)
$ 1.89 $ 1.77 $ 1.66 $ 1.63 $ 1.53
Average freight revenue per total mile (5)
Average freight revenue per tractor per week (5)
$ 3,967 $ 3,777 $ 3,411 $ 3,320 $ 3,069
Average miles per tractor per year
Weighted average tractors for year (6)
Total tractors at end of period (6)
Total trailers at end of period (7)
Team-driven tractors as percentage of fleet
35.3 % 32.1 % 29.2 % 28.1 % 27.3 %
2014 insurance and claims expense includes $7.5 million additional reserves for 2008 cargo claim.
Represents non-cash impairment charges to write off the goodwill in our Truckload segment.
Adjusted for retrospective adoption of ASU 2015-17.
Includes equipment purchased under capital leases.
Excludes fuel surcharge revenue.
Includes monthly rental tractors and tractors provided by independent contractors.
Excludes monthly rental trailers.
The information set forth above should be read in conjunction with "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and the Company's consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in Items 7 and 8, respectively, of this Form 10-K.
ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
Item 7, as well as other items of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, contains certain statements that may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such statements are subject to the safe harbor created by those sections and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. All statements, other than statements of historical or current fact, are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including without limitation: any projections of earnings, revenues, or other financial items; any statement of plans, strategies, and objectives of management for future operations; any statements concerning proposed new services or developments; any statements regarding future economic conditions or performance; and any statements of belief and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. In this Item 7, statements relating to the ability of our infrastructure to support future growth, our ability to recruit and retain qualified drivers, our ability to react to market conditions, our ability to gain market share, future tractor and trailer count and prices, expected functioning of our information technology systems, expected sources of working capital, liquidity and funds for meeting equipment purchase obligations, future inflation, future third-party service provider relationships and availability, future compensation arrangements with independent contractors and drivers, expected owner operator usage, future driver market, planned allocation of capital, future equipment costs, expected settlement of operating lease obligations, future asset sales, future insurance and claims, future tax expense and deductions, future fuel expense and the future effectiveness of fuel surcharge programs and price hedges, future effectiveness of interest rate swaps, expected capital expenditures (including the future mix of lease and purchase obligations), future asset utilization, future trucking capacity, expected freight demand and volumes, future rates, future depreciation and amortization, and future purchased transportation expense, among others, are forward-looking statements. Such statements may be identified by their use of terms or phrases such as "believe," "may," "could," "expects," "estimates," "projects," "anticipates," "plans," "intends," and similar terms and phrases. Forward-looking statements are based on currently available operating, financial, and competitive information. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, some of which cannot be predicted or quantified, which could cause future events and actual results to differ materially from those set forth in, contemplated by, or underlying the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, those discussed in the section entitled "Item 1A. Risk Factors," set forth above. Readers should review and consider the factors discussed in "Item 1A. Risk Factors," along with various disclosures in our press releases, stockholder reports, and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
EXECUTIVE OVERVIEW
For 2015, CTG reported the highest freight revenue, net income, and earnings per diluted share in our 30-year history. Revenue and earnings improved for the fourth consecutive year, and our adjusted operating ratio, a key measure of profitability in our industry, was sub-90% for the first time since 1999. We experienced strength across all parts of our business, as profitability improved in every business unit. Our consolidated financial results are summarized as follows:
Total revenue was $724.2 million, compared with $719.0 million for 2014, and freight revenue (excludes revenue from fuel surcharge) was $640.1 million, compared with $578.2 million for 2014;
Operating income was $67.8 million, compared with operating income of $39.6 million for 2014;
Net income was $42.1 million, or $2.30 per diluted share, compared with net income of $17.8 million, $1.15 per diluted share, for 2014. Net income for 2015 includes a one-time federal income tax credit of approximately $4.7 million, or $0.26 per diluted share and a commutation credit of approximately $2.2 million, or $0.12 per diluted share, and net income for 2014 includes an unfavorable after-tax impact of approximately $4.6 million, or $0.30 per diluted share, attributable to an adverse 2008 cargo claim judgement;
Our equity investment in TEL provided $4.6 million of pre-tax earnings in 2015 compared to $3.7 million for 2014;
Stockholders' equity at December 31, 2015, was $202.2 million and our tangible book value was $202.0 million, or $11.15 per basic share; and
Our return on invested capital (net income over net balance sheet debt and equity) was 9.4%.
The business environment was mixed in 2015. The first half of the year was characterized by above-normal winter volumes and normal spring volumes. This contributed to a relatively favorable environment relating to customer rate increases, partially offset by upward pressure on driver pay. During the second half of the year, our industry experienced lower volumes due in part to slowing business investment and overstocked inventories. The rate environment became more difficult, as contractual rate increases slowed and spot market rates (which affect a small portion of our business) fell sharply. The bright spot in the fourth-quarter freight market related to expedited shipments for e-commerce, omni-channel, organic food, and other premium service shippers. These shippers have a large surge of holiday season business as well as a growing year-round presence. Our top three consolidated customers, and four of our top ten customers for 2015 were participants directly or indirectly in this sector, which contributed to our strong fourth quarter results. With the growth of this business our net income has become somewhat concentrated in fourth quarter.
Other major trends for the year included a very competitive market for professional truck drivers and falling diesel fuel prices. Attracting and retaining safe, service-oriented professional truck drivers is among the greatest challenges for our industry and for CTG. We have implemented meaningful driver compensation adjustments that increased our costs in 2015, and we expect driver compensation to continue to increase over time. The national average cost per gallon for diesel fuel fell significantly during 2015, but our net fuel cost per mile remained approximately the same as in 2014 because of lower fuel surcharge revenue and approximately $14.0 million in net fuel hedging expense amortized from other comprehensive income upon expiration of out-of-the-money contracts. For the past several years we have hedged approximately 20% to 25% of our annual fuel purchases to lower the volatility of this expense category. In 2015, the hedging worked against us.
Our strong financial performance and solid balance sheet have supported significant investments in our business. During 2015, we invested $112.2 in net capital expenditures for new equipment as well as approximately $35.5 million to purchase our headquarters and main terminal facility, which previously had been leased. Our tractor fleet is among the industry's newest, with an average age of 1.7 years, affording us significant flexibility to manage our trade cycle. At December 31, 2015, our total balance sheet debt and capital lease obligations, net of cash, were $246.2 million, our stockholders' equity was $202.2 million, and we had approximately $60.6 million available for borrowing on our revolving line of credit. Due primarily to the increased peak season freight revenues billed in November and December 2015 as compared to the same months in 2014, our net accounts receivable balance increased by approximately $16.7 million at December 31, 2015, compared to December 31, 2014. We expect to collect the majority of these receivables in the first quarter of 2016. In addition, due to the timing of tractor deliveries and disposals, the number of tractors recorded as "Assets held for sale" on our consolidated balance sheet increased, representing $25.6 million at year-end 2015 compared to $4.3 million at year-end 2014. Of the 376 tractors included in assets held for sale at December 31, 2015, we have contracted for the sale of approximately 350 of those tractors by March 31, 2016.
Our outlook for 2016 as a whole reflects confidence in our ability to operate profitably along with caution concerning the near term freight environment. From a customer perspective, we received excellent reviews of our peak-season service levels from certain key customers and have indications to expect additional freight from certain of them during all of 2016, including the next peak season. We believe we are well positioned to capitalize on these opportunities as they arise. However, general freight levels have softened compared with the first two months of 2015, and many of our customers are not predicting improvement in their shipping levels until the second half of the year. While we expect e-commerce and omni-channel shipping growth to continue, these customers have typically re-engineered their peak season supply chains and made capacity commitments during the summer and early fall of each year. Accordingly, we remain cautious until such discussions with these customers become more advanced.
Outside of the general freight environment, company-specific profit improvement opportunities exist in certain asset-based operations, and we have plans to grow Solutions' revenue and related earnings contribution in 2016. These opportunities are expected to be accompanied by continued upward pressure on driver compensation. In the near term, we expect to limit our investments in growth-type capital expenditures and perhaps reduce our average fleet size slightly in the near term as we monitor external developments. At the same time, we plan to concentrate on safety, driver retention, and cost controls. Based on the current and expected freight environment, diesel fuel prices, and driver market, we believe it may be challenging to meet or exceed our net income (excluding the $4.7 million one-time federal tax credit and $2.2 million commutation credit) during 2016, with the first half of the year being particularly challenging due to the significantly softer freight volumes we are experiencing currently compared with the start of 2015.
Over the longer term, we believe CTG is well positioned for success in our industry. We are encouraged by several years of improving profitability and by the growing benefits of our investments in human, technology, and capital resources. We believe our balance of expedited, refrigerated, dedicated, and logistics business units exposes us to diversified revenue streams and margin pressures, and that our primary services are conducted in growing niches where our size and capabilities differentiate us from many competitors. Further, upcoming regulatory changes involving electronic logging devices, speed limiters, and hair follicle drug testing may reduce the effective amount of industry capacity and increase the need for certain of our services. Against this backdrop, we must provide an increasingly attractive home for the best professional truck drivers, provide a rewarding and challenging career for our non-driving associates, constantly evolve with our customers' supply chains, closely monitor our costs, and allocate capital to generate appropriate returns.
RESULTS OF CONSOLIDATED OPERATIONS
The following table sets forth total revenue and freight revenue (total revenue less fuel surcharge revenue) for the periods indicated:
Year ended December 31,
$ 640,120 $ 578,204 $ 538,933
84,120 140,776 145,616
For 2015, total revenue increased $5.3 million, or 0.7%, to $724.2 million from $719.0 million in 2014. Freight revenue increased $61.9 million, or 10.7%, to $640.1 million for 2015, from $578.2 million in 2014, while fuel surcharge revenue decreased $56.7 million year-over-year. The increase in freight revenue resulted from a $49.6 million increase in freight revenue from our Truckload segment and a $12.3 million increase in revenues from Solutions.
The increase in 2015 Truckload revenue relates to an increase in average freight revenue per tractor per week of 5.0% compared to 2014 and a $4.6 million increase in freight revenue contributed by our temperature-controlled intermodal service offering, as well as an increase in our average tractor fleet of 3.5% from 2014. The increase in average freight revenue per tractor per week is the result of a 5.7% increase, or 9.1 cents per mile, in average rate per total mile partially offset by a 0.6% decrease in average miles per unit when compared to 2014. Team driven units increased approximately 13.6% to an average of approximately 950 teams in 2015 from approximately 840 teams in 2014.
The increase in Solutions' revenue is primarily the result of additional peak-season freight opportunities during the fourth quarter of 2015, improved coordination with our Truckload segment, and additional business from new customers added during the year.
For 2014, total revenue increased $34.4 million, or 5.0%, to $719.0 million from $684.5 million in 2013. Freight revenue increased $39.3 million, or 7.3%, to $578.2 million for 2014, from $538.9 million in 2013, while fuel surcharge revenue decreased $4.8 million year-over-year. The increase in freight revenue resulted from a $23.5 million increase in freight revenue from our Truckload segment and a $15.9 million increase in revenues from Solutions.
The increase in 2014 Truckload revenue relates to an increase in average freight revenue per tractor per week of 10.7% compared to 2013 and a $4.1 million increase in freight revenue contributed by our temperature-controlled intermodal service offering. These improvements were partially offset by a decrease in our average tractor fleet of 6.1% from 2013. The increase in average freight revenue per tractor per week is the result of a 7.2% increase, or 10.7 cents per mile, in average rate per total mile, as well as a 3.3% increase in average miles per unit when compared to 2013.
The increase in Solutions' revenue is primarily the result of additional peak-season freight opportunities during the fourth quarter of 2014, improved coordination with our Truckload segment, and additional business from new customers added during the year, partially offset by the discontinuation of an underperforming location in June of 2014.
If softer freight demand continues, we expect rates and utilization to moderate compared to the prior 24 months. However, if the electronic logging device mandates are announced or if economic growth improves the resulting impact to supply and demand could drive an increase in both rates and utilization.
For comparison purposes in the discussion below, we use total revenue and freight revenue (total revenue less fuel surcharge revenue) when discussing changes as a percentage of revenue. As it relates to the comparison of expenses to freight revenue, we believe removing fuel surcharge revenue, which is sometimes a volatile source of revenue, affords a more consistent basis for comparing the results of operations from period-to-period. Nonetheless, freight revenue represents a non-GAAP financial measure. Accordingly, undue reliance should not be placed on the discussion of freight revenue, and discussions of freight revenue should be considered in combination with discussions of total revenue. For each expense item discussed below, we have provided a table setting forth the relevant expense first as a percentage of total revenue, and then as a percentage of freight revenue.
(dollars in thousands)
% of total revenue
33.8 % 32.2 % 32.0 %
% of freight revenue
Salaries, wages, and related expenses increased approximately $13.0 million, or 5.6%, for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared with 2014. As a percentage of total revenue, salaries, wages, and related expenses increased to 33.8% of total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2015, as compared to 32.2% in 2014. As a percentage of freight revenue, salaries, wages, and related expenses declined to 38.2% of freight revenue for the year ended December 31, 2015, from 40.1% in 2014. Salaries, wages, and related expenses increased approximately 2.1 cents per mile primarily due to pay adjustments for both driver and non-drivers since 2014, as well as increased non-driver incentive compensation tied to our results of operations. Additionally, group insurance costs increased approximately $0.9 million from 2014 as a result of more participants and fees directly related to the Affordable Care Act and we had additional costs of approximately $1.0 million due to an increase in non-driver headcount as a result of the increased average number of units. These increases were partially offset by lower workers' compensation expense in 2015 at 1.7 cents per company mile compared to 3.4 cents in 2014 due to fewer claims with less severity. Additionally, we had an increase in the percentage of our fleet comprised of independent contractors, whose costs are included in the purchased transportation line item.
Salaries, wages, and related expenses increased approximately $12.8 million, or 5.9%, for the year ended December 31, 2014, compared with 2013. As a percentage of total revenue, salaries, wages, and related expenses remained relatively even at 32.2% of total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2014, as compared to 32.0% in 2013. As a percentage of freight revenue, salaries, wages, and related expenses declined to 40.1% of freight revenue for the year ended December 31, 2014, from 40.6% in 2013. Salaries, wages, and related expenses increased approximately 5.7 cents per mile primarily due to pay adjustments for both driver and non-drivers since 2013, as well as increased non-driver incentive compensation tied to our results of operations. Additionally, group insurance costs increased approximately $1.7 million from 2013 as a result of more participants and fees directly related to the Affordable Care Act. We also had higher workers' compensation expense in 2014 at 3.4 cents per company mile compared to 3.0 cents in 2013 due to an increase in our DOT accidents and increased development of prior period claims. Additionally, we had a reduction in the percentage of our fleet comprised of independent contractors, whose costs are included in the purchased transportation line item.
Going forward, we believe salaries, wages, and related expenses will increase as a result of a tight driver market, wage inflation, higher healthcare costs, and increased incentive compensation due to better performance. In particular, we expect driver pay to increase as we look to reduce the number of unseated trucks in our fleet in a tight market for drivers. As a percentage of total revenue and freight revenue, salaries, wages, and related expenses will fluctuate to some extent based on the percentage of revenue generated by independent contractors and our Solutions business, for which payments are reflected in the purchased transportation line item.
We receive a fuel surcharge on our loaded miles from most shippers; however, this does not cover the entire increase in fuel prices for several reasons, including the following: surcharges cover only loaded miles we operate; surcharges do not cover miles driven out-of-route by our drivers; and surcharges typically do not cover refrigeration unit fuel usage or fuel burned by tractors while idling. Moreover, most of our business relating to shipments obtained from freight brokers does not carry a fuel surcharge. Finally, fuel surcharges vary in the percentage of reimbursement offered, and not all surcharges fully compensate for fuel price increases even on loaded miles.
The rate of fuel price changes also can have an impact on results. Most fuel surcharges are based on the average fuel price as published by the DOE for the week prior to the shipment, meaning we typically bill customers in the current week based on the previous week's applicable index. Therefore, in times of increasing fuel prices, we do not recover as much as we are currently paying for fuel. In periods of declining prices, the opposite is true. Fuel prices as measured by the DOE averaged approximately $1.12 cents per gallon lower in 2015 compared with 2014 and 9.7 cents per gallon lower in 2014 compared to 2013.
Additionally, $15.3 million, $3.1 million, and $0.6 million were reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (loss) income to our results from operations for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014, and 2013, respectively, as additional expense for 2015 and 2014 and as a reduction of expense in 2013, related to losses and gains on fuel hedge contracts that expired. In addition to the amounts reclassified as a result of expired contracts, we recognized a reduction of fuel expense of $1.4 million relating to previously recognized fuel expense as a result of the expiration of the fuel hedge contracts for which the fuel hedging relationship was deemed to be ineffective on a prospective basis in 2014. As a result, the changes in fair value for those contracts were recorded as expense rather than as a component of other comprehensive loss. At December 31, 2015, all fuel hedge contracts were deemed to be effective and thus continue to qualify as cash flow hedges. There was no material ineffectiveness recorded on the contracts that existed at December 31, 2015. The ineffectiveness was calculated using the cumulative dollar offset method as an estimate of the difference in the expected cash flows of the respective fuel hedge contracts compared to the changes in the all-in cash outflows required for the diesel fuel purchases.
To measure the effectiveness of our fuel surcharge program, we subtract fuel surcharge revenue (other than the fuel surcharge revenue we reimburse to independent contractors and other third parties, which is included in purchased transportation) from our fuel expense. The result is referred to as net fuel expense. Our net fuel expense as a percentage of freight revenue is affected by the cost of diesel fuel net of fuel surcharge collection, the percentage of miles driven by company trucks, our fuel economy, and our percentage of deadhead miles, for which we do not receive material fuel surcharge revenues. Net fuel expense is shown below:
Total fuel surcharge
$ 84,120 $ 140,776 $ 145,616
Less: Fuel surcharge revenue reimbursed to independent contractors and other third parties
7,790 10,837 12,863
Company fuel surcharge revenue
Total fuel expense
Less: Company fuel surcharge revenue
Net fuel expense
$ 45,830 $ 38,917 $ 53,249
7.2 % 6.7 % 9.9 %
Total fuel expense decreased approximately $46.7 million, or 27.7%, for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared with 2014. As a percentage of total revenue, total fuel expense decreased to 16.9% of total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2015, from 23.5% in 2014. As a percentage of freight revenue, total fuel expense decreased to 19.1% of freight revenue for year ended December 31, 2015, from 29.2% in 2014. These decreases primarily related to an increase in our average fuel miles per gallon during 2015 as a result of purchasing equipment with more fuel-efficient engines. The decreases were partially offset by net losses from fuel hedging transactions of $13.9 million in 2015 compared to $3.1 million in 2014. Additionally, during the second quarter of 2014 we recognized an approximately $0.9 million fuel tax credit related to a amended fuel tax returns for the years 2010 – 2013.
Net fuel expense increased $6.9 million, or 17.8%, for the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to 2014. As a percentage of freight revenue, net fuel expense increased 0.5% for the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to 2014. These increases primarily resulted from lower fuel surcharge recovery. The increases were partially offset by improved miles per gallon due to new engine technology, internal fuel efficiency initiatives, a greater percentage of miles driven by independent contractors, and an approximately $0.9 million fuel tax credit taken during the second quarter of 2014 related to a amended fuel tax returns for the years 2010 – 2013.
For the year ended December 31, 2014, total fuel expense decreased approximately $17.1 million, or 9.2%, compared with 2013. As a percentage of total revenue, total fuel expense decreased to 23.5% of total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2014, from 27.2% in 2013. As a percentage of freight revenue, total fuel expense decreased to 29.2% of freight revenue for year ended December 31, 2014, from 34.5% in 2013. These decreases primarily related to an increase in our average fuel miles per gallon during 2014 as a result of purchasing equipment with more fuel-efficient engines and internal fuel efficiency initiatives, and improved fuel pricing.
Net fuel expense decreased $14.3 million, or 26.9%, for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to 2013. As a percentage of freight revenue, net fuel expense decreased 3.2% for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to 2013. These decreases primarily resulted from improved miles per gallon due to new engine technology, internal fuel efficiency initiatives, improved fuel surcharge recovery, and improved fuel pricing, in each case, net of gains and losses on fuel hedging contracts.
We expect to continue managing our idle time and truck speeds, investing in more fuel-efficient tractors to improve our miles per gallon, locking in fuel hedges when deemed appropriate, and partnering with customers to adjust fuel surcharge programs that are inadequate to recover a fair portion of fuel costs. Going forward, our net fuel expense is expected to fluctuate as a percentage of revenue based on factors such as diesel fuel prices, percentage recovered from fuel surcharge programs, percentage of uncompensated miles, percentage of revenue generated by team-driven tractors (which tend to generate higher miles and lower revenue per mile, thus proportionately more fuel cost as a percentage of revenue), percentage of revenue generated by refrigerated operation (which uses diesel fuel for refrigeration, but usually does not recover fuel surcharges on refrigeration fuel), percentage of revenue generated from independent contractors, the success of fuel efficiency initiatives, and gains and losses on fuel hedging contracts. We have focused our efforts on increasing our ability to recover fuel surcharges under our customer contracts for fuel used in refrigeration units. If these efforts are successful, they could give rise to an increase in fuel surcharges recovered and a corresponding decrease in net fuel expense. Additionally, in recent months petroleum based markets have experienced rapid declines such that current pricing has reached four-year lows and, at current prices, we would experience fuel hedging losses over the next several years. The amount of these losses would vary depending on market fuel prices. Finally, we believe fuel prices could increase going forward based upon the recent significant decline in prices. As such, there has been significant volatility in our net fuel expense, and we would expect such volatility to continue if these market conditions persist.
Operations and maintenance decreased $0.8 million, or 1.7%, for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared with 2014. As a percentage of total revenue, operations and maintenance remained relatively even at 6.4% of total revenue in 2015, compared with 6.6% in 2014. As a percentage of freight revenue, operations and maintenance decreased to 7.3% of freight revenue for 2015, from 8.2% in 2014 due to a decrease in our average age of equipment partially offset by increased driver recruiting costs.
For the year ended December 31, 2014, operations and maintenance decreased $2.8 million, or 5.6%, compared with 2013. As a percentage of total revenue, operations and maintenance decreased to 6.6% of total revenue in 2014, from 7.3% in 2013. As a percentage of freight revenue, operations and maintenance decreased to 8.2% of freight revenue for 2014, from 9.3% in 2013. These decreases were primarily the result of reduced parts and vehicle maintenance expense related to the fleet reduction, removing older, higher maintenance units from the fleet, and a decline in the average age of our revenue equipment, partially offset by increased driver recruiting costs.
Revenue equipment rentals and purchased transportation increased approximately $6.8 million, or 6.1%, for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared with 2014. As a percentage of total revenue, revenue equipment rentals and purchased transportation increased to 16.4% of total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2015, from 15.5% in 2014. As a percentage of freight revenue, revenue equipment rentals and purchased transportation decreased to 18.5% of freight revenue for the year ended December 31, 2015, from 19.3% in 2014. These changes were primarily the result of a $14.4 million increase in payments to third-party transportation providers related to increased revenues at our Solutions subsidiary, growth of our temperature-controlled intermodal service offering and an increase in payments to independent contractors, which comprised a larger percentage of our total fleet. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in leased equipment rental payments and by lower fuel surcharge pass-through payments to independent contractors and third party carriers. For the year ended December 31, 2015, miles run by independent contractors increased to 9.0% of our total miles from 8.2% for 2014, and tractors under operating leases decreased to 115 units from 150 units in 2014. We expect revenue equipment rentals to decrease going forward as a result of our increase in acquisition of revenue equipment through purchases rather than operating leases. As discussed below, this decrease may be partially or fully offset by an increase in purchased transportation as we expect to continue to grow our Solutions and intermodal service offerings.
For the year ended December 31, 2014, revenue equipment rentals and purchased transportation increased approximately $8.8 million, or 8.6%, compared with 2013. As a percentage of total revenue, revenue equipment rentals and purchased transportation increased to 15.5% of total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2014, from 15.0% in 2013. As a percentage of freight revenue, revenue equipment rentals and purchased transportation increased to 19.3% of freight revenue for the year ended December 31, 2014, from 19.1% in 2013. These increases were primarily the result of a $12.4 million increase in payments to third-party transportation providers related to increased revenues at our Solutions subsidiary and growth of our temperature-controlled intermodal service offering. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in leased equipment rental payments and a decrease in payments to independent contractors, which comprised a smaller percentage of our total fleet in 2014. For the year ended December 31, 2014, miles run by independent contractors decreased to 8.2% of our total miles from 9.2% for 2013 and tractors under operating leases decreased to 150 units from 650 units in 2013.
This expense category will fluctuate with the number and percentage of loads hauled by independent contractors, loads handled by Solutions, and tractors, trailers, and other assets financed with operating leases. In addition, factors such as the cost to obtain third party transportation services, and growth of our intermodal service offerings, and the amount of fuel surcharge revenue passed through to the third party carriers and independent contractors will affect this expense category. If industry-wide trucking capacity were to tighten in relation to freight demand, we may need to increase the amounts we pay to third-party transportation providers, independent contractors, and intermodal transportation providers, which could increase this expense category on an absolute basis and as a percentage of freight revenue absent an offsetting increase in revenue. We continue to actively recruit independent contractors and, if we are successful, we would expect this line item to increase as a percentage of revenue.
For the periods presented, the change in operating taxes and licenses was not significant as either a percentage of total revenue or freight revenue.
Insurance and claims, consisting primarily of premiums and deductible amounts for liability, physical damage, and cargo damage insurance and claims, decreased approximately $7.7 million, or 19.4%, for year ended December 31, 2015, compared to 2014. As a percentage of total revenue, insurance and claims decreased to 4.4% of total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2015, from 5.5% in 2014. As a percentage of freight revenue, insurance and claims decreased to 5.0% of freight revenue for the year ended December 31, 2015, from 6.8% in 2014. These decreases are primarily related to the difference between the approximately $7.5 million of additional reserves related to the adverse judgment in 2014 regarding a 2008 cargo claim compared with the $3.6 million benefit in the second quarter of 2015 from commutation of our auto liability policy for the period from April 1, 2013, through September 30, 2014. Excluding the 2008 cargo claim, insurance and claims cost per mile decreased to 9.6 cents per mile in 2015 from 9.9 cents per mile in 2014.
For the year ended December 31, 2014, insurance and claims increased approximately $9.3 million, or 30.7%, for year ended December 31, 2014, compared to 2013. As a percentage of total revenue, insurance and claims increased to 5.5% of total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2014, from 4.4% in 2013. As a percentage of freight revenue, insurance and claims increased to 6.8% of freight revenue for the year ended December 31, 2014, from 5.6% in 2013. These increases are primarily related to approximately $7.5 million charge relating to the 2008 cargo claim. Excluding this cargo claim, insurance and claims cost per mile increased to 9.9 cents per mile in 2014 from 9.1 cents per mile in 2013, primarily due to a decline in safety performance, as measured by accidents per million miles, partially offset by a reduction in loss development factors resulting from more disciplined claims management.
Our auto liability (personal injury and property damage), cargo, and general liability insurance programs include significant self-insured retention amounts. The auto liability policy contains a feature whereby we are able to retroactively obtain a partial refund of the premium in exchange for taking on the liability for incidents that occurred during the period and releasing the insurers. This is referred to as "commuting" the policy or "policy commutation." In several past periods, including the policy period from April 1, 2013, through September 30, 2014, we have commuted the policy, which has lowered our insurance and claims expense. We are also self-insured for physical damage to our equipment. Because of these significant self-insured exposures, insurance and claims expense may fluctuate significantly from period-to-period. Any increase in frequency or severity of claims, or any increases to then-existing reserves, could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. In relation to the 2008 cargo claim reserve, the judgement was partially reversed and the proceedings were remanded to the district court for further factual determinations. If these further proceedings are resolved favorably to us, any reduction of the accrual could reduce insurance and claims expense in the period in which the claim is resolved. On the other hand, if we are not successful in such a finding or mediation, insurance and claims expense may increase as a result of continuing litigation expenses, including pre and post judgment interest. We periodically evaluate strategies to efficiently reduce our insurance and claims expense, which in the past has included the commutation of our auto liability insurance policy. We intend to evaluate our ability to commute the current policy and any such commutation could significantly impact insurance and claims expense.
$ 6,162 $ 5,806 $ 5,240
For the periods presented, the change in communications and utilities was not significant as either a percentage of total revenue or freight revenue.
For the year ended December 31, 2015, general supplies and expenses decreased approximately $2.9 million, or 17.4%, compared with 2014. As a percentage of total revenue, general supplies and expenses decreased to 1.9% of total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2015, from 2.4% in 2014. As a percentage of freight revenue, general supplies and expenses decreased to 2.2% of freight revenue for the year ended December 31, 2015, from 2.9% in 2014. These decreases are primarily the result of the approximately $1.2 million reversal of deferred rent expense and reduced building rent expense related to the purchase of our previously leased Chattanooga headquarters property.
The change in general supplies and expenses for the year ended December 31, 2014 as compared to 2013 was not significant as either a percentage of total revenue or freight revenue.
Depreciation and amortization consists primarily of depreciation of tractors, trailers and other capital assets offset or increased, as applicable by gains or losses on dispositions of capital assets. Depreciation and amortization in 2015 increased $15.0 million, or 32.3%, compared with 2014. As a percentage of total revenue, depreciation and amortization increased to 8.5% of total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to 6.5% for 2014. As a percentage of freight revenue, depreciation and amortization increased to 9.6% of freight revenue for the year ended December 31, 2015, from 8.0% in 2014. Depreciation, consisting primarily of depreciation of revenue equipment and excluding gains and losses, increased $13.0 million in 2015 from 2014, primarily as a result of new equipment and an increase in owned tractors of approximately 500 due to a reduction in use of operating leases to finance revenue equipment. Gains on the disposal of property and equipment, totaling $0.6 million in 2015, were $2.0 million lower than 2014 due to the number, type, and mileage of the equipment sold. Additionally, depreciation increased and gains on the disposal of property and equipment decreased as a result of the softening of the used tractor market during the latter portion of the year. We expect to see an increase in depreciation and amortization going forward as a result of our expected increase in acquisition of revenue equipment through purchases and capital leases rather than operating leases and as a result of our purchase of our corporate headquarters, executed in August 2015. Additionally, if the used tractor market remains soft it could result in lower gains than we’ve experienced in the prior years, thereby increasing our depreciation and amortization expense.
For the year ended December 31, 2014, depreciation and amortization increased $2.7 million, or 6.2%, compared with 2013. As a percentage of total revenue, depreciation and amortization remained relatively even with 2013 at 6.5% of total revenue for the year ended December 31, 2014 compared to 6.4% for 2013. As a percentage of freight revenue, depreciation and amortization decreased slightly to 8.0% of freight revenue for the year ended December 31, 2014, from 8.1% in 2013. Depreciation, consisting primarily of depreciation of revenue equipment and excluding gains and losses, increased $4.7 million in 2014 from 2013, primarily because owned tractors increased by approximately 500 due to a reduction in use of operating leases to finance revenue equipment as well the increased cost of new tractors. Gains on the disposal of property and equipment, totaling $2.7 million in 2014, were $1.9 million higher than 2013 due to the type and mileage of the equipment sold. We expect to see an increase in depreciation and amortization going forward as a result of our expected increase in acquisition of revenue equipment through purchases rather than operating leases.
Other expense, net
$ 8,445 $ 10,794 $ 10,397
Other expense, net includes interest expense, interest income, and other miscellaneous non-operating items, which decreased approximately $2.3 million, or 21.8%, for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared with 2014. As a percentage of total revenue, other expense, net remained relatively even with 2014 at 1.2% for the year ended December 31, 2015 compared to 1.5% for the year ended December 31, 2014. As a percentage of freight revenue, other expense, net decreased to 1.3% of freight revenue for the year ended December 31, 2015 from 1.9% for the year ended December 31, 2014. These decreases are primarily the result of the repayments of debt and capital leases from the proceeds of our late November 2014 follow-on stock offering partially offset by the increase in debt at a lower average interest rate related to the August 2015 purchase of our corporate headquarters.
For the year ended December 31, 2014, other expense, net, decreased approximately $0.4 million, or 3.8%, for the year ended December 31, 2014, compared with 2013. As a percentage of total revenue, other expense, net remained even with 2013 at 1.5% for the year ended December 31, 2014. As a percentage of freight revenue, other expense, net remained even with 2013 at 1.9% of freight revenue for the year ended December 31, 2014.
This line item will fluctuate based on our decision with respect to purchasing revenue equipment with balance sheet debt versus operating leases as well as our ability to continue to generate profitable results and reduce our leverage.
We have accounted for our investment in TEL using the equity method of accounting and thus our financial results include our proportionate share of TEL's net income. For the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, the increase in TEL's contributions to our results is due to their growth in both leasing and truck sales. Given TEL's growth over the past three years and volatility in the used and leased equipment markets in which TEL operates, including the recent softening of the used tractor market, we expect the impact on our earnings resulting from our investment and TEL's profitability to moderate over the next twelve months. Additionally, should we exercise our option to purchase the remaining 51% of TEL, the consolidation of TEL's results and balance sheet would provide for a significant fluctuation to our presentation and amounts reported. The extent of such fluctuation could depend on a number of factors, including the exercise price, the amount of TEL's debt upon exercise, how TEL is financing their fleet of tractors and trailers (which would impact depreciation, amortization, and revenue equipment rentals), and compensation and benefits at TEL.
$ 21,822 $ 14,774 $ 7,503
Income tax expense increased approximately $7.0 million, or 47.7%, for the year ended December 31, 2015, compared with 2014. As a percentage of total revenue, income tax expense increased to 3.0% of total revenue for 2015 from 2.1% in 2014. As a percentage of freight revenue, income tax expense increased to 3.4% of freight revenue for 2015 compared to 2.6% in 2014. These increases were primarily related to the $31.3 million increase in the pre-tax income in 2015 compared to 2014 resulting from the improvements in operating income noted above, a one-time federal income tax credit of approximately $4.7 million, and the increase in the contribution from TEL's earnings.
For the year ended December 31, 2014, income tax expense increased approximately $7.3 million, or 96.9%, for the year ended December 31, 2014, compared with 2013. As a percentage of total revenue, income tax expense increased to 2.1% of total revenue for 2014 from 1.1% in 2013. As a percentage of freight revenue, income tax expense increased to 2.6% of freight revenue for 2014 compared to 1.4% in 2013. These increases were primarily related to the $19.8 million increase in the pre-tax income in 2014 compared to 2013 resulting from the improvements in operating income noted above and the increase in the contribution from TEL's earnings.
The effective tax rate is different from the expected combined tax rate due primarily to permanent differences related to our per diem pay structure for drivers. Due to the partial nondeductible effect of the per diem payments, our tax rate will fluctuate in future periods as income fluctuates. We are currently evaluating several tax planning opportunities and credits that if determined to be both applicable and to meet the recognition criteria provided by ASC 740, could reduce our future tax expense.
RESULTS OF SEGMENT OPERATIONS
We have one reportable segment, asset-based truckload services, which we refer to as Truckload. In addition, our Solutions subsidiary has service offerings ancillary to our asset-based Truckload services, including: freight brokerage service directly and through freight brokerage agents who are paid a commission for the freight they provide and accounts receivable factoring. These operations consist of several operating segments, which neither individually nor in the aggregate meet the quantitative or qualitative reporting thresholds. As a result, these operations are grouped in "Other." The operation of each of these businesses is described in our notes to Item 1 of Part 1 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
"Unallocated Corporate Overhead" includes costs that are incidental to our activities and are not specifically allocated to one of the segments. The following table summarizes financial and operating data by segment:
Year ended
68,322 55,979 40,146
Operating Income (loss):
Unallocated Corporate Overhead
(12,093 ) (18,399 ) (8,623 )
Comparison of Year Ended December 31, 2015 to Year Ended December 31, 2014
Our Truckload revenue decreased $7.1 million, as freight revenue increased $49.6 million and fuel surcharge revenue decreased $56.7 million. The increase in freight revenue relates to an increase in average freight revenue per tractor per week of 5.0% compared to 2014 and a $4.6 million increase in freight revenue contributed by our temperature-controlled intermodal service offering, as well as an increase in our average tractor fleet of 3.5% from 2014. The increase in average freight revenue per tractor per week is the result of a 5.7% increase, or 9.1 cents per mile, in average rate per total mile partially offset by a 0.6% decrease in average miles per unit when compared to 2014. Additionally, team driven units increased approximately 13.6% to an average of approximately 950 teams in 2015 compared to approximately 840 in 2014.
Our Truckload operating income was $20.0 million higher in 2015 than 2014 due to the abovementioned increase in freight revenue. Additionally, operating costs per mile, net of fuel surcharge revenue, decreased primarily due to reduced workers’ compensation expense and operations and maintenance expense partially offset by increased salaries, wages, and related expenses (which was primarily due to a higher percentage of our fleet being comprised of team-driven tractors, as well as driver and nondriver employee pay increases since the same 2014 period), increased net fuel expense, and increased capital costs.
Other total revenue increased $12.3 million in 2015 compared to 2014 and operating income increased $1.9 million for the same period. These improvements are primarily the result of additional peak season freight opportunities during the fourth quarter of 2015, improved coordination with our Truckload segment, and additional business from new customers added during the year.
The reduction in unallocated corporate overhead primarily includes $3.6 million in return of previously expensed insurance premiums for the commutation of our primary auto liability policy for the period of April 1, 2013, through September 30, 2014, and the $1.4 million reduction in fuel expense related to the ineffective fuel hedge contracts fulfilled in 2015 that were deemed to be ineffective on a prospective basis in 2014.
Our Truckload revenue increased $18.6 million, as freight revenue increased $23.8 million and fuel surcharge revenue decreased $5.2 million. The increase in freight revenue resulted largely from a more favorable rate and demand environment, reflected by an increase in average freight revenue per tractor per week of 10.7% compared to 2013, and a $4.1 million increase of freight revenue contributed from our temperature-controlled intermodal service, partially offset by a decrease in our average tractor fleet of 6.1% from 2013 as well as the first quarter challenges of the harsh winter weather and the unfavorable impact of the February 2014 implementation of our enterprise management system at our SRT subsidiary. Additionally, 5.1% of our fleet lacked drivers during 2014, compared with approximately 4.8% during 2013.
Our Truckload operating income was $26.4 million higher in 2014 than 2013 due to higher freight revenue per tractor per week, partially offset by $7.5 million of additional reserves related to a 2008 cargo claim. Additionally, net fuel costs were lower due to improved miles per gallon due to new engine technology, improved fuel surcharge recovery, and improved fuel pricing, in each case, net of gains and losses on fuel hedging contracts, partially offset by an increase in operating costs per mile net of surcharge revenue primarily due to higher wages and capital costs.
Other total revenue increased $15.8 million in 2014 compared to 2013 and operating income increased $2.6 million for the same period. These improvements are primarily the result of additional peak season freight opportunities during the fourth quarter of 2014, improved coordination with our Truckload segment, and additional business from new customers added during the year, partially offset by the discontinuation of an underperforming location in June of 2014.
The fluctuation in unallocated corporate overhead is primarily the result of increased incentive compensation, headcount, claims development above the subsidiaries' retention, and expense related to the ineffective fuel hedging contracts.
Our business requires significant capital investments over the short-term and the long-term. Recently, we have financed our capital requirements with borrowings under our Credit Facility, cash flows from operations, long-term operating leases, capital leases, secured installment notes with finance companies, and proceeds from the sale of our used revenue equipment. We had working capital (total current assets less total current liabilities) of $46.4 million and $40.9 million at December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively. Based on our expected financial condition, net capital expenditures, results of operations, related net cash flows, installment notes, and other sources of financing, we believe our working capital and sources of liquidity will be adequate to meet our current and projected needs and we do not expect to experience material liquidity constraints in the foreseeable future.
As of December 31, 2015, we had $3.0 million of borrowings outstanding, undrawn letters of credit outstanding of approximately $31.4 million, and available borrowing capacity of $60.6 million under the Credit Facility. Fluctuations in the outstanding balance and related availability under our Credit Facility are driven primarily by cash flows from operations and the timing and nature of property and equipment additions that are not funded through notes payable, as well as the nature and timing of collection of accounts receivable, payments of accrued expenses, and receipt of proceeds from disposals of property and equipment.
With an average tractor fleet age of 1.7 years, we believe we have flexibility to manage our fleet and we plan to regularly evaluate our tractor replacement cycle, new tractor purchase requirements, and financing options.
Net cash flows provided by operating activities were $85.5 million in 2015 compared with $73.7 million in 2014 primarily due to net income of $42.1 million in 2015 compared to $17.8 million in 2014, an increase in depreciation and amortization due to more expensive revenue equipment and having more owned units, the 2014 insurance reserves increase of $7.5 million stemming from a cargo loss in 2008, and the 2015 return of $5.0 million which we previously provided to certain of our derivative counterparties related to the net liability position of certain of its fuel derivative instruments. A portion of the net income fluctuation relates to a $3.6 million pre-tax reduction in insurance and claims expense recorded in the second quarter of 2015 associated with commuting two auto liability policies. The insurer did not remit the premium refund directly to the Company, but instead applied a credit to the current auto liability insurance policy, such that we recorded the policy release premium refund as a prepaid asset at June 30, 2015; however there was no corresponding cash flow effect. The cash flow effects are being realized over the 36 month term of the policy as the portion of the premiums covered by the credit would have been due absent the credit. These increases were partially offset by an increase in accounts receivable primarily related to increased year-over-year end-of-year seasonal freight revenue for our Truckload segment and for our Solutions subsidiary, including its accounts receivable factoring business. The fluctuations in cash flows from accounts payable and accrued expenses primarily related to the timing of payments on our accrued expenses in the 2015 period compared to the 2014 period as well as increased incentive compensation accruals for achievement of 2015 performance targets and the timing of those payment.
Net cash flows used in investing activities were $147.7 million in 2015 compared with $84.6 million in 2014. The $63.1 million increase in net investing activities was attributable primarily to the purchase of our corporate headquarters property in Chattanooga, Tennessee during August 2015 for approximately $35.5 million, as well as a $21.3 million increase in assets held for sale due to the timing of dispositions of used revenue equipment (most of which relates to 350 tractors under contract to be sold in the first quarter of 2016). During 2016 we plan to take delivery of approximately 845 new company tractors and dispose of approximately 800 used tractors in addition to the 350 used tractors held for sale. This compares to the approximately 815 new company tractors we took delivery of and the approximately 450 used tractors we disposed of during 2015.
Net cash flows provided by financing activities were $45.4 million in 2015 compared with $22.9 million in 2014. The increase was attributable to increased borrowing to fund our headquarters purchase, growth of accounts receivable, and stock repurchase as well as the impact of deferring receipt of proceeds of 350 tractors held for sale, partially offset by the proceeds from our 2014 follow on stock offering.
Material Debt Agreements
We and substantially all of our subsidiaries (collectively, the "Borrowers") are parties to a Third Amended and Restated Credit Facility (the "Credit Facility") with Bank of America, N.A., as agent (the "Agent") and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. ("JPM," and together with the Agent, the "Lenders").
The Credit Facility is a $95.0 million revolving credit facility, with an uncommitted accordion feature that, so long as no event of default exists, allows us to request an increase in the revolving credit facility of up to $50.0 million, subject to Lender acceptance of the additional funding commitment. The Credit Facility includes, within our $95.0 million revolving credit facility, a letter of credit sub facility in an aggregate amount of $95.0 million and a swing line sub facility in an aggregate amount equal to the greater of $10.0 million or 10% of the Lenders' aggregate commitments under the Credit Facility from time-to-time.
In August 2015, we entered into an eleventh amendment to the Credit Facility, which, among other things, (i) amended the "Applicable Margin" to improve the interest rate grid as set forth in the tables below, (ii) improved the unused line fee pricing to 0.25% per annum, retroactive to July 1, 2015 (previously the fee was 0.375% per annum when availability was less than $50.0 million and 0.5% per annum when availability was at or over such amount), (iii) required each of Driven Analytic Solutions, LLC ("DAS") and Covenant Properties, LLC ("CPI") to be joined to the Credit Agreement as guarantors, (iv) required each of DAS, CPI and Star Properties Exchange, LLC, a Tennessee limited liability company, to pledge certain of its assets as security, (v) contained conditional amendments increasing the borrowing base real estate sublimit and lowering the amortization of the real estate sublimit, (vi) made technical amendments to a variety of sections, including without limitation, permitted investments, permitted stock repurchases, permitted indebtedness, and permitted liens, (vii) consented to the purchase of the Company's headquarters, including related financing, and (viii) extended the maturity date from September 2017 to September 2018. Following the effectiveness of the eleventh amendment, the applicable margin was changed as follows:
New Pricing
Average Pricing Availability
Base Rate Loans
LIBOR Loans
L/C Fee
> $40,000,000
.50%
≤ $40,000,000 but > $20,000,000
≤ $20,000,000
Prior Pricing
In exchange for these amendments, we agreed to pay fees of $0.2 million. Based on availability as of December 31, 2015, there was no fixed charge coverage requirement.
The unused line fee is the product of 0.25% times the average daily amount by which the Lenders' aggregate revolving commitments under the Credit Facility exceed the outstanding principal amount of revolver loans and the aggregate undrawn amount of all outstanding letters of credit issued under the Credit Facility. The obligations under the Credit Facility are guaranteed by us and secured by a pledge of substantially all of our assets, with the notable exclusion of any real estate or revenue equipment pledged under other financing agreements, including revenue equipment installment notes and capital leases.
Borrowings under the Credit Facility are subject to a borrowing base limited to the lesser of (A) $95.0 million, minus the sum of the stated amount of all outstanding letters of credit; or (B) the sum of (i) 85% of eligible accounts receivable, plus (ii) the lesser of (a) 85% of the appraised net orderly liquidation value of eligible revenue equipment, (b) 95% of the net book value of eligible revenue equipment, or (c) 35% of the Lenders' aggregate revolving commitments under the Credit Facility, plus (iii) the lesser of (a) $25.0 million or (b) 65% of the appraised fair market value of eligible real estate. We had $3.0 million of borrowings outstanding under the Credit Facility as of December 31, 2015, undrawn letters of credit outstanding of approximately $31.4 million, and available borrowing capacity of $60.6 million.
The Credit Facility includes usual and customary events of default for a facility of this nature and provides that, upon the occurrence and continuation of an event of default, payment of all amounts payable under the Credit Facility may be accelerated, and the Lenders' commitments may be terminated. If an event of default occurs under the Credit Facility and the Lenders cause all of the outstanding debt obligations under the Credit Facility to become due and payable, this could result in a default under other debt instruments that contain acceleration or cross-default provisions. The Credit Facility contains certain restrictions and covenants relating to, among other things, debt, dividends, liens, acquisitions and dispositions outside of the ordinary course of business, and affiliate transactions. Failure to comply with the covenants and restrictions set forth in the Credit Facility could result in an event of default.
Capital lease obligations are utilized to finance a portion of our revenue equipment and are entered into with certain finance companies who are not parties to our Credit Facility. The leases in effect at December 31, 2015 terminate in January 2016 through February 2022 and contain guarantees of the residual value of the related equipment by us. As such, the residual guarantees are included in the related debt balance as a balloon payment at the end of the related term as well as included in the future minimum capital lease payments. These lease agreements require us to pay personal property taxes, maintenance, and operating expenses.
Pricing for the revenue equipment installment notes is quoted by the respective financial affiliates of our primary revenue equipment suppliers and other lenders at the funding of each group of equipment acquired and include fixed annual rates for new equipment under retail installment contracts. The notes included in the funding are due in monthly installments with final maturities at various dates ranging from January 2016 to January 2022. The notes contain certain requirements regarding payment, insuring of collateral, and other matters, but do not have any financial or other material covenants or events of default except certain notes totaling $215.5 million are cross-defaulted with the Credit Facility. Additionally, a portion of our fuel hedging contracts totaling $27.3 million at December 31, 2015, is cross-defaulted with the Credit Facility. Additional borrowings from the financial affiliates of our primary revenue equipment suppliers and other lenders are expected to be available to fund new tractors expected to be delivered in 2016, while any other property and equipment purchases, including trailers, are expected to be funded with a combination of available cash, notes, operating leases, capital leases, and/or from the Credit Facility.
In August 2015, we financed a portion of the purchase of our corporate headquarters, a maintenance facility, and certain surrounding property in Chattanooga, Tennessee by entering into a $28.0 million variable rate note with a third party lender. Concurrently with entering into the note, we entered into an interest rate swap to effectively fix the related interest rate to 4.2%. See Note 13 for further information about the interest rate swap.
Contractual Obligations and Commercial Commitments
The following table sets forth our contractual cash obligations and commitments as of December 31, 2015:
Payments due by period:
(less than
1 year)
Revenue equipment and property installment notes, including interest (1)
$ 267,633 $ 47,605 $ 46,792 $ 63,195 $ 36,725 $ 35,995 $ 37,321
Operating leases (2)
$ 17,867 $ 8,430 $ 5,489 $ 2,887 $ 995 $ 66 $ -
Capital leases (3)
$ 16,227 $ 4,485 $ 1,656 $ 1,656 $ 1,656 $ 3,878 $ 2,896
Lease residual value guarantees
$ 3,968 $ - $ - $ - $ 2,961 $ 1,007 $ -
Purchase obligations (4)
$ 145,584 $ 145,584 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ -
Total contractual cash obligations (5)
$ 451,279 $ 206,104 $ 53,937 $ 67,738 $ 42,337 $ 40,946 $ 40,217
Represents principal and interest payments owed at December 31, 2015. The borrowings consist of installment notes with finance companies, with fixed borrowing amounts and fixed interest rates, except for a variable rate real estate note, for which the interest rate is effectively fixed through an interest rate swap. The table assumes these installment notes are held to maturity. Refer to Note 7, "Debt" of the accompanying consolidated financial statements for further information.
Represents future monthly rental payment obligations under operating leases for tractors, trailers, and terminal properties, and computer and office equipment. Substantially all lease agreements for revenue equipment have fixed payment terms based on the passage of time. The tractor lease agreements generally stipulate maximum miles and provide for mileage penalties for excess miles. These leases generally run for a period of three to five years for tractors and five to seven years for trailers. Refer to Note 8, "Leases" of the accompanying consolidated financial statements for further information.
Represents principal and interest payments owed at December 31, 2015. The borrowings consist of capital leases with one finance company, with fixed borrowing amounts and fixed interest rates. Borrowings in 2016 and thereafter include the residual value guarantees on the related equipment as balloon payments. Refer to Note 7, "Debt" of the accompanying consolidated financial statements for further information.
Represents purchase obligations for revenue equipment totaling approximately $145.6 million in 2016. These commitments are cancelable, subject to certain adjustments in the underlying obligations and benefits. These purchase commitments are expected to be financed by operating leases, capital leases, long-term debt, proceeds from sales of existing equipment, and/or cash flows from operations. Refer to Notes 7 and 8, "Debt" and "Leases," respectively, of the accompanying consolidated financial statements for further information.
Excludes any amounts accrued for unrecognized tax benefits as we are unable to reasonably predict the ultimate amount or timing of settlement of such unrecognized tax benefits.
Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
Operating leases are an important source of financing for our revenue equipment and certain real estate. At December 31, 2015, we had financed 115 tractors and 2,239 trailers under operating leases. Vehicles held under operating leases are not carried on our consolidated balance sheets, and lease payments, in respect of such vehicles, are reflected in our consolidated statements of operations in the line item "Revenue equipment rentals and purchased transportation." Our revenue equipment rental expense was $12.4 million in 2015, compared with $21.0 million in 2014, primarily due to repayments of debt and leases with proceeds from our follow-on stock offering in late November 2014. The total value of remaining payments under operating leases as of December 31, 2015, was approximately $17.7 million. In connection with various operating leases, we issued residual value guarantees, which provide that if we do not purchase the leased equipment from the lessor at the end of the lease term, we are liable to the lessor for an amount equal to the shortage (if any) between the proceeds from the sale of the equipment and an agreed value. The residual guarantees expire between August 2018 and February 2019 and had an undiscounted value of approximately $4.0 million at December 31, 2015. The discounted present value of the total remaining lease payments and residual value guarantees were approximately $18.6 million of December 31, 2015. We expect our residual guarantees to approximate the market value at the end of the lease term. We believe that proceeds from the sale of equipment under operating leases would equal or exceed the payment obligation on substantially all operating leases.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the U.S. requires us to make decisions based upon estimates, assumptions, and factors we consider as relevant to the circumstances. Such decisions include the selection of applicable accounting principles and the use of judgment in their application, the results of which impact reported amounts and disclosures. Changes in future economic conditions or other business circumstances may affect the outcomes of our estimates and assumptions. Accordingly, actual results could differ from those anticipated. A summary of the significant accounting policies followed in preparation of the financial statements is contained in Note 1, "Summary of Significant Accounting Policies," of the consolidated financial statements attached hereto. The following discussion addresses our most critical accounting policies, which are those that are both important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations and that require significant judgment or use of complex estimates.
Revenue, drivers' wages, and other direct operating expenses generated by our Truckload reportable segment are recognized on the date shipments are delivered to the customer. Revenue includes transportation revenue, fuel surcharges, loading and unloading activities, equipment detention, and other accessorial services.
Revenue generated by our Solutions subsidiary is recognized upon completion of the services provided. Revenue is recorded on a gross basis, without deducting third party purchased transportation costs, as we act as a principal with substantial risks as primary obligor, except for transactions whereby equipment from our Truckload segment perform the related services, which we record on a net basis in accordance with the related authoritative guidance. Solutions revenue includes $2.4 million, $2.3 million, and $1.7 million of revenue in 2015, 2014, and 2013, respectively, related to an accounts receivable factoring business started in 2013 to supplement several aspects of our non-asset operations. Revenue for this business is recognized on a net basis, given we are acting as an agent and are not the primary obligor in these transactions.
Depreciation of Revenue Equipment
Property and equipment is stated at cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation for book purposes is determined using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, while depreciation for tax purposes is generally recorded using an accelerated method. Depreciation of revenue equipment is our largest item of depreciation. We generally depreciate new tractors (excluding day cabs) over five years to salvage values of approximately 25% of their cost and new trailers over six years for refrigerated trailers and ten years for dry van trailers to salvage values of approximately 38% of their cost. We annually review the reasonableness of our estimates regarding useful lives and salvage values of our revenue equipment and other long-lived assets based upon, among other things, our experience with similar assets, conditions in the used revenue equipment market, and prevailing industry practice. Over the past several years, the price of new tractors has risen dramatically and there has been significant volatility in the used equipment market. Changes in the useful life or salvage value estimates, or fluctuations in market values that are not reflected in our estimates, could have a material effect on our results of operations. Gains and losses on the disposal of revenue equipment are included in depreciation expense in the consolidated statements of operations.
In 2015, 2014, and 2013, we generated net gains on revenue equipment, including assets held for sale, of $0.6 million, $2.7 million, and $0.8 million, respectively. We review salvage values of our revenue equipment annually and make adjustments periodically, based on trends in the used equipment market, to reflect updated estimates of fair value at disposal.
We lease certain revenue equipment under capital leases with terms of approximately 60 to 84 months. Amortization of leased assets is included in depreciation and amortization expense.
Pursuant to applicable accounting standards, revenue equipment and other long-lived assets are tested for impairment whenever an event occurs that indicates impairment may exist. Expected future cash flows are used to analyze whether an impairment has occurred. If the sum of expected undiscounted cash flows is less than the carrying value of the long-lived asset, then an impairment loss is recognized. We measure the impairment loss by comparing the fair value of the asset to its carrying value. Fair value is determined based on a discounted cash flow analysis or the appraised value of the assets, as appropriate.
Although a portion of our tractors are protected by non-binding indicative trade-in values or binding trade-back agreements with the manufacturers, some tractors and substantially all of our owned trailers continue to be subject to fluctuations in market prices for used revenue equipment. Moreover, our trade-back agreements are contingent upon reaching acceptable terms for the purchase of new equipment. Further declines in the price of used revenue equipment or failure to reach agreement for the purchase of new tractors with the manufacturers issuing trade-back agreements could result in impairment of, or losses on the sale of, revenue equipment. Historically, only a de minimus percentage of our equipment has been sold back to the dealers pursuant to the trade back agreements as we have generally found that market prices exceeded the trade back allowances, although in recent years, trade back allowances have increased as a result of the increasing cost of the underlying equipment.
Assets held for sale include property and revenue equipment no longer utilized in continuing operations which are available and held for sale. Assets held for sale are no longer subject to depreciation, and are recorded at the lower of depreciated book value or fair market value less selling costs. We periodically review the carrying value of these assets for possible impairment. We expect to sell these assets within twelve months.
Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets
We classify intangible assets into two categories: (i) intangible assets with definite lives subject to amortization and (ii) goodwill. We have no goodwill on our consolidated balance sheet for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014. We test intangible assets with definite lives for impairment if conditions exist that indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. Such conditions may include an economic downturn in a geographic market or a change in the assessment of future operations. We record an impairment charge when the carrying value of the definite lived intangible asset is not recoverable by the cash flows generated from the use of the asset.
We determine the useful lives of our identifiable intangible assets after considering the specific facts and circumstances related to each intangible asset. Factors we consider when determining useful lives include the contractual term of any agreement, the history of the asset, our long-term strategy for the use of the asset, any laws or other local regulations which could impact the useful life of the asset, and other economic factors, including competition and specific market conditions. Intangible assets that are deemed to have definite lives are amortized, generally on a straight-line basis, over their useful lives, ranging from 4 to 20 years.
Insurance and Other Claims
The primary claims arising against us consist of auto liability (personal injury and property damage), workers' compensation, cargo, commercial liability, and employee medical expenses. Our insurance program involves self-insurance with the following risk retention levels (before giving effect to any commutation of an auto liability policy):
auto liability - $1.0 million
workers' compensation - $1.3 million
cargo - $0.3 million
employee medical - $0.4 million
physical damage - 100%
Due to our significant self-insured retention amounts, we have exposure to fluctuations in the number and severity of claims and to variations between our estimated and actual ultimate payouts. We accrue the estimated cost of the uninsured portion of pending claims and an estimate for allocated loss adjustment expenses including legal and other direct costs associated with a claim. Estimates require judgments concerning the nature and severity of the claim, historical trends, advice from third-party administrators and insurers, the size of any potential damage award based on factors such as the specific facts of individual cases, the jurisdictions involved, the prospect of punitive damages, future medical costs, and inflation estimates of future claims development, and the legal and other costs to settle or defend the claims. We have significant exposure to fluctuations in the number and severity of claims. If there is an increase in the frequency and severity of claims, or we are required to accrue or pay additional amounts if the claims prove to be more severe than originally assessed, or any of the claims would exceed the limits of our insurance coverage, our profitability could be adversely affected.
In addition to estimates within our self-insured retention layers, we also must make judgments concerning claims where we have third party insurance and for claims outside our coverage limits. Upon settling claims and expenses associated with claims where we have third party coverage, we are generally required to initially fund payment to the claimant and seek reimbursement from the insurer. Receivables from insurers for claims and expenses we have paid on behalf of insurers were $0.1 million or less at December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively, and are included in drivers' advances and other receivables on our consolidated balance sheet. Additionally, we accrue claims above our self-insured retention and record a corresponding receivable for amounts we expect to collect from insurers upon settlement of such claims. We have $0.6 million at December 31, 2015 and 2014, respectively, as a receivable in other assets and as a corresponding accrual in the long-term portion of insurance and claims accruals on our consolidated balance sheet for claims above our self-insured retention for which we believe it is reasonably assured that the insurers will provide their portion of such claims. We evaluate collectability of the receivables based on the credit worthiness and surplus of the insurers, along with our prior experience and contractual terms with each. If any claim occurrence were to exceed our aggregate coverage limits, we would have to accrue for the excess amount. Our critical estimates include evaluating whether a claim may exceed such limits and, if so, by how much. If one or more claims were to exceed our then effective coverage limits, our financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
We also make judgements regarding the ultimate benefit versus risk to commuting certain periods within our auto liability policy. If we commute a policy, we assume 100% risk for covered claims in exchange for a policy refund. In April 2015, we commuted two liability policies for the period from April 1, 2013 through September 30, 2014, such that we are now responsible for any claim that occurred during that period up to $20.0 million, should such a claim develop. We recorded a $3.6 million reduction in insurance and claims expense in the second quarter of 2015 related to the commutation. The insurer did not remit the premium refund directly to the Company, but rather applied a credit to the current auto liability insurance policy, such that we recorded the policy release premium refund as a prepaid asset at June 30, 2015. As a result of the commutation and the Company’s improved safety statistics over the prior policy, the Company received favorable premium pricing for the upcoming three year policy period, which we expect will reduce the fixed portion of insurance expense going forward.
Effective April 2015, we entered into a new auto liability policies with a three-year term. The policy includes a limit for a single loss of $9.0 million, an aggregate of $18.0 million for each policy year, and a $30.0 million aggregate for the three-year period ended March 31, 2018. The policy includes a policy release premium refund of up to $14.7 million, less any amounts paid on claims by the insurer, from October 1, 2014 through March 31, 2018, if we were to commute the policy for the entire three years. A decision with respect to commutation of the policy cannot be made before April 1, 2018, unless both we and the insurance carrier agree to a commutation prior to the end of the policy term. Management cannot predict whether or not future claims or the development of existing claims will justify a commutation, and accordingly, no related amounts were recorded at December 31, 2015.
If claims development factors that are based upon historical experience change by 10%, our claims accrual as of December 31, 2015, would change by approximately $3.9 million.
Lease Accounting and Off-Balance Sheet Transactions
We issue residual value guarantees in connection with the operating leases we enter into for certain of our revenue equipment. These leases provide that if we do not purchase the leased equipment from the lessor at the end of the lease term, then we are liable to the lessor for an amount equal to the shortage (if any) between the proceeds from the sale of the equipment and an agreed value. To the extent the expected value at the lease termination date is lower than the residual value guarantee, we would accrue for the difference over the remaining lease term. We believe that proceeds from the sale of equipment under operating leases would equal or exceed the payment obligation on substantially all operating leases. The estimated values at lease termination involve management judgments. As leases are entered into, determination as to the classification as an operating or capital lease involves management judgments on residual values and useful lives.
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date. We believe the future tax deductions will be realized principally through future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences and future taxable income, except for when a valuation allowance has been provided.
In the ordinary course of business there is inherent uncertainty in quantifying our income tax positions. We assess our income tax positions and record tax benefits for all years subject to examination based upon management's evaluation of the facts, circumstances, and information available at the reporting dates. For those tax positions where it is more likely than not that a tax benefit will be sustained, we have recorded the largest amount of tax benefit with a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with a taxing authority that has full knowledge of all relevant information. For those income tax positions where it is not more likely than not that a tax benefit will be sustained, no tax benefit has been recognized in the financial statements. Potential accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits are recognized as a component of income tax expense.
Stock-Based Employee Compensation
We issue several types of stock-based compensation, including awards that vest based on service and performance conditions or a combination of the conditions. Performance-based awards vest contingent upon meeting certain performance criteria established by the Compensation Committee. All awards require future service and thus forfeitures are estimated based on historical forfeitures and the remaining term until the related award vests. For performance-based awards, determining the appropriate amount to expense in each period is based on likelihood and timing of achieving the stated targets and requires judgment, including forecasting future financial results. The estimates are revised periodically based on the probability and timing of achieving the required performance targets and adjustments are made as appropriate. Awards that are only subject to time vesting provisions are amortized using the straight-line method.
Our financial instruments consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, commodity contracts, accounts payable, debt, and an interest rate swap. The carrying amount of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and current debt approximates their fair value because of the short-term maturity of these instruments. The carrying value of the factored receivables approximates the fair value, as the receivables are generally repaid directly to us by the client's customer within 30-40 days due to the combination of the short-term nature of the financing transaction and the underlying quality of the receivables. Interest rates that are currently available to us for issuance of long-term debt with similar terms and remaining maturities are used to estimate the fair value of our long-term debt, which primarily consists of revenue equipment installment notes. The fair value of our revenue equipment installment notes approximated the carrying value at December 31, 2015, as the weighted average interest rate on these notes approximates the market rate for similar debt. Borrowings under our revolving Credit Facility approximate fair value due to the variable interest rate on the facility. Additionally, commodity contracts, which are accounted for as hedge derivatives, as discussed in Note 13, are valued based on the forward rate of the specific indices upon which the contract is being settled and adjusted for counterparty credit risk using available market information and valuation methodologies. The fair value of our interest rate swap agreement is determined using the market-standard methodology of netting the discounted future fixed-cash payments and the discounted expected variable-cash receipts. The variable-cash receipts are based on an expectation of future interest rates (forward curves) derived from observable market interest rate curves. These analyses reflect the contractual terms of the swap, including the period to maturity, and use observable market-based inputs, including interest rate curves and implied volatilities. The fair value calculation also includes an amount for risk of non-performance of our counterparties using "significant unobservable inputs" such as estimates of current credit spreads to evaluate the likelihood of default, which we have determined to be insignificant to the overall fair value of our interest rate swap agreement.
We periodically utilize derivative instruments to manage exposure to changes in fuel prices and in interest rates. At inception of a derivative contract, we document relationships between derivative instruments and hedged items, as well as our risk-management objective and strategy for undertaking various derivative transactions, and assess hedge effectiveness. We record derivative financial instruments in the balance sheet as either an asset or liability at fair value. If it is determined that a derivative is not highly effective as a hedge, or if a derivative ceases to be a highly effective hedge, we discontinue hedge accounting prospectively. The effective portion of changes in the fair value of derivatives are recorded in other comprehensive income and reclassified into earnings in the same period during which the hedged transaction affects earnings. The ineffective portion is recorded in other income or expense.
Accounting Standards adopted
On November 20, 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) No. 2015-17. This standard requires companies to classify all deferred tax assets and liabilities as noncurrent on the balance sheet instead of separating deferred taxes into current and noncurrent amounts. This ASU is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning on or after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. The Company has elected to early adopt this standard effective December 31, 2015, on a retrospective basis and reclassified $14.7 from net current deferred income tax assets to a reduction of net deferred income tax liabilities as of December 31, 2014.
Accounting Standards not yet adopted
On May 28, 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board and the International Accounting Standards Board issued converged guidance on recognizing revenue in contracts with customers. The new guidance establishes a single core principle in the ASU No. 2014-09, which is the recognition of revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. This guidance will affect any reporting organization that either enters into contracts with customers to transfer goods or services or enters into contracts for the transfer of non-financial assets. In August 2015, ASU 2015-14 was issued which deferred the effective date of ASU 2014-09 to fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning on or after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted only as of annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim reporting periods within that reporting period. The Company is continuing to evaluate the new guidance and plans to provide additional information about its expected financial impact at a future date.
On August 27, 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued ASU No. 2014-15. This standard provides guidance on determining when and how to disclose going-concern uncertainties in the financial statements. The new standard requires management to perform interim and annual assessments of an entity's ability to continue as a going concern within one year of the date the financial statements are issued. This ASU is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning on or after December 15, 2016, with early adoption permitted. The Company is evaluating the new guidance and plans to provide additional information about its expected impact at a future date.
In April 2015, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued ASU 2015-03, and, in August 2015, issued ASU 2015-15. These ASUs require debt issuance costs related to a recognized debt liability to be presented in the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the carrying amount of that debt consistent with debt discounts. The presentation and subsequent measurement of debt issuance costs associated with lines of credit, may be presented as an asset and amortized ratably over the term of the line of credit arrangement, regardless of whether there are outstanding borrowings on the arrangement. The recognition and measurement guidance for debt issuance costs are not affected by these ASUs. These ASUs are effective for financial statements issued for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2015 and interim periods within those years with early adopting permitted. The Company will adopt this standard for the fiscal year 2016. Adoption of this standard will result in the reclassification of approximately $0.7 million from other assets to long-term notes payable as of December 31, 2015.
INFLATION, NEW EMISSIONS CONTROL REGULATIONS, AND FUEL COSTS
Most of our operating expenses are inflation-sensitive, with inflation generally producing increased costs of operations. During the past four years, the most significant effects of inflation have been on revenue equipment prices, health care prices, driver wages, and fuel prices. New emissions control regulations and increases in wages of manufacturing workers and other items have resulted in higher tractor prices. The cost of fuel has been extremely volatile over the last several years, with costs decreasing significantly in both 2015 and 2014 after trending upward in 2013, 2012, and 2010 following a reprieve in 2009 from the record high prices in 2008. We believe at least some of this volatility reflects the fluctuations in the U.S. dollar and global demand for petroleum products, unrest in certain oil-producing countries, improved fuel efficiency due to technological advancements, and an increase in domestic supply. We have attempted to limit the effects of inflation through certain cost control efforts and limiting the effects of fuel prices through fuel surcharges. Fluctuations in the price or availability of fuel, as well as hedging activities, surcharge collection, the percentage of freight we obtain through brokers, and the volume and terms of diesel fuel purchase commitments may increase our costs of operation, which could materially and adversely affect our profitability. Health care prices have increased faster than general inflation and affect us through premium payments and our self-insured retention. The nationwide shortage of qualified drivers has caused us to raise driver wages per mile at a rate faster than general inflation for the past three years, and this trend may continue as additional government regulations constrain industry capacity.
Over the past three years, we have experienced marked surges in business and profitability during the fourth quarter holiday season, due to our team drivers and customer base. After this surge, revenue generally decreases as customers reduce shipments following the holiday season and as inclement weather impedes operations. At the same time, operating expenses generally increase, with fuel efficiency declining because of engine idling and weather, creating more physical damage equipment repairs. For the reasons stated, first quarter results historically have been lower than results in each of the other three quarters of the year, excluding charges.
ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK
We experience various market risks, including changes in interest rates and fuel prices. We do not enter into derivatives or other financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes, or when there are no underlying related exposures. Because our operations are mostly confined to the United States, we are not subject to a material amount of foreign currency risk.
COMMODITY PRICE RISK
We engage in activities that expose us to market risks, including the effects of changes in fuel prices and in interest rates. Financial exposures are evaluated as an integral part of our risk management program, which seeks, from time-to-time, to reduce the potentially adverse effects that the volatility of fuel markets and interest rate risk may have on operating results.
In an effort to seek to reduce the variability of the ultimate cash flows associated with fluctuations in diesel fuel prices, we periodically enter into various derivative instruments, including forward futures swap contracts (which we refer to as "fuel hedging contracts"). Historically diesel fuel has not been a traded commodity on the futures market so heating oil has been used as a substitute, as prices for both generally move in similar directions. Recently, however, we have been able to enter into hedging contracts with respect to both heating oil and ultra-low sulfur diesel ("ULSD"). Under these contracts, we pay a fixed rate per gallon of heating oil or ULSD and receive the monthly average price of New York heating oil per the New York Mercantile Exchange ("NYMEX") and Gulf Coast ULSD, respectively. The retrospective and prospective regression analyses provided that changes in the prices of diesel fuel and heating oil and diesel fuel and ULSD were each deemed to be highly effective based on the relevant authoritative guidance except for a small portion of our hedging contracts, which we determined to be ineffective on a prospective basis. Consequently, we recognized approximately $1.4 million reduction and $1.4 million of additional fuel expense in 2015 and 2014, respectively to mark the related liability to market. At December 31, 2015, there were no remaining ineffective fuel hedge contracts thus all remaining fuel hedge contracts continue to qualify as cash flow hedges. We do not engage in speculative transactions, nor do we hold or issue financial instruments for trading purposes.
A one dollar increase or decrease in heating oil or diesel per gallon would have a de minimis impact to our net income due to our fuel surcharge recovery and existing fuel hedging contracts. This sensitivity analysis considers that we expect to purchase approximately 49.0 million gallons of diesel annually, with an assumed fuel surcharge recovery rate of 77.7% of the cost (which was our fuel surcharge recovery rate during the year ended December 31, 2015). Assuming our fuel surcharge recovery is consistent, this leaves 10.9 million gallons that are not covered by the natural hedge created by our fuel surcharges. Because the majority of our fuel hedging contracts were established prior to the recent decline in diesel fuel prices, we have not been able to realize the cost savings resulting from such decline to the same extent we would have had we not entered into our hedging contracts.
In August 2015, we entered into an interest rate swap agreement with a notional amount of $28.0 million, which was designated as a hedge against the variability in future interest payments due on the debt associated with the purchase of our corporate headquarters. The terms of the swap agreement effectively convert the variable rate interest payments on this note to a fixed rate of 4.2% through maturity on August 1, 2035. Because the critical terms of the swap and hedged item coincide, in accordance with the requirements of ASC 815, the change in the fair value of the derivative is expected to exactly offset changes in the expected cash flows due to fluctuations in the LIBOR rate over the term of the debt instrument, and therefore no ongoing assessment of effectiveness is required. The fair value of the swap agreement that was in effect at December, 2015, of approximately $1.1 million, is included in other liabilities in the consolidated balance sheet, and is included in accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax. Additionally, $0.3 million was reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss into our results of operations as additional interest expense for the year ended December 31, 2015, related to changes in interest rates during such periods. Based on the amounts in accumulated other comprehensive loss as of December 31, 2015, we expect to reclassify losses of approximately $0.3 million, net of tax, on derivative instruments from accumulated other comprehensive loss into our results of operations during the next twelve months due to changes in interest rates. The amounts actually realized will depend on the fair values as of the date of settlement.
Our market risk is also affected by changes in interest rates. Historically, we have used a combination of fixed-rate and variable-rate obligations to manage our interest rate exposure. Fixed-rate obligations expose us to the risk that interest rates might fall. Variable-rate obligations expose us to the risk that interest rates might rise. Of our total $250.7 million of debt and capital leases, we had $34.3 million of variable rate debt outstanding at December 31, 2015, including both our Credit Facility and a real-estate note, of which $27.7 million was hedged with the aforementioned interest rate swap agreement at 4.2%. At December 31, 2014, of our total $202.3 million of debt, we had $3.4 million of variable rate debt outstanding, including our Credit Facility and a real-estate note. The interest rates applicable to these agreements are based on either the prime rate or LIBOR. Our earnings would be affected by changes in these short-term interest rates. Risk can be quantified by measuring the financial impact of a near-term adverse increase in short-term interest rates. At our December 31, 2015 level of borrowing, a 1% increase in our applicable rate would reduce annual net income by less than $0.1 million. Our remaining debt is fixed rate debt, and therefore changes in market interest rates do not directly impact our interest expense.
ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA
The consolidated financial statements of Covenant Transportation Group, Inc. and subsidiaries, including the consolidated balance sheets as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, and the related statements of operations, statements of comprehensive income, statements of stockholders' equity, and statements of cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended December 31, 2015, together with the related notes, and the report of KPMG LLP, our independent registered public accounting firm as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, and for each of the years in the three year period ended December 31, 2015 are set forth at pages 61 through 89 elsewhere in this report.
ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE
There has been no change in or disagreement with accountants on accounting or financial disclosure during our two most recent fiscal years.
ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
We have established disclosure controls and procedures to ensure that material information relating to us and our consolidated subsidiaries is made known to the officers who certify our financial reports and to other members of senior management and the Board of Directors.
Based on their evaluation as of December 31, 2015, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) are effective at a reasonable assurance level to ensure that the information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Management's Annual Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting. Internal control over financial reporting is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) promulgated under the Exchange Act as a process designed by, or under the supervision of, the principal executive and principal financial officers and effected by the board of directors, management, and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and includes those policies and procedures that:
pertain to the maintenance of records, that in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our assets;
provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors; and
provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on our financial statements.
We have confidence in our internal controls and procedures. Nevertheless, our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, does not expect that our disclosure procedures and controls or our internal controls will prevent all errors or intentional fraud. An internal control system, no matter how well-conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of such internal controls are met. Further, the design of an internal control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. As a result of the inherent limitations in all internal control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all our control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been detected.
Management assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2015. Management based this assessment on the framework in the Internal Control- Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on its assessment, management believes that, as of December 31, 2015, our internal control over financial reporting is effective based on those criteria.
KPMG LLP, the independent registered public accounting firm who audited the Company's Consolidated Financial Statements included in this From 10-K, has issued a report on the Company's internal control over financial reporting which is included herein.
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the quarter ended December 31, 2015, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION
On February 25, 2016, the Company ("Parent") and its direct and indirect wholly owned subsidiaries, Covenant Transport, Inc., a Tennessee corporation ("CTI"), CTG Leasing Company, a Nevada corporation ("CTGL"), Southern Refrigerated Transport, Inc., an Arkansas corporation ("SRT"), Covenant Asset Management, LLC, a Nevada limited liability company ("CAM"), Covenant Transport Solutions, Inc., a Nevada corporation ("CTS"), and Star Transportation, Inc., a Tennessee corporation ("ST", collectively with CAM, CTI, CTGL, SRT, and CTS, the "Borrowers" and individually a "Borrower"), Driven Analytic Solutions, LLC, a Nevada limited liability company ("DAS"), and Covenant Properties, LLC, a Nevada limited liability company ("CPI", collectively with Parent and DAS the "Guarantors" and individually a "Guarantor") entered into the Twelfth Amendment to Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the "Twelfth Amendment") with Bank of America, N.A., as agent for the Lenders (in such capacity, the "Agent"), and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (together with the Agent, the "Lenders"), which amended that certain Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated September 23, 2008, by and among the Company, the Borrowers, the Agent, and the Lenders, as amended from time to time (the "Credit Agreement"). The Twelfth Amendment amended the Credit Agreement to permit up to $45.0 million of repurchases of our common stock between September 2008 and the September 2018 maturity of the Credit Agreement, provided that, after giving effect to the availability block and repurchases, availability at both of the repurchase date and for the average of the preceding 60 days is greater than the greater of 25% of the revolver commitment or $23.75 million.
The foregoing summary of the terms and conditions of the Twelfth Amendment does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the complete text of the Twelfth Amendment, a copy of which will be filed as an exhibit to the Company's quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2016.
ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS, AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
We incorporate by reference the information respecting executive officers and directors set forth under the captions "Proposal 1 - Election of Directors", "Corporate Governance – Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance", "Corporate Governance – Our Executive Officers", "Corporate Governance – Code of Conduct and Ethics", and "Corporate Governance – Committees of the Board of Directors – The Audit Committee" in our Proxy Statement for the 2016 annual meeting of stockholders, which will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission in accordance with Rule 14a-6 promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Proxy Statement"); provided, that the section entitled "Corporate Governance – Committees of the Board of Directors – The Audit Committee – Report of the Audit Committee" contained in the Proxy Statement is not incorporated by reference.
ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
We incorporate by reference the information set forth under the sections entitled "Executive Compensation", "Corporate Governance – Committees of the Board of Directors – The Compensation Committee – Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation", and "Corporate Governance – Committees of the Board of Directors – The Compensation Committee – Report of the Compensation Committee" in the Proxy Statement; provided, that the section entitled "Corporate Governance – Committees of the Board of Directors – The Compensation Committee – Report of the Compensation Committee" contained in the Proxy Statement is not incorporated by reference.
ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS
The following table provides certain information, as of December 31, 2015, with respect to our compensation plans and other arrangements under which shares of our Class A common stock are authorized for issuance.
Equity Compensation Plan Information
Plan category
Number of securities to be
issued upon exercise of
outstanding options,
warrants and rights
Weighted average exercise
price of outstanding options,
remaining eligible for future
issuance under equity
(excluding securities
reflected in column (a))
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders
2,500(1)
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders
332,352 $ 12.79 734,150
Stock options granted under our 2003 Incentive Plan.
Restricted shares granted under the 2006 Omnibus Incentive Plan, as amended.
We incorporate by reference the information set forth under the section entitled "Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management" in the Proxy Statement.
ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE
We incorporate by reference the information set forth under the sections entitled "Corporate Governance – Board of Directors and Its Committees" and "Certain Relationships and Related Transactions" in the Proxy Statement.
ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES
We incorporate by reference the information set forth under the section entitled "Relationships with Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm – Principal Accountant Fees and Services" in the Proxy Statement.
ITEM 15. EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES
Financial Statements.
Our audited consolidated financial statements are set forth at the following pages of this report:
Financial Statement Schedules.
Financial statement schedules are not required because all required information is included in the financial statements or is not applicable.
Exhibits.
The exhibits required to be filed by Item 601 of Regulation S-K are listed under paragraph (b) below and on the Exhibit Index appearing at the end of this report. Management contracts and compensatory plans or arrangements are indicated by an asterisk.
The following exhibits are filed with this Form 10-K or incorporated by reference to the document set forth next to the exhibit listed below.
Amended and Restated Articles of Incorporation (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 99.2 to the Company's Report on Form 8-K, filed May 29, 2007)
Second Amended and Restated Bylaws (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 3.2 to the Company's Form 10-Q, filed May 13, 2011)
Form of Indemnification Agreement between Covenant Transport, Inc. and each officer and director, effective May 1, 2004 (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company's Form 10-Q, filed August 5, 2004)
Form of Restricted Stock Award Notice under the 2006 Omnibus Incentive Plan (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.22 to the Company's Form 10-Q, filed August 9, 2006)
Form of Restricted Stock Special Award Notice under the 2006 Omnibus Incentive Plan (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.23 to the Company's Form 10-Q, filed August 9, 2006)
Form of Incentive Stock Option Award Notice under the 2006 Omnibus Incentive Plan (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.24 to the Company's Form 10-Q, filed August 9, 2006)
Form of Lease Agreement (Open End) used in connection with Daimler Facility (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Company's Form 10-Q, filed August 11, 2008)
Amendment to Lease Agreement (Open End) used in connection with Daimler Facility (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Company's Form 10-Q, filed August 11, 2008)
Form of Direct Purchase Money Loan and Security Agreement used in connection with Daimler Facility (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Company's Form 10-Q, filed August 11, 2008)
Amendment to Direct Purchase Money Loan and Security Agreement used in connection with Daimler Facility (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to the Company's Form 10-Q, filed August 11, 2008)
Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated September 23, 2008, among Covenant Transportation Group, Inc., Covenant Transport, Inc., CTG Leasing Company, Covenant Asset Management, Inc., Southern Refrigerated Transport, Inc., Covenant Transport Solutions, Inc., Star Transportation, Inc., Bank of America, N.A., JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., and Textron Financial Corporation (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.14 to the Company's Form 10-K, filed March 30, 2010)
Covenant Transportation Group, Inc. Third Amended and Restated 2006 Omnibus Incentive Plan (Incorporated by reference to Appendix A to the Company's Schedule 14A, filed April 19, 2013)
Amendment No. 1 to Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated March 27, 2009, among Covenant Transportation Group, Inc., Covenant Transport, Inc., CTG Leasing Company, Covenant Asset Management, Inc., Southern Refrigerated Transport, Inc., Covenant Transport Solutions, Inc., Star Transportation, Inc., Bank of America, N.A., JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., and Textron Financial Corporation (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Form 10-Q, filed May 15, 2009)
Second Amendment to Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated February 25, 2010, among Covenant Transportation Group, Inc., Covenant Transport, Inc., CTG Leasing Company, Covenant Asset Management, Inc., Southern Refrigerated Transport, Inc., Covenant Transport Solutions, Inc., Star Transportation, Inc., Bank of America, N.A., JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., and Textron Financial Corporation (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Form 10-Q, filed May 17, 2010)
Third Amendment to Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated July 30, 2010, among Covenant Transportation Group, Inc., Covenant Transport, Inc., CTG Leasing Company, Covenant Asset Management, Inc., Southern Refrigerated Transport, Inc., Covenant Transport Solutions, Inc., Star Transportation, Inc., Bank of America, N.A., and JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Form 10-Q, filed November 9, 2010)
Fourth Amendment to Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated August 31, 2010, among Covenant Transportation Group, Inc., Covenant Transport, Inc., CTG Leasing Company, Covenant Asset Management, Inc., Southern Refrigerated Transport, Inc., Covenant Transport Solutions, Inc., Star Transportation, Inc., Bank of America, N.A., and JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company's Form 10-Q, filed November 9, 2010)
Fifth Amendment to Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated September 1, 2011, among Covenant Transportation Group, Inc., Covenant Transport, Inc., CTG Leasing Company, Covenant Asset Management, Inc., Southern Refrigerated Transport, Inc., Covenant Transport Solutions, Inc., Star Transportation, Inc., Bank of America, N.A., and JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Report on Form 8-K, filed October 28, 2011)
Sixth Amendment to Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated effective as of October 24, 2011, among Covenant Transportation Group, Inc., Covenant Transport, Inc., CTG Leasing Company, Covenant Asset Management, Inc., Southern Refrigerated Transport, Inc., Covenant Transport Solutions, Inc., Star Transportation, Inc., Bank of America, N.A., and JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company's Report on Form 8-K, filed October 28, 2011)
Seventh Amendment to Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated effective as of March 29, 2012, among Covenant Transportation Group, Inc., Covenant Transport, Inc., CTG Leasing Company, Covenant Asset Management, Inc., Southern Refrigerated Transport, Inc., Covenant Transport Solutions, Inc., Star Transportation, Inc., Bank of America, N.A., and JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Report on Form 8-K, filed April 2, 2012)
Eighth Amendment to Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated effective as of December 31, 2012, among Covenant Transportation Group, Inc., Covenant Transport, Inc., CTG Leasing Company, Covenant Asset Management, Inc., Southern Refrigerated Transport, Inc., Covenant Transport Solutions, Inc., Star Transportation, Inc., Bank of America, N.A., and JP Morgan Chase Bank, N.A. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Report on Form 8-K, filed January 31, 2013)
Ninth Amendment to Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement and Related Security Documents, dated effective as of August 6, 2014, among Covenant Transportation Group, Inc., Covenant Transport, Inc., CTG Leasing Company, Covenant Asset Management, Inc., Southern Refrigerated Transport, Inc., Covenant Transport Solutions, Inc., Star Transportation, Inc., Bank of America, N.A., and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Form 10-Q, filed November 13, 2014)
Tenth Amendment to Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement and Related Security Documents, dated effective as of September 8, 2014, among Covenant Transportation Group, Inc., Covenant Transport, Inc., CTG Leasing Company, Covenant Asset Management, Inc., Southern Refrigerated Transport, Inc., Covenant Transport Solutions, Inc., Star Transportation, Inc., Bank of America, N.A., and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company's Form 10-Q, filed November 13, 2014)
Description of 2015 Bonus Plan (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Form 10-Q, filed May 8, 2015)
Description of Director Compensation Program (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company's Form 10-Q, filed May 8, 2015)
Joinder, Supplement and Eleventh Amendment to Third Amended and Restated Credit Agreement, dated effective as of August 6, 2015, among Covenant Transportation Group, Inc., Covenant Transport, Inc., CTG Leasing Company, Covenant Asset Management, LLC, Southern Refrigerated Transport, Inc., Covenant Transport Solutions, Inc., Star Transportation, Inc., Driven Analytic Solutions, LLC, Covenant Properties, LLC, Bank of America, N.A., and JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. (Incorporated by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Form 10-Q, filed November 9, 2015)
List of Subsidiaries
Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm – KPMG LLP
Consent of Independent Auditor – Lattimore Black Morgan & Cain, PC
Certification pursuant to Item 601(b)(31) of Regulation S-K, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, by David R. Parker, the Company's Principal Executive Officer
Certification pursuant to Item 601(b)(31) of Regulation S-K, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, by Richard B. Cribbs, the Company's Principal Financial Officer
Certification pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, by David R. Parker, the Company's Chief Executive Officer
Certification pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, by Richard B. Cribbs, the Company's Chief Financial Officer
Financial Statements of Transport Enterprise Leasing, LLC
101.INS
XBRL Instance Document
101.SCH
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document
101.CAL
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
101.DEF
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document
101.LAB
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Labels Linkbase Document
101.PRE
XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
Filed herewith.
Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.
In accordance with Regulation S-T, the XBRL-related information in Exhibit 101 to this Annual Report on Form 10-K shall be deemed to be "furnished" and not "filed."
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
/s/ Richard B. Cribbs
Richard B. Cribbs
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in his capacity as such and on behalf of the issuer.
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signature and Title
/s/ David R. Parker
David R. Parker
Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer
(principal executive officer)
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Hadashot Arkheologiyot
Excavations and Surveys in Israel
Guide to Contributors
Extended Reports
Volume 127 Year 2015
Zanoah (South)
Natan Ben-Ari
In May 2014, a trial excavation was conducted south of Moshav Zanoah (Permit No. A-7137; map ref. 200422–559/625667–716; Fig. 1), prior to the installation of a water pipeline. The excavation, undertaken on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority and financed by the Ministry of Construction and Housing, was directed by N. Ben-Ari (field photography), with the assistance of A. Melman (preliminary inspections), M. Kahan and A. Marco (surveying and drafting), N. Zak (plans) and I. Lidsky-Reznikov (pottery drawing). Additional assistance was rendered by D. Ben-Ami, Y. Paz, S. Gendler and R. Greenwald.
Two excavation areas (A, B; Fig. 2), each consisting of two squares, were opened on a moderate slope descending east toward Nahal Zanoah. Field walls and a section of an ancient agricultural road were exposed. At Tel Zanoah, south of the site, a large fortified settlement was surveyed; remains dating from the Iron Age II, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Mamluk and Ottoman periods were documented (Dagan 2010:132–146). In the vicinity of the site were remains of a building, a winepress, a collecting vat, a quarry and a burial cave (Dagan 2010:146; Sites 178, 179, 180). The ceramic finds come mainly from the opening of the cave and from the winepress; most are dated to the Byzantine period, and only a few are from the Iron Age. A section of an ancient agricultural road and several field walls were recently exposed c. 0.5 km east of the site (Paz, Dmitriev and Melman 2015).
Area A. Two excavation squares (A1, A2; Fig. 3) were opened where ancient walls were discovered during the preliminary inspection. Toppled stones (L107; Fig. 4) in Sq A1 probably collapsed from a field wall. Beneath them was a layer of light colored soil (L104) overlying white chalk bedrock. Pottery sherds from this square date mostly from the Byzantine period; these included a bowl (Fig. 5:4) and a jar (Fig. 5:5). Sherds that date to the Iron Age II, such as a bowl (Fig. 6:1) and a krater (Fig. 6:6), were also discovered in this square. A fill consisting of small stones (L105; Fig. 7) was exposed over most of Sq A2. It abuts a section of a field wall (W106; Fig. 7), probably a retaining wall of an agricultural terrace. Stone fills similar to Fill 105 are characteristic of agricultural terraces; they were meant to facilitate the drainage of excess water and stabilize the soil (Gibson 2001:114–115). Most of the sherds discovered in this square were from the Iron Age II, such as a bowl (Fig. 6:2), kraters (Fig. 6:3, 5), an amphoriskos (Fig. 6:6) and a jug (Fig. 6:7). Pottery dating from the Byzantine period, such as the bowl in Fig 5:1, was also discovered.
Area B. Two excavation squares were opened (B1, B3; Fig. 8) where preliminary inspections revealed a section of an ancient agricultural road oriented along a north–south axis. The continuation of the road, which apparently led to Tel Zanoah, was clearly discerned 100 m south of the excavation area (Fig. 9). Chalk bedrock (L203) was exposed near the surface in the western part of Sq B1. The eastern part of the square yielded collapsed stones from a wall (W211; Fig. 10) whose southern continuation was clearly visible beyond the limits of the square. West of the collapsed stones was a narrow strip comprised of a fill of small stone (L204; Fig. 11) that probably abutted the wall in the past. Wall 211 ended south of the square, next to large boulders, some of which had quarrying marks on them (L212). Since the wall ended near to the rocks, it is evident that it was not part of the road, but rather a field wall, the purpose of which remains unclear. Pottery sherds dating from the Byzantine period were discovered in Sq B1.
Another section of the ancient road was exposed in Sq B3. The continuation of the road was visible north and south of the square. The wall that bordered the eastern side of the road (W208; Fig. 12) was discerned on the surface prior to the excavation. The remains of the wall that bordered the road on the west (W207; Fig. 13) are mostly collapsed stones. Between the two walls was a fill of small stones (L209, L210; Fig. 14) that abutted W208 and presumably abutted W207 as well. As was the case with Fill 105 in Sq A2, Fill 209 was probably intended to facilitate the drainage of excess water and to stabilize the soil. The pottery sherds from the square are mainly from the Byzantine period. These include bowls (Fig. 5:2, 3) and a handle with a potter’s mark (Fig. 5:6). Several sherds from the Iron Age II were discovered as well. The ceramic finds are of no assistance in determining with certainty the date of the road’s construction or the duration of its use.
The road, a small section of which was exposed in the excavation, is one of several roads that led from the settlement at Tel Zanoah to the surrounding agricultural areas (such as the one recently excavated; see Paz, Dmitriev and Melman 2015). The ceramic finds from the excavation, dating from the Iron Age II and the Byzantine period, resemble ceramic assamblages from similarly dated sites excavated in the past in the vicinity. Furthermore, settlement remains dated to these periods were surveyed on nearby Tel Zanoah.
Dagan Y. 2010. The Ramat Bet Shemesh Regional Project: The Gazetteer (IAA Reports 46). Jerusalem.
Gibson S. 2001. Agricultural Terraces and Settlements Expansion in the Highlands of Early Iron Age Palestine: Is There any Correlations Between the Two? In E. Mazar ed. Studies in the Archaeology of the Iron Age in Israel and Jordan (JSOT, Supp. S. 331). Sheffield. Pp. 113–146.
Paz Y., Dmitriev D. and Melman A. 2015. Nahal Zanoah. HA-ESI 127.
1. Location map.
2. General plan.
3. Area A, plan.
4. Square A1, looking north.
5. Pottery from the Byzantine period.
6. Pottery from the Iron Age II.
7. Square A2, looking northeast.
8. Area B, plan.
9. A section of an agricultural road that continues south of Area B, looking south.
10. Square B1, looking northwest.
11. Fill 204, looking southeast.
12. Wall 208, looking east.
13. Collapsed stones from W207, looking west.
14. Fill 210, looking south.
Print Without Figures Print With Figures למאמר בעברית
Built teti-tu
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Sean Mc Manus, Joe Kennedy and John Lewis in 1988
– Demonstrating at The British Embassy in Washington, DC.
Sadly, history won’t remember great public servants like Dermot Gallagher
Fergus Finlay. Irish Examiner. Tuesday, January 17, 2017
His name might not be on the Good Friday Agreement, but all who were there know his mark writes Fergus Finlay
Dermot Gallagher, former secretary general at the Department of Foreign Affairs, who died at the weekend. Picture: Laura Hutton/RollingNews.ie
GOOD Friday, April 10, 1998. I was clearing my desk, to go home, when the phone rang. It was Dermot Gallagher, the secretary general of the Department of Foreign Affairs. He was ringing from Belfast, at the end of what must have been one of the longest days of his career.
“We’re tidying things up here,” he said. “Everyone’s exhausted, but we have an agreement, and it’s one that I think will stand the test of time. I know you’re not here, but I wanted to acknowledge the role you played in bringing this about.” The agreement was the Good Friday Agreement, which has, despite endless difficulties and complications (including the current mess), stood the test of time.
I had played no role at all in the final negotiation, although I had been involved, over several, turbulent years, with some of the negotiations that had enabled Good Friday and which had made it inevitable.
I‘m not sure how Dermot Gallagher would have known of my frustration at not being present when the final deal was done. But I’ve never forgotten his act of generosity, at the moment both of history and exhaustion, in picking up the phone to someone whose role in the process had ended more than a year earlier.
We hadn’t always got on, Dermot Gallagher and I. I had first met him when he was Ireland’s ambassador to the United States, and I think he might have formed a view that some political advisers (which I was, at the time) were more uppity than others. But that didn’t stop those of us who witnessed it being more than impressed by Dermot Gallagher’s importance regarding Ireland’s influence in the United States. He had an astonishing political and media network, which was always at Ireland’s disposal, and he deployed immense charm, and no small amount of what the Americans call savvy, to ensure that Ireland was always heard when it really mattered. Diplomats from other countries have always marveled at Ireland’s access and influence in Washington — it was people like Dermot Gallagher who built that up over many years.
When he came back to Ireland, from Washington, it was to head up the Anglo-Irish division of the Department of Foreign Affairs, and in that role he developed many of the key relationships that made it finally possible to reach compromises that had eluded the parties for years.
Dermot Gallagher died at the weekend, after a full life and career, in which he could truly claim, if he had wished to do so, to have served his country well — and always with a smile.
But, like many of Ireland’s public servants, he never made any claim for recognition outside his role. If he had lived his life as a musician or entertainer, the newspapers today would be full of his accomplishments. There would be radio programs and tributes galore. Dermot Gallagher was a servant of the public, who made an indelible contribution to the betterment of his country. His name might not be on the Good Friday Agreement, but all of those who were there know his mark.
That has to be enough for most public servants. In our system, they work behind the scenes, and others take the credit. But perhaps, every now and again, it might be worth reflecting on how important they truly are.
After the death of TK Whitaker, huge and deserved tributes were paid to a man who did more than most to shape modern Ireland. But there have been many, many more, men and women, of incredible stature and ability, who have devoted their lives to public service, but whose names are virtually unknown.
I can think of people like Sylda Langford, for instance, who did an enormous amount to shape public policy towards children. Or Noel Fahy, who served his country as an ambassador at moments of enormous challenge, and whose quick-thinking and worried frown carried many a minister through difficult and complex negotiations.
There was a famous civil servant — famous within the system, that is — called Bob Curran. He was known as Doctor No, because, as head of the Public Expenditure Division of the Department
Of Finance, it was his job to ensure that not a penny of public money was wasted. He would fight daily battles with what he saw as reckless ministers and saved Ireland millions. He never courted popularity — he just did his job.
Then, there was Joe Holloway, a man who ran several government departments over a distinguished career and masterminded some of the most complex negotiations Ireland has ever been involved in. He ran afoul of several very important politicians but always stuck to his guns, if he believed there was a national interest at stake.
I don’t believe that we would have had a successful peace process in Ireland, at all, without the immense work and ability of Sean O’Huiginn, in the Department of Foreign Affairs. At a time when people couldn’t see a strategy that would bring paramilitaries in from the cold and make them part of the solution, he could, and he took immense personal risks to bring that to pass.
And I don’t believe he’d have succeeded without the endless skill and patience — and extraordinary craftsmanship in writing key texts — of Noel Dorr, who has represented Ireland at the United Nations, in London, and as head of the department during some of the most turbulent and difficult times imaginable.
We might be in the debt of great public servants like these — and there are so much more it would take me three columns to name them — but they come and go. Any one of these public servants would have ended their careers in the UK with a knighthood, or have been asked to serve as provost of one of the prestigious universities, or done a term in the Seanad. With the exception of TK Whitaker, none of ours has ever been honored in that way.
In fact, they’re totally anonymous.
You won’t find most of the names I’ve mentioned on Google, and, even if you do, you won’t be able to trace the contribution they’ve made. They don’t make claims for themselves and they don’t encourage others to do so.
It’s part of the tradition of public service in a republic — you do your job quietly, to the best of your ability, and then you go. Because I’ve known and worked with hundreds of public servants in my own lifetime, I think that’s a loss. Not only have they made a huge contribution, but they also have huge stories to tell and a great deal to teach us.
We’ve suffered badly, in recent years, because public policy has let us down. If the truth were known, part of the reason for that has been the devaluing of public service. When you know what men like Dermot Gallagher, and his colleagues, were capable of, without ever seeking the limelight, you’d wonder what a much better place we’d be if they had been given positions of real, visible, and accountable leadership.
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Second Thoughts
An Eiffel Tower in Draper? Why not think big?
Would you pay for something like an Eiffel Tower or a Space Needle in Draper?
What if it were planned in such a way that it became an international tourist attraction and still didn’t clog the freeway near the Point of the Mountain?
I know, I know — and what if pigs could fly, right? Well, maybe not pigs, but how about cars?
Whatever you may think about members of the Point of the Mountain Development Commission, who are trying to steer the fate of the Utah State Prison site once that facility closes in 2022, you cannot accuse them of not thinking big.
In fact, as they told the Deseret News/KSL editorial board last week, their big worry is they won’t think big enough.
I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.
As regular readers of this column know, I have championed using part of that land as a large regional park.
I’m not talking about some grass, trees and swing sets. I’m not talking about trails through the foothills of the mountains. I’m talking about something with a grand entrance, acres of rolling green hills with trees, statues and other artworks, fountains, perhaps an amphitheater and maybe some carnival rides — the type of place you would load up the minivan on a Saturday and drive to so you could relax for hours.
Frederick Law Olmsted, the 19th century curator of New York’s Central Park, described such parks as the lungs of the city; a place that could “supply the hundreds of thousands of tired workers” with “a specimen of God’s handiwork.” We seem to have lost the vision many folks had in the 19th century.
So I was surprised when members of the commission seemed to fly right past Central Park and into the world of the Jetsons.
People in the meeting kept talking about flying cars or, perhaps more down to earth, a community in which cars no longer are necessary. A video presentation the commission produced shows strange animated people movers and odd-looking things in the air, surrounded by a research park serving up cutting-edge technology.
Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox, who co-chairs the commission along with Snow, and who is in the middle of a campaign for governor, told the editorial board he wants something so big it would become an international tourist attraction. When I said that kind of talk makes me think of Seattle’s Space Needle and surrounding science center, or the Eiffel Tower, he said, “That’s exactly the type of thinking!”
This isn’t just thinking out of the box, it’s throwing the box in the recycling can and tuning in SyFy on your cable provider.
Which, at this stage, is just fine, although I’d like to reserve a front-row seat to the first legislative hearing in which taxpayers statewide are asked to build an Eiffel Tower and a parking garage for flying cars in Draper.
So far, the biggest criticism I’ve heard of the decision to move the prison to a site near Salt Lake International Airport is that it will open a land-grab for well-connected developers anxious to get their hands on some of the most valuable vacant land in the state’s history.
That’s why it was good to hear Lowry Snow, a long-time Utah legislator who represents part of St. George in the southwest corner of the state, hit the critics head on. That’s not his idea of how to use those 700 acres.
“This property is owned by the state, which means that every citizen in the state has a stake in this project and its outcome,” he told the editorial board last week.
Snow’s position as co-chair of the commission may be important when it comes to persuading skeptics in the Legislature. If he sees value in creating a Draper tourist attraction, maybe others will, too.
The challenge may run deeper than that, of course. Sandy and Lehi also have seen themselves as centers for Silicon Slopes development. They and other cities may resent the use of a lot of state money to help Draper.
In the end, the south end of Salt Lake County may not get a Space Needle or an Eiffel Tower. In that case, they could do worse than a well-planned regional park.
But it would be wrong to criticize modern leaders for not being as visionary as their counterparts two centuries ago, then jump all over them for ideas that are too far out there.
Members of the commission may be short of specifics right now, but at least they can’t be accused of thinking small.
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Jay Evensen is the Senior Editorial Columnist of the Deseret News. He has nearly 40 years experience as a reporter, editor and editorial writer in Oklahoma, New York City, Las Vegas and Salt Lake City. He also has been an adjunct journalism professor at Brigham Young and Weber State universities.
Deseret News
Marianne Evensen's blog
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Dito Montiel's 'BOULEVARD' - A Review
It's 2.00am and I'm exhausted but I need to tell you about this film I just saw at the Tribeca Film Festival.
I was excited about Robin Williams returning to television with 'The Crazy Ones', but could never quite get into that show. And the world is currently buzzing about the prospect of a 'Mrs Doubtfire' sequel, but if you really want to see Robin Williams excel, you need to see him in 'Boulevard'.
Dito Montiel's debut feature, 'A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints' was about youthful energy, exuberance and pain. 'Boulevard' feels like what comes years later, when you wake up 60 years old and realise you've closed your eyes for all of your life.
Robin Williams is so heartbreaking in this movie. In real life he's manic and hilarious, but he's also a very deep guy who's had many troubles. It's in all too rare roles like this where his complexity really shines.
And not through any big acting moments. It's all in the subtlety. It's all in his eyes. And Montiel is wise enough as a director to just get out of the way - to let his actors steal the scenes.
The first person I ever interviewed on this blog was Jake Pushinsky, who has edited all of Montiel's movies. When we first got in touch he'd only cut a handful of movies, now he's a seasoned pro and this is some of his best work yet. I feel like making movies is much like managing a sports team. It's tempting to go out and sign new people every year, but the best results come when you find the players who suit your system, and build a team around them.
Robin Williams excels in this because of the directing and because of the editing. And the music - wow. The music is hypnotic. It draws you into the world of the movie to the point where you feel you're sitting in the room with the actors. Credit again to more of the director's long term collaborators, David Wittman and Jimmy Haun. Wittman's music in particular I have always loved -- he creates these melancholy, tender pieces, that permeate through the most important scenes in all of Dito's projects.
I just love it when a movie clicks. When it all feels like it's in the right place. It's precisely what I felt didn't happen with Montiel's previous film, 'Empire State' - which is the only film of his I've not enjoyed. But with 'Boulevard', it all comes together wonderfully. Here are some highlights:
KATHY BAKER - You could be forgiven for thinking she's just sleepwalking through this film. But then towards the end, during a confrontation with Nolan (Williams) she let's it all out. But not in some over-the-top-way. When I say she let's it all out; I'm overstating it, because she also holds a lot in. We see a woman who has made compromises, and who has secrets of her own. Baker nails it.
ROBERTO AGUIRE - Had never heard of him before. Plays one the main characters in the movie. We always feel there's more to him and his background than is being let on. Credit to Aguire for his convincing turn as the difficult and troubled Leo.
BOB ODENKIRK - Quietly hilarious throughout. Full of subtlety. (I realise I'm overusing the word subtlety in this review, but that's just how it's going to have to be).
ELEONORE HENDRICKS - Another example of the filmmaker's loyalty. He's cast Hendricks time and again; and the difference between her in 'Saints' and her in 'Boulevard' shows her acting talent.
ANGELA MESSINA - Great production design. Helps Robin Williams's character come to life among the drudgery of his bland home and cramped workspace.
DOUGLAS SOESBE - The writer. Crafted a great story; unusual and deceptively slow-paced. A screenwriter whose tale is perfectly suited to the style of the director.
I have purposefully not said much about the plot of the movie, because I'd love it if you were as surprised as I was. What should I tell you? Nolan Mack (Robin Williams) is a regular guy, with a regular job. He doesn't have a breakdown or anything. He just gets offered a promotion, and his wife wants to go on a cruise. As the prospect of getting even more trapped in a life that doesn't resonate with who he is dawns, mixed with his Dad being close to death; he faces up to the difficult truth of who he really is.
This is a great movie that fulfills the promise Dito Montiel showed with 'A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints'. That movie was bursting with overt creativity and an onslaught of ideas. 'Boulevard' is more restrained, refined even. This is Dito Montiel but it's him ten years later.
My favourite scene is a scene between Robin Williams and his father. It's a beautifully crafted scene that brings together all the things I've been talking about; delicate editing, nuanced music and the best acting Williams has done in decades. I can't tell you the content of the scene, because it would ruin the power of it when you see it. I'll refer to it as the 'beach' scene and those who have seen it will know what I'm talking about. Interestingly this scene was cut out of the movie until two weeks before the release. I talked to Douglas Soesbe, the writer; and he said it was partly his fault. The scene as written appeared earlier in the film, which took out a lot of the dramatic tension. For that reason, it was cut out -- only to reappear finally, later on in the edit. I'm glad it's back in, because the scene is incredibly moving.
How well 'Boulevard' will do when released, only time will tell. I think it's more accessible than many of Montiel's recent films, including 'Son Of No-One' which was seen by absolutely no-one (but I loved it). Dito is a real artist and I'm glad that he's in the system making films, and with big talent like Robin Williams, too. Long may it continue, I can't wait to see what's next.
WOODY ALLEN In FADING GIGOLO
What a fun film! We get to see Woody Allen being Woody Allen.
My favourite film of his is 'Manhattan Murder Mystery', because it's just so darn funny. The jokes fall out of his mouth like a breeze and you don't even realise he's making a joke until you notice that you are in absolute hysterics.
But Woody tends to hide from the fact he's one of the funniest people alive. He goes for complexity. That's fine, he's good at it, but things are really GOLD when he just goes for FUNNY.
'Fading Gigolo' is not a great movie. But every time Woody is on screen, things just lighten up. His facial expressions, his delivery, no-one can do what he does. No one at all. Incredible.
It just so happened that the screening I attended was full of people in their 60's and 70's. These were clearly Woody Allen fans. Like me, they know his humour, they know his work. And I think that's the key to appreciating Woody Allen, it helps to know the work he's done in the past. It gives you an affection for his on screen persona. Things are funny because you feel like you know his characters and what they're going through.
In the early 2000's Woody decided he wasn't going to act as much any more. You can understand why; he's getting old and writing and directing is enough of a challenge. So it's down to people like John Turturro to get Woody on the screen in the way we like to see him.
'FADING GIGOLO' is a sweet and unusual film. It risks running out of steam on numerous occasions, but just about holds on to you due to its kind heart and great acting performances. If you're a Woody Allen fan, you just HAVE to see it. It's Woody doing the funny in a way we've not seen in years! Here's the trailer:
A FRAGILE TRUST
It's 7pm and I have no plans for the evening. So I look up what movies are playing. See a documentary I'm intrigued by, 'A Fragile Trust: Plagiarism, Power, and Jayson Blair at the New York Times.' It's starting at 7.30pm at the Quad so I jump on the Q train and head into Manhattan.
Just as the movie's starting I leave my seat near the front and head to the back, because this couple down the front just won't shut their mouths.
The film stops after three minutes and the screen goes black. A woman next to me says, "they're gonna fix the sync right?" and an older Jewish guy down the front deadpans, "it's over?"
We sit for five minutes then the movie starts up again. And it's exactly the type of documentary I'm intrigued by. It's about Jayson Blair, the infamous New York Times journalist who fabricated most of his stories. He made up quotes, he wrote about places he'd never been to and people he'd never met. These were front page NY Times stories.
It's like the recent doc 'The Armstrong Lie', you sit there in awe of Lance Armstrong, how did he have the balls? Jayson Blair was different, it was just as hard to fabricate as it was to tell the truth. He wasn't just taking himself down but he was corrupting the hierarchy of the Times too.
Jayson Blair is a fascinating subject. But the documentary frustrated me at times because it was so content to sit on the fence. In one moment it's carefully and hilariously detailing the incredible deceit, and the next we're seeing Jayson blame it all on drugs, alcohol and mental illness. The film spends the bulk of it's time jittering back and forth between condemning the guy and offering up his excuses, never once daring to have a thought of its own.
The film ends and the director and her publicist are there for a Q&A, I didn't even know this was happening.
There are 16 of us in the audience. The old Jewish guy offers up some questions along with various witty quips. The guy across the isle is one of the ones I've moved away from due to the chattering. Turns out he works for the New York Times himself.
We spent what must have been an hour in a fascinating and intimate question and answer session. It was full of opinion and conflict in a way the film itself so carefully avoided. Fair play to the director, Samantha Grant, she wanted the film to evoke discussion, which it did. And the old Jewish guy is clashing with the authoritative and condescending tone of the NY Times reporter, who amusingly calls his employer a 'smug' organisation without realising the word perfectly describes himself, too. Ain't that ironic!
I'm in the midst of a wonderful event. An engaged audience that cares about the topics at hand: journalism and ethics. People think the important audiences are the ones with paparazzi and red carpets, but the real joy of cinema is when a handful of strangers come together on the Lower East Side to discuss a documentary.
I leave the cinema and I hear the Jewish guy talking to the NY Times guy. He says, "I'm a documentary filmmaker too", and I could swear he says, "my name is Irving Fields". I know that name?
I Google him. Irving Fields is a 97 year old pianist. Is that who this Jewish guy was? Surely he wasn't that old? Maybe this guy is making a documentary about Fields. I probably just heard things wrong.
Who knows anything? That's what I take from 'A Fragile Trust' and that's what I took from 'The Armstrong Lie'. Some people cheat. Some people get caught. In the end, what price did these individuals pay? I guess that's what most interests me. Apparently, Jayson Blair now works as a life coach. What? I wish the documentary had delved into that side of things, to really see where this guy is now. Deception is one thing. Getting caught is another. But the important thing is, what happens after?
I remember watching a documentary years ago about Auschwitz. It was horrifying; and you clamber to make sense of it all, to grasp where the fairness is in everything. At the end, there was a stat; it said that 7200 people worked at Auschwitz concentration camp during war-time, and of those 7200 only 15% ever stood trial for their crimes.
We are taught to be good people, to stand up straight, play by the rules, and for the most part, we do. These documentaries show the flip side of that - they show people who don't play by the rules. What makes them interesting is that their subjects all kind of get away with it. Sure, they're found out, but so what? If Jayson or Lance or the Nazis can live with themselves, then they haven't really suffered. We need a documentary about THAT.
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Reposts: Rock, Paper, Shotgun on Misogyny and Video Games
John Walker over at Rock, Paper, Shotgun -- an outlet I don't read but am constantly hearing good things about -- has written a great piece about combatting misogyny in video games. The website has taken a strong stance speaking out against sexism in games and the gaming industry, and in this latest piece Walker outlines why fighting these issues matters as well as his personal thoughts.
It's his last bit, though, that really struck a chord with me: at the end of the article he outlines a few typical responses in discussions of this subject, and then specifically identifies why they're wrong and unproductive. I'm going to share the section in full because it's a pretty awesome and succinct take-down of some of the most irritatingly obtuse contributions to serious discussions of gender and video games, and it would save the collective populace a lot of energy and grief if more people would take these things to heart. All of these concepts can also be extrapolated outside the video gaming context, and I appreciate any attempts to improve conversations broadly. It's a bit like the Ill Doctrine video that I mentioned last month about how to have serious conversations about race and racism. Anyway, without further ado, here are a few ways you shouldn't respond to discussions of gender and video games, and why not:
“Why are you writing about feminism on a GAMING site?”
This question, like so many objecting to any discussion of the lack of equality in the industry, betrays itself immediately. When a publisher issues financial results and we report on them, we don’t see, “Why are you writing about economics on a GAMING site?” When there’s discussion of the effects of violence on players, we don’t read, “Why are you writing about sociology on a GAMING site?” It’s only when the gaming-related subject is the portrayal or treatment of women do such people become enraged by any post that isn’t literally describing the content of a particular videogame.
And to answer the question: because it’s relevant, and it matters. 50% of gamers are women, and around 20% of “hardcore” gamers are women. While the majority of RPS’s readers are men, that’s not something we’re proud of. (Many gaming sites strive for this, as it performs well with advertisers. We would prefer breadth.) We write for a global audience, and we aim not to presume whom our reader might be. We know that matters affecting women affect our audience, whatever their sex, and we know they affect the games industry we cover. We believe in equality, and when we are aware of inequality in the industry upon which we report, it is relevant for us to cover, and we believe important to highlight.
“What happened to this site? You used to write about GAMES.”
This is obviously one of the more strange responses, yet certainly among the most prolific. At least 95% of the posts on RPS are directly about games themselves, as is obvious to anyone looking at it. Posts related to matters regarding women make up the tiniest percentage of our output, and it’s obviously nonsense to make the claim above.
“You’re just trying to be a white knight/get laid.”
This particular response is designed to undermine the writer, not only suggesting that caring about equality is something inherently driven by a desire for sex/validation, but that the very idea of caring at all is so unrealistic. Either the accuser cannot conceive of the notion of caring about another’s rights independently of one’s own gratification, or they are so fearful of the potential of equality that they’re driven to undermine those who argue for it. Either way, if you’re typing the words “white knight”, you’re revealing more about your own peculiar understanding of how humans interact than anything else.
“Why don’t you talk about men’s issues?”
First of all, the question presumes the peculiar notion that writing about women’s issues precludes our writing about men’s. That’s obviously ridiculous. And secondly, sadly the question is generally used dishonestly.
There are issues that affect men, and often men who are the target demographic of gaming. Suicide is an especially serious example, and it’s something RPS has covered, and expressed concern over. Our caring about equality in the games industry, and in the portrayal of women, does not exclude our caring about matters affecting men. Obviously.
However, the question is generally designed to derail. It’s often as relevant as asking, “Why don’t you talk about digital download re-sales?” at the end of an article about the troubles of pre-ordering. Sure, why don’t we? Good thing to talk about. Not really a pertinent question in this instance. And that’s the idea – by asking this broad, presumptive question, the aim is to distort the discussion from the matter at hand, which in turn further leaves the matter at hand undiscussed. By the time you’re having tiresome arguments about whether male characters being shown as successful and strong is harmful to men, you’re no longer discussing the fact that scantily clad women are being used to sell videogames. That’s the ultimate aim of the question.
“I know a girl who thinks X, so you are wrong.”
This angle is generally used to argue against anything that is said to misrepresent women, or to represent women in a bad way. This known girl, fictional or real, likes it, so why does anyone have a problem? The argument oddly presumes that a matter is only of concern if women are exclusively and unanimously against it. Men’s views are irrelevant, and indeed all other views are irrelevant, because there’s this one girl who thinks… This is about as useful an argument as someone’s claiming homoeopathy works, against all abundant evidence, because their mum’s knee felt better.
“People are exaggerating on both sides.”
This, and many variants on it, are all about pretending to want to bring “balance” to the argument, in order to prevent its taking place at all. It’s dishonest, based on unexplained, undefined notions of exaggeration, perhaps if pressed illustrated by a single example that likely only emphasises the faux-diffuser’s prejudice. As and when people exaggerate in any debate, it’s great to call people out on it. People called out the issues in a recent post I put on RPS about gender wage gaps, which one could describe as exaggeration. That’s a good thing to do. It, however, has no bearing on the facts that there are problems that need to be dealt with, and the line is usually employed when trying to ensure nothing is allowed to change.
“It’s just a bit of fun.”
When I undermine you in front of your boss, lie about you behind your back, and play cruel tricks on you, it’s just a bit of fun! Oh, wait, those things aren’t fun because they’re happening to you? Gosh, imagine if such a perspective were available when other things that other people don’t like are happening to them? But no, it’s just a bit of fun, then. They should just get over it.
'Reposts' are inspired by other articles or blog posts around the Internet. They are used here with accreditation as the basis for short bursts of Max's interests.
Tags: equality, gender, hate, ill doctrine, video games
How Ad Blocking Hurts Good Journalism
Repost: Anita's Irony
Bioshock Infinite: A Flawed Masterpiece
Errant Signal - Spec Ops: The Line
Reposts: Rock, Paper, Shotgun on Misogyny and Vide...
A Dramatic Reading of Sexist YouTube Comments
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Michael Gifford Hirschfeld ’85, Thirteenth Rector: 2011-2018
In Chapel on November 19, 2010, Trustee President Douglas Schloss ’77 announced the appointment of Michael Gifford Hirschfeld ’85 as the Thirteenth Rector of St. Paul’s School. Hirschfeld succeeds Twelfth Rector William R. Matthews, Jr. ’61, who retired in June 2011 after 45 years at the School – the last six of them as its Rector.
At the time of his election by the Board, Mr. Hirschfeld served as the vice rector for external affairs at St. Paul’s. In that capacity he oversaw the development, alumni relations, admissions, college advising, and communications offices.
The Rector joined the St. Paul’s faculty in 1994 and has since taught history and humanities (1999-2003) and served as associate director of college advising (1999-2003), director of admissions (2003-06), and vice rector for enrollment and communications (2006-07). He began his career in education at the Kent School, where he taught history and was assistant director of admissions (1990-94). He was also a coach of the SPS boys crew program for many years.
Mr. Hirschfeld received an A.B. in history in 1990 from Princeton University, where he captained the varsity lightweight crew to the 1989 national championship. He later earned an M.A. in liberal studies in 1999 from Dartmouth College.
"Michael Gifford Hirschfeld ’85, Thirteenth Rector: 2011-2018" is part of the following exhibit(s):
Persons: Hirschfeld, Michael Gifford
Type: Digital Image, Image
Time Frame: 2000s, 2011
Form Year: 1985
Rectorship: 2011-2018: Thirteenth Rector Hirschfeld Years
Creator: Finger, Peter
Other Tags: Coach, crew, Rector, Vice Rector
Original Pixel Dimensions: 2832 x 4256 pixels
Original Dimensions: 9.44 X 14.187 inches (23.13 X 34.76 cm)
Rights: Used With Permission
Originally Published On: July 6th, 2011
Last Modified On: December 17th, 2018
Finger, Peter. 2011. "Michael Gifford Hirschfeld ’85, Thirteenth Rector: 2011-2018." St. Paul's School. Ohrstrom Library Digital Archives. Web. 15 Jan. 2021.
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The butler and baker of Pharaoh in prison.
Genesis 40:1 And it came to pass after these things, [that] the cup-bearer of the king of Egypt and the baker offended their lord the king of Egypt. Genesis 40:2 And Pharaoh was wroth with his two chamberlains—with the chief of the cup-bearers and with the chief of the bakers; Genesis 40:3 and he put them in custody into the house of the captain of the life-guard, into the tower-house, into the place where Joseph was imprisoned.
Joseph hath charge of them.
Genesis 40:4 And the captain of the life-guard appointed Joseph to them, that he should attend on them. And they were [several] days in custody.
He interpreteth their dreams.
Genesis 40:5 And they dreamed a dream, both of them in one night, each his dream, each according to the interpretation of his dream, the cup-bearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were imprisoned in the tower-house. Genesis 40:6 And Joseph came in to them in the morning, and looked on them, and behold, they were sad. Genesis 40:7 And he asked Pharaoh's chamberlains that were with him in custody in his lord's house, saying, Why are your faces [so] sad to-day? Genesis 40:8 And they said to him, We have dreamt a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said to them, [Do] not interpretations [belong] to God? tell me [your dreams], I pray you. Genesis 40:9 Then the chief of the cup-bearers told his dream to Joseph, and said to him, In my dream, behold, a vine was before me; Genesis 40:10 and in the vine were three branches; and it was as though it budded: its blossoms shot forth, its clusters ripened into grapes. Genesis 40:11 And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand. Genesis 40:12 And Joseph said to him, This is the interpretation of it: the three branches are three days. Genesis 40:13 In yet three days will Pharaoh lift up thy head and restore thee to thy place, and thou shalt deliver Pharaoh's cup into his hand, after the former manner when thou wast his cup-bearer. Genesis 40:14 Only bear a remembrance with thee of me when it goes well with thee, and deal kindly, I pray thee, with me, and make mention of me to Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house; Genesis 40:15 for indeed I was stolen out of the land of the Hebrews, and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon. Genesis 40:16 And when the chief of the bakers saw that the interpretation was good, he said to Joseph, I also was in my dream, and behold, three baskets of white bread were on my head. Genesis 40:17 And in the uppermost basket there were all manner of victuals for Pharaoh that the baker makes, and the birds ate them out of the basket upon my head. Genesis 40:18 And Joseph answered and said, This is the interpretation of it: the three baskets are three days. Genesis 40:19 In yet three days will Pharaoh lift up thy head from off thee, and hang thee on a tree; and the birds will eat thy flesh from off thee.
They come to pass according to his interpretation.
Genesis 40:20 And it came to pass the third day—Pharaoh's birthday—that he made a feast to all his bondmen. And he lifted up the head of the chief of the cup-bearers, and the head of the chief of the bakers among his bondmen. Genesis 40:21 And he restored the chief of the cup-bearers to his office of cup-bearer again; and he gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand. Genesis 40:22 And he hanged the chief of the bakers, as Joseph had interpreted to them.
The ingratitude of the butler.
Genesis 40:23 But the chief of the cup-bearers did not remember Joseph, and forgot him.
The classic John Nelson Darby Bible translation of the Scriptures appended with an exhaustive concordance of Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek dictionaries. (Quick-link from root word definition to verse location!) This study Bible version called, DBY 1890 Darby Bible with Strong's Concordance, comes complete with both the Old Testament (OT) and New Testament (NT). Topical outlines included with every chapter; all content optimized for mobile, touch and e-reader devices. OVER 369,000 LINKS! The portable Holy Bible at your fingertips... ready to read, study and share! [First Gospel Publications: ISBN 978-1-62154-605-4]
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August 7, 2012 -- Renner's New Identity (thechronicleherald.ca)
Published: Friday, 15 November 2013 04:43
Jeremy Renner as Aaron Cross in a scene from The Bourne Legacy
JEREMY RENNER seems to appear out of nowhere. Maybe he really is a super-agent like the one he plays in The Bourne Legacy, the fourth film in the franchise.
Quickly saying a warm hello to the film’s writer-director, Tony Gilroy, Renner joins him at a table at a Beverly Hills hotel. The Bourne Legacy, which opens Friday, is notable because it does not star Matt Damon as the fugitive Treadstone operative. Instead, Renner plays Aaron Cross, another enhanced agent who is also part of the secret government program.
Another interesting twist is that Cross’s story takes place at the same time as the third movie; so it is not a complete reboot of the series.
After the success of 2007’s The Bourne Ultimatum, Universal had been anxious for a sequel, but for whatever reasons — creative differences, the general description — Damon wasn’t ready to do one.
“A lot of people tried to figure out how to go forward after Ultimatum, which was such a nice package,” says Gilroy, who wrote the other three films. “So they came up with the idea of having a larger conspiracy with Ultimatum playing in the background.”
Therefore, a lot of characters in that film have minor roles in the new chapter.
For Renner, Legacy is the latest in a string of action films he’s starred in, including The Town, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol and this summer’s first big hit, The Avengers.
“It just kind of happened that way. I just couldn’t say no really to them,” says the 41-year-old actor, who grew up in Modesto. “As far as the dramatic elements that I needed to be challenged with them, they were all there. This particular movie was no different. It was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.
“But I can guarantee that whatever my next project is, it’s not going to be an action film,” he adds with a laugh.
Despite going in a different direction, Legacy has many things in common with its predecessors, especially that it isn’t “really a big green-screen project at all,” notes Gilroy. “It’s based on reality, that’s the flavour, the character of the three films. That’s one thing we couldn’t deviate from.”
That meant that Renner’s Aaron Cross has a lot of action scenes.
“I love it,” says Renner about doing most of the demanding stunts in the film. “It’s also important for the picture. I wouldn’t do these things in my daily life. I’m not even much of an adrenaline junkie by any means. I only ride a motorcycle and that’s not such an adrenaline thing as it is peaceful. But what a great opportunity it is to learn something new. If I’m physically able to do the stunts, I’d be a jackass for not doing them, because authenticity is important to this film.
“I’m an audience member, too,” he adds, “so I appreciate it when I watch a movie that doesn’t suspend belief.”
Renner says he did not talk to Damon about playing an agent in the Bourne franchise before signing on but wasn’t out to replace the star.
Cross, like Bourne, is an agent alone in the world. While we first meet him in a frozen wilderness going through rigorous training in solitude, his motivation is very different from Jason Bourne’s.
“The most important thing in this picture for me was to find the fuel that drives this person to do the things he does — what separates him from everybody else?” says Renner, who credits the script from Gilroy and his brother, Danny, with giving him a good start.
The director says it took a while for him and his star to find their rhythm.
“It was a feeling-out process,” Gilroy says. “I think our real conversation started almost three weeks after we started filming. There’s a trust that you have to have …”
“ that is huge,” says Renner, completing the thought.
Gilroy says a key for any filmmaker is to know when to let the actors go with their instincts.
“Fear kills creativity,” says Renner. “Tony and I, we pretty much had trust from the get-go.”
Settling into the director’s chair for Legacy was not something that Gilroy — who is primarily known as a screenwriter (Armageddon) — expected to do, although he was nominated for an Oscar for his first directing effort, the 2007 film Michael Clayton.
“It came about incrementally,” Gilroy explains. “I wanted to try to do a big movie before I got too old, and I was looking for something that was interesting enough to invest two years of my life, and this was it.”
One of the things that intrigued Gilroy was when they came up with a Flowers for Algernon aspect to Cross’s character, which we won’t reveal more about for moviegoers who want to be surprised. “That’s the point when I got excited about doing the movie,” says the filmmaker.
Renner agrees, saying without that dramatic element in Legacy, the story might not resonate with the audience.
Working in Hollywood is not an unexpected career path for Gilroy, although his father tried to discourage it. That, obviously, didn’t work. His father is Frank D. Gilroy, who in 1965 won a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize for his play The Subject Was Roses.
“My father moved us away from Los Angeles when I finished kindergarten because he didn’t want us to have anything to do with (the film business), to upstate New York,” says the 55-year-old director.
Gilroy says his parents continue to live there, and that his father — who also worked in television, Hollywood and independent film — is still writing at 86, publishing two ebooks recently.
“He’s a firecracker, unbelievable,” adds Renner, who calls his own father one of his heroes.
“He’s a friend and a mentor. He fulfills a lot of roles for me,” says the actor about his dad.
Renner, who had worked steadily in film, stage and TV for almost two decades, really came to the public’s attention for his 2009 Oscar-nominated role as a bomb disposal expert in The Hurt Locker.
Source: thechronicleherald.ca
The Bourne Legacy
Clips from "The Bourne Legacy"
"The Bourne Legacy" BTS and Featurettes
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"The Bourne Legacy" Interviews
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Jeremy Renner Talks About Playing Journalist Gary Webb in "Kill the Messenger" (amNewYork)
Published: Thursday, 09 October 2014 03:08
Jeremy Renner stars as dedicated reporter Gary Webb in KILL THE MESSENGER, a Focus Features release. (Credit: MCT / Chuck Zlotnick)
Jeremy Renner has played a lot of heroic characters, from "Avengers" bowman Hawkeye to William Brandt in the "Mission: Impossible" franchise.
Despite the selfless act of putting his life and family in danger to uncover a government cover up, he doesn't consider his latest role as the real-life journalist Gary Webb in "Kill the Messenger" to be a hero.
"We have to be clear about how you define heroism," he says. "I feel like that shifts for me after doing this. ... I wouldn't consider him a hero -- just because you're brave doesn't mean you're heroic. ... I think, specifically to Gary Webb, he's only a hero because he's flawed and because he owns his flaws and accepts that's who he is."
amNewYork spoke with Renner about the film, opening Friday.
Did you know about this story before signing onto the film?
Not at all. I liked the script, it was a true story, and that was amazing, and realizing that it all happened 70 miles from where I grew up. Why don't I know anything about this?
What did you do to try and capture Gary?
Anytime you play someone that existed, or exists, you're given a road map already, so it's easier at first. Then as you go down the rabbit hole with this road map, you realize you can't stray off the map when you run out of answers to your questions, cause they exist. You can't just make it up. That's where some of the limitations come in, and it makes it more challenging and I like that challenge. So with Gary, there's enough material from the script that was well researched from Peter Landesman, he's a journalist and screenwriter. The family gave me a lot of home videos and access to anything I needed from them. I didn't have any conversations with the family until the last week of shooting, and I wanted it that way. But I had access to stuff, so it was easy for me to research enough and ask questions of other journalists about what the job is like so I got a good grasp of who Gary was through those avenues.
What is the key to playing a journalist?
I wanted to know what the day to day life was like, what the work life was like, the players involved, the characters. That was more important to be, because ultimately there's a lot of research going on, as investigating reporting goes, in my experience. That's not very cinematic, nor is it really fun or interesting to watch -- someone just rifling through microfiche. OK, this is boring, and people will be walking out of the movie. What we can do, is do that in a way with the players. That's why I want to more about the editor, how is the editor involved, how much are they involved. All that helped a lot and informed me of who Gary was as a journalist.
Can you relate to Gary?
I can relate to his stubbornness, I can relate to his tenacity, his perseverance, I can relate to his self-righteousness, his flaws, his fearlessness and his courageousness. There's parallels in those sorts of adjectives that I think we have. But very different is the selflessness of his job and the very selfishness of mine, but at least I was able to grab onto a few qualities of his.
What can you tease about 'Avengers: Age of Ultron'?
I have a lot more to do in the movie. I know there's a lot more of the Avengers being together. I'm going to be just as surprised when I see the movie when any other person sees it, because I feel like I'm a small spoke in the giant wheel of The Avengers. I think it's going to be really, really exciting. But I can't really give any information about it.
Would you be up for a Hawkeye spinoff?
A Hawkeye spinoff? Sure. It would have to be the right reason to do it. But knowing how Marvel could put things together, yeah, there would be a way. I don't ultimately know if they would do a Black Widow solo, or a Hawkeye solo. They'd probably do a version of us two, maybe. But I don't know. It's above my pay grade to even think about those things. If that's what they want to do, I'm sure they'd come up with a really great idea.
Source: amny.com
Kill the Messenger
"Kill the Messenger" Interviews
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Groupe Pek
Community energy
Small hydroelectric station on the 11th falls
Val-Jalbert
Minastuk
Groupe Pek is proud to present its brand new website
Pek Group is proud to present its brand new website that was created by the advertising agency Perseides Technologie! Our company was established recently, in 2014, to develop community renewable energy projects for the benefit of communities. ...
In June 2010, the project for the Ouiatchouan River small hydroelectric station, in the tourism area of the Village Historique de Val-Jalbert, has been accepted under the program to purchase 150 MW of electricity from hydroelectric power stations of 50 MW or less initiated by Hydro-Québec Distribution.
With an installed capacity of just over 16 megawatts, the station over water is located at the base of the Ouiatchouan falls. The project value is over $53 million and the total economic impact is estimated at nearly $85 million, including $59.2 million specifically for the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean region.
Revenues from these projects come from a 20-year electricity sales agreement with Hydro-Québec Distribution at the price of $0.075 per kWh. Under the terms of the agreement, which may be renewed for another 20 year period, the expected index is set at a fixed rate of 2.5% per year and applicable since the announcement in 2010.
Pekuakamiulnuatsh Takuhikan is the main sponsor of the Société Énergie Hydroélectrique Ouiatchouan, responsible for the project's construction and exploitation phases, with 45% of the shares. The Maria-Chapdelaine RCM (22.5%), the Domaine-du-Roy RCM (22.5%) and the municipality of Chambord (10%), the other sponsors are located in the same area as the project site. An estimate of about 91 million dollars cash flow generated with the partners at the end of the first 25 years of exploitation. The revenue generated will be placed in dedicated economic development funds to be used to support the development of other promising projects in their respective communities.
This structural project also focuses on the site's integrity of the Village Historique de Val Jalbert helping to enrich its educational and tourism value on an international scale. It also ensures its continuance through an agreement that will allow the Corporation du Parc Régional de Val-Jalbert, which administers the historic village, achieving guaranteed royalties on an annual basis during the first 20 years of the agreement for a total $6.6 million at the end of the term. Over the subsequent 20 years, an additional $ 13.2 million will be as royalties.
The project's construction phase began in February of 2013. The commercial launch has been February 6 2015.
Installed capacity 17,9 MW, equivalent to the annual energy consumption of 3,200 households.
Duration of the contract with Hydro-Québec 20 years. The contract is renewable for another 20 year period.
Selling price of electricity 7.5 cents per kWh and indexed at 2.5% per year from 2010
Project cost 53.3 million
Back to Achievements
Website and Internet marketing by Perseides Technologie © 2021 Groupe PEK
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May-June 2019 (Vol. 15, No. 3)
SNOOZE: A STORY OF AWAKENING—Enjoy This Multi-award-winning Visionary Novel Free Online
Could it be there’s no such thing as the paranormal … only infinite varieties of normal we’ve yet to understand?
This is an important and timely question I explore in my acclaimed spiritual novel, Snooze: A Story of Awakening, which won the 2015 National Indie Excellence Award for New Age Fiction.
Written with young adult and young-at-heart readers in mind, Snooze further proved its literary merit by being selected as a 2016 Readers’ Favorite International Book Award Finalist in the Young Adult-Coming of Age category and receiving an Honorable Mention in the 2014 Beach Book Festival Prize competition in the General Fiction category.
Now for the first time ever free online, I invite you to join Max Diver, aka “Snooze,” along the razor’s edge of a quest to rescue his astronaut father from a fate stranger than death in the exotic, perilous Otherworld of sleep. Since this offer is for a limited time, be sure to start reading ASAP.
Just scroll down to start reading this inspiring tale that interweaves a plethora of paranormal and metaphysical subjects, from Bigfoot and enlightenment to the Loch Ness Monster and time travel via the Bermuda Triangle.
In her review of Snooze published in Indie Shaman Magazine, June Kent had this to say about she described as “superlative fiction”: “Engrossing, entertaining and occasionally humorous, Snooze also takes a look at a wide range of subjects including levitation, telepathy, lucid dreaming, spirit animals, parallel universes and shamanic-like journeying, giving a wide range of information effortlessly absorbed as you enjoy the story as well as much food for thought.”
If you’d like your own downloadable review copy to share your thoughts on Amazon, Goodreads and elsewhere, click here for details and to contact me with your request.
Of course, I’d really appreciate your generous review even if you simply enjoy the full text online. And keep in mind that paperback and ebook versions are available for sale here.
Sol Luckman
www.CrowRising.com
FEATURED IN THE MAY-JUNE 2019 ISSUE OF DNA MONTHLY
1. “People with a Sense of Unity Experience Greater Life Satisfaction” by Josh Richardson
2. “Japan Leads the Way: No Vaccine Mandates & No MMR Vaccine = Healthier Children” by Kristina Kristen
3. “Smiling Really Does Make People Feel Happier” by April McCarthy
4. “The Lure of a Stimulus-response World” by Jon Rappoport
5. “The Path to Liberating Humanity Is the Same as the Path to Liberating the Individual” by Caitlin Johnstone
Featured Videos ... RFK, Jr. on the Gardasil Vaccine & The Physics of Spirituality with Nassim Haramein
1. People with a Sense of Unity Experience Greater Life Satisfaction
Josh Richardson, PreventDisease.com
People who embrace a sense of unity and oneness—the idea that everything in the world is connected and interdependent—appear to have greater life satisfaction than those who don’t, regardless of whether they belong to a religion, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
“The feeling of being at one with a divine principle, life, the world, other people or even activities has been discussed in various religious traditions but also in a wide variety of scientific research from different disciplines,” said Laura Marie Edinger-Schons, PhD, of the University of Mannheim, author of the study. “The results of this study reveal a significant positive effect of oneness beliefs on life satisfaction, even controlling for religious beliefs.”
The research was published in the journal Psychology of Religion and Spirituality.
Transcendentally or spiritually, millions around the world have reported a sense of oneness through psychedelics where many experience an increase in sense of purpose and unity with a something perceived as more unifying than humanity, but few studies have followed thousands of people reporting the same experience.
Edinger-Schons conducted two surveys involving nearly 75,000 people in Germany. In the first survey, more than 7,000 participants, recruited as part of a cooperation project between the university and a company, were asked to respond to a series of statements designed to measure their belief in oneness (e.g., “I believe that everything in the world is based on a common principle” or “Everything in the world is interdependent and influenced by each other”). They were also asked to respond to items measuring other concepts associated with oneness, such as social connectedness, connectedness to nature and empathy as well as life satisfaction.
Edinger-Schons found a significant correlation between scores on her oneness scale and the concepts associated with oneness, suggesting that it was a valid measure of the concept. More important, she also found that people with higher oneness scores reported significantly greater life satisfaction.
To determine whether oneness scores were variable over time or a more fixed construct, the same survey was administered to the same group of people six weeks later. While a little more than 3,000 of them responded, Edinger-Schons still found that oneness beliefs had not changed significantly and therefore might be stable over time.
“Obviously, oneness beliefs are more than a situation-specific feeling or mood,” she said. “They rather seem to represent a general attitude toward life.”
Once again, she also found a significant correlation between oneness beliefs and life satisfaction. While being satisfied with life as a whole should be rewarding in itself, research does suggest that people with higher life satisfaction experience some additional benefits, such as increased academic performance in younger people and better health in old age, according to Edinger-Schons.
In a second survey, involving more than 67,000 people, Edinger-Schons looked at whether oneness beliefs could explain individuals’ life satisfaction over and above the effect of religion. Much research has been done on the association between religion and life satisfaction, but she wondered if there might not be something else at work. Specifically, her hypothesis was that oneness beliefs might explain peoples’ satisfaction with life even better than religion.
“I recognized that in various philosophical and religious texts, a central idea is the idea of oneness,” said Edinger-Schons. “In my free time, I enjoy surfing, Capoeira, meditation and yoga, and all of these have been said to lead to experiences that can be described as being at one with life or nature or just experiencing a state of flow through being immersed in the activity. I was wondering whether the larger belief in oneness is something that is independent of religious beliefs and how it affects satisfaction with life.”
Participants came from a variety of religious backgrounds, including Protestant denominations, Catholicism, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. More than a quarter of those who identified their beliefs said they were atheist.
While oneness scores did vary by religion (Muslims had the highest median score while atheists had the lowest), they were much better predictors of life satisfaction than religious beliefs.
“I did not find it surprising that atheists have the lowest levels of oneness beliefs in the sample, but what surprised me was that oneness beliefs were actually very different across various religious affiliations, with Muslims having the highest levels,” she said. “Also, when oneness beliefs were taken into account, many of the positive effects of religious affiliation on life satisfaction disappeared.”
Many people today practice yoga, meditation, action sports and other activities that aim at achieving a state of oneness or flow. Strengthening the more general belief in the oneness of everything has the potential to enhance peoples’ lives and might even be more effective than traditional religious beliefs and practices at improving life satisfaction, Edinger-Schons said.
As all the participants were from Germany, she noted that it is unclear if this effect would translate to residents of other countries and suggested more research would need to be done.
Copyright © PreventDisease.com. All Rights Reserved.
This article, republished with permission, originally appeared here.
Josh Richardson is a writer for PreventDisease.com.
Featured Video ... RFK, Jr. on the Gardasil Vaccine
2. Japan Leads the Way: No Vaccine Mandates & No MMR Vaccine = Healthier Children
Kristina Kristen, Children’s Health Defense
In the United States, many legislators and public health officials are busy trying to make vaccines de facto compulsory—either by removing parental/personal choice given by existing vaccine exemptions or by imposing undue quarantines and fines on those who do not comply with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) vaccine edicts. Officials in California are seeking to override medical opinion about fitness for vaccination, while those in New York are mandating the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine for 6-12-month-old infants for whom its safety and effectiveness “have not been established.”
American children would be better served if these officials—before imposing questionable and draconian measures—studied child health outcomes in Japan. With a population of 127 million, Japan has the healthiest children and the very highest “healthy life expectancy” in the world—and the least vaccinated children of any developed country. The US, in contrast, has the developed world’s most aggressive vaccination schedule in number and timing, starting at pregnancy, at birth and in the first two years of life. Does this make US children healthier? The clear answer is no. The US has the very highest infant mortality rate of all industrialized countries, with more American children dying at birth and in their first year than in any other comparable nation—and more than half of those who survive develop at least one chronic illness. Analysis of real-world infant mortality and health results shows that US vaccine policy does not add up to a win for American children.
Japan & the US—Two Different Vaccine Policies
In 1994, Japan transitioned away from mandated vaccination in public health centers to voluntary vaccination in doctors’ offices, guided by “the concept that it is better that vaccinations are performed by children’s family doctors who are familiar with their health conditions.” The country created two categories of non-compulsory vaccines: “routine” vaccines that the government covers and “strongly recommends” but does not mandate, and additional “voluntary” vaccines, generally paid for out-of-pocket. Unlike in the US, Japan has no vaccine requirements for children entering preschool or elementary school.
Japan also banned the MMR vaccine in the same time frame, due to thousands of serious injuries over a four-year period—producing an injury rate of one in 900 children that was “over 2,000 times higher than the expected rate.” It initially offered separate measles and rubella vaccines following its abandonment of the MMR vaccine; Japan now recommends a combined measles-rubella (MR) vaccine for routine use but still shuns the MMR. The mumps vaccine is in the “voluntary” category.
Here are key differences between the Japanese and US vaccine programs:
Japan has no vaccine mandates, instead recommending vaccines that (as discussed above) are either “routine” (covered by insurance) or “voluntary” (self-pay).
Japan does not vaccinate newborns with the hepatitis B (HepB) vaccine, unless the mother is hepatitis B positive.
Japan does not vaccinate pregnant mothers with the tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine.
Japan does not give flu shots to pregnant mothers or to six-month-old infants.
Japan does not give the MMR vaccine, instead recommending an MR vaccine.
Japan does not require the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine.
In contrast, the US vaccine schedule (see Table 1) prescribes routine vaccination during pregnancy, calls for the first HepB vaccine dose within 24 hours of birth—even though 99.9% of pregnant women, upon testing, are hepatitis B negative, and follows up with 20 to 22 vaccine doses in the first year alone. No other developed country administers as many vaccine doses in the first two years of life.
The HepB vaccine injects a newborn with a 250-microgram load of aluminum, a neurotoxic and immune-toxic adjuvant used to provoke an immune response. There are no studies to back up the safety of exposing infants to such high levels of the injected metal. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) upper limit for aluminum in intravenous (IV) fluids for newborns is far lower at five micrograms per kilogram per day (mcg/kg/day)—and even at these levels, researchers have documented the potential for impaired neurologic development. For an average newborn weighing 7.5 pounds, the HepB vaccine has over 15 times more aluminum than the FDA’s upper limit for IV solutions.
Unlike Japan, the US administers flu and Tdap vaccines to pregnant women (during any trimester) and babies receive flu shots at six months of age, continuing every single year thereafter. Manufacturers have never tested the safety of flu shots administered during pregnancy, and the FDA has never formally licensed any vaccines “specifically for use during pregnancy to protect the infant.”
US vaccine proponents claim the US vaccine schedule is similar to schedules in other developed countries, but this claim is inaccurate upon scrutiny. Most other countries do not recommend vaccination during pregnancy, and very few vaccinate on the first day of life. This is important because the number, type and timing of exposure to vaccines can greatly influence their adverse impact on developing fetuses and newborns, who are particularly vulnerable to toxic exposures and early immune activation. Studies show that activation of pregnant women’s immune systems can cause developmental problems in their offspring. Why are pregnant women in the US advised to protect their developing fetuses by avoiding alcohol and mercury-containing tuna fish, but actively prompted to receive immune-activating Tdap and flu vaccines, which still contain mercury (in multi-dose vials) and other untested substances?
Japan initially recommended the HPV vaccine but stopped doing so in 2013 after serious health problems prompted numerous lawsuits. Japanese researchers have since confirmed a temporal relationship between HPV vaccination and recipients’ development of symptoms. US regulators have ignored these and similar reports and not only continue to aggressively promote and even mandate the formerly optional HPV vaccine beginning in preadolescence but are now pushing it in adulthood. The Merck-manufactured HPV vaccine received fast-tracked approval from the FDA despite half of all clinical trial subjects reporting serious medical conditions within seven months.
Best & Worst: Two Different Infant Mortality Results
The CDC views infant mortality as one of the most important indicators of a society’s overall health. The agency should take note of Japan’s rate, which, at 2 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, is the second lowest in the world, second only to the Principality of Monaco. In comparison, almost three times as many American infants die (5.8 per 1,000 live births), despite massive per capita spending on health care for children (see Table 2). US infant mortality ranks behind 55 other countries and is worse than the rate in Latvia, Slovakia or Cuba.
To reiterate, the US has the most aggressive vaccine schedule of developed countries (administering the most vaccines the earliest). If vaccines save lives, why are American children “dying at a faster rate, and … dying younger” compared to children in 19 other wealthy countries—translating into a “57 percent greater risk of death before reaching adulthood”? Japanese children, who receive the fewest vaccines—with no government mandates for vaccination—grow up to enjoy “long and vigorous” lives. International infant mortality and health statistics and their correlation to vaccination protocols show results that government and health officials are ignoring at our children’s great peril.
Among the 20 countries with the world’s best infant mortality outcomes, only three countries (Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore) automatically administer the HepB vaccine to all newborns—governed by the rationale that hepatitis B infection is highly endemic in these countries. Most of the other 17 top-ranking countries—including Japan—give the HepB vaccine at birth only if the mother is hepatitis B positive (Table 1). The US, with its disgraceful #56 infant mortality ranking, gives the HepB vaccine to all four million babies born annually despite a low incidence of hepatitis B.
Is the US Sacrificing Children’s Health for Profits?
Merck, the MMR vaccine’s manufacturer, is in court over MMR-related fraud. Whistleblowers allege the pharmaceutical giant rigged its efficacy data for the vaccine’s mumps component to ensure its continued market monopoly. The whistleblower evidence has given rise to two separate court cases. In addition, a CDC whistleblower has alleged the MMR vaccine increases autism risks in some children. Others have reported that the potential risk of permanent injury from the MMR vaccine dwarfs the risks of getting measles.
Why do the FDA and CDC continue to endorse the problematic MMR vaccine despite Merck’s implication in fraud over the vaccine’s safety and efficacy? Why do US legislators and government officials not demand a better alternative, as Japan did over two decades ago? Why are US cities and states forcing Merck’s MMR vaccine on American children? Is the US government protecting children, or Merck? Why are U.S. officials ignoring Japan’s exemplary model, which proves that the most measured vaccination program in the industrialized world and “first-class sanitation and levels of nutrition” can produce optimal child health outcomes that are leading the world?
A central tenet of a free and democratic society is the freedom to make informed decisions about medical interventions that carry serious potential risks. This includes the right to be apprised of benefits and risks—and the ability to say no. The Nuremberg Code of ethics established the necessity of informed consent without “any element of force, fraud, deceit, duress, over-reaching, or other ulterior form of constraint or coercion.” Forcing the MMR vaccine, or any other vaccine, on those who are uninformed or who do not consent represents nothing less than medical tyranny.
Copyright © Children’s Health Defense, Inc. This work is reproduced and distributed with the permission of Children’s Health Defense, Inc. Want to learn more from Children’s Health Defense? Sign up for free news and updates from Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the Children’s Health Defense. Your donation will help to support us in our efforts.
3. Smiling Really Does Make People Feel Happier
April McCarthy, PreventDisease.com
Smiling really can make people feel happier, according to a paper examining thousands of participants in the Psychological Bulletin.
Did you know your smile can be a predictor of how long you’ll live—that a simple smile has a measurable effect on your overall well-being?
Most of us are not born eternal optimists, but being positive and grateful is something that can be imbibed; such as by trying to tweak our sense of humor, or the way we react to a given situation, by being more pleasant. Embrace gratitude and above all else the secret to being happy may just be to smile more.
Imagine we are in a pleasant situation, like bumping into an old friend on the metro. When our brains feel happy, endorphins are produced and neuronal signals are transmitted to your facial muscles to trigger a smile. This is the start of the positive feedback loop of happiness. When our smiling muscles contract, they fire a signal back to the brain, stimulating our reward system, and further increasing our level of happy hormones, or endorphins. In short, when our brain feels happy, we smile; when we smile, our brain feels happier.
The paper, coauthored by researcher Heather Lench at Texas A&M University and researchers Nicholas Coles and Jeff Larsen at University of Tennessee, looked at nearly 50 years of data testing whether posing facial expressions can lead people to feel the emotions related to those expressions.
“These findings address a critical question about the links between our internal experience and our bodies—whether changing our facial expression can alter the emotions we feel and our emotional response to the world,” Lench said.
“Conventional wisdom tells us that we can feel a little happier if we simply smile. Or that we can get ourselves in a more serious mood if we scowl. But psychologists have actually disagreed about this idea for over 100 years,” said Coles, the lead author of the paper.
These disagreements became more pronounced in 2016 when 17 teams of researchers failed to replicate a well-known experiment demonstrating that the physical act of smiling can make people feel happier.
Using a statistical technique called meta-analysis, the team combined data from 138 studies testing over 11,000 participants from all around the world. According to the meta-analysis, posing facial expressions has a small impact on our feelings. For example, smiling makes people feel happier, scowling makes them feel angrier, and frowning makes them feel more sad.
“We don’t think that people can ‘smile their way to happiness.’ But these findings are exciting because they provide a clue about how the mind and the body interact to shape our conscious experience of emotion,” said Coles. “We still have a lot to learn about these facial feedback effects, but this meta-analysis put us a little closer to understanding how emotions work.”
April McCarthy is a writer for PreventDisease.com.
4. The Lure of a Stimulus-response World
Most people never even think about the individual spirit. That’s strange, because a person IS an individual spirit.
He’s not a brain or a physical form or a machine.
The individual spirit wants freedom. His energy is directed toward using that freedom to create in an open future.
An open present-and-future equals freedom.
There is internal freedom, and external freedom (open unrestricted space) in the world.
The individual spirit can be trained to expect and even favor less freedom. It happens. Often, the rationale given is: we need more rules to protect everyone. Protection, protection, protection—vastly overcooked.
Major powers behind the scenes will covertly finance and organize conflict, crime, violence, war, and violation of basic freedoms, in order to “prove” that everyone needs to be protected.
When an individual has freedom and feels it, his view of life and the world CHANGES IMMEDIATELY. He looks around, astonished. His muzzle has fallen away. He feels his voice, his body, and he feels open space. He suddenly has tons of energy, and he’s ready to use that energy.
Therefore, “operators” decide they must turn down the flame and pour water on it. “Can’t have lots of free people walking around. It spells trouble.”
Or you’ll get something like this. Sitting with his fellow planners in a secure boardroom, a heavy hitter says, “You know, in XXX Country, there is a remote lake in the mountains. Thirty families have been living there in a community for perhaps a thousand years. They still use the same large dugout canoes. They fish. They embroider and sew. They make colorful pots. They have freedom, and they know what to do with it. We leave them alone. They’re quiet. They have no interest in exporting their way of life. They’re rather quaint. All over the world, there are small groups like this. We don’t care about them. We’re focused on nations and their populations. These are the people we want to control. We want to ‘prove’ they need less freedom in order to be protected. They need more rules and intrusive laws and mandates. And many, many bureaucrats …”
Part of the control covert op involves convincing people they’re stimulus-response organisms and nothing else. SPIRIT doesn’t exist. It’s just a fiction. Instead, fit yourself into a slot where you’re obeying more and more rules—ALL the rules. Spend your life adapting to the rules. THE RULES ARE THE STIMULUS. OBEYING THE RULES IS THE RESPONSE.
As part and parcel of that process, DON’T FIND YOUR VOICE. DON’T CREATE A FREE AND STRONG VOICE. Because, if you do, you become aware of many new things. You become aware of the fact that you have a lot more power than you assumed. You have energy in that voice. You can express all sorts of ideas; you can affect others—through contagion, they begin to tap into their own voices.
On top of that, using your own voice brings you to a better state of health.
You’re inventing your own freedom.
What do you think AI is all about? Stimulus-response. AI is engineered to provide widespread and varied stimuli—in order to extract desired responses. The future would be a locked down world, disguised as “helpful machine companions.”
The lure is: “It’s easy. AI devices will help you navigate an increasing complex society. You’ll be much happier fitting into an AI civilization. You’ll bypass the need to figure out things for yourself. AI will give you simple answers and instructions. You’ll respond by following those instructions …”
How long will it take to put freedom on the back burner? Not very.
But someone who knows he has freedom and feels it—he’s different. He doesn’t care about responding to stimuli. His experience of life tells him his freedom is beyond these lunacies.
He needs to invent his future as he wants it to be.
That process is high, wide, and deep.
Copyright © Jon Rappoport. All Rights Reserved.
The author of three explosive collections, The Matrix Revealed, Exit from the Matrix and Power Outside the Matrix, Jon Rappoport was a candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29th District of California. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he has worked as an investigative reporter for thirty years, writing articles on politics, medicine and health for CBS Healthwatch, LA Weekly, Spin Magazine, Stern, and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe. Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics, health, logic and creative power to audiences around the world. You can sign up for his free emails at www.nomorefakenews.com. To read about Jon’s mega-collection, Exit from the Matrix, click here.
Featured Video ... The Physics of Spirituality with Nassim Haramein
5. The Path to Liberating Humanity Is the Same as the Path to Liberating the Individual
The path to enlightenment is the process of becoming clearly aware of all the different aspects of the way you operate inside, which enables you to relate to life as it’s actually appearing instead of through the filters of old conditioned mental habits. The path to the liberation of our species is the process of collectively becoming clearly aware of the reality of our situation as opposed to the false narratives about it, so that we can begin solving our problems as they actually are instead of the way the establishment media describes them. These two processes are recursive mirrors of each other; one describes the process on the micro scale, the other on the macro, but they occur in the exact same way.
People sometimes complain that I talk about the problems that humanity faces without ever offering any solutions. I disagree with this criticism; I talk about the solution to our problem all the time, using plain language that anyone can understand. It just often goes in one ear and out the other, because it’s not the sort of answer that people have been conditioned to listen for.
When people ask for solutions to our problems, they’re conditioned by the standard rhetoric of our time to get an essay about labor organization, political activism, consumer activism, cryptocurrencies or technological innovations, depending on where they’re at on the political spectrum. What they are not conditioned to listen for is the most direct and honest answer that I am able to give them: that we’ve got to move from an unhealthy relationship with mental narrative into a healthy one.
This is not some lofty or impractical suggestion, it’s just the thing that we need to do in order to pull up and away from our ecocidal, omnicidal trajectory and move into a healthy collaboration with each other and with our ecosystem. As long as our minds are susceptible to the manipulations of the powerful people who rule us by controlling the dominant narratives in our world, we’ll be bent to the will of sociopathic plutocrats and opaque government agencies until we plunge forever into the darkness of extinction or dehumanizing dystopia. Individuals are capable of transcending the unwholesome relationship with mental narrative which dominates conventional human consciousness, so that’s a potentiality which exists within our species as a collective as well.
This is the only off-ramp that I can see from the armageddon superhighway. It’s impossible to get the people to use the power of their numbers to unseat their oppressors as long as their oppressors are able to control the thoughts that they think in their heads. Political organization and activism can be thwarted by mass media campaigns which manipulate the majority into continuing to support the status quo. Cryptocurrencies and technological innovations are impotent as long as those in power can control the stories that the majority tells itself about how they work and what should be done with them. You won’t engage in revolutionary behavior if you’re being manipulated into not wanting to. So we’ve got to become impossible to manipulate.
This is the solution, and it’s very achievable. For millennia humanity has been writing about the capacity within all of us to transcend our old conditioning patterns and perceive the world free from the filters of mental narrative. They wrote about it within the limitations that existed on their expression at the time, coloring their descriptions with their respective religious beliefs, linguistic and cultural conventions, and what understanding of the mind they had access to in a pre-science world, and their ideas were generally cloistered within small esoteric circles due to the limited nature of communication, but the underlying message was always the same: reality is not what our thoughts describe, and we are all capable of perceiving beyond that mental veil.
Up until now, the phenomenon of what many refer to as enlightenment has been a fairly rare occurrence within our species (though I suspect not quite as rare as some claim). According to some teachers who’ve been coaching people through the process for decades, it seems to be happening more and more frequently today. The teacher Adyashanti writes the following:
There’s a phenomenon happening in the world today. More and more people are waking up—having real, authentic glimpses of reality. By this I mean that people seem to be having moments where they awaken out of their familiar senses of self, and out of their familiar senses of what the world is, into a much greater reality—into something far beyond anything they knew existed.
These experiences of awakening differ from person to person. For some, the awakening is sustained over time, while for others the glimpse is momentary—it may last just a split second. But in that instant, the whole sense of “self ” disappears. The way they perceive the world suddenly changes, and they find themselves without any sense of separation between themselves and the rest of the world. It can be likened to the experience of waking up from a dream—a dream you didn’t even know you were in until you were jolted out of it.
In the beginning of my teaching work, most of the people who came to me were seeking these deeper realizations of spirituality. They were seeking to wake up from the limiting and isolated senses of self they had imagined themselves to be. It’s this yearning that underpins all spiritual seeking: to discover for ourselves what we already intuit to be true— that there is more to life than we are currently perceiving.
But as time has passed, more and more people are coming to me who have already had glimpses of this greater reality.
Renowned author and teacher Eckhart Tolle agrees:
I see signs that it is already happening. For the first time there is a large scale awakening on our planet. Why now? Because if there is no change in human consciousness now, we will destroy ourselves and perhaps the planet. The insanity of the collective egoic mind, amplified by science and technology, is rapidly taking our species to the brink of disaster. Evolve or die: that is our only choice now. Without considering the Eastern world, my estimate is that at this time about ten percent of people in North America are already awakening. That makes thirty million Americans alone, and in addition to those people in other North American countries, about ten percent of the population of Western European countries are also awakening. This is probably enough of a critical mass to bring about a new earth. So the transformation of consciousness is truly happening even though they won’t be reporting it on tonight’s news. Is it happening fast enough? I am hopeful about humanity’s future, much more so now than when I wrote The Power of Now. In fact that is why I wrote that book. I really wasn’t sure that humanity was going to survive. Now I feel differently. I see many reasons to be hopeful.
You are of course free to believe these guys or not, but I personally don’t see any incentive for them to be disingenuous about what they’re seeing in their field of work. The best way to make a fortune as a spiritual teacher is to gather a large cult-like following around yourself under the presentation of having attained something exceedingly special and rare, not to say essentially, “Yeah this is happening all over the place now; it’s no big deal. What happened to me is becoming as common as grass.”
So why the change? Why after millennia of enlightenment remaining a rare phenomenon are we suddenly seeing it becoming more common?
I don’t know. Maybe it’s got something to do with the fact that we’re at evolve-or-die time as a species, and something primal deep within us is leaping to clear that hurdle in the same way all organisms fight to survive with everything they’ve got. Maybe it’s got something to do with our exponentially improved ability to network and share information, making useful pointers and teachings which guide the way to enlightenment vastly more accessible. Maybe our unprecedented access to information itself is the cause; billions of human brains suddenly connected to mankind’s entire collective archive of knowledge is in and of itself a drastic change in human consciousness. Maybe it’s all three. Maybe it’s something else we can’t see yet. But it does appear to be happening.
So what is enlightenment? There are as many answers to this question as there are people interested in it. Many will tell you that it’s a “merging with the divine” or some other unhelpful word salad of metaphysical specialness. Others will tell you that it’s a recognition of your own true nature as pure awareness which witnesses the play of forms. Others will say it’s the awakening of an energy in the spine known as kundalini, whose rise up through the crown of the head transforms your way of functioning. Others will say it’s simply seeing life as it is, unfiltered by mental conditioning. Go to online spiritual discussion forums and you’ll find people arguing about this question with the same vitriolic fervor as you see between different political ideologies in the forums you’re probably more familiar with.
Personally I haven’t found it very useful to talk about enlightenment as one specific thing that happens in one specific instance, like a lightbulb flicking on once and then you’re done. There are many different aspects to the human condition, and you can be very conscious of the way some of them are happening and deeply unconscious of others. The fiery shopkeeper guru Nisargadatta Maharaj, for example, was profoundly lucid on the nature of awareness and the field of consciousness which appears within it, able to speak with earth-shaking clarity that radically changed people’s lives despite having little education. But he was also a chain smoker and died of lung cancer, unable to bring clear seeing to that particular unwholesome aspect of his functioning. Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had a stroke in a specific part of the linguistic center of her brain, permanently changing her relationship with mental narrative and bringing her a tremendous amount of inner peace, but she can’t teach people how to get there for themselves because she didn’t consciously walk through any path to get there.
Enlightenment is more like the process of turning on the lights in a very large house, room by room. For some people the kitchen light is on, but the entire upstairs floor is dark. Others have the lights on in the master bedroom and the basement, but everything in between is endarkened.
Some people have a very clear understanding of the nature of awareness and thought, which tends to get the most play in the discussion of spiritual enlightenment. But others have flicked the lights on in the way their bodily energy systems operate, able to experience and use those energies in a way that other people just aren’t conscious of. Others have enlightened their previously repressed childhood traumas, and are able to clearly understand how their experiences in life have shaped the way they’re conditioned to think and behave. Others have enlightened their emotionality, and have a deep, emotionally rich relationship with life while others sedate and ignore their emotions. Others have enlightened their inner guidance system and are able to perceive a tug toward wise decisions which lead them to take beneficial actions. None of these are any more special or important than the other, they’re just different rooms in the house that either have the lights on or off.
Whenever you hear about a spiritual teacher conducting themselves in a way that could be described as unenlightened, sleeping with students or having childish temper tantrums, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re not enlightened in some sense. It could just mean that they’re enlightened in one way but not in another. In one way they’re able to relate to life with great clarity, and in another they’re just as confused and clumsy as anyone else. The lights are on in the attic but not the living room.
And, to bring this home to the opening paragraph of this essay, the same is true of the process of enlightening the world. There are a great many ways in which humanity is asleep at the wheel, and we’re going to have to bring the light of truth to all of them.
We’re going to have to bring the light of truth to the ways we’ve all been lied to by our teachers, by our politicians and by our media. We’re going to have to bring the light of truth to the horrors of war and the sinister motives behind it. We’re going to have to bring the light of truth to what we’re doing to our ecosystem and the forces which incentivize us to play along with ecocide. We’re going to have to bring the light of truth to the ways we enslave and are enslaved by each other in our interpersonal relationships, and how we enslave and are enslaved by our current social systems. We’re going to have to bring the light of truth to racism, sexism and other forms of bigotry and the ways that they prevent us from having wholesome relationships with each other. We’re going to have to bring the light of truth to the manipulations of the financial sector, money in politics, the evils of factory farming, the prison system, the war on drugs, and the structures which keep economic injustice in place. We can’t fight problems if we can’t see them clearly, so we’ve got to help each other turn the lights on in all of those areas. We’ve got to enlighten them.
None of the steps taken on this path toward the enlightenment of humanity are any more or less important than any other. One rebel may spend their energy exposing the false narratives of the news media. One rebel may bring attention to the plight of the Palestinians. One rebel may spend years making a documentary exposing the senseless butchery of dolphins in Taiji. One rebel may help film the unseen cruelty of factory farming. One rebel might share her story and expose the reality of rape culture. One rebel might help show everyone all the genocide and exploitation that went into creating their country as it currently exists, and help them come to a mature relationship with and response to that reality. One rebel might make art encouraging people to open their eyes to what’s really going on. Each of these small rebellions help flick on the lights of the house that is our world, and we need all of it.
With intense, sincere inner work, we can flick on the lights of our inner world room-by-room so that we can relate to life as it actually is in more and more ways. With intense, sincere outer work, we can flick on the lights of our outer world room by room and begin solving the problems that had previously been obscured by blackouts and propaganda disinfo. These movements are fundamentally the same. They both complement each other, and they’re both indispensable.
This article, republished under a creative commons license, originally appeared here.
Caitlin Johnstone is a rogue journalist, bogan socialist, anarcho-psychonaut and guerrilla poet.
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American Journal of Educational Research. 2014, 2(12), 1260-1266
DOI: 10.12691/education-2-12-21
The Intervention Program “The Voice of the Other”
Zahava barkani1,
1Department of Education, Hakibbuzim College, Tel-Aviv, Israel
Pub. Date: December 24, 2014
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Zahava barkani. The Intervention Program “The Voice of the Other”. American Journal of Educational Research. 2014; 2(12):1260-1266. doi: 10.12691/education-2-12-21
This study examined the impact of the intervention program "The Voice of the Other" on student teachers and the process that the students undergo throughout the program. This study also examines the impact of the unique tools that influenced the process.
the other teacher training critical education experiential learning
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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[8] MacPhail, J. C. and Kaur, B. (2007) In search of a participatory democratic vision in teacher education, in Freeman-Moir, J. and Scott, A. (eds.) Shaping the Future: Critical Essays on Teacher Education, p. 235-256. Rotterdam: Sense.
[9] Michaeli, N. (2008) Unseen hand and an outstretched arm: Pedagogical aspects of privatization of education. Turning. 58. p. 27-32.
[10] Nichols, S. L. and Berliner, D.C. (2007) Collateral Damage: How High Stakes Testing Corrupts America's Schools. Cambridge: Harvard Education Press.
[11] Rorty, R. (1998) Achieving Our Country: Leftist Thought in Twentieth Century America. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
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[14] Yuval-Davis, N. (2010) Theorizing identity: Beyond the us and them dichotomy. Patterns of Prejudice. 44 (3) Routledge. p. 261-280.
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Former Players Sue NFL Alleging Racially Motivated Practices
Nathaniel French, Nathan Law
Nathaniel French and Nathan Law explore a recent class action lawsuit against the NFL which alleges the NFL limited black players’ access to concussion settlement funds in an article titled "Former Players Sue NFL Alleging Racially Motivated Practices."
Please see below for the full article, originally published in Sports Litigation Alert.
On August 25, 2020, two former National Football League (“NFL”) players, Kevin Henry and Najeh Davenport, filed a class action lawsuit against the NFL in Pennsylvania Federal Court alleging the NFL limited black players access to concussion settlement funds. The class is made up of black players who were part of the June 23, 2014 Settlement Agreement reached in In re: National Football League: Players’ Concussion Injury Litigation. Henry and Davenport, both retired black NFL players, allege the NFL deliberately altered ex-players “cognitive function” scores in a way that made it harder for former black players to receive benefits under the Settlement Agreement.
Henry and Davenport, on behalf of the class, argue in the complaint that the Settlement Agreement is marred by an unacceptable flaw; namely that the formula used by the NFL in identifying qualifying diagnoses discriminates on the basis of race. As a result of the discriminatory formula, it is alleged that the NFL has avoided paying head-injury claims that should qualify for payment under the Settlement Agreement. The complaint alleges that when being evaluated for qualifying diagnoses of neurocognitive impairment, black players are automatically assumed to have started with worse cognitive functioning than white players. This is known as “race-norming,” or “within-group score conversion,” and refers to the practice of adjusting test scores to account for the race or ethnicity of the test taker. This practice was outlawed by the Civil Rights Act of 1991. The complaint alleges race-norming occurred when a retired black player and retired white player received the same raw scores on a variety of tests designed to measure current cognitive functioning, however, the black player was found to have suffered less impairment, and therefore was less likely to receive benefits. Specifically, the Players are alleging the Baseline Assessment Program (“BAP”) Guide, developed by the NFL and class counsel in negotiating the 2014 Settlement Agreement, is improper in that it requires a “full demographic correction” by an evaluating neuropsychologist when evaluating a player’s test scores.
Henry played for the Pittsburgh Steelers while in the NFL from 1993—2000. During his playing career, he suffered multiple concussions. Pursuant to the 2014 Concussion Litigation Settlement Agreement, Henry received a neurological examination from a physician on August 2, 2017. The physician concluded that Henry’s test scores qualified him for benefits in the categories of executive functioning (Level 1.5) and learning and memory (Level 2). Despite this, Henry was denied benefits. Henry underwent a second neurological examination on December 5, 2019. This time, the physician determined that Henry’s test scores did not qualify him for benefits under Level 1.5 or Level 2. The complaint notes that the second neurological examination used a “Full Demographic Model,” which took into account age, education, and race/ethnicity.
Davenport played for the Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Indianapolis Colts during his time in the NFL from 2002—2008. The complaint alleges that he suffered over 10 concussions during his playing career. Pursuant to the 2014 Settlement Agreement, Davenport received a neurological examination from a physician on November 5, 2019. The physician concluded that Davenport’s test scores qualified him for benefits in the categories of executive functioning (Level 1.5) and language (Level 2). Following this, Davenport received a Notice of Monetary Award indicating that he would receive benefits. However, the NFL appealed the award of benefits, arguing, in part, that an independent re-calculation of Mr. Davenport’s scores was done which applied race-based norms, and that the re-calculation showed that Davenport did not display the requisite cognitive impairment to receive benefits.
This case presents several unique legal questions and challenges. As a threshold matter, because the NFL is a private entity, the Players will need to show that the NFL’s evaluation criteria intentionally discriminated against the Players based on their race. However, since this case is brought under 42 USC § 1981 (“§ 1981”), and involves non-governmental Parties, the NFL can rebut this accusation with evidence of a legitimate nondiscriminatory reason justifying the evaluation criteria. Doe v. Kamehameha Sch./Bishop Estate, 416 F. 3d 1025, 1039 (9th Cir. 2005). This is a much lower standard than a “strict scrutiny” standard typically used in equal protection cases alleging racial discrimination.
Assuming the Players can meet these criteria to state a case under § 1981, there is still the question of whether the Players are correct in their assertion that the NFL was required to consult with them when establishing the BAP evaluation guidelines, and specifically whether demographic corrections can be part of the guidelines. Next, is the unique legal issue of “race-norming.” While the Players are correct that race-norming is generally illegal, the practice has so far been addressed mainly in the context of affirmative action cases where race-norming practices were allegedly used to pass over white candidates for promotions. This is also the first known legal challenge to the use of race-norms in the field of neuropsychology. Another potential stumbling block for the Players is the undisputable fact that race is not the only factor used in BAP demographic correction, rather many demographic factors are considered, such as acceptance into universities.
Lastly, it will be interesting to see the potential impact this case will have on the NFL’s relationship with the insurance industry. Concussion litigation settlements are currently valued at $1 billion, giving the NFL an uphill battle with the future of providing insurance coverage against the payout of personal injury settlements for players. In fact, some insurance companies have refused to defend policyholders in such matters. Whether an insurer is obligated to defend a policy holder in a § 1981 claim turns on whether the insured committed acts of intentional discrimination on the basis of race, as such acts are typically found to be excluded from coverage. Travelers Cas. & Sur. Co. v. Rage Admin. & Mktg. Servs., Inc., 42 F. Supp. 2d 1159, 1999 (D. Kan. 1999). The element of “intentional discrimination on the basis of race” is also an element of the prima facie case the Players need to set out in their case. As such, the present case has the potential to harm the future sustainability of the NFL.
Needless to say, this case has all the makings of a landmark decision and will be an interesting case to follow throughout the various stages of discovery.
Nathan Law
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Relatives Matter
Robson Family
Fuller Family
Rundle Family
The Robson Family of Wallsend and Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland England and Newcastle and Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
In Robson Family November 11, 2015 2348 Views VIR
Our Robson family were from Wallsend, Northumberland, a town 10 km east of Newcastle upon Tyne in northern England. This general area is where our family had probably lived for centuries. Border wars between Scotland and England would have occasionally disrupted their otherwise peaceful community. The Robson clan were convenient border hoppers, depending on where the war was being fought, they would make sure they were on the winning side of the wall, thus ensuring their family’s survival from the invading and marauding troops.
St Peter’s Church, Wallsend, Northumberland, England
Wallsend is an apt description for this township, marking the eastern end of Hadrian’s Wall, and the border between England and Scotland. The Roman wall survives well in this area and the folklore of the Roman occupation would have been handed down through the generations. Coal had been mined since the earliest recorded history of the area. Coal was needed primarily for heating in the earliest times. The Romans used the coal for their under floor heating, and elaborate examples can still be found at Housesteads on the English side of the wall not far from Wallsend. Water was heated and the hot water was piped under the floors to keep the Roman forts, baths and barracks warm in the bitter English winters. The coal seam at Wallsend was lucrative and large. Later Newcastle became an important port for the exporting of coal, and demand for coal during the industrial revolution rose exponentially. Coal mining though was notoriously dangerous, cave-ins and gas explosions were part of the everyday risk faced by the miners of Wallsend. Coal would then have been sent to Newcastle via wagons to the River Tyne, then loaded the coal onto barge boats which took the cargo to Newcastle’s port, ready for export. Industrialised England also used coal for steam engines to power their trains and machinery. Our Robson ancestors were variably miners, waggon men, keelmen, coal agents, coal engineers and colliers.
“During the Industrial Revolution, the Wallsend Colliery consisted of 7 pits which were active between 1778 and 1935. In the 1820s the pits became incorporated as Russell’s Colliery, which then became The Wallsend and Hebburn Coal Company Ltd.
Between 1767 and 1925 there were 11 major incidents recorded at the colliery resulting in over 209 deaths. On 18 June 1835 a gas explosion in one of the tunnels killed 102 miners, the youngest of which was aged 8 and the oldest 75. Many of the dead were found with their cloth caps in their mouth. This is believed to have been an attempt to prevent inhalation of the gas which eventually killed them. The bodies were extracted and buried in St Peters churchyard at the top of the bank overlooking the Wallsend Burn. A plaque has been erected within the churchyard to commemorate this tragedy.
Another important industry in this area of England were the English mariners and shipbuilders. Wallsend has a history of shipbuilding, and was the home of the Wigham Richardson shipyard, which later amalgamated to form Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, probably best known for building the RMS Mauretania. This express liner held the “Blue Riband”, for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic, for 22 years. Other famous ships built in Wallsend included the RMS Carpathia which rescued the survivors from the Titanic in 1912.” Wikipedia
Slate mining also took place in Wallsend, and much of it was also exported around the world, being used as ballast in the merchant and migrant ships that moved between England and Australia.
Portrait of Matthew Robson, the father of William Robson J.P., detail from a photograph entitled Four Generations of the Robson Family, from The Robson Family Photograph Album lodged with Wollongong Library.
St. Peter’s Church at Wallsend was where Matthew Robson and his wife Margaret Miller, worshipped and baptised their children. Sunday was the only day off for the miners and other workers. Their day would have focused around their families and their church. No holidays were granted to the English worker. Holy days would have been observed for Easter and Christmas, and it was during these times that marriages often took place, knowing that their extended families were already gathered together.
The first Robsons in our family to step ashore in Australia were William Robson (1817-1888), his wife Ann Robson nee Veitch (1816-1854), and their young daughter, Margaret Robson (1839-1903) and new born baby Matthew Emerald Robson (1841-1899). Their ship, the Emerald Isle left from Portsmouth in the south of England on 3 September 1841. William, his heavily pregnant wife and daughter Margaret probably travelled from Newcastle by a small ship or ferry, with other mining migrants to join the Emerald Isle in Plymouth. William Robson had been employed by the Australian Agricultural Company and his occupation was listed as a pitman. The opportunity for a new life in a new country must have been appealing to William. It is probable that his journey to Australia was a dual purpose. One was his occupation as a miner, and the other, his religion. William’s family had become devout Methodists and there was certainly an almost missionary zeal to his migration, for the purposes of setting up Primitive Methodist Churches in the Newcastle and Hunter areas of New South Wales. During the voyage there was encouragement for the passengers to undertake educational opportunities and I believe this was when William Robson learnt to read and write. The majority of the passengers listed on the ship were assisted Irish migrants, often called bounty passenger, unfortunately if you paid your passage, or in William’s case he was independently employed, you and your family were simply listed as a number and not a name.
From Right to Left: Emerald Isle, Eden, Goshawk and Henry Porcher, at anchor, 1839, Port Adelaide, South Australia, image courtesy Pinterest
Shipping Intelligence, “Arrivals” Sydney Morning Herald 23 Dec 1841
I spent a good deal of time searching for a shipping record for the Robson’s aboard the Emerald Isle, hoping to gain any migration information about William Robson’s family, and the Robson family’s life in England, hoping for an address. I was thrilled to find a document written by the ship’s surgeon which showed that Ann Robson had given birth to a son on 11 September 1841, during the voyage to Australia. Ann and William named their son Matthew Emerald Robson in honour of the ship that bought them to Australia. Matthew was also named in honour of his paternal grandfather, Matthew Robson (1794-1884). I actually knew that Ann Robson’s maiden name was Veitch, this information came from a photograph of Four Generations of the Robson Family, which used to hang on my father’s dressing room wall at Point Piper. Also the knowledge that my grandfather was named William Elliott Veitch Robson, but always known as W.E.V. Robson, named in honour of his two grandmothers, Margaret Elliott and Ann Veitch who were both married to William Robson Snr. William Robson Jnr had been a small child when his mother Ann Veitch, had died, and he was bought up in the loving family that his father William Robson Snr. created with his new wife Margaret Elliott.
Emerald Isle “Surgeon’s Report” listing Ann Robson’s birth of a male child.
After Matthew Emerald Robson (1841-1899) birth, four more children were born to William Robson and Ann Veitch in Newcastle, Maitland and the Hunter Districts – William Robson (1843-1920), Thomas Robson (1846-1937), Mary Robson (1847-1848) and Jane Robson (1848-1851).
The Australian Agricultural Company was charged with the job of developing the coal industry in Australia and thus when the Robson’s arrived in Sydney, they were immediately taken by ship to Newcastle where apparently they arrived on Christmas Day, 1841. I found this information in a folder which had been lodged with the Newcastle Library by John Elliott Robson circa 1980. There was much information on William Robson’s early activities, below are a few notes I took from this folder. Much of the information dealt with William’s land purchases, and how he was involved in the laying out of the Morpeth Township, naming several streets after his children. Interestingly, one piece of information my father, Reginald George Robson told me as a child was, that Robsons Road, at the bottom of Mount Keira in Wollongong, was named after William Robson Snr, was confirmed by John Elliott Robson in his folder.
“Granted a Hawkers licence in the Hunter River Area on 31 January 1846
Committee member of the First Singleton Cricket Club on 24 July 1850
Witness at Coronial inquest into the death of Thomas Connor, 9 April 1851
Preacher at the Primitive Methodist Church, Maitland, 6 September 1851, together with other members, they borrowed money for the purpose of operating meeting places allowing for schools to be built also on properties in Newcastle, Morpeth and Crown St, Sydney. Later a member of the Wesleyan Missionary Society, being Newington College, near Frederick St.
Witness at the trial of Robert and Thomas Hawke, 6 September 1851.
His first home was in Wickham, later called Tighes Hill, and later the Robson family lived in East Maitland, mortgaged for 1000 pounds, and was directly opposite John and Martha Elliott’s home, before he moved to Wollongong purchasing a home of approx. 50 acres, 30 acres of it being on the banks of the Shoalhaven River.”
Notes taken by Virginia Rundle from John Elliott Robson’s documents
Maitland Mercury, 17 September 1853
NSW Burial Transcription for Ann Robson, 17 September 1853
After finding the funeral notice for Ann Robson from the Maitland Mercury on Trove Digitised Newspapers, a newspaper research and clipping service, which is a free online server provided by the Australian National Library, I then purchased her burial transcription from NSW BDM Registry. The age has worried many Robson family researchers, as it is obviously incorrect and should read 35 years. The Newcastle Family History Society regards it as human error at the time by the minister John R Blomfield.
It was also interesting to see that the status of William Robson had changed in the community and he was now calling himself a collier rather than a coal miner.
Ann Robson’s death in the Upper Hunter was a tragedy for this young family. William must have been devastated by his loss, coupled with the fact that he was left with one surviving daughter and three sons to support and raise. I don’t know what caused Ann’s death, and I did purchase her death certificate in the hope that the cause of death would have been revealed, however, minimal information was provided.
I started collecting Australian records for the Robson’s children born in Australia, primarily searching for my direct ancestor William Robson Jnr., a record that proved elusive at first. The first record I found was the Baptism of Matthew Emerald shortly after the family arrived in Newcastle, from the Family Search website. At first I was wary, in case I was collecting the wrong records, especially the one for William Robinson, however I gained corroboration for these records as correct from the Newcastle Family History Association (NFHA) who have a lot of our Robson documents and memorabilia in their files.
Matthew Emerald Robson, “Australia, Births and Baptisms, 1792-1981”
Name: Matthew Emerald Robson
Christening Date: 06 Feb 1842
Christening Place: CHRIST CHURCH, NEWCASTLE, NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA
Birth Date: 11 Sep 1841
Birthplace: New South Wales, Australia
Name Note:
Father’s Name: William Robson
Father’s Birthplace:
Father’s Age:
Mother’s Name: Ann
Mother’s Birthplace:
Mother’s Age:
Indexing Project (Batch) Number: C13544-5
System Origin: Australia-EASy
GS Film number: 993954
Reference ID:
I joined ancestry.com in January 2011 and took up an annual subscription for UK and Australian record access. It has proved to be an amazing research tool. The Robson records were collected from ancestry.com.au and are extract transcriptions from the originals. Originals can be purchased from NSW BDM Registry Office, however they do charge extortionate prices for these documents.
Australian Birth Indexes 1788-1922:
Name: Matthew E Robson
Birth Date: 1842
Birth Place: New South Wales
Registration Year: 1842
Registration Place: Hoxham, Newcastle, New South Wales
Volume Number: V18421575 26A
Name: Thomas Robson
Registration Place: Maitland, West Maitland, New South Wales
Volume Number: V1848771 55
Name: Jane Robson
Registration Place: Hunter River District, Newcastle, New South Wales
Volume Number: V18491878 55
Name: William Robinson
Father’s name: William Robinson
Australian Death Index 1787-1985:
Name: Mary Robson
Death Date: 1848
Death Place: New South Wales
Registration Place: Black Creek, Bulwarra, Cloden, East Maitland, Hinton, Hunter District, Maitland, Morpeth, West Maitland, New South Wales
Volume Number: V1848993 53B
Volume Number: V18511139 378
The ancestry.com website has an excellent messaging system and I have been impressed with the membership courtesy. There is also a story and document sharing area and often other members will place certificates on the site. There is no birth record for Mary, the Newcastle Family History Society claim Thomas was born in 1846. This is understandable, as the Robson family were living in a remote area of New South Wales, which was barely mapped and recorded. There was probably a large gap in time between birth and registration.
I found many interesting documents that have helped me in my quest to piece together the Robson puzzle. The fact that three of my direct descendants in a row were called William Robson was something that I needed to sort out as carefully as possible. I firstly found that the Australian National University had an online biography of prominent Australians and all three William Robsons are listed at the Australian Dictionary of Biography. My uncle Murray Robson also had an online biography.
The Robson Family Tree was authored by Samuel Warren Carey A.O., a copy was given to our Robson family by Kenneth “Ken” Robson in an A3 format. Samuel Carey did an amazing job authoring this tree and it was a life time achievement, put together in the 1970’s. It was done with incredible thoroughness. It is impressive, being done at a time when there were no computers or internet records and is a feat of his intelligence and perseverance. He would have had to apply in writing and paid for any documentation. I am not sure what has happened to the original family tree, but our Robson family was lucky to be given a precious copy. I originally had thought that the Robson Family Tree was authored by Kenneth Robson, however I am very grateful to Samuel Warren Carey’s son Harley Carey who contacted me to set the record straight after reading my chapter on this website, he left me a message. After corresponding with Harley he told me his father had one of the earliest Mac computers in Australia and from this he devised and invented his unique system of indexing his relations and ancestors in code form. I don’t want to take anything away from Ken Robson’s contribution, he was a first cousin of Samuel Carey and I know he worked on the Robson Family Tree, as I can remember seeing all his documents in his apartment and he explained how he used to send requests to UK Registry Office for birth and marriage record, and he always enclosed a stamped addressed envelope for the returning documents.
Robson Family Tree Index1, authored by S Warren Carey, kindly provided by his son Harley Carey
Samuel Warren Carey A.O. was married to Austral Mary Robson, who was a great granddaughter of William Robson Snr and his second wife Margaret Elliott. Kenneth Robson and Austral Carey nee Robson were first cousins. Kenneth’s father George William Russell Robson and Austral’s father Allan Roberts Robson were the sons of George Robson and Mary Russell Robson. George Robson was born at Keira Cottage, the son of William Robson and Margaret Elliott on 6 September 1858.
Birth of George Robson, son of William and Margaret Robson, 9 Sept 1858, Illawarra Mercury
The Robson Family Tree was a most accurate document and it took a great amount of time to analyse the huge amount of information and the intricate handwriting. An online website called The Early Gracies had most interesting and useful information on the Robson and Elliott families, and another website Tizzana concentrated on a cousin of William Robson Snr, namely George Robson and his two wives, Hannah Hornsby and Elizabeth Browlee. The mention of George Robson became a major challenge for my research. Not only was I determined to find and place William Robson Snr back into his family in Northumberland, but I was now wanting to find out the connection with his “cousin” George Robson.
It was William Robson’s association with the Elliott’s of Segenhoe that bought him most conveniently together Margaret Wiseman, the “widowed” daughter of John Elliott and Martha Sadler. William Robson and Margaret Elliott Wiseman’s marriage was a great success.
Margaret was a loving and kind mother to William Robson Snr’s surviving children, Margaret, Matthew, William and Thomas. It cannot be underestimated what a strong and supportive wife Margaret was to William Robson Snr. William and Margaret had nine children from their marriage, and it really was a case of a “his, hers and theirs” marriage, that was both large and happy. Their first two children John Eggleston Robson (1854-1939) and Jane Ann Robson (1855-1868) were born in Maitland. William and Margaret Robson later moved all their children from Maitland to Wollongong when William became the manager the Mount Keira Colliery in 1857/1859. Seven other children were born in Wollongong, Mary Robson (1857-1891), George Robson (1858-1920), Henry James Robson (1860-1945), Frederic Robson (1861-1926), Rosabel Robson (1863-1942), Ellen Robson (1864-1944) and Martha Jane Robson (1866-1876).
“In 1857 William Robson opened the Osborne-Wallsend colliery for the owner Henry Osborne. In 1859 following the death of Henry Osborne, William Robson along with three other men, Jackson, Nixon and Tulip became a member of the Company, and took out a 25-year lease from the Osborne family. In 1867 Jackson, Nixon and Tulip sold their interests to Robson and Spiers, who continued to mine for a further 4 years until their retirement in 1871. The mine then returned back into the hands of the owners, the Osbornes.” Information provided by Kay Rayner
It was around this time in my research that I found an online website named The Early Gracies, which went into some depth regarding William Robson’s second marriage to Margaret Elliott Wiseman, and her parents, the Elliotts. It would appear that there was a strong relationship between William Robson and the Elliotts due to the fact that John Elliott’s mother was a Robson, and most definitely a relative connecting the families from Northumberland, England.
“John ELLIOTT was the third son of William ELLIOTT and Mary ROBSON and was baptised on April 10, 1796. John and Martha SADLER (the daughter of William SADLER and Margaret BLYTH) were married February 15, 1824 at Newcastle-upon-Tyne and shortly after, on March 18, 1824, their first child, a daughter Margaret was born. This early birth of their first child Margaret probably caused hostility in Martha’s parents and resulted in John’s signing a seven-year indenture with Thomas Potter Macqueen to come to Australia as a blacksmith. Margaret was seven months old when the Elliott family sailed from Gravesend on the HUGH CRAWFORD early in November 1824.
Thomas Potter Macqueen MP had been granted 20,000 acres of land in the Hunter River district of NSW and had set about acquiring people, stock, equipment and stores and the means to transport them from England to Australia. His ship was the HUGH CRAWFORD. Built by the Americans as a privateer, the “Hugh Crawford” of 420 tons was reputed to be one of the fastest sailing vessels in the world. Thomas Potter Macqueen claimed that his original investment in this venture was the largest by an individual that had left England up to that time. His land grant was the largest individual in NSW and his estate, “Segenhoe” was the greatest to be formed at once by a single proprietor.
The voyage started from London and lasted from November 1824 until April 3, 1825 when the ship arrived in Sydney; Macqueen was also travelling in the ship. The enterprise was then delayed in Sydney for five months and it was not until September that they sailed from Port Jackson for Hunter’s River and then over a week before they reached “Segenhoe”. Here John and Martha lived during the period of his indenture however Martha was the only one of the three women to remain at “Segenhoe” more than two years.” The Early Gracies
John Elliott, the son of William and Mary Elliott nee Robson was christened and also married at All Saints Church, Newcastle Upon Tyne in Northumberland, England. It is probable that this Robson connection in the Elliott family was more than simply a coincidence, but at this stage I can draw no relationship.
Marriage of William Elliott and Ann/Mary Robson 2 April, 1782 Rothbury Northumberland
I have collected a Parish record for the marriage of William Elliott and “Ann” Robson, this is probably a Bishop’s Transcript, meaning it is a copy of the original record, ordered for their official records. Other records of the same marriage clearly list the bride as Mary Robson, see this transcription below. Either the Vicar transcribed incorrectly, especially as the bride listed directly above is named Ann, or Ann was Mary Ann. I can’t explain this discrepancy. I can only put it down to human error.
England, Select Marriages, 1838-1970:
Name: William Elliott
Marriage Date: 2 Apr 1782
Marriage Place: Rothbury, Northumberland, England
Spouse: Mary Robson
FHL Film Number: 94975
Baptism of John Elliott son of William and Mary, 3 April 1796, All Saints, Newcastle on Tyne
Other Bishop’s transcription records give the birth date of John Elliott as 7 February 1796. This baptism above gives John’s father the occupation of Glass mr. William and Mary Elliott had two other children, William Elliott born 1785 and Mary Elliott 1789, both baptisms record their father William’s occupation as Glass mr.
England and Wales Christening Record 1530-1906:
Name: John Elliott
Birth Date: 7 Feb 1796
Christening Date: 3 Apr 1796
Christening Place: All Saints, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, England
Age at Christening: 0
Father’s name: William Elliott
Mother’s name: Mary
Marriage of John Elliott and Martha Sadler, 15 Feb 1824, All Saints, Newcastle upon Tyne
The marriage record for the Elliott lists one of the witnesses as Matthew Sadler, presumably a relation, possibly a brother or uncle. Martha’s father is named as William in the Australia Death Index.
Australia Death Index, 1787-1985
Martha Elliott
Death Place
Registration Place
Maitland New South Wales
1828 New South Wales Census listing John and Martha Elliott and their children living at Segenhoe
Pioneers’ Honoured by Descendants, Newcastle Sun, 7 November 1938 page 6
Death of John Elliott, Maitland Mercury 11 August, 1874 page 1
The information from the death notice of John Elliott regarding the staggering number of grandchildren of the Elliotts is quite mind boggling. It was a fact that the Elliotts were large land owners, and established their own cemetery at Buttai Creek, and indicates that they had almost begun their own township. So many of the Elliott children remained in the area and are buried in this most historic cemetery.
John and Martha had twelve children, in fact Martha was still giving birth to her last child after her daughter Margaret Elliott had started her own family with Thomas Wiseman. This generational overlap was probably not uncommon, but in today’s modern family it is a surprising piece of information.
Gravestone of John and Martha Elliott, The Elliott Family Private Cemetery, Buttai Creek, image courtesy of Gallagher family tree on ancestry.com 21 January 2011.
John and Martha Elliott’s headstone, covered in lichen, is now barely readable, photo by Virginia Rundle, 4 July 2017
I had long wanted to visit the Hunter Valley to find Buttai Creek Cemetery, on land once owned by the Elliott family. In July 2017 Geoff and I travelled to the Hunter Valley for a short break and my opportunity to find this cemetery happened on 4 July, on a magnificent sunny morning. The land the cemetery sits on has now been sold to Bloomfield, a coal mining company, which is in the process of long wall mining the valley between the cemetery and the creek, which runs along the valley floor. I was able to locate Buttai Creek on Google Maps from my mini iPad as my husband Geoff and I were driving on a nearby roadway, and with the help of a hotspot we came an open valley beneath a large hill. With the help of kindly neighbours in the area we were sent to a home still owned by one of the Elliott family. They kindly told us that the Cemetery was at the top of the hill opposite their home. We had gotten so close, yet so far, because they explained that the land was closed for mining purposes.
Determined to get further, we paid a visit to a house on the opposite side of the road, and turned our car up a driveway which wound up the hill. We drove right up to the house hoping to find the householder at home, but were only greeted by their friendly dog whose barking didn’t bring anyone out of the house; clearly there was no one home. In an incredible moment of my family history, I looked up from the house towards the hilltop and a short distance away I could see a headstone glistening in the morning sunlight. I turned to my husband with a wry smile, and I think he knew straight away that my adventure was not ending here, it was just beginning!
As Geoff drove back down the hillside and parked our car beyond the gate, I spied, beyond the property fence a disused roadway, which hugged the side of the hill as it ascended. I took this route for my adventure, and marked out in my mind, that the cemetery couldn’t be more than two golf holes away – my usual method of describing distances. A par four across the hillside and a short par three up the hill to the cemetery. In no time at all I was half way there, and to my consternation, the ground started to vibrate and I could hear in the distance the rumbling of very large coal trucks! Only another short par four towards the noise would have found me at the clifftop of the mine face, and incredibly, from where I stood I could see the open cut mine spreading before me.
However, I had a small hill to conquer and my quest was getting closer. It was so exciting to find this lovely cemetery at the top of the hill with a 360 degree view of the Hunter valley. It is amazing how often cemeteries are built on the top of hills and in prime positions in country towns and large cities. Geoff and I spent a quiet and inspiring half an hour looking at so many of the historic Elliott graves, nestled amongst long grasses, overlooked by a few lovely gums, which gave shade to some of the graves. It is the most beautiful spot, and it was one of the highlights of my research to find this sacred spot and to give thanks to this wonderful and brave family of Australian pioneers who were such an integral part of my Robson family of Wollongong.
Headstone of William Elliott (below), son of John and Martha Elliott and brother to Margaret Elliott Wiseman Robson, the Elliott Family Private Cemetery, Buttai Creek, image courtesy of Gallagher Family Tree on Ancestry.com 21 January 2011
My photos from July 2017 show a fair degree of lichen covering the still very readable inscriptions, the long grasses and gums in the surrounding areas makes this such a pleasant, green and peaceful space.
Google Maps aerial photo of Buttai Creek, the heritage listed Elliott Family Cemetery at Buttai Creek showing how alarmingly close the cemetery is to the open cut cliff face of the Bloomfield Mine
Google Maps aerial photo of the Elliott Family Grave at Buttai Creek
The arrival of the Elliott Family, The Sydney Gazette, 7 April 1825, page 2.
John and Martha Elliott’s children were Margaret (1824-1896), William Elliott (1826-1890), Mary Ann Elliott (1827-1900), Elizabeth Elliott (1828-1908), Isabel Elliott (1830-1915), John Elliott (1832-1874), Eleanor Mary Elliott (1834-1905), Martha Elliott (1836-1907), Edward Elliott (1837-1903), George Elliott (1839-1918), Wilfred Elliott (1841-1913) and Ann Elliott (1844-1900).
Margaret Elliott married Thomas Wiseman in 1841, and she had four children from this first marriage, William John Wiseman (1842-1922), Thomas James Wiseman (1844-1894), Margaret Elliott Wiseman (1847-1897) and Charles Appleton Wiseman (1848-1880).
All accounts I have seen suggest that Margaret was a neighbour of William Robson in East Maitland in 1853. Margaret was living there with her parents after Thomas Wiseman left Australia for the Californian goldfields, never to be seen again. The mysterious ‘death’ of Thomas Wiseman has never been properly explained, and it must be assumed that John Elliott was mightily disappointed with his unsuccessful and absent son-in-law. The Robson Family Tree co-authored by Ken Robson suggests that he died as a result of a snake bite, others suggested that he died of a feverish illness. I have never seen a death certificate, and it must be assumed that he absconded, leaving his wife with no alternative but to return and live with her parents in Maitland.
Thomas Wiseman was a gentleman’s outfitter by profession and had arrived in the colony with his brother James aboard the barque, Robert Newton on 23 Jan 1841. Thomas and Margaret married later that year and resided in Clarence Street, Sydney not far from his work premises in Pitt Street, Sydney. Thomas was listed on the historic rolls 1842-43. Various accounts in Sydney have him working for David Jones in Elizabeth St. Below are some of the records that I am confident belong to this couple.
Australian Marriage Index 1788-1950:
Name: Thomas Wiseman
Spouse Name: Margaret Elliott
Marriage Date: 1841
Marriage Place: New South Wales
Registration Place: Derbie, Hunter District, Maitland, Morpeth, Paterson, Singleton, New South Wales
Volume Number: V A
The next image shows a transcription of the Wiseman’s marriage. This document I found on ancestry.com kindly shared by Richard Gillard who runs the Gillard Family Tree. There are many other Wiseman researchers. Richard is a descendant of Thomas Wiseman and Margaret Elliott. Richard also claims like Ken Robson, on the Robson FamilyTree that Thomas Wiseman died in California from a snake bite in 1851.
NSW Marriage Transcription of the marriage of Thomas Wiseman and Margaret Elliott
It is interesting that a witness to the marriage is John Portus, possibly Porteous. Mr and Mrs Porteous were also amongst those listed migrating on the Hugh Crawford.
Name: William J Wiseman
Father’s name: Thomas Wiseman
Mother’s name: Margaret
Registration Place: Sydney, New South Wales
Volume Number: V18424029 45B
Name: Margaret E Wiseman
Name: Charles A Wiseman
Volume Number: V18486449 45C
Citizen Roll for Macquarie Ward, Sydney 1842-43 listing Thomas Wiseman’s tailoring shop in Pitt St.
Another Wiseman researcher placed this message on the rootsweb family research engine:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wisemanfa/73A%20Thomas%20Henry%20of%20Ireland%20to%20Aus.htm
“Thomas and John Wiseman (brothers) arrived in Sydney on the Barque ‘Robert Newton’ on 23rd January 1841 after leaving London on 22 August 1840. Thomas served an apprenticeship in London with S.W. Silver & Co. Merchants of London and brought with him a shipment of goods to set up in Sydney. He commenced business as a Wholesale and Retail Clothier and General Outfitter in Pitt Street (Australian 13/41/1841p.3) Thomas and Margaret Elliott were married in East Maitland New South Wales.
1) William John Wiseman born 20 June 1842.
2) Thomas James Wiseman born in 1844.
Thomas Wiseman went to Mauritius hoping to open a business there. This did not eventuate and he took a position with Barlow and Co in Port Louis in Sept. 1844 and remained till April 1846. He returned to Sydney towards the end of 1846. If I get any more information I will give it to you bye for now, Maria.”
Shipping Intelligence. Messrs J. and T. Wiseman arrive aboard the Robert Newton 25 January 1841, Sydney Morning Herald
This Shipping Intelligence about the arrival of James and Thomas Wiseman aboard the brig, the Robert Newton is helpful to confirm that they left London, and then Downs, near Deal in Kent on 22 August 1840. In many cases this Shipping Intelligence was the only means of identifying early migrants and travellers arriving in Australia, as there were no strict controls over migrations. Those travelling on an assisted migration system were more easily identified and regulated. The newspapers actually sent their reporters down to the docks to record the arrival of the merchant ships, and their passengers. This newspaper document supports the information in previous online blog, however it is impossible still to ascertain their country of origin, be it Ireland or England.
The following is a transcribed letter written by Margaret Wiseman in about 1850, to her brother William Elliott, warning him not to follow his brother-in-law Thomas Wiseman to California. It seems that Margaret was so hurt and confused by these events. Her naming her husband as Wiseman and not Thomas seems to indicate some estrangement to their marriage, as if she couldn’t bear to write his first name. It is also evident that at no stage did Margaret ever travel to the USA, as some researchers have suggested. This letter is probably written from her home in Maitland, New South Wales, just prior to confirmation that her husband had died.
Dear William,
I write to inform you that I have heard from Wiseman. He had arrived in California but two days when he wrote to me, so that he could have a little idea what kind of place it is. He says it is exactly the same as the papers state it to be. He said that many had made an immense fortune and many had not made a shilling. He bids me write to you to persuade you not to go to California. He says you can have no conception of what the people have to put up with there. I know by the way he writes that he is in great distress, and I expect he is sorry for going himself. He mentions nothing about the sickness, but no doubt he does not like to say anything about it for fear we might be uneasy.
The papers give an awful account. No doubt you have read these, by God is good and we must trust in Him. I am afraid there will be many widows in this colony, but God keep me from being one. I often think it is very hard for my parents to keep my children. They never grumble about it, but if ever Wiseman returns, and he fetches anything with him, I will make him share it with them. I know he will not forget them, but it is hard to trust anybody’s life in California. As I said before, we must trust in Providence, and there will be no fear, but if I were you I would not venture to any such place.
You must know that I am stopping at Mrs. Price’s for a few weeks. She has a great deal of sewing to do, and I thought I might as well earn a few shillings when I could. She is giving me five shillings a week. It is hard to get jobs in Maitland. My father intends to build a small place at the end of his shop for me. I can sew a few things no doubt, anything for an honest living.
Mr. Price wishes me to write to ask whether you know of a station anywhere near you that is vacant, as he wishes to take one near you. He would like to know soon if you know of any.
So no more at present,
From your affectionate sister
Margaret Wiseman
Letter kindly supplied by Richard Gillard, another Robson family researcher
Australian Marriage Index 1788 -1950:
Name: William Robson
Spouse Name: Margaret Wiseman
Volume Number: V
NFHS Record of the Marriage of William Robson and Margaret Wiseman 7 Jan 1854
Marriage Certificate of William Robson and Margaret Wiseman kindly provided by Terry Larke
Three months after the death of Ann Robson, William Robson marries Margaret Wiseman nee Elliott in East Maitland. This record is sketchy but it does give the date for their marriage, as well as the witnesses, William Elliott, Margaret’s brother, and Martha Elliott, Margaret’s mother. I am sure that her father John Elliott was also present at this marriage, and that the Elliott family were very pleased with this marriage. I am sure William Robson would have impressed John Elliott and he would be pleased that his daughter had found new security and financial independence, after a sad and worrying period.
I employed Marion Wilson, a researcher from the Newcastle Family History Society (NFHS) to undertake four hours work on the Robson family. It certainly saved me another trip to Newcastle, and she would have been more familiar than me with the records and where to find them. She kindly put a package of records together with a report.
Marion pointed out the fact that the bride’s marital status had not been completed on her marriage certificate. This is most interesting because there probably was no firm evidence, such as a death certificate for Thomas Wiseman death in California, USA, at this stage. I think this issue was sidelined, and the Robsons and Elliotts were not going to let a bit of paperwork stand in the way of this very compatible and convenient marriage.
I am sure the Elliott family was sad when Margaret Elliott Wiseman Robson moved to Wollongong. However, they knew that William Robson was a man of ambition, and the opportunity to manage and co-own the Mount Keira Colliery in Wollongong was a major business opportunity, and too good to pass up. William Robson involved himself in the religious and community life of Wollongong. He was an Alderman on the Wollongong Council for many years, and the Mayor of Wollongong in 1867. He was also involved as a lay preacher in the Primitive Methodist Church. Above all he was a business man, he promoted Wollongong as a major player in the coal industry, and he was a visionary in his goal to organise an effective transportation service for his coal, from the mine at Mount Keira to the wharves at Wollongong. In his pressing for a train or tram-line he probably thought it was better to join the Council to fast track his ideas and the project. William was also a Trustee of the Wollongong Building Society, and he became a Justice of the Peace and a New South Wales Government Magistrate.
Mount Keira Colliery, photograph from the Museum Geological & Mining, now lodged with Wollongong Library, image courtesy of Narelle Ahling.
By 1870 William Robson Snr’s. lease on the Mt Keira Colliery had ended and he reverted to managerial duties under the Osborne family for a year before retiring. After his father, Matthew Robson’s death in 1884, William moved from his home Sunnybank into his father’s house Stella, which was on the foothills of Mount Kiera.
Sunnybank, home of the Mayor of Wollongong Mr William Robson Snr. 1867, image taken 1870 by James Brothers. Image courtesy of Wollongong Regional Library where photos of the Robson Family of Wollongong have been lodged.
I believe that William Robson Jnr. inherited Stella from his father, and my own dad used to tell us about his school holidays, spent at the Robson family home in Wollongong. Dad and his family were actually staying at Wollongong when his grandfather William Robson Jnr died of an infection after a ruptured appendix in October 1920. Tragically the same ailment had afflicted Dad’s brother Alan Robson, who died at Newington School after being misdiagnosed in December 1919.
William Robson Jnr was a Wesleyan Preacher, and his religious dogma played an enormous part of his life. After he married Annie Robertson Kippax on 17 March 1868, the couple moved to Young, where he took up the offer to be the Wesleyan preacher in the area. He was also very involved in the Methodist Conferences held in Sydney. It was probably at one of these events that he met his wife Annie Robertson Kippax, whose father William Henry Kippax was also involved in speaking at these events. William Henry Kippax was for many years an Alderman on the City of Sydney Council. It was probably the encouragement through the Methodist Church that William Robson Jnr moved away from preaching and was elected to the New South Wales Upper House as a Member of the Legislative Council in 1900. He represented the community until his death in 1920. I will deal with William Robson Jnr more fully in my next chapter entitled The Robson Family of Sydney.
Rev. William Robson Jnr and his wife Annie Robertson Kippax had three children, William Elliott Veitch Robson (1869-1951), Ethel Kippax Robson (1872-1961) and Reginald Norman Kippax Robson (1878-1907).
Photo of the Robson Family of Wollongong. 1864. Image courtesy of Wollongong Library
“Caption from Wollongong Library Reads ” * Robson, William — Photographs * Robson, Matthew Emerald — Photographs * Robson, Walter William — Photographs * Robson, Matthew — Photographs” A collection of Robson Family Photos lodged with Wollongong Library.” Image courtesy of Wollongong Library
I believe this very historic photograph is a four-generational photograph of our Robson Family. Standing is Matthew Robson 1795-1885, the father of William Robson Snr. 1817-1888, who is seated on the RHS. Seated on LHS is William’s son Matthew Emerald Robson 1841-1899. Matthew Emerald Robson’s eldest son is standing between them, four-year-old Walter William Robson 1860-1950. No date is given but I have dated this photograph to about 1864.
The next few pages are newspaper clippings dealing with William Robson Snr during his time in Wollongong and his activites. However, one of the clippings is in regards to the terrible explosion on 31 July 1902 at the Mount Keira Colliery, with a loss of 96 men and boys, leaving 33 widows and 120 children fatherless, at the time it was described as the worst non-wartime disaster to face Australia. It was also well after any association of the mine with the Robson family.
The Illawarra Mercury 28 October 1871 page 3
Terrible Colliery Explosion Southern Times 2 August 1902
Public Meeting Convened, Illawarra Mercury 26 March 1867
Relief from Calamitous Floods Illawarra Mercury 28 June 1867
Political Association for the Suppression of Intemperance Illawarra Mercury 19 March 1867
Illawarra Mercury 10 April 1888, page 2
Death of Mr William Robson J.P. Kiama Independent 13 April 1888
The Late Mr William Robson, The Newcastle Herald 17 April 1888
Marion Wilson attached some pages to her report on the work of S. Warren Carey and a lot of it I had uncovered already. Marion questions some of the research in regarding the English Robson ancestors. However, it is a most thorough and in depth analysis of the Robson’s involvement in the coal industry in Newcastle, New South Wales and William Robson’s purchase of land in the area, some of it private, some of it regarding the Methodist Primitive Church.
Regarding William Robson’s will, I have nothing to add here, as it would only be speculation. In the future, some family researcher may be able to shed some light on this. It may be worth purchasing from either the Supreme Court Probate Office or it may well be now lodged with the NSW Archives at Kingswood. It would seem that Rev. William Robson, his half brother George Robson and his step brother William John Wiseman were the executors of the will.
William John Wiseman, Wollongong Library, Robson Photographic Collection
William John Wiseman who died on 16 January 1922 is buried in the Robson family grave in the Wesleyan section of Wollongong Cemetery. It would appear that the Wisemans and the Robson siblings retained close family ties. I heard my Grandmother Mabel Robson talk of the Wiseman’s of Wollongong when I was a young child, I am glad to have now connected the family. Richard Gillard, a Wiseman family researcher is descended from Thomas James Wiseman, whose family moved away from Wollongong and settled in Balmain, Sydney. He married Louisa Harriett Robinson. Thomas was a chemist by occupation.
Father’s name: Matthew
Registration Place: Petersham, New South Wales
Registration Number: 3209
I found this death record for William Robson from 1888, which confirmed William’s parents as Matthew and Margaret Robson. This information was also confirmed on my copy of The Robson Family Tree, with Margaret Miller named as the wife of Matthew Robson. This copy of The Robson Family tree was given to our family in about 1980 by Ken Robson.
This came about because Kenneth Robson re-connected with my parents in the mid 1970’s and I can remember being introduced to him as cousin Ken Robson. He was very fond of my father’s brother, Murray Robson, who had helped him with legal matters to purchase two apartments in the Park Regis building in the city. He also became very fond of my husband Geoff, when he discovered that there was yet another lawyer in the family. In the early 1990’s Geoff helped Ken to write a will. I believe Ken left his properties to his nephews and nieces. I think Ken had a hard life, and he lived very frugally, squirrelling away every cent he ever made from the rent of these properties. For the last few years of his life Ken lived in a one bedroom apartment in Paddington. Mum and I visited him in the months before his death, and I can remember seeing a Kerosene stove set up in the middle of the room for his meals. However, he was happy and content. Ken died in on 7 October, 1997.
Ken is a descendant of William Robson through William’s marriage to Margaret Elliott. Their son George Robson married Mary Russell Roberts on 25 February 1879 at Bullocks Island, Newcastle, New South Wales. They lived at Tighes Hill in Newcastle. This association with Tighes Hill is interesting, as this is where William and Ann Robson lived when they first arrived in Australia in 1841. William Robson very astutely acquired a large amount of land in this area, and the profits later went towards the purchase of the mine lease at Mount Keira in Wollongong.
Australia and New Zealand Rootsweb Index 1813-2003:
Name: Kenneth Russell Robson
Residence Date: 1997
Residence Place: Paddington
Death Date: 7 Oct 1997
Notes: newspaper (death notice); late of Paddington
I remember my mother, Vena Robson, telling me that Ken Robson was so kind to her in 1980 when my father Reg Robson died very suddenly and unexpectedly from lung cancer, and again in 1986, when my brother Bill Robson died of medical complications in Chengdu, China on a trip. Ken came by the house quite often and enjoyed a chat and appreciated a cup of tea and gave my mother a much needed sympathetic ear. On these occasions Ken would always chat so knowledgeably about the Robson family and his endeavours with his research on the Robson family.
When our family home was sold in late 1997, I carefully packed up the contents of my dad’s filing cabinet, noting that there were a lot of letters along with The Robson Family Tree, and I put the box in the hall outside the kitchen ready for the removalists. A few days later I noticed it was gone. My mother told me that my sister, Lavinia Chyrstal had taken it for safe keeping, and I was happy with this. However, as time went by I became the family historian, and I was eager in 2011 to find this document and compare it with my Robson research. My sister told me how during her move from her home at Double Bay she had walked past the dump bin outside their home and had seen a box on top, and she peered inside to discover it was this very cardboard box from Wunulla Road and she rescued it! Lavinia didn’t know where it was since she had moved. I must have become tiresome in my quest for her to find it, and I didn’t give up! Finally, one morning, I got the call I had been waiting for. At last I was able to peer into the very large hand written sheets and see Samuel Warren Carey’s masterpiece. Every generation in Australia, every branch was covered and more importantly Samuel had notations about Northumberland and the mention of Wallsend. It was this information that helped me take our Robson family back to England and firmly place them into this jigsaw puzzle and take the family back a few more generations.
The Robson Family Tree by Samuel Warren Carey, a copy was lodged by Kenneth Robson at Wollongong Library, images courtesy of Narelle Ahling
Just recently I had another wonderful family connection with the Robson’s. Narelle Ahling contacted me after I uploaded a photograph of her great grandfather Thomas Robson to my family tree on Ancestry.com which I found on Trove Digitised Newspapers and is illustrated in my family chapter, The Robson Family of Sydney. Thomas was a brother to Rev. William Robson, both the sons of William Robson Snr. J.P.
It has been great to collaborate with Narelle who kindly offered to go to Wollongong Library and do some research work on the Robson’s. Narelle was able to confirm that Ken Robson had in fact lodged Carey’s Robson Family Tree with the Library. How clever of Ken to do this, knowing that Carey’s Robson Family Tree was such a valuable document. Now nearly thirty years later we are reaping the benefits of this wisdom and continuing our Robson research. Narelle photographed a few pages of The Robson Family Tree and sent them to me recently. I have uploaded them to my website and I hope that readers and Robson relatives will be able to enlarge these images and find their Robson branches. The pages are dotted with coded information on each person which includes specific burial, place of birth, death and religion to name just a few codes. This page I am sure will be found amongst the files in Wollongong Library. I am so grateful to Narelle Ahling for her great work and her kindness in sharing her Robson photos.
This historic photograph is yet another Four Generation Robson Photograph that hung on the wall of my father Reg Robson’s dressing room in our family home, Routala, Point Piper, owned by Reg and his wife Vena Fuller for over 45 years. William Robson Jnr. was the son of William and Ann Veitch Robson, born at East Maitland on 25 February 1843. Seated second from RHS, next to his wife Annie Robertson Kippax.
My Australian research on the Robsons uncovered the fact that William’s father Matthew had migrated to Australia after his second wife’s death and that he had married again. A notice in the Illawarra Illawarra Mercury confirmed his father’s migration, as well as a small funeral notice for his third wife, Eleanor Robson nee Neville. I also found that the family had a grave at the Wollongong General Cemetery in the Wesleyan Section. It was at this stage that I also applied to the NSW BDM Registry for the death certificate for Ann Robson and the marriage certificate of Matthew Robson to Eleanor Neville to see what information I could find.
Incredibly both these death records on the next page gave information regarding the names of Eleanor and Matthew’s parents. The naming of Matthew’s parents as William and Ellenor was an absolute gift to the family researcher. I was hoping that this information was correct, as I worried that Matthew’s wife was listed instead of his mother, as death notices are notoriously unreliable. However, that was not the case, armed as I was with new information I was ready to start my English research.
Name: Ellen Robson
Father’s name: James
Registration Place: Wollongong, New South Wales
Registration Number: 14135
Name: Matthew Robson
Father’s name: William
Mother’s name: Ellenor
I purchased the marriage of Matthew Robson and Eleanor Neville. Noting that the name James Nevil (sic) was a witness, I think it is a strong possibility that James is a brother to Eleanor.
I am incredibly grateful to my sister Lavinia Chrystal for photographing the Robson grave in Wollongong for the family. By the time she had visited the Wollongong Library Family History Section and gained information there and directions to the cemetery it was getting dark and she described to me the desperation in trying to find the Robson grave and photograph it before it got completely dark. I must add in here that her husband Digger and daughter Lavinia Jnr were also helping in this quest. The excitement when they found the grave was amazing. Lavinia rang me to tell me how impressive and large the grave is and we both wondered how it was that we had no knowledge at all that this grave exists. She explained that William and Margaret Robson and some of their children are inscribed on the monument, as well as Matthew and his wife Eleanor and on another side is a inscription for the Wiseman family. It is a truly amazing discovery. We wonder if our dad knew about this grave, he never spoke about it. It was the same about the Wises, Kippaxes and William and Annie Robertson Kippax Robson, who are buried out at Rookwood Cemetery. It was all new to us, Dad had never discussed cemeteries with us.
Robson Grave, Wollongong General Cemetery, Methodist Section, photo courtesy of Lavinia Chrystal
The Robson grave at Wollongong General Cemetery, Wesleyan Section. The headstone lists Matthew Robson 1795 – 1885 (aged 91 years), father of William, William Robson 1817 – 1888, William’s daughter from his first marriage to Anne Veitch, Jane Robson 1849 – 1865, age 14yrs, William’s second wife Margaret Elliott Wiseman Robson 1824 – 1896, her daughter Margaret E Wiseman 1847 – 1897, and her son William John Wiseman 1842 – 1922, his wife Annie Musgrave Wiseman 1843 – 1901, their daughter Alice Wiseman 1878 – 1918 and in the same plot with a separate Headstone, their son, Henry Alfred Wiseman 1881 – 1887, age 6yrs. The Wesleyan Graveyard has been vandalised but the Robson’s Headstone survives.
The grave is in good condition although there is severe cracking due to soil subsidence, photo courtesy of Lavinia Chrystal
Matthew Robson’s Death Certificate 6 December 1885, image courtesy of Sandy Murray.
Matthew Robson’s death record furnished many interesting details, and confirmed that he had three wives, Margaret Miller who died in 1825, and Eleanor Neville, whom he married at the age of 70 years. Children still alive were listed as William, Mary Ann, Eleanor and Hutton, with one male and one female listed as deceased. It was also certified by William Robson Snr., his son, giving his address as Sunnybank, Wollongong. However, the truly standout piece of information was the naming of his mother as Eleanor Morris. It was exciting to have so much information about Matthew’s life back in England.
Illawarra Mercury, 9 Dec 1884 page 2
After collecting this newspaper article about Matthew Robson’s death, one has to ask the question, how did the Robson grave record the incorrect date and year of Matthew’s death? It sent me checking my facts. I went back to the Illawarra Mercury and to Matthew’s death certificate to make sure I hadn’t transposed the date, and found it to be correct. The newspaper records important details including the fact that Matthew died on a Saturday and gives his age at 92 years.
Illawarra Mercury, 6 August 1892, page 3
I decided to try and find out more about the people listed on the marriage certificate of Matthew and Eleanor Robson. These names were surely a key to finding out more about their lives. John and Jane Graham were the witnesses to the marriage. Mr John Watkin, the Reverend, and also Mr Thomas Armstrong, at whose home their marriage was celebrated were definitely worth an investigation. It intrigued me that one of the witnesses, Thomas Nevil must have been a relative of Eleanor’s. Knowing that her father was named James, I thought this man may be her brother, and I hoped that records and newspaper clippings would reveal his identity and the others.
A quick search revealed the marriage record for James Neville, probably the younger brother of Eleanor Robson. This marriage seems a strong link now to the identity of Margaret Graham, witness to the marriage of Matthew Robson and Eleanor Neville.
Name: James Neville
Spouse Name: Margaret Graham
Evening News 23 September 1909 page 3
The following page shows a most interesting article on the death of James’ wife Margaret Neville nee Graham and what was more supporting for me was the connection of the family to the Methodist Church.
Margaret Neville, Illawarra Mercury 28 June 1940 page 7.
It was thrilling to find this second newspaper article on Margaret Neville’s reinforcing the association with the Wollongong district and the Methodist Church. I was on such a jag now developing this story and unravelling a little more about the Methodist influence on the Robson family. The article below also revealed the children of James and Margaret Neville, and showed that her husband had predeceased her by some 30 years. This would make it easier for me to find James Neville’s death record.
Illawarra Mercury 28 June 1940 page 7
Father’s name: Henry
Registration Place: Dapto, New South Wales
This record above scotched my thoughts that James Neville was Eleanor’s brother, however I still consider it likely that he was a relation. It is always a consideration that the death record for Eleanor is incorrect, and that possibly the only known relative in Australia was in fact her brother James. Death records are notoriously unreliable. Margaret is listed here as James’ mother, but it is also a fact that this was his wife’s name. Many times, I have seen records filled in with totally incorrect information including dates, places and names. Time lapses, changes of country and witnesses at the death, who are possibly more recent acquaintances, and the recorders of the death, who mix up current information with historic family information. I can’t speculate on this without seeing the actual death record. It has been a source of great disappointment that more information was not filled in by our Robsons on their records. Possibly the great exception here is Matthew Robson’s death certificate.
Name: Margaret Neville
Father’s name: John
Mother’s name: Jane
The entire Graham family migrated to Australia from Ireland in April 1844. I found John Graham Jnr listed as travelling separately to his parents and younger siblings on board the United Kingdom, as at the age of 16 he was considered an adult on board.
Assisted Immigrant Passenger List 1828-1896, for John Graham on board the United Kingdom, April 1844
John Graham Snr. had an impressive life and was most highly regarded in the Wollongong area. It has been of great interest to me to have seen John and his daughter Margaret as the witnesses to Matthew Robson and Eleanor Neville’s marriage. Seemingly the Robson family associated within their own social and religious groups. Sundays must have been a great social gathering for these families as they prayed together and then celebrated their Sunday lunch, traditionally a roast where extended family and friends would have shared their meal. My father explained that his Robson family were from a long line of abstainers and that they were involved in the Temperance movement in Wollongong, and later in Sydney. Temperance Halls were a meeting place and a social gathering place for families, and I believe that their main goal was one of encouragement of others to join their cause. Conversion was also an important part of the Primitive Methodist Religion which also demanded that members have had at least one “overwhelming religious experience”. It is also a fact that William Robson was very happy to employ Methodist miners for his Mount Keira Mine, secure in the knowledge that they entered the mine in a sober condition.
Below is the ship’s manifest for the children of John and Jane Graham. The children were minors whilst their elder son John was listed separately on board the migrant ship, United Kingdom.
Assisted Immigrant Passenger List 1828-1896, for the Graham family on board the United Kingdom, which arrived in Sydney on 29 April 1844.
I found John Graham (45) and his wife Jane (40) listed at the bottom of the previous page of this passenger list, and it could have been quite easy not to have explored the next page, which to my delight revealed all their other children. Edward, Charles, William, Neville, Catherine and Margaret. John Graham Snr. is listed as an agricultural labourer and his wife as a domestic servant. Interestingly the family lists themselves as Protestants, and not as Methodists.
Kiama Independent Newspaper, page 30 September 1881
Death of Mrs John Graham, Illawarra Mercury, 29 March 1888.
A clarification is needed from this newspaper obituary for Jane Graham, the mother of Margaret Neville, which appeared in the Illawarra Mercury on 29 March 1888. Jane Graham, the mother of Margaret did indeed have a son named John. John, being the eldest son of John and Jane Graham, who married Jane Armstrong on 14 October 1850. The article should have stated that John’s wife Jane was the daughter of Ald. Armstrong. Confusion indeed with two generations of John Grahams, father and son both marrying Janes. I was excited by the name Armstrong, thinking this was the man named on the marriage record of Matthew Robson and Eleanor Neville.
However, Jane’s father was James Armstrong, and I was interested to discover that she had a younger brother who was named Thomas Armstrong, born in County Fermanagh, Ireland in 1826, and arrived in Australia in 1839 and died on 22 September 1882. However the Armstrong family lived at Kiama and not Keira, and grave photos confirm he is buried in Kiama cemetery. Indeed, I would have thought that the newspapers would have reported his death, but at this stage I cannot find an obituary.
I then found a most interesting newspaper article for another Thomas Armstrong, also of Kiama, whose parents were John and Ellen Armstrong, but his birth in 1842 would surely mean that he would hardly be in a position to host a wedding in his home in 1860.
Obituary for the Late Mr. Thomas Armstrong, Illawarra Mercury, 3 March 1922
I now have two Thomas Armstrongs living in the Wollongong/Kiama area, both very much connected to the Methodist church. I then found yet another Thomas Armstrong living on Mount Keira. There are no records from NSW Births, Deaths and Marriages for his existence in the Keira/Wollongong area – no marriage or death record. It has only been this year that so many more regional newspapers have come online through Trove digitised newspapers, the Illawarra Mercury being one of these.
Thomas Armstrong of Mount Keira, died in his 77th year. I feel that this James Armstong’s home is more likely to be the house from which the Robson’s were married. He certainly is more of a contemporary of Matthew Robson.
Illawarra Mercury, 27 March 1877 page 2
Sydney Morning Herald, 3 April 1877, page 2
The sale of Thomas Armstrong’s effects certainly tallies with the death notice. Perhaps a search for his will would resolve this issue. Never wanting to speculate over my research, I threw in the towel pondering over which Armstrong hosted the Robson wedding.
A few other Australian records of interest were the sponsored migration of family groups by William Robson. I was intrigued by these sponsorships because I could see that William was paying deposits for family groups from Northumberland and the men were listed as miners. William was astute, he needed miners for his Mount Keira Colliery, and who better to mine, than people he knew from his life in England. I then realised that one of these groups was his sister Elizabeth Robson, her husband John Richardson and their children.
N.S.W. Australia, Immigration Deposit Journal, 1853-1900 for the Richardson Family
This was a wonderful document to find because I had earlier seen that The Robson Family Tree listed William’s sister as Elizabeth, who had married John Richardson and noted that they had a large family and had migrated and settled in the Wollongong area. In fact, I had found a death record for Elizabeth who had died at Jamberoo, in NSW which is very near the coast at Wollongong. This record has some wonderful information. Their children, William, Matthew and Margaret are again all familial names in the Robson family. Their address was Marley Hill, Wagon Row, near Newcastle upon Tyne. It also listed John as a miner, and the agent that clearly was responsible for the despatch of migrants. Lastly it gave the ship, the Wanata, which the Richardson travelled on to reach Australia.
I placed all this information into my tree on ancestry and immediately I had a family “leaf” directing me to a Robson family tree. I then corresponded with the Rayner family who were very excited by my find, as they had not known on which ship their family had arrived. Kay Richardson Rayner then kindly provided me with some of her family certificates including Elizabeth’s death certificate and a photograph of the Richardson grave at Jamberoo. Matthew, the son of Elizabeth and John Richardson’s middle name was Robson. Matthew Robson Richardson invented the Hillside Reversible Plough. These inventions in Australia were incredibly helpful to the early agriculture industry. This invention stands alongside the Stump Jump Plough, another amazingly helpful Australian plough invention which helped farmers prepare the tough and harsh Australian soils.
John and Elizabeth Richardson’s grave, Jamberoo Cemetery. Image courtesy of Kay Rayner.
Matthew Robson Richardson, inventor, The Downs Star, 20 Dec 1956.
Death Certificate of Elizabeth Richardson. Image courtesy of Kay Rayner.
Margaret Robson migrated with the family aboard the Emerald Isle and she died in 1903 in Petersham, New South Wales. She married John Loudon in 1884 in Sydney, New South Wales, aged 45. He was aged 50. John Loudon died in 1906 in Petersham, New South Wales. John and Margaret’s marriage announcement in the Sydney Morning Herald 9 February 1884, was the first time I saw the reference to the Robson’s home in Wollongong being called Sunny Bank.
Name: John Loudon
Spouse Name: Margaret Robson
Registration Number: 170
Marriage of Margaret Robson and John Loudon, Sydney Morning Herald, 9 February 1884.
I came to a full stop on my Robson research in Northumberland, stalling over finding out which were our correct family records. I could see that the Robsons had moved away from Wallsend, and were now living in Westgate, Newcastle upon Tyne. This may have been a result of the dangers the miners faced, after a series of explosions in the Wallsend mines. William Robson was possibly looking to find better opportunities than those that could be offered in the north of England.
Below is a Pedigree Chart for my great grandfather William Robson M.L.C. which will help readers place William’s ancestors into the Robson Family.
Finally, I was ready to search the English records now that I had the Australian Robson family firmly placed in my ancestry family tree. I firstly searched for the marriage of William Robson and Ann Veitch and even with the spelling error in her name I am confident that this is the correct marriage record listed below.
Marriage of William Robson and Ann Veatch, 10 Sep 1836, St John, Newcastle Upon Tyne
1841 English Census listing William Robson, pitman, wife Ann and daughter Margaret of Buckingham Street, Westgate, Newcastle upon Tyne.
This census was taken on 6 June 1841 just a few months before the family set sail on the Emerald Isle for Sydney, Australia. How amazing it was to be able to collect this record which showed their address in England.The two children of William and Ann Robson, Thomas Robson Robson and Margaret Robson were born in England. Thomas was baptised at St Peter’s, Wallsend, Northumberland. Margaret was baptised in Newcastle upon Tyne, possibly at St John’s, where her parents were married. It is interesting to note that William and Ann and their family had moved away from Wallsend at this stage in their lives.
Baptism of Thomas Robson, son of William and Ann Robson, 3 December 1837, Wallsend
Sadly young Thomas must have died in Newcastle upon Tyne in about 1840 as he did not appear on the 1841 English Census, nor did he accompany the family to Australia later that year.
England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975:
Name: Margaret Robson
Baptism Date: 25 Nov 1838
Baptism Place: Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, England
Father: William Robson
Mother: Ann
FHL Film Number: 847923
Reference ID: p 286
Buckingham Street, Westgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, circa 1930’s. Courtesy flickr.com
I came to a full stop on my Robson research in Northumberland, stalling over finding our correct family records. Determined to do better, I resumed my research about a year later and googled Matthew Robson into my search engine. In one of those incredible moments in family research I came up with an internet message from Sandy Murray, who is a direct descendant of Elizabeth Richardson nee Robson, the younger sister to my direct ancestor William. Elizabeth and William are the children of Matthew Robson and his wife Margaret Miller. Sandy was asking for information about the Robson family and so much of her information concurred with mine. Clearly the Robsons had moved away from Wallsend and were now living in Newcastle upon Tyne. This may have been a result of the dangers the miners faced. William Robson was obviously looking to migrate and find better opportunities than those that could be offered in the north of England. I was also able to put Sandy in touch with the Rayners and I know they shared a good deal of information together.
http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/ROBSON/2007-01/1169362458
The above link I found on an ancestry.com offshoot called rootsweb, a family research listing service, and is most interesting:
From: “B & S Murray”
Subject: Re: [ROBSON] Robson as a surname
Date: Sun, 21 Jan 2007 16:54:18 +1000
Hi listers,
I too have a Robson, a Matthew Robson, son of William Robson & Ellenor Morris, born 1792 at Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland who married a Margaret Miller about 1813 in England (somewhere). He had 5 children, according to his death cert:
William b c1816 (no birthplace known),
Mary Anne b 1820 (no birthplace known),
Elizabeth b 1824 (my ancestor) at
Wallsend, Northumberland;
Ellenor b 1836 (no birthplace known) and
Hutton b 1838 (no birthplace known).
Matthew died on 6 Dec 1884 at Mt Keira, near Wollongong NSW, but I have no other details of his parents, William & Ellenor. I also have no idea when his first wife Margaret died, if anyone can put the pieces together, it would be most appreciated. He and Margaret arrived in Australia around 1854, and his 2nd marriage was to Eleanor Neville in 1860 at Wollongong, New South Wales (NSW), Australia, and his death cert states no children from 2nd marriage.
Elizabeth (b 1824 – see 1st paragraph) married John Richardson in 1844 in
England, and came out to Australia in 1864 (on board Wariata) with her husband and 3 children, William b 1848 Fanfield Lea, Durham; Matthew b 1850 in Dipton, Durham; and Margaret (my ancestor) b 1851 in Marlow Hill, Durham.
I would love to hear from anyone who may think they may be related, and to share information. Kind regards,
Sandy Murray, Brisbane, Australia
Sandy Murray included an email address and I immediately wrote a reply, hoping it was still current.
From: Virginia Rundle
Sent: Thursday, 6 June 2013 9:38 AM
Subject: Matthew Robson of Northumberland
I saw your message on Matthew Robson. I believe he may be my 3 GGG Grandfather. Is this email still working I wondered? Your message was from 2007! I have lots of info to share. Cheers Virginia Rundle nee Robson
Sandy Murray almost immediately replied:
Hi Virginia,
Thank you for responding – I have kept this e-mail address just in case I receive a message just like yours!! Wonderful to hear from you. Matthew would be my 4xG grandfather. Since that posting I’ve done a little more digging but not too much. I have discovered he was baptised on 3 Feb 1795 in Carlisle, Cumberland, England and a few other items. I’d love to hear from you and what you have discovered, and I can provide a bit more as well, including his 2nd wife’s name, etc. Looking forward to hearing from you, Sandy, Brisbane, Australia
Sandy and I corresponded over quite a long period of time, corroborating and collaborating our research. It was a joy to work with Sandy, who is a most experienced researcher. We took Robson records only when we were certain they were correct. It was Sandy who showed me how to go “behind the scenes” on Family Search, a free website operated out of the USA by the Mormons. I also used this trick to find my mother’s Northey family in Cornwall. Sadly this search opportunity has now been closed. It was slow work, as one had to go through the parish records of page by page, picking up the name Robson and deciding if it belonged to our family.
Original Records are difficult to find and assess, before my connection with Sandy I had approached the Durham Record Office for William Robson’s Baptism, yet another system where you buy online credits, and with fairly scant family information provided, such as a date, place, and parents, they will supply you with a simple digital copy of the record. It is not ideal, but it is acceptable as a family record for my great great grandfather, William Robson. I also bought the death record for Margaret Robson, William’s mother.
Durham Records Online
Here are your orders from Durham Records Online, which you recently requested from our website.
Baptisms, Tynemouth District
Record Number: 667414.0
Location: Wallsend
Church: St. Peter
Denomination: Anglican
“22 Jun 1817 William Robson, of Wallsend, son of Matthew (pitman) & Margaret Robson”
Burials, Tynemouth District
Location: Wallsend, Northumberland
“3 Jan 1825 Margaret Robson, of Wallsend, 30, wife of Matthew Robson”
Baptism of William Robson, son of Matthew and Margaret, 22 June 1817, Wallsend
Sometime after I purchased the Durham online records, I collaborated with Sandy Murray on the Robsons, and she kindly sent me several extracts from the Parish Books of Northumberland that she had captured from Family Search. Note the way that Walls End is spelt on the Baptism document for William Robson. There is so much more to see with these original copies than just a transcription from the Durham Online Records Office. I feel it is a great mistake that these records have become digital copies, as so much is lost in translation. For me looking at this document, it is an historic piece of our family history, whereas earlier when I purchased the Durham transcriptions, I just did not have the same feeling of excitement when receiving the record.
Marriage of Matthew Robson and Margaret Miller 4 May 1816 St Andrews, Newcastle upon Tyne
This marriage record for Matthew Robson and Margaret Miller clearly shows so much precious information. Neither Matthew nor Margaret could write, and they signed the marriage record with their mark. Interestingly one of the witnesses John Reid could sign his name, however Matthew Robson, the other witness only signed with his mark. Matthew Robson, witness to the marriage must have been a close family relation. Knowing that Matthew’s father was William, as listed on his death certificate, he could then be possibly an uncle or a cousin.
These documents are not the original church records but are copies of the originals, and are called Bishops Transcripts, a scribe would have laboriously copied from the original Parish Record to create a copy for the Bishopric, so that there were at least two copies of the church documents. If only our Irish ancestors had been as diligent as the English. It is so lamentable that there are scant records for my father’s Wise and Murray families in Ireland.
Matthew Robson’s wife Margaret must have died from complications shortly after giving birth to a daughter, named Margaret, in early January of 1825. These next set of records I found searching for Wallsend Parish Records for St Peter’s Church on Family Search.
Burial of Margaret, wife of Matthew Robson aged 30 years, 3 January 1825, Wallsend
I discovered from these records that Margaret Robson, the wife of Matthew Robson was buried at St Peter’s Church, Wallsend, on the same day that her baby daughter Margaret was christened. I found out these sad events from two different sources and by putting them together I could see that I was uncovering a family tragedy. I felt so melancholy for Matthew Robson, it was such a great sadness for me to have uncovered this tragedy in the Robson family. The birth of a baby daughter, and the death of his wife was such great sorrow.
Baptism of Margt Robson, daughter of Mattw. and Margt., 5 January 1825, Wallsend
Further tragedy followed when the baby daughter, also named Margaret and clearly named after her dead mother, died on 25 February 1825, and was buried at St Peters, Wallend. It was such a sad time for Matthew and his small family.
Burial of Margt, daughter of Matth and Margt Robson, 4 mths, 25 January 1825, Wallsend
Apart from William Robson born 1817 and Margaret Robson born 1825, Matthew Robson and Margaret Miller also had several other children, Thomas Robson born 1819, Elizabeth Robson born 1823 and Mary Ann Robson born 1821. Thus, when Matthew’s wife Margaret died in 1825 he was left with four children under the age of eight to care for. It is hardly surprising that Matthew married so quickly after the death of his first wife, as he was desperately needing someone to care for his children, so he could go back to work in the mines. Matthew needed a new wife, and in less than six months, he had remarried to the widow Anne Davison nee Hutton, who was also caring for a young family of her own.
Baptism of Elizabeth Robson daughter of Matthew and Margaret, 23 Feb 1823, Wallsend
Baptism of Mary Ann Robson, daughter of Matthew and Margaret, 12 Aug 1821, Wallsend
Baptism of Thomas Robson, son of Matthew and Margaret 9 May 1819, Wallsend
Sandy and I also worked out the details regarding Matthew Robson’s second wife, the widowed Ann Davison nee Hutton. I must say I was pleased to be able to help Sandy here, as I had found the marriage certificate for Ann Hutton, and I was able to help work out her very complicated matrimonial life. I discovered that Ann Davison, Matthew Robson’s second wife was a widow and had been married before to Thomas Davison. In uncovering Anne’s previous marriage I also uncovered another family tragedy. Thomas Davison was killed in a mining accident at the Wallsend Mine on 23 October 1821, and to make matters worse for their unborn child Thomasine was born six months later in 1822, and the added heartache for Ann, as she lost two brothers, William and John Hutton in the accident as well.
Marriage of Thomas Davison & Ann Hutton 20 Dec 1813 All Saints Newcastle Upon Tyne
Thomas and Ann Davison had four children, William Davison 1815, Jane Davison 1817, Frances Davison 1819 and Thomasina Davison 1822.
Burial of Thomas Davison, 25 Oct 1821, St Peters Wallsend, also brothers-in-law William and John Hutton
UK, Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths, 1700-1950:
Name: Thomas Davison
Birth Year: abt 1785
Event Type: Death
Event Year: 1821
Death Age: 36
Death Date: 23 Oct 1821
Death Place: Wallsend, Northumberland, England
Colliery: Wallsend “A” Pit
Owner: Russell’s Colliery
Notes: Explosion of gas. 52 killed.
On the morning of Tuesday 23rd October 1821 a dreadful explosion took place at Wallsend, Northumberland.
Wallsend Pit Head, circa 1835, unknown artist
“At around 8:00am the new pit shaft called New Belcher Seam, in Wallsend Colliery, on the river Tyne, blew up with a most tremendous explosion, which was heard at the distance of several miles around. It is not known with any certainty how the accident originated, but it is thought to be by the ignition of the hydrogen gas.
The report of the explosion having alarmed the people belonging to the collieries in the neighbourhood, hundreds instantly came running to the fatal spot, wishful to ascertain the extent of the calamity.
As soon as possible endeavours were made to render assistance to the sufferers, at least such of them as might have survived the accident. In the pit, out of fifty-six men, it was found only two had escaped unhurt – four men got out alive, but in a very weak state, two of whom are since dead. The rest, to the amount of fifty souls, had all perished.” Pitman Newspapers Nov. 1821 Vol II 1821
Mining Map of Northumberland and Durham, showing major coal mines in red
The youngest working in the mine that day was only 7 years old, the oldest 77, however the average age of those who died was 28 years of age. Four children under the age of 13 died, and many more in their teens and twenties were amongst the worst fatalities. It was an absolute tragedy which cast a terrible quiet over the village, many mourners turned up to witness the many funerals that took place over the next few days. St Peter’s Wallsend was the scene of terrible grief for one family who buried 14 relations in one mass grave. In all 46 miners were buried in the churchyard at St Peters, Wallsend. The mine managers undertook to look after the widows of the many miners who perished that day. A one off payment of one guinea, plus a home and firewood, and an allowance of 2 shillings for 26 widows and 90 fatherless children per week.
It was probably a marriage of convenience for both Ann Davison and Matthew Robson when they married on 25 June 1825. These were desperate times for Matthew and Anne, and it was a matter of survival for their families that they married, and therefore kept both their families fed, clothed and looked after. It would have been deemed a good arrangement for them. It was not acceptable for a young single woman to enter a single man’s home, and constraints over propriety would have made it difficult for Matthew to have entered into any other type of relationship with Ann. Arranged marriages were common and successful, especially in the desperate times that Matthew and Ann were placed. I am confident that theirs was a happy marriage, although I do wonder why William Robson failed to name his step-mother on his father’s death certificate.
The 1780-1840 era was marked by unemployment, poverty, crime, epidemics, rioting, slums in large cities and towns, shocking working conditions for women and children, and the fear and uncertainty due to the Napoleonic Wars, all contributing to a tumultuous time for English history. This came about partly by the social and economic conditions, but also through an unsettled period due to the instability of the throne and hostility towards the Germanic Kings of England. King George III ruled England from 1760-1820, at first a popular king, he then lost America during the War of Independence, sadly he then went mad In 1810 and died in 1820, the same year his fourth son, the Duke of Kent died, leaving his only child, Alexandrina aged just one year to be raised by her German mother. Today we know this woman to be Queen Victoria. Victoria was actually fourth in line to the throne, with three uncles, her father’s elder brothers ahead of her.
George III’s eldest son, George IV inherited the throne, however, he had no surviving children, and even tried to divorce his wife, Caroline of Brunswick, to the amusement of many and refused to crown her his Queen. Sadly George IV’s only daughter, Princess Charlotte and her unborn baby had died in a tragic childbirth ordeal in 1817. His greatest memorial is the Brighton Pavilion, and on his death in 1830 he left the English throne even shakier than he had found it. George’s brother Frederick, The Duke of York, was also childless, however, he had died in 1827, so the throne passed to William IV the last surviving son of George III, the former Duke of Clarence, a sailor by occupation without the slightest expectation of becoming King. William IV had several illegitimate children to his mistress Mrs Jordan, however no legitimate heir to the throne by his wife Queen Adelaide, who had borne him two daughters, who had sadly died in infancy. The English throne passed then to Victoria, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Kent in June 1837, and her reign marked an era of prosperity, security, peacefulness and order. It was also a time when Britain dominated almost one fifth of the Earth’s population and 40% of its land mass, it was the most dominant Empire in modern history.
A population explosion at the end of the eighteenth century had resulted in huge over population and this had eventually ended with a large amount of poverty and resulting crime. A solution had to be found for the overflowing gaols of England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland. Transportation, firstly to America and after the American War of Independence was lost, the English founded a penal colony in New South Wales, Australia. Migration was also encouraged as many British peoples make a new life in Australia, Canada, United States and New Zealand. In Ireland, the failure of potato crops due to blight, resulted in nearly half their population migrating from 1850 -1900. Migrants were happy to try their luck in a new country half way across the world, in search of a better standard of living.
Marriage of Matthew Robson and Ann Davison, 20 June 1825, St John’s Newcastle upon Tyne
This marriage record for Matthew and his second wife Ann Davison is interesting because Matthew Robson now signs his name to the marriage record. I also noticed that the witnesses are Elener Robson and Henry Cockburn. Elener Robson is Matthew Robson’s mother, Elener Morris. It was comforting to think that Matthew had the love and support of his family during this time.
The 1830s and 1840s in the Victorian era was marked by unemployment, poverty, rioting, slums in large cities and the working conditions for women and children were terrible. This is bourn out first hand by uncovering the Wallsend mining disaster of 1821
I also found an 1841 and 1851 English Census for William and Elener Robson, and it appears that both lived to old age. In the 1851 English Census which gathered much more information than the earlier 1841 Census, it gives the place of birth of each individual. What is important here is that both William 84, and Eleanor 74, give their place of birth as Newcastle. They are living at Gallowgate which was one of the gates leading to the Castle.
1851 English Census for William and Eleanor Robson, Pitman, Westgate, Northumberland
Matthew and Ann Robson had two children together, Eleanor Robson born in 1826, and John Hutton Robson born in 1829. John Hutton is cited on Matthew’s death certificate simply as Hutton Robson.
Baptism of Eleanor Robson, daughter of Matthew and Ann Robson, 2 April 1826, Wallsend
Baptism of John Hutton Robson, son of Matthew and Ann, 1 June 1829, Wallsend
Matthew and Ann Robson, were living in Westgate, Newcastle upon Tyne in 1841 when the English census was taken, this is the same district as his son William and daughter-in-law Ann Robson were living. Matthew and Ann are listed along with their children Mary Ann, Thomasina, Eleanor and John. Mary Ann being the daughter of Matthew and his first wife Margaret, Thomasina, being the daughter of Thomas and Ann Davison, and Eleanor and John being the children from Matthew and Ann’s marriage. Certainly, another example of a “his, hers and ours” marriage in the Robson family. It is interesting that Matthew’s occupation is listed as a shopkeeper now and, while intriguing, it shows his ability to move on from mining, and into a safer occupation. It must have been comforting for his second wife Ann, who had lost her first husband in such a shocking mine accident.
1841 Census for Matthew and Ann Robson, Tempest Street, Westgate, Newcastle upon Tyne
Interestingly this suburb of Newcastle upon Tyne is called Stella, and this is of course the name of the house that Matthew Robson lived in Wollongong, New South Wales. It is never surprising that migrants name their homes after their places of origin.
Census for 1851 for Matthew and Ann Robson, Nun Street, Westgate, Newcastle upon Tyne
The important thing to point out on this 1851 English Census is that Matthew Robson confirms his birth place as Carlisle, England, which supports the Baptism transcription I have accepted which gives his mother’s full name as Eleanor Morris. Oddly this census shows a son named Featherstone, aged 22. This date corresponds to the Robson’s son John Hutton Robson. Whether this is a joke or a scribe’s mistake is certainly curious. I have not seen this sort of error or name before. I also saw that they were sharing their house with a confectioner named Bowman McCullick. I captured an early photograph of Nun Street and it look to be a rather upmarket street in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. Google maps shows this part of the city relatively unchanged.
Nun Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England, circa 1950
1841 English Census for William and Eleanor Robson, Westgate, Newcastle upon Tyne
This census lists both William and Ellen and their youngest son Edward. William and Edward both give their occupation as “miners in coal”. It is interesting to see that there are three generations of Robsons all recorded in the 1841 English Census and all now living in Westgate, Newcastle upon Tyne. It would seem that the whole family have all moved away from Wallsend. Thanks to some information from the Newcastle Family History Society (NFHS) here in Australia they describe this move by the family on the closure of the colliery in Wallsend, which would have meant that many men were left unemployed. Another very sobering fact is that in 1835 there was a shocking explosion in the “Church Pit” mine that left 101 men dead. We are lucky that our Robson men were not on that shift, as potentially they could all have been killed.
Excerpt from a Wallsend Newspaper giving an account of the horrible explosion. It is courtesy of the NFHS who kindly provided me with this copy from Thursday 18 June 1835.
Subsequently the mine was closed, men were put off and our Robsons moved away from Wallsend to seek new work elsewhere. It was probably this event which changed the course of all our lives and encouraged William and Ann Robson to consider migration with their family to Australia. We now know what a wonderful decision it was, but it was a brave decision and also one that was to prove most favourable to the fortunes of the Robsons.
Baptism of Edward Robson, son of William and Eleanor, 1 June 1817, St Andrew, Newcastle Upon Tyne. William’s occupation is listed as a pitman.
On the same page is another baptism for Robert Robson son of William and Eleanor, however I don’t think this is “our” Robson’s, as this William Robson occupation is listed as a tin plater. Ellenor must have been about 45 years of age when she gave birth to Edward. This is the same year that Ellenor’s grandson William Robson was born to her son Matthew Robson and his wife Margaret Miller. It was not uncommon with these large families for this sort juxtaposition of generations to occur in families. Indeed in our own Kippax family this event occurred again, just two generations later with the Robson family, with the birth of W.E.V. Robson’s mother Annie Robertson Robson nee Kippax, whose own mother was having her youngest two children after W.E.V Robson was born.
England, Select Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991
William Robson
Burial Date
Burial Place
St. John’S, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, Northumberland, England
FHL Film Number
Eleanor Robson
St John’s Church, Cnr Grainger Street and Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne
The 1841 and 1851 Census give William and Ellenor’s address as Westgate. I am confident these death records are correct for our family.
I collaborated with Sandy Murray on our 4th Great Grandparents, William and Ellenor Robson, and we collected the death record transcriptions for William and Ellenor Robson, who both died in October 1853. William would have been aged about 84 and Ellenor was about 79. I decided to investigate their deaths as I suspected they may not have died from natural causes and to my horror I unearthed a most dreadful cholera epidemic of 1853 and I am sure that they both died from this terrible disease.
The Cholera outbreaks in Newcastle upon Tyne – by Doctor John Snow
“The town of Newcastle-upon-Tyne affords a remarkable instance of the influence of the water supply on the prevalence of cholera. In 1831-32 there were no waterworks at Newcastle; it was supplied, in an insufficient manner, with spring water, which generally had to be carried some distance to the houses from “pants” in the streets. The epidemic was pretty severe at this time. From November 1831 to November 1832 there were 801 deaths from cholera out of a population of 42,760.
The disease prevailed chiefly amongst the poor, and was worst in the least elevated parts of the town, near the river. Subsequently to 1832, waterworks were established on the river Tyne, a little above the town; but these were abandoned, in 1848, in favour of a supply from a rivulet and springs at Whittle Dean, about ten miles distant. In 1849, there were but 295 deaths from cholera in a population then increased to 71,847.
In the beginning of July 1853, two months before the reappearance of cholera in England, the Whittle Dean Water Company found their proper sources insufficient for the demands of the population and the various factories, and they made use of the former waterworks, mentioned above, to obtain water from the Tyne. The point at which they obtained water from the river, is scarcely a mile above Newcastle, and the tide flows for six miles above the town, carrying the contents of the sewers with it.
There are also villages, containing several thousands of colliers and iron-founders, on the banks of the Tyne, above the waterworks. The water from the Tyne was mixed, without filtration, with that from Whittle Dean, to the extent of one-third; and the mixed water, so supplied, was discoloured, and contained the large quantity of 7.1 grains of organic matter per gallon.
In the autumn of 1853, the cholera was prevailing extensively at Hamburg, and in nearly all the ports of the Baltic, whence a number of ships were arriving every day in the Tyne. The first cases of cholera commenced, with diarrhoea, on the 27th and 28th August, at Bell Quay, on the banks of the Tyne, three miles below Newcastle. One of the patients’ from Bell Quay was taken worse whilst on a visit to her mother at Newcastle: she died on 2nd September. Her mother was taken ill the same evening, and died on the following day.
Other cases occurred in Newcastle on the 1st and 2nd of September, having no connection with these. A ship from Bremen was lying at Bell Quay, opposite the house where the first cases occurred; but there had been no illness on board this ship, and the precise way in which the cholera was introduced on this occasion, is not known.
The disease soon spread to an extent almost unprecedented in this country: by the 15th of September the deaths exceeded a hundred a day. In nine weeks there were 1,533 deaths from cholera in a population of 86,114, being 178 to each 10,000 inhabitants; but the greater number of these deaths occurred in a few days, as 1001 took place from the 13th to the 23rd Sept. inclusive.” http://www.clanjames.com/cholera.htm
George Robson was a first cousin of William Robson, this document below shows his children, Matthew and Demster Robson arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, aboard the Queen of the East in March 1864. Also on board was his married daughter Mary Robson and her husband Michael Phillips.
Migration of Matthew and Demster Robson, sons of George Robson of Wollongong, aboard the Queen of the East, arriving in Sydney, 30 April 1864.
During my Robson research, I found a link to Tizzana.com, a family history website and found references to George Robson and Hannah Hornsby of Wallsend, Northumberland, England. In particular George was mentioned as a cousin to William Robson J.P. and had encouraged George’s migration and eventual employment at the Mount Keira Mine in Wollongong.
George and Hannah Robson had five children born in England, Mary Robson (1838), Margaret Robson (1839), William Robson (1841), Demster Robson (1844) and Matthew Robson (1852). Hannah died in Longbenton, near Wallsend, aged 40. Her widower George Robson migrated to Australia, aboard the Nabob, apparently after the encouragement of his cousin William Robson, who was part owner of the Mount Keira Colliery. George then sponsored three children from his first marriage to migrate and join him, and he married again to an Irish woman, Elizabeth Brownlee, in Australia in 1861, and they also had a large family of children. George was a miner at Mount Keira and later a farmer at Woodland, Cross Roads, West Wollongong where the old homestead remains. George was a Methodist, like so many of his relatives, and he is buried in the Methodist section of Wollongong General Cemetery. He died of a carcinoma to the leg. Also mentioned on the website was that George Robson was the son Matthew Robson and Mary Jobling.
George Robson and his second wife Mary Brownlee had ten children, Jane (1862), Edith (1863), Letitia (1865), Emma (1867), James (1868), Matthew William (1871), John (1872), Hannah (1874), Martha (1878) and Lily (1886). It is interesting that there is some familial naming patterns also happening in George’s second family, with Matthew William and John being used.
George Robson, son of Matthew Robson and Mary Jobling. Wollongong Library, circa 1870
Illawarra Mercury 10 June 1865 page 2.
From his first marriage to Hannah, their son Matthew died shortly after arriving in Wollongong. It must have been a tragedy for him. He then went on to name another son Matthew William Robson from his second marriage in honour of this dead son, and after his father Matthew, and his grandfather William.
Arrival of George Robson, miner, aboard the Nabob, ex Liverpool, England, December, 1854.
The obituary for George Robson, Illawarra Mercury, 29 December 1905, page 7
Obituary for Demster Robson, the son of George Robson, Illawarra Mercury, 29 September 1905, page 4
The Demster Robson Family of Wollongong circa 1860. Back row from left: Emma Maria (mother), Hannah, Demster (father), Demster Jr and George. Front row: Emma E and William. Image courtesy of Wollongong Library.
Information I found earlier from the online Auld family tree which referenced George and William Robson Snr. being cousins was unfortunately removed. However, I became interested in finding the family relationship between these ‘cousins’. The interesting thing is that in the hand-written Robson Family Tree, authored by Ken Robson, it lists Matthew Robson and Mary Jobling and their children, with George being one of these children, but with obvious confusing and non-substantiating relationships at the top end of the tree, and a confusion that Matthew Robson was the son of my GGG Grandfather Matthew Robson. When Matthew Robson married Margaret Miller, their marriage was witnessed by another Matthew Robson. Many Robson researchers assumed that this was the father witnessing his son’s marriage. I think that this Matthew Robson was probably his uncle, Matthew Robson who had married Mary Jobling, the parents of George Robson. Matthew was a brother to William Robson, who had married Ellenor Morris, the father of my GGG Grandfather, Matthew Robson. A bit convoluted, but it is hard to explain these relationships.
Marriage of Matthew Robson
mentioned in the record of Matthew Robson and Mary Jobling
Name Matthew Robson
Spouse’s Name Mary Jobling
Event Date 22 Dec 1798
Event Place Wallsend, Northumberland, England
CITING THIS RECORD
“England Marriages, 1538–1973 ,” database, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NJG8-SHS : accessed 21 October 2015), Matthew Robson and Mary Jobling, 22 Dec 1798; citing Wallsend, Northumberland, England, reference 142; FHL microfilm 993,567.
Baptism of George Robson, son of Matthew and Mary Robson, pitman of Wallsend, 17 December 1817, St Peters, Wallsend, Northumberland, England
Marriage of George Robson and Hannah Hornsby, 1837, St Nicholas, Newcastle Upon Tyne
George Robson sponsored his children to migrate to Australia, I was curious with regard to the unusual name Demster. It turned out that Durham Records Online produced a regular online newsletter and once I had purchased records they continued to email me their updated records. A feature of one of the newsletters was unusual Northumberland Christian names. They cited the Hornsby Family for the unusual name Demster/Deemster, and I immediately knew the connection to the Robsons. Hannah’s father was called Deemster Hornsby, this record below I found on ancestry, and this is where this interesting name of Dempster enters the Robson line. His wife was Margaret Wile, and Longbenton is the next parish to Wallsend. These families were probably all associated with the coal mining industry in this area.
Baptism of Hannah Hornsby daughter of Deemster and Margaret, 15 August 1813, Long Benton, Northumberland, England
Now that I have resolved the relationship of William Robson and his cousin George Robson, I went on to look at further documents.
With the help of Sandy Murray, and Matthew Robson’s death certificate I was able to confirm that Matthew Robson’s parents were William Robson and Eleanor Morris. They are also listed at the top of The Robson Family Tree, authored by Ken Robson.
William Robson married Eleanor Morris, he was the eldest son of William Robson and Jane Moor.
William had two brothers, Matthew and John Robson. As previously mentioned Matthew Robson married Mary Jobling, the father of George Robson. John Robson, the younger brother, I know less about, because he wasn’t a miner, and presumeably he lived in Newcastle upon Tyne, and he and his family were possibly the mariners that my dad Reg Robson used to referred to when recounting stories about the Robson family.
As I continued to collect records, I could see that there was a traditional English familial naming pattern happening in the Robson family. I collected records which show that the three sons of William Robson were all baptised at All Saints, Newcastle upon Tyne, however, no mother was recorded on their baptism, which does cause difficulties going back one more generation. Earlier I illustrated the birth record of Eleanor Morris, 17 Apr 1774. Below is a copy of the original marriage record for William and Eleanor.
Marriage for William Robson & Eleanor Murrays (sic), St John’s Newcastle upon Tyne, 22 April 1792, courtesy of Sandy Murray.
England Births and Christenings
Christening Date 03 Feb 1795
Christening Place SAINT MARY,CARLISLE,CUMBERLAND,ENGLAND
Father’s Name Wm. Robson
Mother’s Name Eleanor Morris
“England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975,” database, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J3S3-B24 : accessed 21 October 2015), Matthew Robson, 03 Feb 1795; citing SAINT MARY,CARLISLE,CUMBERLAND,ENGLAND, reference ; FHL microfilm 0252807-0252810.
Baptisms of Eleanor, born 5 March 1803 and Margaret Robson, born 4 December 1804, Daughters of William Robson and Eleanor nee Morris in the Chapelry of All Saints, Newcastle on Tyne 31 March 1805 – two entries at very top of page. Eleanor Robson, the mother, is identified as the daughter of Matthew Morris. This is very possibly where the name Matthew enters the Robson family.
Matthew and Eleanor’s eldest son was also baptised at St John’s Newcastle Upon Tyne, and this shows that the family were established in this parish until they moved to Carlisle in Cumberland, probably for William’s employment as a coal miner.
Baptism (extract) of William, son of William Robson Pitman and Eleanor his wife, 15 January 1794, born 18 December 1792. Image courtesy of Sandy Murray
Baptism of William Robson, son of William and Eleanor, 15 January 1794, St John’s, Westgate, Newcastle upon Tyne, England. William being the eldest son.
Baptism of Eleanor Morris, daughter of Math. Morris, 17 April 1774, St Andrews, Newcastle upon Tyne
The records reads “Eleanor D of Math Morris, Pitman”. Such a simple entry, however such a precious record for the family. My grateful thanks to Sandy Murray for finding this record of Eleanor. This is without doubt the oldest original record I have for the Robson family, note the name Matthew here again as Eleanor’s father.
Below is Matthew’s death and burial record at St Andrews, Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
Burial of Matthew Morris, aged 75 years, 10 May 1824, St Andrew, Newcastle upon Tyne
St Andrew’s Church, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland
As shown in the previous census information the whole Robson family moved away from Wallsend by 1841. Thanks to some information from the Newcastle Family History Society (NFHS) here in Australia they describe this move by the family as a result of the closure of the colliery in Wallsend, which would have meant that many men were left unemployed. Another very sobering fact is that in 1835 there was a shocking explosion in the “Church Pit” mine that left 101 men dead. We are lucky that our Robson men were not on that shift, as potentially they could all have been killed.
From 1802 onwards the family must have moved back to Newcastle Upon Tyne and settled into the area near the parish Church of St Andrews, where eight more of their children were baptised. This church was also where their mother Eleanor Morris was baptised.
In taking the Robson family back one more generation Sandy Murray and I felt confident in accepting these next three baptisms for William, Matthew and John, the sons of William, thus making the connection between the Robson cousins. There was another son, also named William who was born 1764 and died 1767. William below was named in his honour the following year, a common custom. The Bishop’s Transcripts that I accessed through the Family Search Website gives incredible access to these early records, however some are damaged by virtue of their age. Records between 1762 and 1769 are missing and my search for William was destined for disappointment. However other copies of these baptism books must remain as there are modern transcriptions. Luckily I was able to find William’s two elder brothers, John and Matthew.
Name William Robson
Christening Date 11 Dec 1768
Christening Place ALL SAINTS, NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, NORTHUMBERLAND, ENGLAND
Father’s Name William Robson
“England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975,” database, FamilySearch(https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:J78Q-688 : accessed 21 October 2015), William Robson, 11 Dec 1768; citing Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Northumberland, England, reference item 1; FHL microfilm 1,068,939.
Baptism of Matthew Robson, son of William, 30 June 1771, All Saints, Newcastle Upon Tyne
Baptism of John Robson, son of William, 12 December 1773, All Saints, Newcastle Upon Tyne
It was disappointing that there was no mother listed for these three sons of William Robson.
My final research is in regard to exactly when and how my 3 x Great Grandfather Matthew Robson arrived in Australia. His son, William Robson Snr was the first of our Robson family to arrive in Australia in 1841, and Matthew Robson, migrated after the death of his second wife Ann Hutton who was alive in 1851, when the English Census was gathered. Matthew must have migrated around 1855. This fact comes from Matthew’s death certificate, which stated that Matthew had been in the Colony of NSW for thirty years when he died in 1885. William’s cousin George Robson migrated in 1854 aboard the Nabob, after the death of his wife Hannah Hornsby Robson in 1853. He settled in the Wollongong area and remarried to Mary Brownlee. I believe that Matthew and George Robson both migrated because my great great grandfather William Robson encouraged them, as he realised that there were so many more opportunities for advancement in Australia than there were in England.
My father Reg Robson used to tell a tale about a Robson sea captain who commanded a merchant ship. Some of the Robsons of Wallsend and Newcastle upon Tyne were offered a place aboard his ship, after telling the family that Australia was a land of opportunity. My father particularly mentioned that this Robson sea captain used to bring slate to Sydney from Newcastle upon Tyne. I believe that this is how my GGG grandfather the twice widowed Matthew Robson came to Australia, as unlike William and George Robson I have found no shipping record for his arrival in the mid 1850’s. I have done some research in this regard, and found a Robson sea captain venturing into Sydney at this time, a Captain Matthew Robson of the Royal George. In this case I have no records to substantiate this, only family folklore from my dad. However after some research on Captain Matthew Robson of the Royal George I found he married Mary Ann Thorne in 1853, a fact mentioned in the Robson Family Tree by Ken Robson.
Marriage of Captain Matthew Robson to Mary Ann Thorne, Empire, 1 Jan 1853
Matthew and Mary Ann Robson had a son, Archibald Clement Robson. His marriage announcement appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald with the interesting mention of Newcastle upon Tyne as Captain Robson’s birthplace. Ken Robson placed Matthew as the son of Matthew Robson and Mary Jobling, but date wise this is not correct. However, he may be a descendant from John Robson who possibly become a mariner rather than a miner. More research will need to be done to place him correctly into our family tree.
Marriage of A.C. Robson to Esther C Peters Sydney Morning Herald 22 Nov 1888 page 1
Captain Robson made several trips from England to Australia, and his wife settled in London for a few years and they had two children, Jessie born 1854 and Archibald, born 1856. However tragedy struck the Robson family again when Captain Matthew Robson was returning from Australia to England in 1856. He drowned off his ship The Grahamin the Indian port of Maharashtra, near Bombay. His death was recorded in the Sydney Morning Herald on 25 Mar 1857 (see page 89). His son Archibald was born just two months before his death on 20 September 1856. Mary Ann Robson had Archibald baptised in London at the Chapel, St Mary in St George’s in the East, on 12 October 1856, just a month before the death of her husband. The family returned to Australia and Mary Ann Robson died in Tasmania.
NSW MARRIAGE TRANSCRIPTION
(EARLY CHURCH RECORDS) REF NO -VOL 38C NO 48
REGISTER -CHURCH OF ENGLAND MARRIAGES SOLEMNIZED IN THE PARISH OF ST PHILIP SYDNEY IN THE COUNTY OF CUMBERLAND NSW IN THE YEAR 1852
DATE OF MARRIAGE -30 DEC 1852
PLACE OF MARRIAGE -ST PHILIPS SYDNEY
MARRIED BY LICENSE WITH CONSENT OF THE FATHER OF MARY ANN THORNE
GROOM -MATTHEW ROBSON
STATUS -BACHELOR
OCCUPATION –
USUAL RESIDENCE -THIS PARISH
BRIDE -MARY ANN THORNE (SEE NOTE**)
USUAL RESIDENCE -PARISH OF ST ANDREWS
WITNESSES -W J H THORNE, OF SYDNEY; MISS MOFFITT, OF SYDNEY; ARCHD LITTLE, OF SYDNEY
MINISTER -WILLIAM COWPER
RELIGION -CHURCH OF ENGLAND
NOTES -NOTATION IN PENCIL IN MARGIN READS: ALSO INDEX UNDER “THOOME”
NB: THIS TRANSCRIPTION IS NOT A CERTIFIED COPY FROM THE REGISTERS AND CANNOT BE USED IN ANY LEGAL PROCEEDINGS WHATSOEVER
Burial of Matthew Robson, Captain of the Graham, 14 November 1856. Find My Past Record.
Death notice for Mr Matthew Robson, Sydney Morning Herald, 25 March 1857
London, England Births and Baptisms 1813-1906. Baptism of Archibald Robson 12 Oct 1856
Andrew Robson, New South Wales, Australia, Immigration Deposit Journals, 1853-1900
When Andrew Robson sponsored his family to Australia in 1854 he also included John Hutton Robson aged 23. John Hutton Robson was the son of Matthew Robson and his second wife Ann Davison nee Hutton. However John, a coal miner, didn’t take up this offer to migrate and he remained back in England where he married Mary Joby, and they had three children, Eleanor, John Hutton and Alice Hutton Robson. When I saw this record I realised that Andrew Robson must be a member of our family. Together with Sandy Murray we worked out that Andrew was a brother to Matthew Robson, my GGG grandfather and Sandy’s GG grandfather.
Baptism of Andrew Robson, son of William and Eleanor, 12 April 1815, St Andrews Newcastle Upon Tyne
My next chapter will feature the story of William Robson Jnr and his wife Annie Robertson Kippax and their children, W.E.V. Robson, Ethel Larke nee Robson and Reginald Norman Robson, in The Robson Family of Sydney. I will also include the Larke Hoskins branch of the family, and the development of the early car industry of Australia. I have also written two related chapters, The Kippax Family, which will reveal our convict heritage from Yorkshire, England, and The Robertson Family, which will take the family back to Dundee in Scotland. Finally I will conclude with the Robson war effort of World War II with W.E.V. Robson’s two sons Ewan Murray and Reginald George, and some more contemporary Robson family details including their sister Kathleen Drury nee Robson.
It has taken me nearly seven years to complete my research on the Robson family. I have worked on it in fits and starts, and now I must concede that reliable records for our Robsons dry up at around 1750.
My goal was to take our Robson line back to Northumberland, and then to write the story of our Robson family. I am very happy that I was able to find the father and grandfather of Matthew Robson, my GGG Grandfather. It is an amazing to think that there were five William Robson’s in this direct line. My brother Bill was the sixth William Robson in the descent line. It has been one of the most interesting and challenging areas of my family research to date, and I know my dear dad, Reginald George Robson, would have just loved to have read and known about our Robson family back in Northumberland.
I would like to dedicate The Robson Family of Wallsend, Northumberland, and Newcastle and Wollongong, New South Wales to my father, Reg Robson (31 March 1915-30 June 1980), who would have just loved my research. In the little spare time he had, he often wrote to his extended family asking about the past and provided information to his cousins about our family.
I would also like to take the opportunity to thank my husband Geoff for all his support and encouragement to put my research into family chapters. His wise words to me were, “if you don’t write up the family history, all your research will one day be lost.”
Here is my Robson Family Direct Ancestor Line:
William Robson (abt 1740 – )
5th great grandfather
William Robson (1768 – 1851)
son of William Robson
Matthew Robson Snr (1795 – 1885)
William Robson Snr JP (1817 – 1888)
son of Matthew Robson Snr
William Robson Jnr MLC (1843 – 1920)
son of William Robson JP
William Elliott Veitch Robson MLA (1869 – 1951)
son of William Robson MLC
Reginald George Robson (1915 – 1980)
son of William Elliott Veitch Robson MLA
William “Bill” John Robson (1947-1986)
son of Reginald George Robson
I will endeavour to update this chapter when more information comes to hand.
Virginia Rundle 12 November 2015 updated 27 July 2017
At the end of this chapter I have placed some family groups together as a quick reference.
In due course I will place a descendant line from William Robson b 1750, this will be a growing list of our Robson descendants. I hope descendants will contact me by leaving a message on the website. I can update this chapter adding in more information, photos, memorabilia and newly discovered descendants.
Kenneth Russell Robson research papers lodged with Wollongong Library
Samuel Warren Carey A.O. author of The Robson Family Tree and other documents lodged with the Newcastle Family History Society
ANU online bibliographies
Marilyn Rowan Transcription Services
Marion Wilson and the Newcastle Family History Society
Wollongong Library Services, including Robson Family Photos
John Elliott Robson Manuscript, Newcastle Regional Gallery
Trove Digitised Newspapers
Family Tree Maker 2012, for the chart and the summaries on the following pages
http://www.tizzana.com.au/familyhistory/auld/surname_index.htm
http://auldgenealogy.blogspot.com.au/p/family-hist.html
Elizabeth Jansen website: http://www.reocities.com/mepnab/c/c02.html
http://members.optusnet.com.au/cgfh/earlygracies.html
Family acknowledgements to Ken Robson, Lavinia Chrystal, Sandy Murray, Kay Rayner, Richard Gillard, Terry Larke, Narelle Ahling and Harley Carey.
Website constructed by my son, Rowan Rundle
FAMILY SUMMARIES:
ELLIOTT FAMILY:
Summary of the children of John Elliott and Martha Sadler:
i.MARGARET ELLIOTT was born on 19 Mar 1824 in Newcastle Upon Tyne,
Northumberland, England. She died on 03 Oct 1896 in Wollongong, New South
Wales, Australia. She married (1) THOMAS WISEMAN, son of Mr Wiseman in 1841 in Hunter
District, Maitland, Morpeth, Paterson, Singleton. He was born about 1810 in England UK. He died about 1852 in California, USA. She married (2) WILLIAM ROBSON JP, son of Matthew Robson Snr and Margaret Miller on 07 Jan 1854 in Maitland, West Maitland, New South Wales. He was
born on 25 Feb 1817 in Wallsend, Northumberland, England. He died on 05 Apr
1888 in Frazer Road, Petersham, NSW, Australia.
ii. WILLIAM ELLIOTT was born on 01 Mar 1826 in ‘Segenhoe’ Scone, New South Wales,
Australia. He died on 03 Jun 1890 in West Wallsend, NSW. He married Elizabeth Warren Hawke on 21 Jun 1855 in East Maitland, NSW, Australia. She wasborn on 01 Sep 1838 in Stoney Creek, NSW. She died on 04 May 1882 inBoggabri, NSW.
iii. MARY ANN ELLIOT was born on 18 May 1827 in Segenhoe, New South Wales,
Australia. She died on 18 Oct 1900.
iv. ELIZABETH2 ELLIOT was born on 03 Jul 1828 in Segenhoe, New South Wales,
Australia. She died on 05 May 1908 in Buttai, New South Wales, Australia.
v. ISABELLA ELLIOTT was born in 1830 in Scone, New South Wales, Australia. She died
on 13 Jun 1915.
vi. JOHN ELLIOTT was born on 15 Aug 1832 in Segenhoe, New South Wales, Australia.
He died on 05 Aug 1874.
vii. ELEANOR MARY ELLIOTT was born on 31 Jan 1834 in Maitland, NSW Australia. She
died on 10 Mar 1905 in Queensland, Australia.
viii. MARTHA ELLIOT was born on 28 Jan 1836. She died on 27 Oct 1907.
ix. EDWARD ELLIOTT was born in 1837 in Maitland, New South Wales, Australia. He
died on 03 Jun 1903 in Maitland, New South Wales, Australia.
x. GEORGE ELLIOTT was born on 24 May 1839 in Hexham, New South Wales,
Australia. He died on 07 Dec 1918 in Maitland East, New South Wales. He married
Margaret Jane Considine on 04 Sep 1867 in Maitland, New South Wales, Australia.
She was born in Jun 1849 in York, Yorkshire East Riding, England. She
died on 13 Apr 1943 in Kurri Kurri, NSW.
xi. WILFRED ELLIOTT was born on 04 Mar 1841 in Derbie, Hunter District, Maitland,
Morpeth, Paterson, Singleton, New South Wales. He died on 09 Oct 1913 in East
Maitland, New South Wales, Australia. He married Mary Ann Groves, daughter of
William Groves and Alice in 1868 in Maitland, NSW. She was born on 10 Oct 1846 in Black Creek, Bulwarra, Cloden, East Maitland, Hinton,Hunter District, Maitland, Morpeth, West Maitland, NSW. She died on10 Aug 1933 in Buttai, Maitland, NSW.
xii. ANN ELLIOTT was born on 26 Jun 1844 in Maitland, West Maitland, New South
Wales. She died on 18 Oct 1900 in West Wallsend, NSW. She married (1)
ALLAN CAMERON on 12 Nov 1866 in East Maitland, NSW, Australia. He was born in
1829 in Invernesshire, Scotland. He died on 14 Jan 1873 in Buttai, Maitland, NSW. She married (2) WILLIAM SHELTON on 06 Oct 1878 in Hexham, NSW. He was born in 1841 in England
WISEMAN FAMILY:
Summary of the children of Thomas Wiseman and Margaret Elliott:
i. WILLIAM JOHN WISEMAN was born in 1842 in Sydney, New South Wales. He died in
1922 in Wollongong, New South Wales. He married (1) ANNE MUSGROVE, daughter
of Charles Musgrove and Matilda in 1866 in Wollongong, New South Wales,
Australia. She was born on 06 Jun 1843 in Bungonia, Goulburn, New South Wales.
She died on 10 Jan 1901 in Wollongong, New South Wales. He married (2)
REBECCA N BAYLISS, daughter of Benjamin Bayliss and Johanna Golsby Tuzo in
1905 in Manly, New South Wales. She was born on 27 Jan 1848 in Abercrombie
District, Bathurst, NSW. She died in 1924 in Parkes, New South Wales, Australia.
ii. CHARLES APPLETON WISEMAN was born on 31 Aug 1848 in Sydney, New South
Wales. He died in 1880 in Goulburn, New South Wales (Charles died falling from a
horse. The Coroner’s inquest found it an accidental death.). He married Sarah
Simons on 03 Mar 1874 in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia. She was born on
08 Jul 1844 in Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia. She died in 1895 in
Goulburn, New South Wales, Australia.
iii. THOMAS JAMES WISEMAN was born in 1844 in Maitland, New South Wales, Australia.
He died on 23 Feb 1894 in Balmain North, New South Wales. He married Louisa
Harriet Robinson on 14 Oct 1864 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She was
born in Jun 1843 in Northamptonshire, England.
iv. MARGARET ELLIOTT WISEMAN was born about 1847 in Sydney, New South Wales. She died in 1897 in Wollongong, New South Wales.
ROBSON FAMILY OF NORTHUMBERLAND:
WILLIAM ROBSON was born in Abt. 1740 in Newcastle upon Tyne St Andrew, Northumberland, England. He married Jane Moor on 13 Oct 1759 at All Saints, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland,
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NVNG-TPG
William Robson and Jane Moor had the following children:
i.WILLIAM ROBSON was baptised 28 October 1764 at All Saints, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, England.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NDJY-XY3
He died about 1767 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, England.
ii.WILLIAM ROBSON (1) was baptised on 11 Dec 1768 at All Saints, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland,England.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/J78Q-688
He died on 7 Nov 1851 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, England https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JC2S-44F He married Elenor Morris, daughter of Matthew Morris on 28 Apr 1792 in Newcastle On Tyne, Northumberland, England https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N2YR-CZH
Surname listed as Murrays not Morris and Christian name as Eleanor and not Elenor. She was born in 1774 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, England. She died in 1853 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, England.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JZGR-QJ3 Burial date is 7 Oct 1853 at St John’s Newcastle Upon Tyne
iii.MATTHEW ROBSON (2) was baptised on 30 Jun 1771 at All Saints, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland,England https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/J3PD-FTY
He died in Apr 1851 in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland. He married Mary Jobling, daughter of George Jobling and Jane on 22 Dec 1798 in Wallsend, Northumberland, England https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NJG8-SHS)
She was born in 1779 in Northumberland, England. She died before 1840 in Northumberland, England.
iv.JOHN ROBSON was baptised on 12 Dec 1773 at All Saints, Newcastle Upon Tyne in Northumberland, England.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NDJT-QP6
Summary of the children of William Robson (1) and his wife Elenor Morris:
i.WILLIAM ROBSON was born 18 Dec 1792 and baptised on 15 Feb 1794 at St John’s, Westgate Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne, England. https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/J3JV-8JH
ii.MATTHEW ROBSON was in 1794 and baptised on 03 Feb 1795 at St Mary’s Carlisle, Cumberland, England. https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/J3S3-B24
He died on 06 Dec 1884 in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. He married (1) Margaret Miller, daughter of James Miller and Margaret on 04 May 1816 in St. Andrew’s, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, England. She was born on 29 Nov 1793 in Wickham, Durham, England. She died on 03 Jan 1825 in Wallsend, Northumberland, England. He married (2) ANN HUTTON of Ferry Hill, Durham, England, (widow of Thomas Davison) on 20 June 1825 at St John’s Newcastle Upon Tyne. She died abt 1852. He married He married (3) ELEANOR NEVILLE, daughter of James Neville and Ellen, on 05 June 1860 in Keiraville, New South Wales, Australia. She was born in 1816 in Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. She died on 04 Aug 1892 in Mt Keira, Wollongong, NSW.
iii.MARY ANN ROBSON was born on 28 Apr 1798 in Newcastle Upon Tyne and baptised on 28 November 1810 at St Andrews, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/J7Y2-WYR
ivJOHNROBSON was born on 7 September 1801 and baptised on 24 Jan 1802 at St Andrews, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland. He died on 23 June 1803.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/J99F-63Y
v.ELEANORROBSON was born on 5 Mar 1803 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, and baptised on 31 March 1805 at St Andrews, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, England.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N5TC-JT5
vi.MARGARETROBSON was born on 04 Dec 1804 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, England and was baptised on 31 March 1805 at St Andres, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland.https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N5TC-H2D
She died on 20 Aug 1826 and was buried at Wallsend, Northumberland, England. https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JZ14-J56
vii.JANE ROBSONwas baptised on 19 January 1812 her brothers John and Thomas at St Andrews, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, England.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NPX7-DS4
viii.JOHN ROBSONwas baptised on 19 January 1812 with his sister Jane and brother Thomas at St Andrews, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, England.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NVLJ-B6D
ix.THOMAS ROBSON was baptised on 19 January 1812 with his sister Jane and brother John, at St Andrews, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, England.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JQD8-QH5
x.ANDREW ROBSON was baptised 12 April 1815 at St Andrews, Newcastle Upon Tyne, England
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NFGX-HMN
xi.ROBERT ROBSON was baptised 15 June 1817 at St Andrews, Newcastle Upon Tyne, England.
https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/NFG6-R7V
xii.EDWARD ROBSON was baptised on 1 Jun 1817 at St Andrews, Newcastle Upon Tyne, England.
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NFG6-RQB
Summary of the children of Matthew Robson and Margaret Miller:
i.William Robson JP, was born on 25 Feb 1817 in Wallsend, Northumberland, England. He died on 05 Apr 1888 in Frazer Road, Petersham, NSW, Australia. He married (1)Ann Veitch who died on 15 Sep 1853 in East Maitland, New South Wales. He married (2) Margaret Elliott Wiseman. She was born on 19 Mar 1824 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, England. She died on 3 Oct 1896 in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.
ii. Thomas Robson, was born in 1819 in Wallsend, Northumberland, England. Baptism 9 May 1819 at St Peter’s Church, Wallsend, Northumberland, England.
iii Mary Ann Robson, was born in 1821 in Wallsend, Northumberland, England (Birthplace listed as Wallsend, Durham Records Online).
iv Elizabeth Robson, was born on 25 Dec 1822 in Wallsend Northumberland. Baptism 23 February 1823 at St Peter’s Church, Wallsend, Northumberland, England. She died on 07 Oct 1884 in Jamberoo, NSW (Buried in the Wesleyan Chapel, Jamberoo). She married John Richardson, son of William Richardson and Mary on 18 Feb 1844 in Parish of St John, Newcastle upon Tyne (English BD 25/302). He was born on 25 Jul 1822 in Dipton Durham U.K.. He died on 05 Apr 1887 in Jamberoo, NSW.
v. Margaret Robson, daughter of Matthew Robson Snr and Margaret Miller was born about 03 Jan 1825 in Wallsend, Northumberland, England (Margaret’s mother, Margaret Miller died in childbirth. Baptism 3 January 1825 at St Peter’s Church, Wallsend, Northumberland, England, the same day her mother was buried. The funeral and Baptism presumably at the same time. I would think she was named in honour of her mother.). She died on 25 Feb 1825 in Wallsend, Northumberland, England (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/JZ14-JQV St Peter’s Church, Wallsend, England).
Summary of the children of Matthew Robson Snr and his second wife Ann Hutton:
i. JOHN HUTTON ROBSON was born in 1829 in Wallsend, Northumberland, England. He died in Jul 1906 in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, United Kingdom (Age at Death: 77). He married MARYJOBY. She was born about 1824 in Rennington, Northumberland, England. She died before 1891.
ii. ELEANOR ROBSON was born in 1826 in Wallsend, Northumberland, England.
Summary of the children of William Robson Snr and Ann Veitch:
i. Thomas William (Robson) Robson, was born in Dec 1837 in Wallsend Northumberland. He died on 21 Jun 1840 in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England.
ii. Margaret Robson born 1838, and who accompanied her parents on the voyage to Sydney, Australia aboard the Emerald Isle in 18411. When Margaret was in her mid-forties she married John Loudon on 5 Feb 1884.
iii. Matthew Emerald Robson, was born on 11 Sep 1841 in at sea, in the Bay of Biscay aboard the immigrant ship, the Emerald Isle, and Matthew was named after his grandfather Matthew Robson, following English naming traditions, and also in honour of the ship they were travelling on. His birth was registered at Hoxham, Newcastle, New South Wales 1842. He died on 16 Mar 1899 at Wallsend Cottage, Mt Keira, Wollongong, NSW. He married Anne Elliott in 1859 in Wollongong, New South Wales and they had a large family. She was born in 1840 in Tyrone, Ireland and died on 31 Dec 1916 in Woollahra, New South Wales.
iv. William was born on 25 Feb 1843 in East Maitland, New South Wales, Australia. William married Annie Robertson Kippax on 17 March 1868 at The Wesleyan Church, Bourke Street, Sydney. She was the eldest daughter of William Henry Kippax and Elizabeth Whitton Robertson. They had three children, William Elliott Veitch, known as W.E.V Robson b 1869, Ethel b 1872 and Reginald b 1878.
v. Mary Robson, was born in 1846. She died in 1848 in Black Creek, near Maitland, New South Wales, and is presumably buried with her mother Ann in a cemetery near this area.
vi. Thomas Robson, was born in 1848 in West Maitland, New South Wales, Australia. He died in 1937 in Wickham, New South Wales. He married Mary Ann Rossborough in 1868 in Wollongong. She was born in 1846 in Sydney, New South Wales.
vii. Jane Robson, was born in 1849 in the Hunter River District, Newcastle, New South Wales. She died in 1851 in Black Creek, Maitland, New South Wales. Jane is probably buried with her sister Mary and mother Ann. Her mother Ann died on 16 Jan 1853 in Black Creek, near Maitland in New South Wales.
Summary for the children of William Robson Snr. and his second wife Margaret Elliott:
i.JOHN EGGLESTON ROBSON was born on 31 Oct 1854 in Hunter River Circuit, New South Wales, Australia. He died on 12 Dec 1939 in Lisarow, New South Wales, Australia (St John’s Presbyterian Church, Lisarow, Central Coast). He married Sarah Anna Frances Elizabeth Emery, daughter of James Emery and Sarah on 19 Apr 1876 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She was born on 19 Aug 1854 in Kiama, New South Wales, Australia. She died on 27 Mar 1934 in Ourimbah, New South Wales, Australia.
ii.JANE ANN ROBSON was born in Jun 1855 in Maitland, West Maitland, New South Wales. She died on 20 Oct 1868 in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia (Buried in the Robson/Wiseman grave at Wollongong, Old Cemetery, NSW. Aged 14 years. Death record states death in 1865.).
iii.MARY ELIZABETH ROBSON was born in 1857 in Wollongong, New South Wales. She died in 1891 in Wollongong, New South Wales. She married (1) ROBERT CRAM, son of James Cram and Sarah Jane Hedley in 1882 in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. He was born in Oct 1855 in Tynemouth, Northumberland, United Kingdom. He died in 1902 in Wollongong New South Wales Australia (Coronial Inquiry found his death from accidental coal mining injuries. See note in profile.).
iv.GEORGE ROBSON was born on 06 Sep 1858 in Dapto Road, Wollongong, New South Wales. He died in 1920 in Mittagong NSW. He married Mary Russell Roberts, daughter of James Scobie Roberts and Elizabeth Russell on 25 Feb 1879 in Bullock Island, Newcastle, NSW, Australia (The Robson family lived at Tighes Hill, near Newcastle.). She was born on 17 Jun 1860 in East Maitland, NSW, Australia. She died on 22 Dec 1938 in Marrickville, New South Wales, Australia.
v.HENRY JAMESROBSON was born in 1860 in Wollongong, New South Wales. He died in 1945 in Granville. NSW. He married (1) EMMAHODGKINSON, daughter of Henry Hodgkinson and Jane in 1886 in Shoalhaven, NSW. She was born in 1863 in Shoalhaven, NSW. She died in 1947 in Paddington NSW.
vi.FREDERIC ROBSON was born on 07 Oct 1861 in Wollongong, New South Wales. He died in 1926 in Wollongong, New South Wales.
vii.ROSABEL ROBSON was born in 1863 in Wollongong, New South Wales. She died on
Jun 1942 in Wollongong, New South Wales. She married (1) EDWARD JAMES LINDSAY, son of William Lindsay and Sarah in 1887 in Wollongong, New South Wales. He was born in 1860 in Wollongong, New South Wales. He died in 1917 in Boulder, Western Australia. She married an unknown spouse in 1887 in Wollongong, New South Wales.
viii.ELLEN ROBSON was born on 27 Oct 1864 in Sunnybank, Wollongong, NSW. She died in 1944. She married Charles Edward Broome on 20 Dec 1888 in Wollongong, NSW. He was born on 20 Oct 1864 in Pit Town, Newcastle, NSW.
ix.MARTHA JANE ROBSON was born in 1866 in Wollongong, New South Wales. She died in 1876 in Newcastle, New South Wales.
Summary of the children of William Robson Jnr and Annie Robertson Kippax:
i. William Elliott Veitch Robson MLA, elder son of William Robson Jnr and Anne “Annie”
Robertson Kippax was born on 23 Mar 1869 in Sydney, New South Wales. He married Mabel Wise on 21 December 1901 at Ashfield Presbyterian Church, NSW.
ii. Ethel Kippax Robson, only daughter of William Robson Jnr and Anne “Annie”
Robertson Kippax was born in 1872 in Braidwood, New South Wales. She died in
1961. She married William Bain Larke in 1904 in Chatswood, New South Wales.
Larke was born about 1873 in Oshawa Ontario, Canada. He died in May 1945 in Chatswood,
New South Wales.
iii. Reginald Norman Robson Reverend, younger son of William Robson Jnr and Anne “Annie”
Robertson Kippax was born in 1878 in Morpeth, New South Wales. He died on 07
Feb 1907 in Chatswood, New South Wales. Death certificate attached. Cemetery details: (Surname ROBSON Given Names REG Age 28 Y Date of Death Date of Interment 09 Feb 1907 Denomination Methodist Section 1D/OC Grave Number 0000227 Rookwood Cemetery).
Summary of the children of Matthew Robson (2) and his wife Mary Jobling:
i.JOHN ROBSON was born on 22 Sep 1799 in Wallsend, Northumberland, England.
ii.ROBERT ROBSON was born on 29 Dec 1801 in Wallsend, Northumberland, England.
iii.MATTHEW ROBSON was born on 03 Dec 1803 in Wallsend, Northumberland, England. He died on 13 Feb 1879 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. He married HANNAH ROBSON. She was born in 1804 in Heburn, Durham, England.
iv.JANE ROBSON was born on 4 Dec 1805 in Wallsend, Northumberland, England.
v.WILLIAM ROBSON was born in 1809 in Northumberland, Wallsend (Father is wrongly transcribed as Martha, I had seen this before and had not collected it until I found the 1851 census listing his father in the household, giving Wallsend as his place of birth.). He married MARY. She was born in 1805 in Northumberland, Wallsend.
vi.MARY ROBSON was born on 26 Nov 1811 in Wallsend, Northumberland, England.
vii.GEORGE ROBSON was born on 28 Nov 1817 in Wallsend, Northamptonshire, England. He died on 17 Dec 1905 in Wollongong New South Wales Australia. He married (1) HANNAH HORNSBY, daughter of Deemster Hornsby and Margaret Wile on 05 May 1837 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, England (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/N6GV-7ZG Newcastle Upon Tyne, St Nicholas). She was born in Aug 1813 in Longbenton, Northumberland, England. She died on 28 Nov 1853 in Longbenton, Northumberland, England (Buried at Parish Longbenton, St. Bartholomew, Northumberland. Information from Auld Family Tree, see note in George Robson’s profile.). He married (2) ELIZABETHBROWNLEE, daughter of James Brownlee and Jane on 05 Aug 1861 in Wollongong New South Wales Australia. She was born on 21 May 1836 in Armagh, Ireland. She died on 12 Dec 1910 in Wollongong New South Wales Australia.
Summary of the children of George Robson (from previous page) and Hannah Hornsby:
i.WILLIAM ROBSON was born in 1841 in Wallsend, UK. He died in 1853 in Wallsend, UK.
ii.MARGARET ROBSONwas born on 25 Dec 1839 in Wallsend, Northumberland, England. She died in Oct 1853 in Wallsend, UK.
iii DEMSTER ROBSON was born on 06 Oct 1844 in Wallsend, Northumberland, England. He died on 27 Sep 1905 in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia (The death occurred at Wollongong on Wed last of Mr Demster Robson, for many years a resident of Golden-square, and for a considerable time underground boss at the Shenandoah Co.’s mine. The deceased was a brother-in-law of the the late Mr D. Cronin.). He married Emma Maria Chandler, daughter of George Nicholas Chandler and Elizabeth Ann Wright in 1874 in Strathfieldsaye, Victoria, Australia. She was born in 1854 in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. She died in 1929 in Bendigo, Victoria.
iv.MATTHEWROBSON was born on 23 May 1852 in Wallsend, Northumberland, England. He died on 16 Jun 1865 in Wollongong.
v.MARYROBSON was born on 05 May 1838 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, England. She died on 27 Nov 1908 in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia. She married Michael Phillips, son of John Phillips on 10 Mar 1863 in Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, England. He was born in 1838 in Wellington, Northumberland, England. He died in 1918 in Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.
Summary of the children of George Robson and his second wife Elizabeth Brownlee:
i.LILLY M ROBSON was born in 1886 in Balmain, New South Wales. She died in 1961 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. She married GEORGE MAGUS. He was born in 1875 in Estonia. He died in 1963 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
ii.HANNAHFLORENCE ROBSON was born in 1874 in Wollongong, NSW.
iii.JANE ROBSONwas born in 1862 in Wollongong, New South Wales. She died in 1862.
iv.JOHN ROBSON was born in 1872 in Wollongong, New South Wales.
v.MARTHA ZILLAH ROBSON was born in 1878 in Wollongong, New South Wales.
viEMMA E ROBSON was born in 1867 in Wollongong, New South Wales.
vii.EDITH MARGARET ROBSON was born in 1863 in Wollongong, New South Wales.
viii.MATTHEW WILLIAM ROBSON was born in 1871 in Wollongong, New South Wales. He married MARIA E BASSETTin 1911.
ix.JAMES GEORGE ROBSON was born in 1868 in Wollongong, New South Wales.
x.LETITIA J ROBSON was born in 1865 in Wollongong, New South Wales
Chapter One – John Fuller, The Silvery Tenor and his Fuller Family of Shoreditch, London, England
James Kidd of Fifeshire, Scotland and Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
George Edwin Wise and the Western Stores
The Cranwill, Smith and Colley Families of Ballycanew, Wexford, Ireland
The Robertson, Falconer, Duncan and Ritchie Families of Dundee, Scotland
10 comments On The Robson Family of Wallsend and Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland England and Newcastle and Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
KerrieAnne Christian
January 20, 2017 at 2:28 am - Reply
Thanks for this comprehensive article. I was researching George Robson (1817 – 1905) of Woodlawn Wollongong as part of my interest in my sister in law's family history. She is a great granddaughter of Edith Margaret Robson, from George's second marriage. I had already concluded that George had probably on the Nabob and your article added so much detail on the Robson family.
Virginia Rundle
January 20, 2017 at 10:26 am - Reply
Hello Kerrie Anne, glad to be of help. I am eager to place this part of the family into my tree. I would be most happy if you could email me the descent line of your sister in law., as it really helps everyone to stay connected. It is such an interesting story, and I am so pleased to have been of help to you. Kind regards Virginia
virginia@arundle.com
Harley Carey
May 28, 2018 at 11:20 pm - Reply
Was researching my GG Grandfather William Robson as I felt my father may have had some incorrect information and came across your excellent research. I do believe there is an error in citing the ‘Ken Files’ and he may not have known the code numbers meaning unless my father had explained them.
These flow charts were drawn by my father Samuel Warren Carey AO and are in his hand. If you look at the code numbers you will see he has started with himself as 1I1 and my mother Austral 1I2. 1 is the degree of blood separation, I is his generation, the next number is random as to when he entered that person to the tree. Those with O at the start are no blood relations. William Robson b 1817 is 1F20
I am 1J3 – J generation, 3rd child of Sam & Austral. Happy to provide any info on our side that you may not have.
Sandra Stanley
August 21, 2018 at 1:38 am - Reply
I am related to John Eggelston Robson through his wife, Sarah Ann Francis Elizabeth Emery and have researched their family through one of their descendants. There is also a bit about William and Ann Robson and his mines down in Wollongong (John Elliot Robson, ‘Robson Family Background’), but mostly about John E. and Sarah A.F.E. Robson and their 11 kids. One reason for John E. being left a comparatively small amount of money (large by today’s standards) was that he was also a hawker and, along with most of his brothers, had no interest in mining. I re-read my account of the Robson Family right back to Scotland and there’s more than I realised. So, if you would also like what I have about John E. and Sarah A.F.E. Robson’s kids, I’ll email it.
David ROBSON
April 23, 2019 at 7:42 am - Reply
I met Narelle Ahling at the Kiama Family History Centre last year.
I believe my Robson descent in Australia is:
William Robson (1817-1888) m1: (1836) Ann Veitch (1816-1853)
Thomas William Robson (1845-1937) m: (1868) Mary Ann Rossborough (1846-1905)
Edwin Charles Robson (1881-1940) m: (1903) Jane Herbert Swan (1882-1968)
Leslie William Robson (1922-1978) m: (1944) Helen Mary Carlaw (1925-1951)
I’m in awe of the research you have done to compile Relatives Matter.
I’ve downloaded some reports about the 1835 mine explosion at Wallsend N-u-T where a Robson father & son died.
I’ve been doing a lot of research into my maternal Carlaw line who lived in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne before migrating to Australia.
Earlier ancestors may have come from West Lothian (Carlaw), Ayrshire (McCandlish), Mid Lothian & Lanarkshire (Tennent & Sandilands), in Scotland.
So far, my parents appear to be the 1st Robson & Carlaw marriage, but I’m looking for earlier marriages by tracing siblings of my direct Carlaw ancestors, possibly via Ann Veitch’s family.
I’ve found Veitch descendants of the Carlaws, but no other marriages as yet.
Brittney Barnes
November 22, 2019 at 3:22 pm - Reply
Who designed your website?
Amortoae Petru
Admnistrator AZWebNet.com
Sue Woodfield
May 12, 2020 at 2:35 am - Reply
Hi, just came across this article. I believe there may be some connection between my Robson’s and yours but I need to really sit down and read this article again more closely. My grandmother was Isabel Robson, daughter of George Robson (1858-1943) and Mary Ann Drury. George was son of Thomas Robson (1832-1920) all around Wallsend NSW area. Thomas (1832-1920) was son of Thomas (1799-1886) son of William (1760-1844).
Hope to find a connection.
Craig Higgins
September 2, 2020 at 9:22 pm - Reply
Hi I came across this article as well, my great grand father was cecil bertram robson son of John and Isabella Robson were married in 1890 at West Wallsend, N.S.W. Marriage Cert:7327/1890 and had only 1 child. Cecil Bertram Robson born 1892 at west Wallsend, N.S.W.
I reckon our family is related
Thanks for these comments Craig. It is interesting that your Robson family migrated very early to Newcastle, New South Wales early as well. I had quite an extensive search to see if John and Isabella Robson were related to my Robson ancestors, however at this stage they remain unconnected. Your family of Robson miners hailed from Durham in England and my Robson family came from Wallsend in England. During my research on your Robson family I did uncover a lot of records and I was pleased to have successfully placed the family firmly into the townships of Houghton Le Spring and Chester Le Street in Durham, England. I have uploaded original baptism and marriage records, collected English census information as well as their migration records to Sydney aboard the Conway in 1856. All this can be found on my ancestry.com “Rundle Family Tree” however, at this stage they remain “floating” and unconnected to my Robson’s of Wallsend. Regards Virginia
Leave a Reply to Harley Carey Cancel Reply
Russell’s Wallsend Mine Disaster, Wallsend, Northumberland, England, 23 October 1821
Chapter Five – Fuller’s Earth – 1905-1909
John Fuller research trip to Auckland March 2019
The Lindsay Family of Montrose, Scotland
Mike Clemas on The Northey Family of Cornwall, England
Susan Henderson on Mary Jones, convict of the Broxbournebury 1814 and George Faughtley Wright, convict of the Somersetshire 1814
Nathan Northey on The Northey Family of Cornwall, England
VIR on The Robson Family of Wallsend and Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland England and Newcastle and Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
Craig Higgins on The Robson Family of Wallsend and Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland England and Newcastle and Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia
All material within this website remains the property of Virginia Rundle. For use permissions please contact the author.
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Guide to Accounting
Corporate Finance & Accounting Accounting
By Adam Hayes
What Is Days Payable Outstanding – DPO?
Days payable outstanding (DPO) is a financial ratio that indicates the average time (in days) that a company takes to pay its bills and invoices to its trade creditors, which may include suppliers, vendors, or financiers. The ratio is typically calculated on a quarterly or annual basis, and indicates how well the company’s cash outflows are being managed.
A company with a higher value of DPO takes longer to pay its bills, which means that it can retain available funds for a longer duration, allowing the company an opportunity to utilize those funds in a better way to maximize the benefits. A high DPO, however, may also be a red flag indicating an inability to pay its bills on time.
Days payable outstanding (DPO) computes the average number of days a company needs to pay its bills and obligations.
Companies that have a high DPO can delay making payments and use the available cash for short-term investments and to increase their working capital and free cash flow.
However, higher values of DPO, though desirable, may not always be a positive for the business as it may signal a cash shortfall and inability to pay.
The Formula for Days Payable Outstanding Is
?DPO=Accounts?Payable×Number?of?DaysCOGSwhere:COGS=Cost?of?Goods?Sold??=Beginning?Inventory+P?Ending?Inventory\begin{aligned} &\text{DPO} = \frac{\text{Accounts Payable}\times\text{Number of Days}}{\text{COGS}}\\ &\textbf{where:}\\ &\text{COGS}=\text{Cost of Goods Sold} \\ &\qquad\ \ \, \,= \text{Beginning Inventory} + \text{P} -\text{Ending Inventory}\\ &\text{P}=\text{Purchases} \end{aligned}?DPO=COGSAccounts?Payable×Number?of?Days?where:COGS=Cost?of?Goods?Sold??=Beginning?Inventory+P?Ending?Inventory??
How to Calculate DPO
To manufacture a saleable product, a company needs raw material, utilities, and other resources. In terms of accounting practices, the accounts payable represents how much money the company owes to its supplier(s) for purchases made on credit.
Additionally, there is a cost associated with manufacturing the saleable product, and it includes payment for utilities like electricity and for employee wages. This is represented by cost of goods sold (COGS), which is defined as the cost of acquiring or manufacturing the products that a company sells during a period. Both of these figures represent cash outflows and are used in calculating DPO over a period of time.
The number of days in the corresponding period is usually taken as 365 for a year and 90 for a quarter. The formula takes account of the average per day cost being borne by the company for manufacturing a saleable product. The numerator figure represents payments outstanding. The net factor gives the average number of days taken by the company to pay off its obligations after receiving the bills.
Two different versions of the DPO formula are used depending upon the accounting practices. In one of the versions, the accounts payable amount is taken as the figure reported at the end of the accounting period, like “at the end of fiscal year/quarter ending Sept. 30.” This version represents DPO value “as of” the mentioned date.
In another version, the average value of Beginning AP and Ending AP is taken, and the resulting figure represents DPO value “during” that particular period. COGS remains the same in both the versions.
What Does Days Payable Outstanding Tell You?
Generally, a company acquires inventory, utilities, and other necessary services on credit. It results in?accounts payable (AP), a key accounting entry that represents a company's obligation to pay off the short-term liabilities to its creditors or suppliers. Beyond the actual dollar amount to be paid, the timing of the payments—from the date of receiving the bill till the cash actually going out of the company’s account—also becomes an important aspect of business. DPO attempts to measure this average time cycle for outward payments and is calculated by taking the standard accounting figures into consideration over a specified period of time.
Companies having high DPO can use the available cash for short-term investments and to increase their working capital?and?free cash flow. However, higher values of DPO may not always be a positive for the business. If the company takes too long to pay its creditors, it risks jeopardizing its relations with the suppliers and creditors who may refuse to offer the trade credit in the future or may offer it on terms that may be less favorable to the company. The company may also be losing out on any discounts on timely payments, if available, and it may be paying more than necessary.
Additionally, a company may need to balance its outflow tenure with that of the inflow. Imagine if a company allows 90-day period to its customers to pay for the goods they purchase but has only 30-day window to pay its suppliers and vendors. This mismatch will result in the company being prone to cash crunch frequently.Companies must strike a delicate balance with DPO.
Typical DPO value vary widely across different industry sectors, and it is not worthwhile comparing these values across different sector companies. A firm's management will instead compare its DPO to the average within its industry to see if it is paying its vendors relatively too quickly or too slowly. Depending upon the various global and local factors, like the overall performance of economy, region, and sector, plus any applicable seasonal impacts, the DPO value of a particular company can vary significantly from year to year, company to company, and industry to industry.
DPO value also forms an integral part of the formula used for calculating the cash conversion?cycle (CCC),?another key metric that expresses the length of time that a company takes to convert the resource inputs into realized cash flows from sales. While DPO focuses on?the current outstanding payable by the business, the superset CCC follows the entire cash time-cycle as the cash is first converted into?inventory, expenses?and?accounts payable,?through to sales and?accounts receivable, and then back into cash in hand when received.
Example of How Days Payable Outstanding Is Used
As a historical example, the leading retail corporation Walmart (WMT) had accounts payable worth $46.09 billion and cost of goods sold worth $373.4 billion for the fiscal year 2018.?? These figures are available in the annual financial statement and balance sheet of the company. Taking the number of days as 365 for annual calculation, the DPO for Walmart comes to [ 46.09 / (373.4/365) ] = 45.05 days.
Similar calculations for technology leader Microsoft (MSFT) which had $8.62 billion as AP and $38.4 billion as COGS leads to DPO value of 80.73 days.??
It indicates that during the fiscal year ending 2018, Walmart paid its invoices in around 45 days after receiving the bills, while Microsoft took around 80 days, on an average, to pay its bills.
A look at similar figures for the online retail giant Amazon (AMZN), which had AP of $34.62 billion and COGS of $111.93 billion for the fiscal year 2017, reveals a very high value of 112.90 days.?? Such high value of DPO is attributed to the working model of Amazon, which roughly has 50 percent of its sales being supplied by third-party sellers. Amazon instantly receives funds in its account for sale of goods which are actually supplied by third-party sellers using Amazon’s online platform.
However, it doesn’t don’t pay the sellers immediately after the sale, but may send accumulated payments based on a weekly/monthly or threshold-based payment cycle. This working mechanism allows Amazon to hold onto the cash for a longer period of time, and the leading online retailer ends up with a significantly higher DPO.
Limitations of DPO
While DPO is useful in comparing relative strength between companies, there is no clear-cut figure for what constitutes?a healthy days payable outstanding, as the DPO varies significantly by industry, competitive positioning of the company, and its bargaining power. Large companies with a strong power of negotiation are able to contract for better terms with suppliers and creditors, effectively producing lower DPO figures than it would have otherwise.
Walmart. "2018 Annual Report," pages 38 and 55. Accessed Aug. 6, 2020.
Microsoft. "Annual Report 2018." Accessed Aug. 6, 2020.
Amazon. "2017 Annual Report," pages 27 and 40. Accessed Aug. 6, 2020.
Why You Should Use Days Sales of Inventory – DSI
The days sales of inventory (DSI) gives investors an idea of how long it takes a company to turn its inventory into sales.
Understanding Cost of Goods Sold – COGS
Cost of goods sold (COGS) is defined as the direct costs attributable to the production of the goods sold in a company.
Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC)
Cash conversion cycle (CCC) is a metric that expresses the length of time, in days, that it takes for a company to convert resources into cash flows.
The current ratio is a liquidity ratio that measures a company's ability to cover its short-term obligations with its current assets.
An income statement is one of the three major financial statements that reports a company's financial performance over a specific accounting period.
Current assets are a balance sheet item that represents the value of all assets that could reasonably be expected to be converted into cash within one year.
Understanding the Cash Conversion Cycle
What Does Cash Conversion Cycle (CCC) Say About a Company's Management?
How to Evaluate a Company's Balance Sheet
Measuring Company Efficiency To Maximize Profits
Book Value vs. Market Value: What's the Difference?
Working Capital Position
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2014 Chevrolet SS revealed
The Chevrolet SS marks the return of a rear-wheel drive Chevrolet sedan to North America since production of the fourth generation Caprice ended in 1996.
North American police have had rear-drive Chevrolet Caprices for a few years now, while civilian versions of that car have been on sale in the Middle Eastern market for a bit longer. News of the Chevrolet SS will definitely be a delight for North American Chevy fans who miss being able to have rear-wheel drive fun, but at the same time having some level of practicality.
The Chevrolet SS’s main competition will undoubtedly be the Chrysler 300 SRT8 and Dodge Charger SRT8. The SS will make use of GM’s LS3 engine, a 6.2-litre V8 producing 415hp and 415 lb ft of torque. Power is sent through a six-speed automatic transmission, which also has a manual gear-changing function via steering wheel paddle shifters, while acceleration from 0-60mph takes around five seconds.
Unlike its 1996 Caprice predecessor, the SS doesn’t use a live rear axle. It is actually based on the upcoming Holden VF Commodore, one of GM Australia’s popular sports sedans, meaning it uses a multilink independent rear suspension. It also has electronic power steering, Brembo brakes (355mm discs in front), and 19-inch wheels wrapped in Bridgestone tyres.
As for some of the interior toys, the SS will come standard with a colour heads-up display, a touchscreen user interface and navigation system, a nine-speaker Bose premium sound system, a reverse camera, as well as push-button ignition. An automatic self-parking system will also be made available.
The Chevrolet SS will go on-sale towards the fourth quarter of this year, but there is no word on pricing as yet. However, if it’s to go against the SRT competition, it should be priced around the mid-to-high $40k range. There’s also no information as to whether there will be other engine options, or if a manual transmission will be available. The only thing missing right now is a rear-wheel drive Ford sports sedan, only then will there be a real sports sedan war among the Big Three.
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Ipod shuffle experiment
Alright, with no other inspiration to guide me, I'm going to try a little something partly inspired by my friend Kate Laity.
I don't generally participate in Internet chain e-mails, surveys, or any of that crap that tells you if you don't re-send it to 15 of your friends all of your pets will die. There is one of this breed of Internet crap that I admit is pretty fun: the ipod shuffle questionnaires. It's usually a list of questions that you have to answer with the title of whatever random songs pop up on your ipod shuffle. I don't believe my music player is psychic, but there tends to be a lot of coincidental humor whenever I try these things. One of my favorites, for example, was when the question was "What kind of person are you?" The answer my ipod spit out was "American Idiot" by Green Day.
Okay maybe my ipod is psychic.
I'm not posting a questionnaire, but I'm going to use the shuffle for inspiration. I'm going to put my ipod on shuffle and listen to the first 10 songs. Then I'm going to write something either about each one, or inspired by each one.
I have one caveat. Usually, with the questionnaries the rule is you don't skip any songs. Whatever comes up is the answer and if you skip it, you're cheating. If the question is "How sexually experienced are you?" and the song that comes up is "Like A Virgin", tough shit, that's your answer. Because this isn't a questionnaire, I reserve the right to skip a song but only if the song is by an artist who is already on the list.
1. "In My Place" by Coldplay from A Rush of Blood to the Head
Not my favorite Coldplay song. I think it's only on my ipod because I just threw the entire album on there.
Hm. I don't really have anything else to say about it. It doesn't really make me think of anything except Kate Laity who hates Coldplay. Because she's racist.
2. "Sleep Now in the Fire" by Rage Against the Machine from The Battle of Los Angeles
This is a great song, but I usually skip it when it comes up on my shuffle. Rage Against the Machine, System of a Down, and any other artists selling a Fight The System image depress me. I'm jaded. My opinion on this extends well beyond music. If you're selling a message of rebellion, your message may be genuine, but first and foremost you're selling. That's not to say there's no real rebels, but you'll never hear of them and neither will I.
I don't think I do anything to make the world a better place. I think I should feel bad, but I don't. My life is not in balance and I'm not on the right path. Until I am, I don't know how I can help anyone else.
3. "That's What I Get" by Nine Inch Nails from Pretty Hate Machine
Man. I haven't managed to listen to a Pretty Hate Machine song from beginning to end since I put the songs on my ipod. I am so embarrassed by the thought of how deep and real I thought they were when I was a teenager or of all the horrible poetry they inspired.
"I told you I'd never say goodbye
I'm slipping on the tears you made me cry"
Christ, shoot me.
4. "Shimmy" by System of a Down from Toxicity
Listening to "Shimmy" reminded me of what I was thinking about last night as I listened to "Handlebars" by Flobots. Here's some "Shimmy" lyrics:
Education, fornication, in you are go
Education subjugation, now you're out go
Education fornication, in you are go
And then--
Indoctrination of a nation
Subjugation of damnation
It never bothered me before when singers just strung together a bunch of words that end with "ation" but once I noticed it, I couldn't un-notice it.
And now neither can you.
5. "Mountain Song" by Jane's Addiction from Nothing's Shocking
My first concert was Jane's Addiction at the RPI Fieldhouse in Troy. I remember being surprised at the other people there. I thought I would be the most normal looking person there, that everyone else would have piercings all over the place and purple hair (like mine, at the time) and long black overcoats.
In fact, if I remember correctly, I looked less like a drunk frat guy than most of the people there. One drunk frat guy in particular stood behind me most of the concert yelling "COMIN' DOWN THE MOUNTAIN" during, and between, every song; before and after the band played "Mountain Song," the song from which the line comes from. Didn't matter. He didn't care. Just kept yelling "COMIN'! DOWN! THE MOUN-TEHHHHHN!"
The atmosphere of the concert made me giddy. It was dark and I couldn't get too hung up about things because everyone was packed in, sweaty and getting slammed into one another by the crowd. Weed was fucking everywhere. It would be a couple of years before I tried weed myself, so I wasn't purposely high, but the place was so thick with it I could have very well gotten a contact high. So the guy screaming the "Mountain Song" line didn't really bother me. Hell, at one point I reached up to help a crowd surfer back to the floor and got a boot right in my face for my troubles, and yet I laughed it off.
I don't think I thought of myself as a particularly compassionate person, but Teenage Mick certainly had Grown Up Mick beaten in the compassion department. These days, I would have very much wanted to say something mean to the "Comin' Down the Mountain" guy, I wouldn't have, but on the way home I would have considered many loud and witty things I could have said to him. Believe you me.
6. "Turned Out" by Helmet from Meantime
It's interesting how associations work. In "Turned Out", the frontman yells "Downtown Julie Brown" in the chorus for some reason I've never cared enough to learn.
That made me think of MTV, and how I stopped watching it when one of the VJs ("VJ" sounds strangely sexual) said something that pissed me off. It was after a video from one of the Seattle bands, and the VJ (it was a guy, I don't remember who) said something along the lines of "If you're interested in the Seattle, you should check out Nirvana's new album In Utero. They have a song all about the Seattle music scene called 'Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle'." Of course, "Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle" has absolutely NOTHING to do with the Seattle music scene and at the time, owning a brain that stored more miscellany about Nirvana than most Nirvana websites, I decided that the VJ in question should've been castrated with the jagged edge of a broken coffee mug.
7. "Psychobilly Freakout" By Reverend Horton Heat from Smoke 'Em If You Got 'Em
I used to be much more interested in keeping up with music. I used to pick up every issue of Rolling Stone and Spin. Even if I hadn't heard a particular artist's work, I usually had some idea of what they were about. Somewhere along the line I tuned out.
Actually, I just remembered that a few weeks ago I did the best I probably ever will to pinpoint exactly when I tuned out. A couple of co-workers were discussing the Tupac/Biggie thing and the bi-coastal professional-wrestling-esque "feud" that surrounded it. That, I think, was what finally made me get stingy about the shits I was giving to music.
Reverend Horton Heat is one of the artists I wish I'd kept up with. I don't know if he's still making albums or touring, but I hear the name every now and then. The last Reverend Horton Heat album I bought was Liquor In The Front, which was odd to listen to. If I remember correctly, Al Jourgensen produced that album and the drums in particular sounded similar to the drums on Ministry albums. The Reverend sounded much more speed metal than he used to.
8. "Wake Me Up When September Ends" by Green Day from American Idiot
This makes me think of one thing, and I've written all I intend to write about it for now.
9. "Push It" by Garbage from Version 2.0
This is the song I want to be playing in the background whenever I have super-powered kung fu fights.
10. "Attitude" by The Misfits from Static Age
Am I pathetically PC because listening to this song bothers me?
I love the Misfits. I love their simple, short songs. I love how many of their songs are about ridiculous monsters and alien invaders. I just don't want to listen to a song about a dude threatening to beat up his girlfriend.
Overall, I think when The Misfits' songs are about anything other than aliens, zombies, goddesses, etc., I'm not interested.
You know, I have a lot of songs on my ipod I don't want to listen to. Maybe I've worked in public radio long enough that as long as there isn't a fiddle or a banjo, it's immediately refreshing even if I don't like it.
Posted by Mick Martin at 12:19 PM
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How I Changed My Mind About Homosexuality
Roughly ten years ago, I was sitting in my dorm room at Azusa Pacific University in Smith Hall. Two friends--who are two of my best friends still to this day--were sitting in the room across the hall, doing whatever they were doing. I was intently focused on my computer monitor, anxiously following the presidential race between George W. Bush and John Kerry. While anyone who knows me now might be tempted to guess that I was hoping for Kerry to win, I was unambiguously in support of Bush. I was convinced that, as a committed Christian (as though I could assume that Kerry was not), Bush would be the one to lead America back to its roots as a "Christian nation." I wanted him to "finish what he started" in Iraq, to win the "war on terror." But most significantly, I wanted him to make gay marriage illegal. I wanted him to put it in the Constitution! That, more than any other issue, was my justification for supporting Bush as a presidential candidate. If nothing else, if Bush won, he'd put the grotesque sexual immorality of the gay agenda behind us. Now, ten years later, it's painful to imagine that I actually felt that way. Indeed, it feels like a confession to even acknowledge it. But that's the way I felt not so terribly long ago.
The issue of homosexuality is certainly a big deal in culture as well as (if not especially) in the church. Whole denominations are in shambles over it. Families are in crisis over it. America is divided over it. I think there are folks on both sides of the issue who think that the future of the church in America depends on our praxis concerning LGBTQ people. So the stakes seem pretty high.
Now I am definitely of the opinion that LGBTQ people should be fully included in the life and ministry of the church and society. That means 'yes' to marriage, ordination, etc. Theologically, I do not believe that sexual orientation is a determination in discerning the body of Christ. Although Paul had no concept of sexual orientation, I think his words from Galatians are pretty categorical: "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Human persons are of equal dignity, not according to their social status, gender, sexual orientation, or economic position, but only according to the grace of God which precedes, invites, and anticipates a faithful human response. Therefore, it should not only be encouraged but expected that LGBTQ people be found in positions of leadership in the ministry of the Church. I think the whole moral arc of the biblical narrative points in this direction.
My presupposition here is that heterosexuality is no more legitimate than LGBTQ sexuality. Straight relationships, though more common, are not privileged over gay and lesbian relationships. Implicit in this presupposition is the presupposition that being LGBTQ is neither an act of the will (at least no more so than being heterosexual) nor is it inherently sinful (again, at least no more so than being heterosexual). I am convinced, though I am always open to challenges, that being gay is not a sin and neither is it sinful for someone to live out their sexuality just as any heterosexual person should. In fact, from a psychotherapeutic standpoint, I'd say it would be unhealthy for someone NOT to live out their sexuality. That doesn't imply that promiscuity is permissible. I still think, as an ethical norm, people should wait until they're married (fully and sacramentally committed to one another) before they have sex (are fully intimate with one another... intimacy and commitment should be in proportion, that is my basic sexual ethic...which is partly why it's important that gay marriages be permitted). But I do not apply any ethical standards to homosexuals that I wouldn't also apply to heterosexuals.
The deeper question that the church faces in this juncture of the conversation is the question of the authority and the interpretation of scripture. I do believe in the authority and the inspiration of Scripture. Indeed, I think it's appropriate to refer to it as Holy Scripture. I believe that the Scriptures are the written Word of God, to be interpreted through the Holy Spirit and through Jesus Christ, the living Word of God. But I also believe that Scripture is contextual (just like Jesus, it comes from a specific time and place). It is an ancient human text, even if it is sanctified by God. So in order to know what it means in any given passage, we have to do the work of exegesis. We have to consider the author's original meaning in its original context as best we can before we can understand what it truly means to tell us about God and ourselves. When we are exegetically diligent in interpreting those passages which have (in recent years) been applied to the issue of homosexual relationships, I think we discover that there is at least enough ambiguity there that we should not be too confident in imposing ethical judgement on LGBTQ people. I could detail arguments for each one of the eight (at most!) passages which have been employed by opponents of LGBTQ inclusion. But just to shed some light on a few, the story of Sodom is about gang rape (heterosexuals who want to abuse some angels... hardly a fair or comprehensive representation of LGBTQ sexuality), Romans 1 is about idolatry and excessive promiscuity, the Corinthians and Timothy passages are both probably about pederasty. Even if one were to consider homosexuality, in any one of these passages, as an interpretive option, it would have to be the least compelling when compared to the contextual alternatives.
The most important passages to consider are the Pauline passages and, to be brief, I think Walter Wink is right that "...the relationships Paul describes [when he describes "homosexuality"] are heavy with lust; they are not relationships between consenting adults who are committed to each other as faithfully and with as much integrity as any heterosexual couple." So we cannot conclude that Paul must have meant what we mean today when he used the word "homosexual" (which is contestable anyway) or when he talked about same-sex relationships, given our context in which many gay couples are monogamous and committed Christians, .
Given the full narrative of scripture, and particularly the ministry of Jesus in which the marginalized were affirmed and the outcast were included, I think we have much stronger biblical footing in the acceptance of LGBTQ people than we do in condemning them.
But how did I go from being a hardcore defender of heteronormativity to a firm supporter of LBTQ equality? It didn't happen overnight. Again, it wasn't too terribly long ago that I was sitting in a college dorm room, anxiously anticipating the election of the last great hope for "traditional marriage."I want you to know that it was no easy path. I want you to know that it wasn't on an emotional whim or through some chance change of heart that I changed my mind. It was a long and frustrating path. You see, I'd placed a lot of stock in my position against gay marriage. I'd said a lot of... well... what I'd now think of as hateful things. I'd been clear about my position and, in a way, I'd married myself to it. I knew no other way of being a Christian. It's difficult to admit you're wrong, so either consciously or subconsciously, you build walls around your position to protect yourself from the alternative. Tearing down those barriers is no simple thing, nor is it comfortable. It means conflict. It sometimes means taking on labels you once attributed to your enemies. It means learning new ways of being you and being Christian.
The path from one idea to another is always a little uncomfortable, but when it's something you're passionate about, it can be very uncomfortable. I'm not sure where my path started, but it was always paved with the pages of scripture. I did not come to my conclusions by ignoring the Bible. Perhaps some have. But for me, this has always been an exercise in listening for the Word of the Lord. That's not to say I've always been perfectly faithful. At times I certainly had more trouble with scripture than others. I certainly had moments of great doubt, moments in which it seemed easier to ignore the Bible than to be shaped by it. But at every turn, it was scripture that I was wrestling with, not just some simple notion of preference or cultural assimilation. Someone can accuse me of reading the Bible poorly, but let no one accuse me of ignoring it.
I believe my change of heart probably started with Tony Campolo. Well, it actually started with something called the Youth Leadership Institute (YLI)--a conference for high school students funded through the Lily Endowment under the leadership of Robin Dugall at Azusa Pacific University. Even before I knew it, while I was still staunchly conservative, Dugall and others in his leadership (including Mike DeVries) cracked open a door. They introduced me to authors like Rob Bell (this was long before he came out in support of gay marriage), N.T. Wright, Brian McLaren, and Tony Campolo. It was at a YLI conference that I first started thinking about the "Kingdom of God" (which was the concept which set my whole theology, not just on this specific issue but on just about everything, off in the trajectory it still follows today). I read Campolo's chapter on the subject from his book (co-authored with McLaren), Adventures in Missing the Point. That's what was assigned to me at YLI. But it wasn't long after--probably just shortly after the 2004 election, in fact--that I read on and found Campolo's chapter on homosexuality. While he still took a conservative stance for reasons appealing to tradition, mostly, Campolo alluded to the possibility that the Bible was not as straight-forward on this issue as many conservatives seemed to think. While Campolo wanted to remain conservative himself, his chapter indicated that this was not a simple argument of "the Bible tells me so." In fact, I heard his own wife, Peggy, was on the speaking circuit as an advocate, on Biblical grounds, for the equality of gay and lesbian people. This was not my first exposure to a responsible exegetical/contextual reading of scripture, but it was the first time I had been challenged to apply those exegetical principles to the issue of homosexuality. I didn't change my mind, but the door had been opened. The simple answer I'd so vehemently defended until that point was no longer defensible. Eventually honesty broke through the layers of protection I'd built around the issue and I was faced with the ambiguity of the text surrounding homosexuality. The Bible was beginning to change me. Even if I wanted to believe that Paul was condemning homosexuality, I could not do so honestly without accepting the fact that there is at least enough ambiguity in the text for me to hear-out the opposition and especially to hear-out those whose lives were more directly affected by the issue--those who identified as LGBTQ.
Campolo (and the exegetical approach implied in his rationale) didn't change my mind, but he gave me a reason to listen to the stories of faithful Christians who also happened to be gay, faithful Christians who were lesbians, and eventually faithful Christians who were also transgender. Indeed, I discovered that part of the beauty of scripture is that is calls us to read it as real persons with real stories, not just as Cartesian machines of static rationality. Because the Word became flesh (John 1:1), we are challenged to read scripture in conversation with real flesh-and-blood experiences. It's not just timeless truths passed down from heaven in a bottle, the Bible is a beautiful story of real people with real encounters with God and we are to read it as real people (I learned this from N.T. Wright). Therefore, not only are we allowed to let the experiences of our neighbors speak into our reading and interpretation of the text, we are encouraged to to so by the Bible itself.
While I was in college, I began to meet people who were gay. Also, some people I had already known began to come out to me as LGBTQ. People who were Christians! Some people who were even preparing for ministry. If my heart had not already been softened a little through reading and studying God's Word I may not have been humble enough to ask them about their story, to ask them what they thought of the Bible, and to discover them as persons, not just as "gays." Words cannot express how thankful I am that these people had the courage to come out and be honest with someone so closed-minded as me. These people further challenged my reading of scripture. I discovered that they were not perverted, idolatrous, fornicators. They were people who loved Jesus. They were people who loved and were loved by other people. I could no longer convince myself that they exhibited what Paul was describing when he said "God gave them over to shameful lusts..." (Romans 1:26). I could no longer convince myself that Paul was talking about these people, their love for their partners, when he listed "homosexuality" among so many other obvious moral deficiencies. This was the first time that the Holy Spirit softened my heart enough to ask, could Paul have meant something else?
I had little empirical or Biblical justification left to support my position, but for some reason I still held on to it. By the time I graduated from college, I had only reached a point of "neutrality." I put that in quotes because I am not certain that neutrality actually exists in this debate. Desmond Tutu (another important influence in my spiritual development) said, "if an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality." But nevertheless, I got to a point where I was satisfied in saying, "I just don't know what I think."
In 2008, right after college a church in the conservative town of Ramona, California, (my hometown) took a chance on me and hired me to be their Youth Ministry Director. The church was a UCC church, in arguably the most liberal Christian denomination in the United States--which is something I lean on sometimes with my liberal friends, "I'm one of you, I served at a UCC church!"--but this church in particular was by no means liberal. However, I wouldn't exactly call them conservative either. The congregation, in terms of the ideals of its members, sported perhaps the widest theological and political spectrum of any church I've known. There were hardcore dispensationalist Zionists, flag-waving Republicans, borderline Unitarians, closet Democrats, gays and lesbians, and even a few would-be Pentecostals in the mix. I can only think of a couple of people who would really have identified themselves with the UCC as it stands. And here I was--a freshly decorated, enthusiastic Bachelor of theology with a huge man-crush on Rob Bell and a passion for ministering to teenagers and studying Scripture--there to be their Youth Pastor. Of course, it helped that my parents raised me in this particular church, but that's another story.
With such a wide spectrum represented in the membership, taking a hard stance on any controversial political or social issue was risky--homosexuality perhaps the riskiest of them all. Even if the leadership was unanimous in its position (which it probably wasn't... we never really talked about it), we knew that any position would divide the church. So I made the pastoral decision not to talk about the issue with my students at all. At the time I was sticking with the position of neutrality anyway, so this suited me. But there were times when neutrality was difficult. Being in a very conservative town, engaging in networking with other church leaders and youth workers, I was often shocked into liberalism by the ignorance and arrogance of some conservatives. But then, being part of the UCC, there were sometimes occasions in which I would sound like the token conservative in the room just because of my hesitation with the issue and because I wanted to affirm the authority of Scripture and the divinity of Jesus Christ. I realized then that I'm neither a conservative nor am I as liberal as it gets. I think I was (and still am) fairly balanced in my approach.
But because of my commitment to some notion of neutrality, because I had decided it was easier not to make a decision on the issue, I missed more than one opportunity for ministry. The worst part was, I knew I was missing these opportunities... I knew what an opportunity for ministry felt like and I knew what it felt like to miss one. When one of my students came out of the closet to me because it was the only church in town in which they felt safe to do so, and when I responded to them ambiguously--"well, we love you no matter what" or something like that--I knew I was missing an opportunity. This intuitive sense that I would have been a better minister if I had been able to simply say, "it's ok to be gay, God does not condemn you for it," was another huge step toward changing my mind. I wasn't participating in God's ministry of reconciliation and I could feel it, even if my neutrality didn't allow me to act on it.
The truth is, this was a tipping point for me. While theology, study of Scripture, and openness to the experiences of others played their important roles, it was ministry itself that was the most significantly persuasive factor. I ministered to more than one LGBTQ kid while I was a Youth Director, and with each one it became more clear, as I participated in God's ministry to them, that participation meant accepting them, learning from them, and giving them the good news that they did not have to be ashamed of themselves. I didn't shy away from being honest when I saw problems. Kids knew I didn't condone promiscuity or immorality. By the very end of my four years in Ramona, I had come full circle. I no longer believed that homosexuality was a sin. I had come to this conclusion, my heart softened by the Holy Spirit, through Scripture, community, experience, and intuition. But, because of all the risks involved and because of the pastoral decision I'd made (which I sometimes regret now), I tried to make sure that the only kids who knew my position were the LGBTQ kids in town. I didn't feel totally liberated to "come out" and offer my perspective until I began Seminary.
My first experience of Seminary education was not at Princeton Theological Seminary, where I am now, but at San Francisco Theological Seminary. It may not come as a surprise that SFTS is a somewhat more liberal seminary than, say, Fuller which was across the street. I only took a couple of classes there at their Southern California campus before it closed down and I transferred to Princeton. But the most important class I took there, and perhaps one of the most important classes I've ever taken anywhere, was not important in virtue of its content, per se, but in virtue of its students. Among the students of Dr. Charlene Jin Lee's class, "Ministry and Context," I was the only white-male-heterosexual. All the others were from distinctly different contexts and the only other white man in the class was gay. The LGBTQ students in the class, all of whom were older and wiser than I, inspired me. Because of the set-up at SFTS's Sothern California program, most of its students were already active in ministry. The LGBTQ students in that class were some of the most faithful and dedicated pastors I've ever known. Hearing their stories, listening to their struggles, hammered the point home. These were not perverted fornicators like the subjects of Paul's incitements. These were Christians, pastors, and people. These were people who I could not only accept but these people could easily be my pastors. These were people whose stories I could share and to whom I would bring questions, not only about sexuality, but about faith in Jesus Christ. This was my first proof that gay people could not only be Christians but pastors.
I am grateful now to be in an environment such as Princeton Seminary where I not only rub shoulders with wonderfully inspiring LGBTQ Christians, but I am empowered to share my perspective as their friend and colleague. I am in a place where I am reminded every day that one can be gay and a Christian and that the two are not mutually exclusive.
I changed my mind. And in so doing, I took on the same labels I so viciously lobbed at others--"liberal!" "heathen!" "compromised!" "one who ignores the Word of God." These labels are painful not in themselves but in that they serve as reminders of what I used to be, what I used to think, how I used to act toward the LGBTQ community. These labels hurt because they are salt in the wounds of exchanging one passionately held perspective for another. And, perhaps most of all, these labels hurt because they are accusations of infidelity to the very book that has brought me to where I am. If people know nothing else, I want them to know that it's not despite Scripture that I have come to believe in the equality and full inclusion of LGBTQ people, but because of Scripture. I want people to know that supporting gay people does not mean abandoning the Word of God, but it might mean actually listening to it.
Hopefully I have not repeated my mistakes of the past and simply closed my mind to opposition. I endeavor to always listen, even if people disagree with me, and to learn what I can even from those by whom I am threatened. It would be a shame to be just as closed-minded as I was before. But I have changed my mind. It is clear that I am no longer that college kid with a Bush pin, and the change did not come easily. Indeed, if ever my mind changes again, I pray it changes by nothing other than the leading of the Holy Spirit, no matter how painful the change may be.
A few books I'd recommend to those who are interested: The Moral Teaching of Paul by Victor Paul Furnish; Jesus, The Bible, And Homosexuality by Jack Rogers; and Homosexuality and Christian Faith by Walter Wink.
Posted by wellis68 at 7/29/2014 11:59:00 PM
Labels: Bible, Homosexuality, LGBTQ+
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Home » filmnews » Pooja Kumar Garuda Vega Interview
Pooja Kumar Garuda Vega Interview
Garuda Vega' is a nice cinematic experience: Pooja Kumar
Pooja Kumar of 'Vishwaroopam' and 'Uttama Villain' fame will be seen in 'Garuda Vega' as Swathi, the wife of Rajasekhar.
In this interview, the talented actress talks about what made her choose the film, what makes 'GV' special, why it should be watched only in the theatre, how it was teaming up with Praveen Sattaru and Rajasekhar, and more.
How do you describe 'Garuda Vega'? There is action and there is also the husband-wife relationship that has been explored.
It's an action movie. It's a thriller. It's an emotional film as well. I would call it a path-breaking movie for Telugu cinema. It's a one-of-its-kind entertainer. And it's definitely the kind of movie you would want to go and watch in a theatre. There is a train sequence, a motorcycle sequence, so on and so forth. These are a cinematic experience. You won't feel the experience if you watch it on TV.
What is your character like in the movie?
I should first thank Praveen (Sattaru) for the lovely script. Swathi is a housewife who loves her family and wants to be loved. At the same time, she understands that her hubby is protecting the country. So, she is in two minds. Should she let her hubby do his job? Or should she feel sad that he is not taking her to dinner, etc?
How did you approach the character?
I didn't want to seem like a nagging wife. She is sort of troubled that her husband is not giving her love and protection. She feels isolated. I wanted to bring out the isolation that many women feel. She is the wife of an NIA officer who doesn't know what is going to happen next day. Every day is a different day for him. And the wife doesn't know whether he is going to come back, come back injured, etc.
There is a little bit of layering into the character. At the same time there is a lightness about her. We had a great time shooting.
There are many other important characters that the film has. What is their place in the story?
I think most of the films have a hero, a heroine, and a villain. In 'GV', there are other important characters, too. There is Sekhar's story, there is Swathi's story, there is Adith's story. Every story has its own importance.
Praveen had always had a bound script. As I was reading the 120-page script, it was very moving. I kept on reading. He was very clear about what he wanted to shoot. There is an edginess to the scenes. And there is a great deal of characters.
Is your role substantial in the film?
I think yes. Because isn't wife the most important one in your life? (Guffaws). I am there even in the climax. Not many films have the heroine in the climax.
Is 'GV' more Hollywoodish than an Indian movie?
It's a blend of Hollywood-like special effects and the Indian-type sentimentality. The emotions are how we feel in India.
It has been shot in a range of locations. In one of the places where it rains often, we had to shoot when it rained and come back once it stopped. And then when it rained again, we would go back to shoot.
How was it working with Rajasekhar?
I hadn't known him before signing up this movie. He is such a talented actor. I realized he is like a cop. 'GV' is like his comeback movie. He is energetic.
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independence day || about independence day
May 14, 2020 telugu mother childrens day, top schools
independence day :
independence day : Our India was liberated from British rule on August 15, 1947.so There have been many challenges and challenges in the governance of our country and many fighters
who have brought freedom to our country have always worked for our India.and Today we are celebrating independence because of the heroes of that country.Today we celebrate all of them with a great celebration of independence.
Upcoming date : Date : August 15th 2020
How did India get its independence and how we were freedom from British rule? Let’s find out:
The British occupied and ruled the country.During the British rule, the Indians suffered greatly For a time the Indians began a revolution against the British in 1857,fighting for foreign authority and sacrificing their lives for our country.
We are now celebrating this freedom because of the great qualities that our country has made available to us by sacrificing their lives in the face of challenges and challenges in fighting for India.
Mahatma Gandhi: (1869-1948)
Gandhiji is the great man who brought freedom to our country.Mahatma Gandhi was the great man who had transformed the British into a weapon of peace and non-violence and fought for the independence of the British in their struggle to achieve independence for our India.That is why we all respect him as a race.
Bhagat Singh: 1907-1931
Bhagat Singh was one of the freedom fighters of India. He joined the fighting movement at an early age. Bhagat Singh fought for the Socialist Republican Association (HSRA) in 1928.
(HRA) Bhagat Singh threw a bomb in 1929 to avenge the death of Lala Lajpat Rai,a prominent member of the Hindustan Republican Association.
He was then sentenced to death by the British government at the age of 23 for fighting for India.
Sarojini Naidu: 1879-1949
Sarojini Naidu. She is a poet. and also social activities in India’s freedom struggle. she joined politics in 1905.
she came into politics at the time of the partition of Bengal and she was also elected Governor of the Indian National Congress.
sarojini Naidu is the first woman to be elected governor of the Indian National Congress.she visited various places in india. Made speeches. In 1917, she helped found the Women’s Indian Association. Sarojini Naidu played a key role in our Indian struggle.
Jhansi Lakshmibai:
Our Jhansi Lakshmibai is one of the brave women fighting for independence. Rani Jhansi Laxmibai A heroic woman, Jhansi Laxmibai,who is an ideal for our women, fought with India equally.
Jhansi Lakshmibai is a great courageous woman. Jhansi Laxmi bai, who bravely fought with the British to surrender their kingdom with his courage.
Dr. saheb ambedkar: (1891-1956)
Dr.saheb ambedkar is a fighter who played a key role in the revolution in social movements and in modern India.
Dr. ambedkar is a great man who helped fight the caste system and the people in India.A fighter who helped India.
Subhash Chandra Bose :
One of the fighter “Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose” was a man who believed that the English could be defeated by the armed struggle in the Indian independence struggle.
He was a veteran of the Indian independence movement. Subhash Chandra Bose,National Commander of India At the outbreak of the war, Russia formed an alliance with him and toured Japan. His death became a controversial one as he fought for independence.
happy independence day 🙂
Related links :
barata mata
Leave a comment jhansi laxmibai, mahatma gandi - independence day, saheb ambethkar, sarojini nayudu, subash chndra bose
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activities for kids || learning play activities for development »
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March 12, 1952 — Eisenhower announces his candidacy for President of the USA
By Loki 222 Content, Politics, Rock n Roll History of the World, The Rock'n'Roll History of the World
Eisenhower didn’t originally want to run for President. He’d been repeatedly urged to by Harry Truman over the previous years, but Harry wanted Ike to be a Democrat, and Ike’s family were dyed-in-the-wool Republicans. At one point, he retorted to Truman that if he was going to run, it would be as a Republican, not a Democrat.
When word of that got out, Henry Cabot Lodge entered Eisenhower’s name on the ballot for the New Hampshire Primary without Ike’s knowledge. Garnering considerable popular support and a number of endorsements in newspaper editorials, Ike did no campaigning, saying only that if he won, he would contest the election. Eisenhower easily emerged victorious, winning 50% of the votes on March 11, 1952. The next day, he announced that he would indeed run, and come November, he was elected the 34th President of the United States. Richard Nixon was his Vice President.
By White House – Eisenhower Presidential Library, Public Domain, Link
Dr Jeep — Sisters of Mercy
Tagged 1952, Dr Jeep, Dwight Eisehower, I Like Ike, Mar 12, New Hampshire Primary, President of the United States, Sisters of Mercy
July 1, 1952 — “The Liberace Show” is first broadcast
By Loki 222 Content, Culture, Rock n Roll History of the World, The Rock'n'Roll History of the World
Liberace was one of the first of a new breed of entertainer in post war America. He saw that television would displace radio as the dominant medium, and that his own act, with its intensely visual aspects, would be well-suited to it. But his initial efforts to find success on the box did less well than he had hoped – guest spots on variety shows didn’t seem to help that much.
On July 1, 1952, he screened a fifteen minute first episode of “The Liberace Show”, which soon went on to become a syndicated series – and to net Liberace a small fortune (he got as much as 80% of the residuals in some markets). Soon, Władziu Valentino Liberace was a household name – or at least, his surname was, and he became one of the best known entertainers of his era, a legend in his own time.
By photo by Alan Light, CC BY 2.0, Link
We Didn’t Start The Fire — Billy Joel
Tagged 1952, Billy Joel, Jul 1, Liberace, The Liberace Show, We Didn't Start The Fire
September 23, 1952 – Rocky Marciano becomes world Heavyweight Champion
By Loki 222 Content, Rock n Roll History of the World, Sport, The Rock'n'Roll History of the World
Rocky Marciano had been a professional boxer for only a little over four years when he defeated Jersey Joe Walcott in Philadelphia. The 29 year old boxer defeated Walcott in a round 13 knockout, after a slow start that saw him behind on points for most of the bout.
Marciano would hold the World Heavyweight Champion title for three and a half years, successfully defending it six times before he retired from professional boxing on April 27, 1956. (Floyd Patterson would be the next holder of the title.)
Tagged 1952, Billy Joel, Rocky Marciano, Sep 23, We Didn't Start The Fire
November 1, 1952 — Einsteinium is first created
By Loki 222 Content, Rock n Roll History of the World, Science, The Rock'n'Roll History of the World
Einsteinium is a completely artifical element (atomic number 99) with a very short half-life (a about 1 and a third years). It was first discovered in the fallout from the detonation of the world’s first hydrogen bomb, code Ivy Mike, detonated at Enewetak Atoll on November 1, 1952.
As a trans-uranic element, it is extremely radioactive. It has no known applications other using it to develop other extremely radioactive trans-uranic elements with even higher atomic numbers – so far, it has been employed successfully in the creation of mendelevium (atomic number 101) and unsuccessfully in the attempted creation of ununennium (atomic number 119).
By Haire, R. G., US Department of Energy.
Touched up by Materialscientist at en.wikipedia. – [1], Haire, Richard G. (2006). “Einsteinium”. In Morss; Edelstein, Norman M.; Fuger, Jean. The Chemistry of the Actinide and Transactinide Elements (3rd ed.). Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer Science+Business Media. ISBN 1-4020-3555-1. p. 1580
Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by User:Urutseg using CommonsHelper., Public Domain, Link
The Fez — The Dead Milkmen
Tagged 1952, Dead Milkmen, Einsteinium, Nov 1, periodic table, The Fez
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Huangshan China, Anhui Province
Huangshan city is located at the southernmost tip of Anhui Province. To the northeast closes with Jixi County, Shengde County and Jing County of Xuancheng region; to the northwest connects with Qingyang County, Shitai County and Dongzhi County of Chizhou region; to the southwest adjacent to Jingde Town of Jiangxi Province; and to the southeast bounders with Kaihua County, Chunan County and Linan County of Zhejiang Province.
Huanghsan city lies in a subtropical, evergreen broad-leaved forest and red and yellow soil zone. The east longitude is between 171 degrees and 118 degrees 53 minute, and the north latitude is between 29 degrees 24 minute and 30 degrees 31 minute. The northernmost is in the southeast of Zhupu Town, Xi County, and the westernmost is in the west of Xinan Town, Qimen County, extending 164.14 kilometers from east to west. The southernmost is on the Lotus Peak of Xiuning County, and the northernmost is in the north of Xinfeng County, Huangshan region, extending 123.35 kilometers from south to north. The total area occupies 9,870 square kilometers.
Huangshan City Climate
Huangshan City belongs to north subtropical region and quarter humid monsoon weather, with moderate rainfall. The four seasons are distinctly clear. The annual average temperature is between 15 degree and 16 degree. Most of the region in winter has no freezing and the frost-free period often lasts 236 days. The average annual precipitation is 167 cm. The precipitation is mainly concentrated in May or August. The hydrothermal resources are very rich, which is suitable for a variety of trees, tea, fruit trees and crops growth.
As we know, Five Mountains are the collective name given to China’s most important mountains, namely Taishan Mountain in Shandong Province, Huashan Mountain in Shaanxi Province, Hengshan Mountain in Shanxi Province, Songshan Mountain in Henan Province and Hengshan Mountain in Hunan Province. A geographer XuXiake in Ming Dynasty had visited them twice and said, “You won’t want to visit any other mountains after seeing Five Mountains, but you won’t wish to see even the Five Mountains after returning from Huangshan Mountain.”
Huangshan Mountain is the first batch of key national scenic spots and also a world-class tourist destination. In 1990, Huangshan Mountain was listed by UNESCO as a world natural protection of the human heritage record and has become mankind’s heritage. It has an area of about 1,200 square kilometers. The scenic area occupies 1,154 square kilometers.
It’s said that this mountain was the place that Chinese ancestor Yellow Emperor practiced his moral culture, refined compounded drug and became an immortal. There are thousands of peaks, 72 of which are well-known. Among them, “Lotus”, “Brightness Top” and “Celestial Capital” are the three major ones. Their elevations reach above 1,800 meters with magnificent, majestic scenery.
Different seasons have different sceneries in Huangshan Mountain. Sunrise, sunset, Buddha lights and other season landscapes have their own features. This mountain is called “natural zoo and the botanical garden world”. It’s really a paradise on earth. In addition, Cloud Valley Temple, Pine Valley Nunnery, White Cloud River, Jadeite Valley and other scenic areas attract so many tourists to visit.
Four Best Sceneries of Huangshan
There are four wonders of Huangshan, and they are 1) odd-shaped pines, 2) craggy rocks, 3) sea of clouds and 4) crystal-clear hot spring.
Odd-shaped Pines
Odd-shaped pines are often grown on the peak whose elevation is between 800 meters and 1,800 meters. They’re a famous tree species in botany. Huangshan Mountain’s pines and other trees are not the same. They are mostly not growing in the soil, but deep-rooted in the dangerous rocks and cliffs.
Welcoming guest pines: it is located in the east side of the Jade Screen Peak and on the Wenshu Cave. The height is about 10 meters; the diameter is about 64 centimeters; the diameter of its root is 75 centimeters; and under the pines branch is 2.5 meters high. There are two main lateral shoots which are in the middle of its trunk with 7.6 meters long stretching forwards. It seems as a hospitable host who stretches his two arms to welcome the tourists at home and abroad warmly. This pine stands for Huangshan Mountain. It’s the national treasure. Anhui Hall of Beijing Office now displays a huge iron picture “Welcoming Pine” which was drawn based on its image.
Seeing-Guest-Out Pine: it’s adjacent to the road of Jade Screen Peak, standing among the green forest. One lateral shoot stretches out as if it bows to see the guests out. This is the reason why it’s called “Seeing-Guest-Out Pine”.
Read more in the next part >>
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South and West See Population Surge, Census Bureau
Census Bureau figures released Tuesday show U.S. population at 321.4 million.
Over the course of one year, the South and West saw population surge, but the rest of the U.S. remained flat or even declined, a recently released report of the Census Bureau shows. According to the official figures, the states with the largest population gains are Nevada, North Carolina, Florida, and Nevada.
The four states already played a significant role when it comes to electing an candidate for the Oval Office, but their demographic dynamics suggests that they would play an even more important role in the future elections.
Demography experts and political analysts believe that on the short term Democrats would benefit from the increase as the Southern and Western states will also see a gain in minority populations, which historically have supported the party.
But in the next decade, Republicans would benefit from the population growth, experts believe, because of the Electoral College system among other reasons.
The Census Bureau report also shows that Florida added more population than California did for the first time since 1996. Florida now has a population of nearly 20.3 million, gaining more than 1,000 people every day.
But the bulk of new people are immigrants, the report revealed, with Cuba the leading cause of the surge. Currently, analysts try to figure out how immigrants would influence the presidential election in the Sunshine State since the 2012 election was won by a 1 percent margin.
Additionally, retirees who came into the state lately tend to lean right and voted for Republican nominees such as Mitt Romney, while the Latino community in the state showed support for Barack Obama.
So, political pundits wonder whether the recent surge in Florida’s population could influence the fate of the presidential election especially if one of the state’s candidates such as Marco Rubio or Jeb Bush gets nominated.
North Carolina added more than 100,000 people in one year, who propelled the state for the first time beyond the 10 million limit. Analysts believe that the recent shift in demographic patterns may be caused by tech careers in the state’s ‘research triangle’ and the warm climate, which is especially appealing for seniors from cooler states.
While North Carolina preferred Republicans in the latest presidential race, a growing African-American population, which favors Democrats by design, could change the situation in 2016.
As of July 1, the overall U.S. population was 321.4 million, displaying the same rate growth from a year before. The report shows that there were fewer births this year than a year prior to the economic crisis.
Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: blue states, census bureau, presidential campaign, red states, us population
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Posted on May 9, 2016 by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
Daughter to Marry – Parents Get Grip
May 9th, 2016, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Following nothing short of a near miss in the raving insanity department, the parents of Megan would like to announce her engagement to Alex.
From all reports, the initial response of the parents involved was ironically immature. “We almost lost it” remarked her mother, when reached for comment. “I mean, who in their right mind gets behind the marriage of a mere child?”
Apparently this knee-jerk reaction was followed by a period of reflection, during which the family refrained from the immediate use of the telephone, email or text. “We had to think about it” they claimed, while clutching a folder of important papers marked MEGAN. “It seemed so crazy that she could consider doing this thing, I mean… she couldn’t possibly be old enough, but she was acting like she was, and she’s usually such a reasonable child. We decided to look into it a little more to try and make sense of it.” Encouraged by their other daughters who suggested they get “some kind of a freaking grip” the parents consulted Megan’s birth certificate, only to discover – much to their absolute shock, that Megan is actually on the cusp of her 25th Birthday, and while they aren’t sure when the (*&*%^ this happened, it turns out that she’s totally old enough to marry – and that even more unbelievably, they themselves are somehow old enough to have a child who can wed under Canadian law.
The parents now retract their planned statements of “Get your hands off our little Boo-Baby” and “Stop kissing her you jerk” and regret the tentative plan to have the gentleman in question arrested – mostly because of the birth certificate, but also because he is very nice, they have known him for years, and he has always treated their daughter with dignity, love and the respect she deserves.
Having gotten the previously mentioned grip on reality, Megan’s parents are now happily planning her wedding. “It turns out she’s totally an adult” said her mother, while replacing the cool, damp cloth on the back of her neck. “We love her, and she’s an amazing person, and we trust her to make great decisions like she always has. Megan is a wonderful baby woman.”
The family also extends a warm welcome to Alex, a similarly awesome person who will be a great-son-in-law, and reassures him that any previous plan to report him to authorities was a misplaced reaction to the truth about their own shocking mortality and a predictable reluctance to let their sweet girl grow up.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee. Bookmark the permalink.
339 thoughts on “For Immediate Release”
Laura on May 9, 2016 at 12:25 pm said:
Mazel tov to all of you! 🙂
Jaemi on May 9, 2016 at 12:26 pm said:
Gail Martin on May 9, 2016 at 12:26 pm said:
Glad to hear that the grip has been got! Congratulations to all!
christine arnone on May 9, 2016 at 12:26 pm said:
Wonderful news! Congratulations to all!
Abigail on May 9, 2016 at 12:27 pm said:
Congratulations!!!! Hooray for Megan and Alex. (And you)
Michelr on May 9, 2016 at 12:29 pm said:
Aw, congratulations to you all! Great post as usual. Time sure does fly. Enjoy all the planning.
Stephanie on May 9, 2016 at 12:29 pm said:
Aww, congratulations Megan and Alex and gobsmacked parents!
Olivia on May 9, 2016 at 12:30 pm said:
Angie Gallas on May 9, 2016 at 12:30 pm said:
Wonderful news! She is lovely and they both look so happy!
Deb Sheets on May 9, 2016 at 12:30 pm said:
Congratulations to the lovely couple. So glad to see that Mum and Dad have gotten a grip. Now try to remember where said grip is over the next few months because you will need it again and again. Repeat the mantra “I am the mother of the bride. I am the voice of reason and calm. I will not lose my cool no matter what happens.” Much love and best wishes to all.
Carol on May 9, 2016 at 3:34 pm said:
Deb is so right. Congratulations. Wonderful news!
Patty on May 9, 2016 at 12:31 pm said:
How wonderful! Joy upon you all. 🙂
Debbie on May 9, 2016 at 12:32 pm said:
Congratulations to all involved for reaching an amicable solution to this paradoxical proposal!
Also? Steph = Mother of the Bride. Please wear the most ridiculously chiffony dowdy-drag-queen dress and hat combo you can find. Preferably in lilac.
IrisFancier on May 9, 2016 at 7:33 pm said:
With sequins!
Margieinmaryland on May 10, 2016 at 11:15 pm said:
And Dame Edna glasses!
Seriously,
Margieinmaryland
Jacqueline on May 12, 2016 at 9:28 am said:
On one of those plastic bead necklaces.
Stephanie VW on May 9, 2016 at 12:33 pm said:
Now that I (and surely the rest of your blog readers) have had two seconds to get over the shock of realizing your children have grown up before our very eyes…
WOW! Best wishes to the bride-to-be! Congratulations to the groom-to-be! What wonderful news.
Pssst: I got married at 24. My hubby was 29. 18 years later, we’re still here.
Wanda Halley on May 10, 2016 at 10:16 am said:
Congratulations to Meagan and Alex. My husband and I married at 19 and 40 years later we’re still here. And there’s never been a dull moment. I wish them all the best and a life of adventure.
Grace M on May 13, 2016 at 4:22 pm said:
and I got married at 18 and hubby was 24. 42 years later….
oops, congratulation Megan and Alex!
Deborah Furchtgott on May 9, 2016 at 12:33 pm said:
I KNEW IT WAS FOR MEGHAN!
Congratulations, Mazal tov, and Llongyfarchiadau! I’m so pleased for every single one of you. (Especially that sweet doggie.)
Deborah Furchtgott on May 9, 2016 at 6:29 pm said:
(Sorry, Megan. In my excitement I misspelled your name! Apologies, and congratulations.)
Janet Ulrich on May 9, 2016 at 12:34 pm said:
I suspect I will feel the same way when my baby get engaged – he is 11 now and the baby of 6. My oldest two are married, 4 more to go!
Margaret Long/Little Gidding Farm Suris on May 9, 2016 at 12:35 pm said:
Awesome congratulations!!
Aileen (noeknitter) on May 9, 2016 at 12:35 pm said:
Congratulations Megan!!
Christie on May 9, 2016 at 12:38 pm said:
Congratulations, Megan! May you have a long, happy life with your husband-to-be.
K2Katie on May 11, 2016 at 10:23 pm said:
I agree! I’m thrilled for you both!
Constantina on May 9, 2016 at 12:38 pm said:
Congratulations!!! And brava on your grip. May you maintain it for the duration of the planning period.
Ailien on May 9, 2016 at 12:38 pm said:
RobinH on May 9, 2016 at 12:39 pm said:
Congratulations to Megan and Alex (and her stunned parents)! And what a lovely set of engagement photos!
(And amusingly…my verification code was to click or touch the woman…!)
sprite on May 9, 2016 at 12:41 pm said:
Karen Whooley on May 9, 2016 at 12:41 pm said:
Congratulations to all of you! How exciting!
Julie on May 9, 2016 at 12:43 pm said:
Congratulations to Megan and Alex, and to all the family, have fun planning the wedding, and enjoy knitting the wedding shawl. I look forward to seeing the bride on her wedding day
Karen on May 9, 2016 at 12:45 pm said:
Well isn’t that great news! Congratulations all around.
Sarah V. on May 9, 2016 at 12:45 pm said:
As someone who got engaged at 22 and married at 24 (to the horror of my parent and the exuberant joy of my in-laws), she’s going to be 100% fine. HUGE congrats to Megan and Alex 🙂
Ann (WG) on May 9, 2016 at 12:45 pm said:
The happiest of wishes and buoyant Congratulations to Megan, Alex, that beautiful dog in the photos, and all of the families involved.
georgia on May 9, 2016 at 12:51 pm said:
Congratulations to all! (Boy, does all that sound familiar!) Truly, you are all about to enter an entirely wonderful new phase of your lives.
And does that confirm my suspicion that that beautiful beaded white project is somehow wedding related?
Anne on May 9, 2016 at 12:52 pm said:
Glad to see that your priorities are straight and shawl was planned, the yarn and beads purchased even before we, The Blog, were notified!
Lauren on May 9, 2016 at 12:52 pm said:
Elizabeth on May 9, 2016 at 12:52 pm said:
Wonderful news – congratulations!
Meg on May 9, 2016 at 12:55 pm said:
Congratuations! I hope Alex appreciates handknits.
Ginger on May 9, 2016 at 12:55 pm said:
What fantastic news. Congratulations to everyone.
Beth J on May 9, 2016 at 12:55 pm said:
So happy for you! So why am I crying? Is this the big project in question? Are you going to yarn bomb the wedding?
Ann in NJ on May 9, 2016 at 12:57 pm said:
Congratulations to both the happy couple and the gob-smacked parents! A happy life to all. I got married at 21 and am still happily married to the same guy almost 27 years later. Megan’s practically an old lady compared to that.
Hilarie on May 9, 2016 at 12:59 pm said:
I was thinking that your post yesterday looked an awful lot like a wedding shawl….were you holding out on us with this great news?
Congrats, congrats Megan!
ccr in MA on May 9, 2016 at 12:59 pm said:
Congrats to all! And the big question, what are you knitting? Either for the wedding, as a gift, or both?
Sherry Beason on May 9, 2016 at 1:00 pm said:
Do I see a bridal shawl with 2500 beads on it being worked??? HMMMM. Congratulations to the couple!
Leslie F on May 9, 2016 at 1:04 pm said:
Congratulations Megan and Alex!
It is amazing how, even thought Stephanie and Joe undoubtedly feel that they are not much older than Megan is now, she is indeed of marriageable age!
Maria on May 9, 2016 at 1:05 pm said:
Congratulations to Megan and Alex! As my dad pointed out to me when I was small, you now have the one family member you get to choose. Parents, siblings and children are all luck-of-the-draw, but your partner is your choice. Congratulations and may your life together be rich and interesting and filled with love.
And congratulations to Steph and Joe on welcoming the first child’s spouse into your family. I’m still on the child (at 30+) end of the spectrum, but watching my parents and my husband’s parents enjoy their family growing through no work of their own is pretty cool. (Full disclosure: we have a running joke that my husband is my dad’s favorite child. He (my dad) literally negotiated a verbal prenup with me that whatever happens in my life, he gets to work out his own relationship with my husband. May you be as blessed in the choices your daughters make.)
HeleninBoise on May 9, 2016 at 1:11 pm said:
lol…my brother has a similar arrangement with his new (March 19) daughter in law….we LOVE her. She is 21, but mature beyond her years and has taken my 31 yr old nephew in hand 🙂
Michelle on May 9, 2016 at 1:05 pm said:
Wow, oh wow! Is this what that stunning wedding shawl is for???
Sumiko on May 9, 2016 at 1:06 pm said:
They are a handsome couple.
Meri on May 9, 2016 at 1:06 pm said:
Congratulations! I love that the last picture shows them both wearing rings. 🙂
Jeanette on May 9, 2016 at 1:06 pm said:
Samina on May 9, 2016 at 1:12 pm said:
There must be a typo on the birth certificate!
Congratulations, Megan & Alex! And to you & Joe, too!
Susanne on May 9, 2016 at 1:13 pm said:
Lisa on May 9, 2016 at 1:14 pm said:
Well that’s wonderful news – it really wasn’t a matter of IF one of the ladies was getting married, it was a matter of which one. She is one lucky bride, and he is one lucky man to be marrying into your family.
Cathey Byrd on May 9, 2016 at 1:14 pm said:
How is it possible that neither facet of the happy couple are wearing ANY handknit gear for their engagement photos?!?
AlisonH on May 9, 2016 at 1:14 pm said:
I have the biggest, goofiest grin on my face right now. I am so happy for all of you! Congratulations! Mazel Tov! Yay!!!
Pat L on May 9, 2016 at 1:15 pm said:
Oh wow! Congratulations to Megan, Alex, Stephanie, Joe and all concerned. Wishing all the very best. Do we have a date set yet. “The Blog” is happily surprised.
Cheryl Blacher on May 9, 2016 at 1:16 pm said:
Mazeltov!
Katara on May 9, 2016 at 1:17 pm said:
This is basically the reaction that my mother had when I told her I was engaged. The first thing out of her mouth was “You’re too young!” To which I replied, “Mom, at my age you were married and had a kid already!” It turned out great.
Barbara on May 9, 2016 at 4:37 pm said:
Same thing happened to me.
Judith on May 9, 2016 at 1:17 pm said:
It’s hard to know what’s more surprising — Megan old enough to marry or you and Joe old enough to be parents of the bride.
That’s how life goes sometimes (all the time).
Congratulations all around!!!
papercracker on May 9, 2016 at 1:21 pm said:
Congratulations and what lovely engagement photos!
Erin S on May 9, 2016 at 1:21 pm said:
Many congratulations to you and the wonderful happy couple!
Mary Peed on May 9, 2016 at 1:23 pm said:
Congratulations to Megan and Alex…
(And Steph, I really know where you’re coming from. When my daughter announced her engagement, her godfather offered to hide the body. He was a Marine. He’s a bit direct.)
May on May 9, 2016 at 1:23 pm said:
KarenH on May 9, 2016 at 1:24 pm said:
Congratulations to Megan and Alex!
Gail on May 9, 2016 at 1:25 pm said:
Congrats! to the lovely couple and the parents!
So, is the white shawl with the beads for your daughter the bride???
Lynn on May 9, 2016 at 1:26 pm said:
My parents were 23 and 25 when I was born (exactly 10 months after the wedding, tyvm) and I turned out FINE. (Well, aside from all the wool, of course.) My father is still FINE at the age of 88; my mother did have the gall to die at 84 (after smoking for 60+ years). It will be FINE. Besides, he’s cute and he obviously has a touch of snark – these are good things.
The real questions are: 1) So, this is what the white/not-white yarn was for?; 2) Have you started laying away layettes yet?; and 3) Have you found your bra for the wedding yet?
Ruby on May 9, 2016 at 2:46 pm said:
Most important, one must have the right bra. It must go with the mother of the bride’s (MOB) dress and still be comfortable. Enjoy the shopping
There is no such thing as a comfortable MOB or MOG bra. Nope. The dresses are shameful too. I wore a silvery gray lace that took on a greenish cast as the day wore on. Ghastly.
ToniC on May 9, 2016 at 1:28 pm said:
Best wishes to Megan & Alex. May you be blessed with many years together! (And good luck with someday announcing to your parents that they’re about to become grandparents! )
Jeanie on May 9, 2016 at 1:33 pm said:
Many congratulations to your family and Alex’s!!!!
Leigh on May 9, 2016 at 1:38 pm said:
Well, of course she’s old enough. They’ve gone and had a dog together. 🙂 Glad the grip was achieved. Now on to party planning!!! Hope it won’t be during the bike ride event.
Trish at Tangled Threads on May 9, 2016 at 3:18 pm said:
My thought, too!
I noticed that as well! :))
Cyndi Buckey on May 9, 2016 at 1:38 pm said:
Wonderful and congratulations to all. And I know how you feel mom. My baby was only 32 when he got married.
Judy on May 9, 2016 at 1:47 pm said:
Love the picture where he shows he has a sense of humor. Now knit like the wind, so that shawl is done in time.
Sarah on May 9, 2016 at 1:51 pm said:
What great news — congratulations all around!
You seemed to have forgotten an important detail, though: DOES HE KNIT?!
Rainyt on May 9, 2016 at 11:31 pm said:
I’m so glad that I’m not the only one to have this thought!
Mazel Tov to all involved! They look like a wonderful family (dog and all)!
Tine on May 9, 2016 at 1:55 pm said:
Congratulations to Megan and Alex. And mom, hang on to your grip throughout the wedding planning. Your family is so good at celebrations, I’m sure it’ll be a great party.
Ann on May 9, 2016 at 1:58 pm said:
Awesome! (She is still a baby but she won’t think that for another couple of decades.). Best wishes all around!
Valerie on May 9, 2016 at 1:59 pm said:
Congratulations to the newly affianced!
Claudia on May 9, 2016 at 2:06 pm said:
Congratulations! Is that what the white lace and beads are for? Enjoy the planning!
Phalia on May 9, 2016 at 2:10 pm said:
Congratulations to you all!
Nola H on May 9, 2016 at 2:10 pm said:
Congrats to all! With a wedding in full view grandchildren are a small cloud on the horizon. This is the crowning achievement of raising adults.
cecelia on May 9, 2016 at 2:16 pm said:
Congratulations! A bright and shining couple too – looking quite pleased with themselves in every photo. How do children do this? My oldest nephew is 39; stunning to us all.
Such joyous news! Best wishes and blessings to all.
YIIPPPEEEEEE!!!!!!
This will be nothing compared to the news that you’re going to be a grandmother!!!!! That baby will be afloat in wooly goodness.
Congrats and Long Life to all!!
KatherineR on May 9, 2016 at 2:23 pm said:
Thus the epic shawl! Will you make a mother of the bride shawl as well?
Presbytera on May 9, 2016 at 2:27 pm said:
Awww!
(But I thought you were going to show us a finished shawl.)
Lise in NJ on May 9, 2016 at 2:31 pm said:
Maternal milestone greetings from a woman who will see her son married this Saturday. You raised her well enough to choose a good husband, that’s no small thing. Wishing you joy.
Holly on May 9, 2016 at 2:33 pm said:
Congratulations and best wishes to all. Remember, just breathe!
Abril on May 9, 2016 at 2:34 pm said:
Congratulations! I was keeping an eye for such news when I saw your white/beaded project 😉
sweetpeajenny on May 9, 2016 at 2:36 pm said:
I knew it!! Congrats! Only you would start a wedding shawl uhm, days before the wedding! Got my popcorn and wine!
Karen on May 9, 2016 at 2:38 pm said:
Ahhhhhh! So so so so excited for all of you!
louise on May 9, 2016 at 2:39 pm said:
Anonymous, too on May 9, 2016 at 2:42 pm said:
Megan: Congratulations!
Alex: Time for a sanity check — you do know your future MIL is known as The Yarn Harlot for a good reason, don’t you? And, will the dog be joining the family, too? (Millie will be SO P*SSED!)
Steph & Joe: I understand the freak-out. My godson is getting married this weekend. Seems he was watching “Batman” re-runs just yesterday. . .
Barbara G. on May 9, 2016 at 2:43 pm said:
How much time do you have to plan the family & friends reception musical? Waiting for the video.
Congrats to Megan and Alex and to the aforementioned parents who know have a grip on the idea that their baby, Megan, is indeed old enough to get married. And now mum and dad have more to do, than just work.
A Monday laugh! You may not know how much I needed it! Congratulations on/to the grown-up trustworthy daughter, the soon to be son-in-law, and to the getting accustomed to the facts parents. Be sure to put your grip in a safe place. You never know how soon you will need it.
Joyous news!
Amy I on May 9, 2016 at 2:49 pm said:
Congratulations to the happy couple!!! What wonderful news!
Maryse42 on May 9, 2016 at 2:52 pm said:
Aw, that’s awesome! I just hope they have given you sufficient notice for the knitting of the beautiful shawl you’ve started! Congrats!
Camilla on May 9, 2016 at 2:56 pm said:
Congratulations! Can’t wait to see wedding pictures in the Blog!
Kerry on May 9, 2016 at 3:01 pm said:
Congratulations to you all and good luck with the ensuing mayhem. This should be required reading for all parents receiving similar news!
Surely they are not marrying today, right? That would be an epic late start on the shawl!
Liz on May 9, 2016 at 3:09 pm said:
It is so delicious that you share your milestones with the blog readers and genius that you frame it like a late-breaking news bulletin. Fun times ahead, enjoy!
Fiberaddict on May 9, 2016 at 3:09 pm said:
Congrats! May they have a long and happy life together!
Karina on May 9, 2016 at 3:14 pm said:
Congrats to Megan, Alex and the whole family. What lovely happy news. May there be lots of smiles, deep breathing – coupled with letting go (on your part), music and knitting!
Jo on May 9, 2016 at 3:19 pm said:
Aww… And, awe!
Congratulations to all 🙂
Would you like help with the spreadsheet?
Julie in San Diego on May 9, 2016 at 3:24 pm said:
Newsflash to Harlot: When our daughters do this amazing thing and get married, then the next thing you know, they want to have a baby. And then that transforms US, WE become Grandmothers!!! Having been through the aforementioned change myself, I can assure you it is wonderful. You think you love babies now. Just wait until Megan hands you a grandbaby!!!!! Over the moon happy!!!!!! She’s probably thinking, “Simmer down now, blog, I just said getting married. No word of baby yet”. Yes, but I know how these things progress. So congratulations and get your knitting needles reved up. Enjoy the white beaded lace shawl knitting. Then secretly cast on a blankie.
Hugs and kisses to all from San Diego,
kim on May 9, 2016 at 3:27 pm said:
Stephanie – I have followed your blog almost from the beginning and I have seen Megan grow from a 13 year old girl to a very lovely young woman. I got teary at the announcement – where the @#$#$# did the time go? Wow! They look crazy happy and in love. I send them my best wishes. What are you going to knit for the big day? Bless you all!
L on May 9, 2016 at 3:31 pm said:
What a beautiful couple! Wishing them every happiness, and lots of calm for you and your husband 🙂
Is this who the wedding shawl is for?
Congratulations Megan and Alex! What wonderful news!
As to the parents in question, congratulations as well. You’ve done an excellent job turning her into the woman she has become. Although, as a mom myself, I understand the immediate response whole heartedly!
Rachel R. on May 9, 2016 at 3:35 pm said:
Best engagement announcement ever! 🙂
I was 23 when I got engaged, 24 when I got married, and now that I’m 42, I think, “Holy cow, I was so young!” I’m sure my parents did a bit of their own handwringing, but they had known my fiance for some time, and managed to keep any worries to themselves. And given that we’ve now been married for 18 years, I think we’ve proven that we will stand the test of time!
Beth R. on May 10, 2016 at 6:56 pm said:
I’m 42, and had my first child at 20, got married at 21, and my next child at 22. My oldest turns 22 this year, and my youngest will be 19, and it’s not lost on me that they are both old enough to have children and be married by my “standards” (well.. almost with the youngest.. Where has time gone indeed???
Emily on May 9, 2016 at 3:38 pm said:
So. When’s the deadline for the shawl?? The blog wants to know….
Jo-Anne on May 9, 2016 at 3:40 pm said:
Congratulations Megan and Alex (and welcome to The Blog). Wishing you both much happiness.
Barbara G. on May 10, 2016 at 8:45 pm said:
Alex is already a member of the Blog. You can see him in the background of http://www.yarnharlot.ca/2015/12/after-all-5-things/
That’s so awesome!!
Pat D on May 9, 2016 at 3:41 pm said:
Congratulations from another mom who went through the same thing last summer and is now only weeks from having to add “grandma” to her own identity.
Snow on May 9, 2016 at 3:41 pm said:
Another person to love! And another knitwear model! How wonderful! And the veil/wrap will be lovely….she’s giving you a year to knit it right?!
Love the announcement…so true…how can she be 25 when you’re only 35? This is why we stop doing math after 30.
Congratulations to all. How wonderful to have more joy in your life!
Margaret on May 9, 2016 at 3:46 pm said:
He’s cute!
Does this have anything to do with all that white lace weight and thousands of little beads?
Angela on May 9, 2016 at 3:47 pm said:
AWESOMESAUCE!!!!
Jen on May 9, 2016 at 3:49 pm said:
Oh, what fun! Stunning engagement photos, too.
Country Kate on May 9, 2016 at 3:51 pm said:
Oh, how wonderful! What great photos of a couple blissfully in love. (My favorite is the one of Alex pointing at the ring on his lovely fiance’s hand–very funny.) Thanks for sharing the news. Hurray!!
Such exciting news! Congratulations!
Claire C on May 9, 2016 at 4:07 pm said:
How lovely that you’re sharing this stupendous news with the blog! And congratulations to the pair of them, and to you and Joe and the rest of your family, may the celebrations be blessed and the shawl/veil block wonderfully. They look so happy it’s fabulous x
Tan on May 9, 2016 at 4:14 pm said:
Congratulations! You know what they say : First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Grandma with the knitting needles.
LissaG on May 9, 2016 at 4:14 pm said:
That’s hilarious – when my son and his girlfriend of 3 years announced they were getting married, I had to stop myself from saying “Do people still do that?’
But they did and by all accounts are quite happy – so happy in fact that they are pressuring me & my partner to get married… seems unlikely but I guess you never know…
Congrats to them both (and you and Joe!).
PS I’m 35, and in a few months, my husband–age 34–and I will celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary. So, engaged-at-24 doesn’t seem particularly young to me;-)
Carolyn on May 9, 2016 at 4:22 pm said:
Spectacular!!!! Love and congratulations to all!
heather on May 9, 2016 at 4:24 pm said:
Those smiles are amazing! Congratulations to the happy couple!
Knitlass on May 9, 2016 at 4:25 pm said:
Wonderful news! How lovely.
Is that why you are knitting a white shawl with 1000000000 beads?!! Or is that just a dry run before The Real Thing.
Linda on May 9, 2016 at 4:25 pm said:
Congratulations to everyone! I feel like I know Megan through your blog and she is definitely a responsible young woman! I knew when I saw that beautiful and special shawl that you were starting that it had to be a spectacular occasion and it is!!!
Lindy on May 9, 2016 at 4:26 pm said:
Such wonderful news! Congrats to the happy couple! They look so happy.
Mum – have a little knit, it will bring calm and peace to the world.
Emma A on May 9, 2016 at 4:30 pm said:
Congrats! And now we know who the white lace shawl is for. May your whole family have much happiness, and good luck with the wedding. I’m sure it will be lovely. All I can say is, breathe!
Maddy on May 9, 2016 at 4:32 pm said:
Congratulations to the happy pair, and I wish them the best in their new life. I shall enjoy watching the shawl come together too.
But more important than the wedding date, and more important than if this is the shawl’s destination, and more important than getting and keeping a grip… does he know how to decorate gingerbread?
Sunnyknitter on May 9, 2016 at 4:44 pm said:
Thrilled for all of you!
I look forward to the inevitable wedding craziness that you choose to share with the blog. May no problem be insurmountable!
Laura R. on May 9, 2016 at 4:46 pm said:
Congrats to the beautiful, happy couple!!!
Cath on May 9, 2016 at 4:47 pm said:
Congratulations to the couple! Happy knitting on the shawl.
Sally at Rivendale Farms on May 9, 2016 at 4:51 pm said:
Congratulations and wonderful wishes to the happy couple! (And congratulations to the bride’s parents on the grip being successfully got.) (Notice how I worked the word Bride in there, hopefully things didn’t clench up too much for you.)
Geri F on May 9, 2016 at 4:53 pm said:
Congratulations! Friends of mine were engaged at 18 & 20, and married at 20/22. They just celebrated their 22nd wedding anniversary. And as for all you folks going on about babies and grandparenthood, please remember that sometimes Mother Nature doesn’t co-operate. Also please remember that it’s no one else’s but their business when or even if the happy couple has a baby.
Geri – my brother was 21 and his bride 19 when they married, some 38 or 39 years ago!!
Always lovely to hear of the success stories! 🙂
jennifer on May 10, 2016 at 4:02 pm said:
I was 18 and my husband 22 when we married 22 years ago. It can be done!
Cin on May 9, 2016 at 5:17 pm said:
What a good-looking, happy couple. Hope the prospective groom has regular man-sized feet!
Eden on May 9, 2016 at 5:19 pm said:
Congratulations, Megan and Alex! You look wonderfully happy in the pictures. Wishing you all the best!
Cecilia on May 9, 2016 at 5:26 pm said:
Wonderful news! I’m so happy for all of you.
SHeila on May 9, 2016 at 5:27 pm said:
Congrats! So when does the knitting of the wedding dress commence?!!!
sweetpeajenny on May 10, 2016 at 10:13 am said:
OOHH. Wouldn’t that be lovely!
Pamela on May 9, 2016 at 5:30 pm said:
Congratulations! What an exciting thing to happen in your lives. I will admit there have been several announcements by my children I haven’t handled well, but we are far on the other side of the announcements and everything is good. This change will be good, too.
bekala on May 9, 2016 at 5:32 pm said:
such a lovely couple, congratulations all around! and surely Alex knows how to knit if he’s joining the Harlot family…
Meg on May 9, 2016 at 5:44 pm said:
And you thought that we (in internet land) didn’t know what would compel you to start a lovely white, beadish, lacy chunk of gorgeous-ness. Ha! We knew all along…but sincere congratulations are in order and now extended. And a most happy belated Mother’s Day!
Now tell Pa to put the shot gun down.
samm on May 9, 2016 at 5:44 pm said:
Such happy news! The young couple look so lovely together.
Kinda bad news – I don’t think you can wear your Blundstones to the wedding. ;/
Great news though, is that weddings (and babies-to-be) require some knitting!
Adding my voice to the chorus of Congratulations! to the obviously happy couple! May it be for forever!
Julianne on May 9, 2016 at 5:45 pm said:
Does Alex know about us? That’s he’s not just marrying Megan, and not just marrying into your family . . . .but he gets The Blog, too? What a lucky guy!
Best wishes to all concerned.
Danielle on May 9, 2016 at 5:46 pm said:
(psst … wasn’t the Yarn Harlot about that age when Megan entered the world?)
For history’s sake, here, friends, is the first mention of Megan on the blog: http://www.yarnharlot.ca/2004/01/you_want_socks/
Margaret Blank on May 9, 2016 at 5:47 pm said:
Mazel tov! * Now get out there and knit a shawl. My son (my baby, my only son, my 2nd and last child, soon to be 31) is marrying a beautiful 23-year-old (yep; you read that correctly) in July. I made her a shawl. So get a grip: all “shawl” be well! Blessings to all parties involved!
“Mazel tov” = “Congratulations!” 🙂
Kathleen on May 9, 2016 at 5:50 pm said:
What happy news! (the engagement, not the near tumble into the abyss of “she’s still a baby!”) Wonderful engagement photos, too!
I add my congratulations to all of the others! I wish them a wonderful life together.
Congratulations to the hapoy couple!!
April on May 9, 2016 at 5:59 pm said:
Congratulations to Megan and Alex! They look so incredibly happy, it does my cruel, twisted heart good just to look at them.
Laura on May 9, 2016 at 6:15 pm said:
Congrats to the couple! I can’t wait to see the upcoming pictures of the bride and her bridal shawl. 😉
Meghan on May 9, 2016 at 6:22 pm said:
CONGRATULATIONS! What a wonderful thing. Having 4 year olds myself, and knowing how I feel like they have reached 4 years in about 12 days, I can only imagine that feeling grows as they get older. I imagine it is bittersweet news.
Wishing you peace and joy in planning a wedding and welcoming a new member of the family.
SoxyJane on May 9, 2016 at 6:24 pm said:
Congratulations and best wishes all around!
Does Alex know about the extended family (aka: The Blog)?
Congrats and many happy days Megan and Alex!
RisaL on May 9, 2016 at 6:28 pm said:
Mazel tov to all concerned.
Wonderful!!! Congratulations.
Sunshinedreams on May 9, 2016 at 6:35 pm said:
Oh, how very, very lovely! Wishing all the best to Megan and Alex. 🙂 🙂
Lisa H. on May 9, 2016 at 6:46 pm said:
Congrats to the happy couple and to their whole families!
Lois on May 9, 2016 at 6:52 pm said:
Congratulations to one and all!
Friday's Mom on May 9, 2016 at 6:57 pm said:
Steph: just a suggestion: when the shawl is well along, consider having all the knitters in Megan’s life add a row. Mixed in with your knitting it won’t show but you and Megan will know that many of those who love her are part of the loveliness hugging her and keeping her and future generations warm and cozy.
I’m so excited!!!
Jun on May 9, 2016 at 6:59 pm said:
Their smiles are shiny. congratulations!!!
Cheryl on May 9, 2016 at 7:00 pm said:
Congratulations! Get ready for one of the best rides of your life. Planning a wedding can be tough and frustrating (I won’t even talk about cost), just keep the reason in sight and all will be fine!
So are you knitting a wedding shawl?
Nancy on May 9, 2016 at 7:01 pm said:
Mazel Tov!!! 🙂
Evelyn on May 9, 2016 at 7:07 pm said:
Congratulations! OH THE KNITTING TO BE DONE!
Jean on May 9, 2016 at 7:10 pm said:
All good wishes and congratulations to all concerned! The news and those pictures have really made today special!! Now. . .when do you start knitting the wedding dress to go with the wedding shawl?
Amy on May 9, 2016 at 7:17 pm said:
Congratulations to all! Sure looks like Alex is a fun guy, judging from the photos. 🙂
As to freaking out – my hubby and I were both 20 when we married, and will celebrate our 40th anniversary this year. Megan is not so young as to bring concern. FWIW, I freaked a little when my kids turned 20 (they were both still in college and single), and could only wonder “what were my parents *thinking* – letting me get married at 20”! Maybe that freak-out kept me from getting nutty when they got married.
I’m glad your freak-out was short-lived.
Obviously, the sparkly whiteness (or near-whiteness) is for the bride. I’m anxiously waiting until it is revealed (before or after the big day).
PatV on May 9, 2016 at 7:20 pm said:
Congratulations to Megan and Alex – and my loving support to the MOB. You’ll do fine. I made lots of lists and consulted bridal magazines who often have wonderful timelines (part of which can be ditched since you don’t have to do everything on their lists) and theknot.com was also a great online way to be in touch with details. A glass of wine helps too.
Teresa Douglas on May 9, 2016 at 7:23 pm said:
Congrats! And how on earth do children go and grow up without our permission, anyway?
Shelley on May 9, 2016 at 7:25 pm said:
Congrats to all of you 🙂
physicsmom on May 9, 2016 at 7:25 pm said:
Congratulations Mom and Dad. You should be proud your baby has grown to such a mature, responsible, lovely woman. You taught her well, so trust her life-choices. I can tell you from personal experience that having a son-in-law is an awesome experience, plus you can’t (usually) have grandbabies without him. The wedding planning is a huge time-suck, which you will immediately miss once the occasion transpires. Lucky for you, you have more daughters who may also be interested in matrimony some day, so you get to do it again (and again). Best wishes to the happy couple and the whole family. Mazel tov!
Deb on May 9, 2016 at 7:26 pm said:
Roggey on May 9, 2016 at 7:30 pm said:
Oh, such happy news! Congratulations!
JL on May 9, 2016 at 7:55 pm said:
Susan on May 9, 2016 at 7:58 pm said:
Congratulations! Time flies…
Hope on May 9, 2016 at 8:02 pm said:
Congratulations! It is a big milestone, becoming a mother-in-law, that you will enjoy endlessly! Seeing your daughter’s radiant smile must be well worth conceding that she is, indeed, an adult. Wonderful, wonderful news!
Maureen on May 9, 2016 at 8:13 pm said:
My thought process when reading this post went a little like this; “OMG I knew one of the girls was getting married! OMG how is it possible one of the girls is getting married? They look so happy!!! Holy cow May 9th, that’s today, how can I possibly knit something in time. Duh you fool, May 9th is the announcement date. And uh, crazy lady, not your wedding to knit for, in fact that would be weird.”
Congratulations to your family, such joy!
Jane on May 9, 2016 at 8:23 pm said:
Congratulations! Best to all of you. As someone wise once said, “Keep calm and knit on.”
PleaseLouise on May 9, 2016 at 8:26 pm said:
Congratulations! What a wonderful and beautiful adventure for all of you!
Lauren on May 9, 2016 at 8:35 pm said:
I think you should finish the Green Afghan for them. You came so close! (Was just reading that in your first book yesterday)
Lani on May 9, 2016 at 8:42 pm said:
The happily-engaged couple’s grandparents are reportedly resting comfortably at their homes after the shock of realizing that their own children are old enough to become parents-in-law.
(Same event, different perspective.)
Pat D on May 10, 2016 at 6:46 pm said:
When my daughter told my parents she was expecting they insisted they were not old enough to be great-grandparents.
We’re never ready.
Juti on May 9, 2016 at 8:57 pm said:
They do that, you know. Kids. You feed them, they grow up, and the next thing you know, bada bing, bada boom, life goes on. In a good way. Congratulations to the whole lot of you.
Diane Fuller on May 9, 2016 at 9:24 pm said:
Congratulations everyone!
ZombieTomato on May 9, 2016 at 9:50 pm said:
Super congrats! They’re so cute together!
Mary Kay on May 9, 2016 at 9:54 pm said:
Awesome news! Congratulations to the family!!!
Donya Kesler on May 9, 2016 at 10:02 pm said:
So cool! So very, very cool!
Parabens no casamento da sua filha!
Christine M east of Toronto on May 9, 2016 at 10:06 pm said:
OMG! I seriously can’t believe this! Werent you just posting about her high school antics and plans for college just the other day? Where did all that time go? But, as you say, upon reflection what wonderful and joyous news! Best wishes to all.
Nan on May 9, 2016 at 10:14 pm said:
Wonderful news! Love the “news report”. Now begins the planning. May you all have fun!
Andrea S. on May 9, 2016 at 10:15 pm said:
Wonderful news! Best wishes and congratulations to all! There is always room in the world for more love.
Lisa on May 9, 2016 at 10:16 pm said:
I’m so happy about this, too, but being the crazy dog lady that I am…..what kind of dog is that? It is just beautiful.
liz on May 9, 2016 at 10:26 pm said:
So pleased for the happy couple (and the parents thereof)
HeatherB on May 9, 2016 at 10:31 pm said:
Freakin’ AWESOME! Oh what fun….!!
Kathryn on May 9, 2016 at 10:36 pm said:
Congrats! What an exciting time for you and your family!
Elizabeth D on May 9, 2016 at 10:37 pm said:
I wondered whether the wedding was a daughter or your mother . . .
Libby on May 9, 2016 at 10:49 pm said:
Okay. Lots of comments about youthful marriages. My two cents’ worth…I was 18. Darling Husband was 25. Appalling, appalling. We were both educated, including graduate degrees. Took care of business. 50 years married next March. If it’s right, it’s right. Both of my daughters were 28 when they married. 25 is perfectly respectable, perfectly adult. Breathe, Mama. All will be well. Much happiness to all of you.
Chris S on May 9, 2016 at 11:15 pm said:
And so begins a new chapter. There will be joy and sorrow, laughter and tears. Above all, there will be love and with love all things are possible.
Best wishes to the happy couple. And congratulations to the recovering parents on both sides!
Chris S in Canada
Anne W on May 9, 2016 at 11:27 pm said:
Congratulations to the beautiful couple! They have a dog, so they’re good people. 😀 Many blessed years to come for you both!
Aunt Colleen on May 9, 2016 at 11:30 pm said:
What wonderful good news for your family! Congratulations.
janna on May 9, 2016 at 11:40 pm said:
Congratulations and Best Wishes to Megan and Alex! And to the entire family!
Cheryl Brake on May 9, 2016 at 11:48 pm said:
An absolutely adorable, enchanting couple! Congratulations and best wishes to all!
Maggie on May 10, 2016 at 12:16 am said:
I was 20 (and still in college) when I told my parents I was engaged – to a man they had never met – and I was barely 22 when we were married. I believe my mother could have written a similar article. I do know she spent about two days sobbing “But my baby is too young!” before she could talk to me coherently about the engagement. I am new to your blog, but Megan looks very nice and adult-like in the photos and Alex looks like he has an excellent sense of humor, which is important. Please try to keep your grip firmly…gripped and if necessary, knit more for extra calmness!
Cat on May 10, 2016 at 12:40 am said:
Dear Megan & Alex,
Congratulations on your engagement! Getting married is a wonderful experience, I just married the love of my life 6 weeks ago. Of course we already had two children together, so really it was more of a party to show off our love to everyone else. But the focus will be on YOU for the entire day and by the time it’s over, your hands will ache from all the shaking, and your face will ache from smiling so much. It’s going to be wonderful. And to Alex: welcome to the family! You’ve obviously been there for years, though we didn’t get to see you on the Blog before, but now you’ve been outed and a ton of knitters around the world will have you in their mind’s eye (all the way to the Netherlands, in my case) – no pressure! Take care of Megan, we’ve watched her grow up, and would like to see her happy like this all the time!
Dear Steph and Joe: congratulations on coming to terms with the fact that your baby is her own woman now. She will always be your little one still, just a bit bigger. Get the babypictures out if you feed the need for a sniffle, and then put on your straight face and go help your daughter sort out the wedding!
lots of love from the old continent,
Jen BK on May 10, 2016 at 1:30 am said:
Congratulations on your new family member! I wish Megan and Alex all the very best possible.
Carolyn on May 10, 2016 at 2:54 am said:
Ahh, wedding veil 🙂
Pam on May 10, 2016 at 2:54 am said:
Congratulations to Megan & Alex! Gotta love a guy who “is very nice, they have known him for years, and he has always treated their daughter with dignity, love and the respect she deserves.” Happy for all – you’ll survive this crisis of joy!
Sakthi on May 10, 2016 at 2:57 am said:
YAY! Congratulations to you all!! Glad to hear grips were gotten! Hope all the wedding planning goes super – there’ll be tears, but when you have an awesome family it all works out in the end (I’ve just had 2 weddings in different countries over the last year!). Wishing all that is good in life for Megan and Alex!
Sheila on May 10, 2016 at 3:06 am said:
All the congratulations to you!
Linda in Anchorage on May 10, 2016 at 3:39 am said:
Congratulations to Megan, Alex, and the doting parents! Best of luck with the planning. If they want to go with a wedding consultant or planner, give it a try – my daughter did, and that wonderful woman helped us all stay sane…I think 😉 ! (And Two Mann wedding photographers captured beautiful memories!) Can’t wait to see the wedding shawl!
Janieb on May 10, 2016 at 3:56 am said:
Congratufabulations Meghan and Alex. Thank you both of you for agreeing to allow Meghan’s Mum to share the exciting news with The Blog! Wishing you health and happiness.
Tineke on May 10, 2016 at 4:51 am said:
Congratulations! Thank you for sharing this wonderful news and the lovely pictures.
Best of luck to you all from the Netherlands.
morenna on May 10, 2016 at 5:04 am said:
Congrats to Megan and Alex!! Congrats also to Steph and Joe for raising such lovely and amazing daughters, even if something funny happened with the space-time continuum and it should not be possible for any of said daughters to have reached marrying age yet. Perhaps the old gravity furnace had some TARDIS elements to it and now that it’s gone, they’re stuck being grown-ups and moving forward with time.
In any event, good luck with the knitting project. I hope it helps preserve, rather an erode, sanity during wedding planning.
LIndsey from London on May 10, 2016 at 5:49 am said:
Mazal tov!!!!!
Thank you (and Megan and Alex) for sharing this with the Blog — that’s so generous.
Sending you all lots of wishes for happiness and blessings, and a smooth panic-free organization path to the wedding … though would it really be a Harlot-connected event if there wasn’t just a hint of panic?? Anyway, enjoy it, panic and all!!
Couldn’t have said it better! <3
Michele Corbeil on May 10, 2016 at 7:25 am said:
Many congrats to you all. That’s wonderful news!
peony67 on May 10, 2016 at 7:56 am said:
All the best to teh young couples… and to teh older ones as well.
Andrea on May 10, 2016 at 8:02 am said:
This is great! Congrats to all!
M. Henry on May 10, 2016 at 8:05 am said:
Mary on May 10, 2016 at 8:08 am said:
Congratulations Megan and Alex. 25 is a perfect age to get married! We were 21/22 when we married and immigrated to Canada 5 days later. It was a little hard on my Mom and Dad… We have our 40th anniversary coming up and now have 3 married children ourselves.
Here is to a long and happy live together, cheers (lifts glass)
Erin on May 10, 2016 at 8:34 am said:
My daughter is about to graduate from high school, next week actually, and the knowledge that she could legally leave and get married at any time makes me nauseous. I’m glad Alex is a fine young man, and I know that this will be a happy and wonderful occasion for your whole family! I can’t wait to see pictures!!!!!
Barb T on May 10, 2016 at 8:35 am said:
Congratulations to the happy young folks and to the well-adjusting parents of the bride-to-be.
Karen on May 10, 2016 at 8:41 am said:
Wonderful news and a lovely post. Congratulations Megan! Here’s wishing you and Alex a very happy life together.
Heather Goodman on May 10, 2016 at 8:50 am said:
Congratulations, Stephanie! All the best for Megan & Alex.
Barbara Seiver on May 10, 2016 at 9:04 am said:
Hearty congratulations to all! Now, go forth and get Alex’s size information for socks. Don’t forget to knit for him for Christmas – you wouldn’t want to have his first knit gift be still on the needles when given!
Carole Finger on May 10, 2016 at 9:11 am said:
First off, very best wishes to Megan and Alex. May
they have a wonderful and rewarding life together.
Think of all the wedding knitting, and potentially baby
knitting to come.
Vicky in Ottawa on May 10, 2016 at 9:32 am said:
All best wishes to everyone in the newly-extended family!
(a grip is the easiest thing to lose!)
Rosane on May 10, 2016 at 9:39 am said:
Congratulations all around! What beautiful pictures to share a beautiful occasion. Much happiness to Megan and Alex.
Kyle on May 10, 2016 at 10:13 am said:
Congratulations to all parties!
Sarah on May 10, 2016 at 10:20 am said:
Wonderfully exciting news! Now, I can’t wait to see/hear how the shawl goes. What pressure you are putting on yourself! Glad the parents got a grip and did not embarrass themselves overly much. 🙂
Allison on May 10, 2016 at 10:26 am said:
Congratulations!!! Wedding planning is An Experience but you guys will survive and have much happiness 🙂
sarahseattle on May 10, 2016 at 10:50 am said:
Congratulations and best wishes to Megan and Alex! Steve and I married at 24 an 21 – 52 years years ago. We are still happily married….to each other.
The glorious lace shawl swatch was a clue.
Duffy on May 10, 2016 at 10:54 am said:
Woot! Mazel tov!
I love the pic of Alex pointing at her ring with a WTH? look.
Aura Perez on May 10, 2016 at 11:15 am said:
I have not laugh so hard in a while. Congratulations and oh my god, imagine when the grandkinds start to get here
Heather Ricco on May 10, 2016 at 11:22 am said:
Congratulations! Those are great engagement photos of a happy couple!
Katie on May 10, 2016 at 11:23 am said:
I wondered if that shawl was for one of your girls! Congratulations to you and Joe for raising (however unbelievably) a young woman who is capable of picking out a great guy 😀
And CONGRATULATIONS MEGAN AND ALEX!!!!!
Josee on May 10, 2016 at 11:28 am said:
How exciting!!! Congratulations to the happy couple & both families!
Hilde-Lotte on May 10, 2016 at 11:35 am said:
Yay! Congratiulations, I wish you a wonderfull wedding, and a long and fulfilling married life afterwards.
julie on May 10, 2016 at 11:40 am said:
Aww, congratulations to all of you!
lanajoh on May 10, 2016 at 11:43 am said:
Stephanie:
I love how this post begins with the focus on age and then – despite conflicting emotions – lands squarely on the foundation of respect. Besides that, it was so, so funny.
Congratulations to you and your on this engagement! and, as always: Happy Knitting!
(I will hug my four-year-old a bit tighter today and try to view things through a slightly different lens if I find myself getting annoyed that I want to clean, and she wants to cuddle…)
Kate on May 10, 2016 at 11:44 am said:
How wonderful and exciting, congratulations to all of you!
Susan on May 10, 2016 at 11:56 am said:
Yep. You worked and worked at it and then they did it — growing up, I mean. Shocking but true, and wonderful. As for that mortality thing, my theory is that it’s best ignored.
lawheezer on May 10, 2016 at 12:00 pm said:
Can you imagine being the son in law of the Yarn Harlot? Wowser!
Sheri on May 10, 2016 at 12:23 pm said:
Congratulations to Megan and Alex on their engagement!
(And to you and Joe for working through it so successfully. Cute blog post!)
Barbara on May 10, 2016 at 12:33 pm said:
Megan, 25 is the perfect age for marrying (guess how old I was when we tied the knot) the love of your life. From nearly 40 years down the matrimonial road, I wish you all the happiness and tears and (sometimes grudging) compromise in your future together. Whenever I question how we’ve managed to stick it out for so long he always says, “well, we can tolerate each others’ weirdness-es, besides we like each other.” Pro tip: that “like” part is the secret to a long and happy union. Congratulations to you both.
I hope Alex isn’t freaked out by the Blog. We’re a benevolent organism.
(You may want to ignore the above; I failed the “human verification” test the first time.)
Liz R on May 10, 2016 at 12:48 pm said:
Congratulations! One word: GRANDCHILDREN!!!
Tamara on May 10, 2016 at 12:52 pm said:
Lilly on May 10, 2016 at 1:20 pm said:
Best wishes to the happy couple.
At least he’s not some skanky skein of acrylic…
Knitwit on May 10, 2016 at 1:25 pm said:
Thank you Megan and Alex for sharing your happy news with the Blog! The smiles say it all. Best wishes for a long and happy laugh filled life together. When is the wedding date???? Inquiring minds want to know!
Corandco on May 10, 2016 at 1:31 pm said:
Now I have a nagging question : might the big project – the one involving white/not-so-white-after-all fine wool and gazillions of tiny beads – be related to this amazing and happy news in any way ?
Carol on May 10, 2016 at 1:38 pm said:
It’s the darndest thing… you feed them, and they GROW… and, then, one day they tell you that they’re getting married. WHO KNEW????
Kay on May 10, 2016 at 1:40 pm said:
Awesome news! Congratulations to Megan and Alex as well as the grip-gotten parents. Blessings and a happy, long marriage to the lovely couple! They have a great example to look to even though that great example may have slipped a gear or two temporarily! Let the planning commence!
kathy b on May 10, 2016 at 1:52 pm said:
Awwww Im thrilled for your family !!! Does he knit?
Melissa (Ajax) on May 10, 2016 at 1:58 pm said:
Congratulations to everyone in your family. Wonderful photos. And luckily Alex is so photogenic cuz… welcome to the Blog, dude!
Kerri on May 10, 2016 at 2:31 pm said:
Congratulations to all. Have fun planning the wedding.
lauren on May 10, 2016 at 2:32 pm said:
So exciting!!!! Happy for you all!!! 😀 Oooh so does this mean you can start planning a wedding shawl?? Eeee!
Deborah C on May 10, 2016 at 2:59 pm said:
Congratulations to all! Such a cute boy… 🙂 Megan looks so happy.
Congratulations to Megan and Alex, and to the proud parents of both. May the upcoming days/weeks/years be filled with joy, happiness and love.
Deborah on May 10, 2016 at 3:22 pm said:
Megan has a special place in my heart because of the message in the wet sidewalk cement – so congratulations all of you, and remember that “You are Beautiful!”
LisaRR on May 10, 2016 at 4:29 pm said:
Megan is brave to allow an announcement on the blog! (or it could not be avoided and she handled it with grace)
Here’s another vote of congratulations from a stranger.
I am sure it will be a very good party. The blog readers are already looking forward to the photos.
LisaRR
Lahi on May 10, 2016 at 5:03 pm said:
Awwww.
Congratulations to you all.
Pat on May 10, 2016 at 5:04 pm said:
What a fabulous wedding announcement! Congrats to the families!
Elly on May 10, 2016 at 5:19 pm said:
How exciting! Congratulations! What a beautiful couple!
Gardengirl on May 10, 2016 at 5:36 pm said:
So happy for your daughter and her parents! Just adding more love to an already love-filled tribe!
C.G.Morrison on May 10, 2016 at 6:34 pm said:
This was hilarious! And I feel your pain.
For the record, I had just turned 21 when I married my guy 39 years ago, and my sister was 19…still married to the same man (hers, not mine).
My baby was 23 when she got married in 2007. It’s not the age, it’s the commitment.
Celeste on May 10, 2016 at 6:53 pm said:
Is that Alex with Meg in the 12/27/13 Christmas picture? Yes I’ve been going back, reading all entries since the beginning, cuz I needs lots of laughs this Spring. Does he know how to make gingerbread cookies? Does he take proper care of hand knits? Is his foot size smaller than Joe’s? Many congratulations to the beautiful couple!
Stephanie Pearl-McPhee on May 12, 2016 at 3:41 pm said:
Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
June Parker on May 10, 2016 at 6:54 pm said:
What a beautiful couple! Congratulations!
Wow. Having watched her grow from a lovely teen, into a beautiful young woman, I can only say congratulations to you all. Such great news, you must be over the moon. <3
Barbara R on May 10, 2016 at 7:26 pm said:
Congrats…..grandma….Steph! Hehehehehehehe!!!!! Just HAD to say that!!
Better get that veil done…or shawl? HURRY UP!!
Robin on May 10, 2016 at 7:28 pm said:
Val on May 10, 2016 at 7:50 pm said:
Congratulations Mama & Papa!
Eva on May 10, 2016 at 8:41 pm said:
Mazel tov! It’s been fun watching them grow up, and feeling like a friend of your family. I’m so happy for all of you, may you all know only happiness always.
Sheila on May 10, 2016 at 9:07 pm said:
Aw! This is wonderful! Mazel tov! And thie shawl will be fantastic… So happy for everyone.
Penny Munson on May 10, 2016 at 9:59 pm said:
AHA! It’s a wedding shawl. That project in your last post. A wedding shawl, right? Congratulations on Megan’s engagement. Alex looks like a wonderful man.
--Deb on May 10, 2016 at 11:57 pm said:
Congratulations to all of you! That’s such exciting news! (And so entertainingly released from the press, too.)
Elizabeth on May 11, 2016 at 7:41 am said:
congratulations to you all! They look cute as hell!
Kathleen McQuillan on May 11, 2016 at 8:21 am said:
Rita on May 11, 2016 at 8:29 am said:
Awww…. all my best to you! (And I couldn’t believe it when my son got marr ied a few years ago, either. The nerve! He’s a baby! Oh, wait… he was technically an adult in his mid-20s. And my engaged 21-year-old daughter, I don’t know what she’s thinking! She’s barely out of the cradle! But, oh, wait, the fricking govt thinks she’s a grownup….Well, there’s still the 13-year-old son to baby… except he keeps saying, “Look, I’m the tallest one in the house now! Look at my Adam’s Apple! Look at my under arm hair! Listen to how deep my voice is!”) Hmmph. It appears we can’t stop these children from becoming regular people.
bobbi hatton on May 11, 2016 at 9:04 am said:
with much empathy-congratulations all around,,,
adore the pictures!
askbew on May 11, 2016 at 9:46 am said:
Congratulations to all of you. Isn’t it funny – I felt so old when I married at 25, and now it seems quite young to be making such a big life decision? However – nearly 22 years on, I can say that I made a very good decision, despite my near infancy at the time it was made. 🙂
Liz on May 11, 2016 at 10:39 am said:
Congratulations! That shawl will be so special (understatement of the millennium).
Marji on May 11, 2016 at 10:54 am said:
Congratulations! Now there will be another boy in the family!!!
Diane in Chico, CA on May 11, 2016 at 11:17 am said:
Glad your grip was gotten. Congratulations Megan and Alex!
Ellen on May 11, 2016 at 2:25 pm said:
I wish you all so much happiness. This might be a good time to brush up on the Serenity Prayer for Mothers of the Bride, which surely ought to exist.
mary alyce on May 11, 2016 at 3:03 pm said:
Let the planning for the flashmob begin
Dottyw on May 11, 2016 at 3:44 pm said:
Congratulations!! The shawl is beautiful and so is the bride to be. These will be such exciting times for you and your family so enjoy. I remember my mantra to both my son & daughter when they were going through there wedding arraignments:
“It’s not the wedding that’s important, it’s the marriage”
Janknitz on May 11, 2016 at 3:55 pm said:
Mazel tov and think of it this way–someone else to knit for. ;o)
Rowena Philbeck on May 11, 2016 at 5:38 pm said:
Congratulations to everyone!! Wonderful pictures!! How fun it will be!!!
Kristen on May 11, 2016 at 6:48 pm said:
Best Wishes to the bride and groom!
Ellen in Indy on May 11, 2016 at 7:16 pm said:
Congratulations, Stephanie and Joe —
You’re not losing your beautiful daughter, you’re gaining a male knitwear model (as a bonus for having a great son-in-law). Best wishes to all . . . And tell The Blog only what you wish to, when you wish to tell it. Privacy is an endangered commodity these days.
I had to touch the globe, and I hope that Megan and Alex will travel it.
Janis on May 11, 2016 at 8:21 pm said:
I suspect that in a few years, should the relevant parties decide it’s appropriate, we may see what might just be the most knitted-for grandchild in the history of human reproduction 🙂
I really appreciate how respectful you were there. <3 I agree!
Victoria on May 11, 2016 at 10:52 pm said:
I knew that was a wedding shawl; I just couldn;t figure out why you were being coy. Congratulations to the lovely couple. Good-luck Mom and Dad!
Gretchen on May 11, 2016 at 11:02 pm said:
It was just a matter of time! Congratulations!
Should we draw any conclusions about this announcement and the whitelacybeady project? Curious…
Kathy on May 11, 2016 at 11:36 pm said:
Such good news! Congratulations, and I wish them many years of happiness.
tree on May 12, 2016 at 12:36 am said:
Congratulations to the lovely engaged couple, the panicked parents of the the couple, the excited siblings, and the happy extended family. I’m imagining that a really fun wedding is in the works – after a suitably long engagement of course ;-).
And of course, it is Megan and Alex’s wedding to plan, but perhaps they will include a Prince song (or two) in the music mix for the mother of the bride.
Hope on May 12, 2016 at 8:55 am said:
The sheer level of happiness on their faces is a joy to see! All the best to all of you, and congratulations!
Amberpixie on May 12, 2016 at 9:16 am said:
Yay! Congrats to everyone! Them for the engagement and you for your composure. 😉
mvi on May 12, 2016 at 9:21 am said:
Congratulations to your family! Wonderful news!!
Chris on May 12, 2016 at 10:00 am said:
Congratulations to alll!! Reading the announcement has given me a big smile. The wedding shawl will be beyond gorgeous and a precious heirloom. Best wishes for a happy life together, Megan and Alex!
Jennifer Lori on May 12, 2016 at 11:30 am said:
MAZAL TOV from Montreal! That is awesome, excellent news! So.. um… when is he learning to knit?
Laura on May 12, 2016 at 12:43 pm said:
StrongCat on May 12, 2016 at 1:27 pm said:
Oh, how lovely! Congratulations!
Nancy Reed on May 12, 2016 at 3:33 pm said:
Congratulations to everyone! Busy times ahead! – May I ask what the FOG (family of the Groom) think about all of this?? 😀
Melissa on May 12, 2016 at 5:41 pm said:
Congratulations. And hooray for love between two nice, respectful people! I’m glad that your daughter chose a “good egg,” as we say.
Booa on May 12, 2016 at 6:35 pm said:
Congratulations! Oh, my goodness! What a huge surprise, and what a wonderful one. Look at those glowing happy faces! I’m so happy for all involved! Blessings and mazel tov and all good things to you all!
Lol, and does the groom and his family know about the strangest in-law in the world–namely, The Blog? lololololol…
Lynda on May 12, 2016 at 8:19 pm said:
Congrats to Megan and Alex! So happy for you both!
CathyCake on May 13, 2016 at 7:15 am said:
How exciting! Good luck with that shawl…
and my heartfelt congratulations to Megan and Alex! (My daughters are 18 and 20. I’m not ready to be in your shoes, of course….)
Congratulations to Megan and Alex! And good thoughts for minimal unplanned excitement on the shawl.
Stephanie on May 13, 2016 at 11:51 am said:
What happy news! Best wishes to the bride and groom to be.
Does Alex know he is marrying one of the 3 top knitwear models in the world?
Will Alex be getting socks for the wedding? I think we need a new tradition; if the bride gets a shawl the groom should get socks, right?
You have been so kind to share moments with your family over the years that I feel like I know you all a bit and care about you all too. I am so happy for your daughter. All the best!
Sarah Wethered on May 13, 2016 at 12:24 pm said:
Congratulations. Many years of happiness to the lovely couple.
Knitsiam on May 13, 2016 at 1:09 pm said:
Blessings and heartfelt congratulations to Megan and Alex. A bit late (as we were traveling out of the country) but no less sincere; they both look blissfully happy. Stephanie, congrats to you and Joe as well – you’re not losing a daughter, rather, your family’s circle of love is only expanding to welcome one more. Key question is whether Alex likes, and more importantly, appreciates, the value of the handknit sock. A wedding pair in his future, perhaps?
Namaste, Bonnie
askbew on May 13, 2016 at 1:37 pm said:
I just looked at that first picture again. Could two people look happier? I think not. Best Wishes to the couple!
Ari on May 13, 2016 at 7:16 pm said:
Mazel tov and best wishes to you all!!!
Carrie on May 14, 2016 at 2:05 pm said:
Cathy B in Toronto on May 14, 2016 at 6:42 pm said:
That’s lovely! Congratulations to everyone!
Barbara from Springfield MA on May 14, 2016 at 8:55 pm said:
Such wonderful news! Congratulations to all of you .
Knit like the wind and please share lots of pictures with the Blog. Megan will make a beautiful bride
Kristine on May 16, 2016 at 3:46 pm said:
katie metzroth on May 17, 2016 at 2:24 pm said:
Well done on knowing what you want and making it happen! 🙂 and Congrats to all of you! 🙂
Karlie on May 18, 2016 at 6:47 pm said:
So many congratulations! I’ve been reading since just a few months in to your start blogging and seen your adorable girls grow up into beautiful and poised ladies. I’m almost choked up at this!
PS My Tiptoe Through the Tulips socks I got so many years ago from you continue to go strong!
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The felt is a funny colour too
That goes double for you
I did tidy a closet
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The Amazing Thing About the Way It Goes: Stories of Tidiness, Self-Esteem and Other Things I gave Up On
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Free-Range Knitter: The Yarn Harlot Writes Again
Things I Learned From Knitting Whether I Wanted To or Not
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Knitlit Too edited by Linda Roghaar and Molly Wolf
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The fourth road racing weekend on the 2004 Canadian Automobile Sport Clubs – Ontario Region calendar was hosted by the Motorsport Club of Ottawa (MCO) at Shannonville Motorsport Park. The event titled the MCO Ted Powell Memorial Trophy Race was held on the Canada Day long weekend.
The Motorsport Club of Ottawa (MCO) is a non-profit group founded in 1949. MCO, one of the founding members of the Canadian Automobile Sports Clubs (CASC), is affiliated with the national motorsport organizing body - Automobile Sportif Nationale (ASN) Canada FIA Inc. - through the Ontario Region (CASC-OR).
In Ontario, amateur competitors race at Mosport International Raceway and Shannonville Motorsport Park to earn points towards the regional titles. Championships are contested in the following categories:
Grand Touring Category – This category is split into two major divisions GTA-D and Touring GT Championship (TGTC) - Touring GT and Touring T. All the cars competing in the Grand Touring classes are prepared to similar rules. These vehicles are also grouped according to their performance (based on the bracket that a car/driver combination performs). The quickest class, GTA features cars such as the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Corvette, while at the other end of the spectrum, GTD and TGTC Touring T include vehicles such as the Honda Civic and Volkswagen Rabbit. Some of these cars may be constructed with a tube-frame chassis. The GTA-D class races in shorter sprint contests while the Touring GT Championship competitors compete in a twenty-minute sprint race on Saturday. They conclude the weekend with a forty-minute finale.
Sports Racer Category – These are purpose-built closed wheel race cars. The class includes a variety of chassis’ which may be constructed by a competitor or a race car manufacturer. There is also a wide range of engine options used by the teams.
Formula Category – These are also purpose-built race cars. This is the largest category and includes seven classes:
Formula 1200 (uses Volkswagen components and is powered by 1200-cc air-cooled engine)
Formula First (also utilizes Volkswagen parts but is powered by a 1600-cc air-cooled motor)
Formula Ford A, B and C (use the four-cylinder 1600-cc Ford motor with older chassis’ competing in the B and C category)
Formula 2000 (these winged vehicles utilizes a 2.0-liter Ford four-cylinder power-plant)
Formula 4 (another winged class with the most liberal rules)
Formula Libre (open wheel cars that do not fit into the rules for any of the categories listed above)
There are a variety of regulations that govern these open-wheel cars.
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Why Jon Bon Jovi Won’t Play Super Bowl Halftime Show
Alexandre Schneider, Getty Images
Jon Bon Jovi said he had “no desire” to play a Super Bowl halftime show, having refused an invitation once and then missed out on the occasion another time after considering it.
The singer explained that he’s seen some amazing performances at the annual event, but there are reasons he doesn't want to take part in one himself.
Asked on Howard Stern’s SiriusXM radio show if he’d ever play a halftime show, Bon Jovi replied, “No desire – I turned it down many years ago. ... I didn’t like that you had to team up with other people, that you have these people coming on your stage and all the demands, all the pressures.”
He noted that "it didn’t appeal to me to play at the New Jersey one. It seemed too obvious. The last time, honest to God, that we were at all interested was back when they had it in Dallas, and we didn’t get it. I said, ‘That’s the end of it. … I won’t even talk about it again.’” Name-checking Prince and U2, he said, “Some of the performances have been unbelievable. … There’s been some amazing ones over the years. But [it’s] not for me.”
You can listen to the interview below.
Listen to Jon Bon Jovi on Howard Stern's Show
Bon Jovi also said that the release of his band’s latest album, 2020, has been delayed from its original May 5 date as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. He added that keyboardist David Bryan, who’d contracted the disease last month, was “doing better” now.
He went on to explain that “Do What You Can,” the song he co-wrote with fans as a result of the global emergency, would be performed during his home-based slot on the Jersey 4 Jersey fundraising show on April 22.
“And then of course I should do ‘Livin’ on a Prayer,’” he added. "Because it’s such an important song for so many people, and it brings us back to happier days.”
Bon Jovi Albums Ranked
Top 10 Bon Jovi Songs
Source: Why Jon Bon Jovi Won’t Play Super Bowl Halftime Show
Filed Under: Bon Jovi, Jon Bon Jovi
Categories: Rock News, Sports
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Saturday 20 June 2020 (other days)
The Immaculate Heart of Mary
on Saturday of week 11 in Ordinary Time
Christ is the son of Mary: come, let us adore him.
Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary began as early as the twelfth century. During the seventeenth century in France, St John Eudes popularised this devotion along with that to the Sacred Heart. St Luke’s Gospel twice mentions that Mary ‘kept all these things in her heart’, pondering the word of God. Mary shows us how to listen to the words the Holy Spirit speaks to us in the depths of our hearts, and how to respond in faith.
Other saints: Saints Alban, Julius and Aaron
20 Jun (where celebrated)
Veneration of Alban as Protomartyr of Britain depends on a cult of great antiquity at St Alban’s, known during the years of Roman occupation as Verulanium. Bede records in his Ecclesiastical History of the English Nation how, during a persecution by Diocletian, Alban surrendered himself in place of a Christian priest, and so unbaptised by water, attained a baptism of blood. In the same persecution Julius and Aaron, at Caerleon on Usk, are named among others who gave their lives for the faith.
Other saints: The Irish Martyrs
Seventeen Irish Martyrs were put to death for the Catholic faith between 1579 and 1654 and were beatified in 1992. They include priests and lay people, men and women. Some were hanged, others were hanged, drawn and quartered. One or two died under torture. See the article in Wikipedia.
Second Reading: St Laurence Justinian (1381-1456)
He joined a community of canons regular on the island of St Giorgio in Alga in the Venetian lagoon. He was ordained in 1407, became prior of the community in 1409, Bishop of Castello in 1433, and, when the seat of the diocese was moved to Venice in 1451, became the first Patriarch of Venice. He wrote many sermons, letters and ascetic treatises, which are still reprinted and read.
1 Samuel 15:22 ©
Is the pleasure of the Lord in holocausts and sacrifices or in obedience to the voice of the Lord? Obedience is better than sacrifice, submissiveness better than the fat of rams.
Galatians 5:26,6:2 ©
We must stop being conceited, provocative and envious. You should carry each other’s troubles and fulfil the law of Christ.
Micah 6:8 ©
What is good has been explained to you, man; this is what the Lord asks of you: only this, to act justly, to love tenderly and to walk humbly with your God.
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Francis Encyclicals
[ AR - DE - EN - ES - FR - IT - NL - PL - PT ]
ENCYCLICAL LETTER
OF THE HOLY FATHER
ON FRATERNITY AND SOCIAL FRIENDSHIP
1. “FRATELLI TUTTI”.[1] With these words, Saint Francis of Assisi addressed his brothers and sisters and proposed to them a way of life marked by the flavour of the Gospel. Of the counsels Francis offered, I would like to select the one in which he calls for a love that transcends the barriers of geography and distance, and declares blessed all those who love their brother “as much when he is far away from him as when he is with him”.[2] In his simple and direct way, Saint Francis expressed the essence of a fraternal openness that allows us to acknowledge, appreciate and love each person, regardless of physical proximity, regardless of where he or she was born or lives.
2. This saint of fraternal love, simplicity and joy, who inspired me to write the Encyclical Laudato Si’, prompts me once more to devote this new Encyclical to fraternity and social friendship. Francis felt himself a brother to the sun, the sea and the wind, yet he knew that he was even closer to those of his own flesh. Wherever he went, he sowed seeds of peace and walked alongside the poor, the abandoned, the infirm and the outcast, the least of his brothers and sisters.
3. There is an episode in the life of Saint Francis that shows his openness of heart, which knew no bounds and transcended differences of origin, nationality, colour or religion. It was his visit to Sultan Malik-el-Kamil, in Egypt, which entailed considerable hardship, given Francis’ poverty, his scarce resources, the great distances to be traveled and their differences of language, culture and religion. That journey, undertaken at the time of the Crusades, further demonstrated the breadth and grandeur of his love, which sought to embrace everyone. Francis’ fidelity to his Lord was commensurate with his love for his brothers and sisters. Unconcerned for the hardships and dangers involved, Francis went to meet the Sultan with the same attitude that he instilled in his disciples: if they found themselves “among the Saracens and other nonbelievers”, without renouncing their own identity they were not to “engage in arguments or disputes, but to be subject to every human creature for God’s sake”.[3] In the context of the times, this was an extraordinary recommendation. We are impressed that some eight hundred years ago Saint Francis urged that all forms of hostility or conflict be avoided and that a humble and fraternal “subjection” be shown to those who did not share his faith.
4. Francis did not wage a war of words aimed at imposing doctrines; he simply spread the love of God. He understood that “God is love and those who abide in love abide in God” (1 Jn 4:16). In this way, he became a father to all and inspired the vision of a fraternal society. Indeed, “only the man who approaches others, not to draw them into his own life, but to help them become ever more fully themselves, can truly be called a father”.[4] In the world of that time, bristling with watchtowers and defensive walls, cities were a theatre of brutal wars between powerful families, even as poverty was spreading through the countryside. Yet there Francis was able to welcome true peace into his heart and free himself of the desire to wield power over others. He became one of the poor and sought to live in harmony with all. Francis has inspired these pages.
5. Issues of human fraternity and social friendship have always been a concern of mine. In recent years, I have spoken of them repeatedly and in different settings. In this Encyclical, I have sought to bring together many of those statements and to situate them in a broader context of reflection. In the preparation of Laudato Si’, I had a source of inspiration in my brother Bartholomew, the Orthodox Patriarch, who has spoken forcefully of our need to care for creation. In this case, I have felt particularly encouraged by the Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, with whom I met in Abu Dhabi, where we declared that “God has created all human beings equal in rights, duties and dignity, and has called them to live together as brothers and sisters”.[5] This was no mere diplomatic gesture, but a reflection born of dialogue and common commitment. The present Encyclical takes up and develops some of the great themes raised in the Document that we both signed. I have also incorporated, along with my own thoughts, a number of letters, documents and considerations that I have received from many individuals and groups throughout the world.
6. The following pages do not claim to offer a complete teaching on fraternal love, but rather to consider its universal scope, its openness to every man and woman. I offer this social Encyclical as a modest contribution to continued reflection, in the hope that in the face of present-day attempts to eliminate or ignore others, we may prove capable of responding with a new vision of fraternity and social friendship that will not remain at the level of words. Although I have written it from the Christian convictions that inspire and sustain me, I have sought to make this reflection an invitation to dialogue among all people of good will.
7. As I was writing this letter, the Covid-19 pandemic unexpectedly erupted, exposing our false securities. Aside from the different ways that various countries responded to the crisis, their inability to work together became quite evident. For all our hyper-connectivity, we witnessed a fragmentation that made it more difficult to resolve problems that affect us all. Anyone who thinks that the only lesson to be learned was the need to improve what we were already doing, or to refine existing systems and regulations, is denying reality.
8. It is my desire that, in this our time, by acknowledging the dignity of each human person, we can contribute to the rebirth of a universal aspiration to fraternity. Fraternity between all men and women. “Here we have a splendid secret that shows us how to dream and to turn our life into a wonderful adventure. No one can face life in isolation… We need a community that supports and helps us, in which we can help one another to keep looking ahead. How important it is to dream together… By ourselves, we risk seeing mirages, things that are not there. Dreams, on the other hand, are built together”.[6] Let us dream, then, as a single human family, as fellow travelers sharing the same flesh, as children of the same earth which is our common home, each of us bringing the richness of his or her beliefs and convictions, each of us with his or her own voice, brothers and sisters all.
DARK CLOUDS OVER A CLOSED WORLD
9. Without claiming to carry out an exhaustive analysis or to study every aspect of our present-day experience, I intend simply to consider certain trends in our world that hinder the development of universal fraternity.
SHATTERED DREAMS
10. For decades, it seemed that the world had learned a lesson from its many wars and disasters, and was slowly moving towards various forms of integration. For example, there was the dream of a united Europe, capable of acknowledging its shared roots and rejoicing in its rich diversity. We think of “the firm conviction of the founders of the European Union, who envisioned a future based on the capacity to work together in bridging divisions and in fostering peace and fellowship between all the peoples of this continent”.[7] There was also a growing desire for integration in Latin America, and several steps were taken in this direction. In some countries and regions, attempts at reconciliation and rapprochement proved fruitful, while others showed great promise.
11. Our own days, however, seem to be showing signs of a certain regression. Ancient conflicts thought long buried are breaking out anew, while instances of a myopic, extremist, resentful and aggressive nationalism are on the rise. In some countries, a concept of popular and national unity influenced by various ideologies is creating new forms of selfishness and a loss of the social sense under the guise of defending national interests. Once more we are being reminded that “each new generation must take up the struggles and attainments of past generations, while setting its sights even higher. This is the path. Goodness, together with love, justice and solidarity, are not achieved once and for all; they have to be realized each day. It is not possible to settle for what was achieved in the past and complacently enjoy it, as if we could somehow disregard the fact that many of our brothers and sisters still endure situations that cry out for our attention”.[8]
12. “Opening up to the world” is an expression that has been co-opted by the economic and financial sector and is now used exclusively of openness to foreign interests or to the freedom of economic powers to invest without obstacles or complications in all countries. Local conflicts and disregard for the common good are exploited by the global economy in order to impose a single cultural model. This culture unifies the world, but divides persons and nations, for “as society becomes ever more globalized, it makes us neighbours, but does not make us brothers”.[9] We are more alone than ever in an increasingly massified world that promotes individual interests and weakens the communitarian dimension of life. Indeed, there are markets where individuals become mere consumers or bystanders. As a rule, the advance of this kind of globalism strengthens the identity of the more powerful, who can protect themselves, but it tends to diminish the identity of the weaker and poorer regions, making them more vulnerable and dependent. In this way, political life becomes increasingly fragile in the face of transnational economic powers that operate with the principle of “divide and conquer”.
The end of historical consciousness
13. As a result, there is a growing loss of the sense of history, which leads to even further breakup. A kind of “deconstructionism”, whereby human freedom claims to create everything starting from zero, is making headway in today’s culture. The one thing it leaves in its wake is the drive to limitless consumption and expressions of empty individualism. Concern about this led me to offer the young some advice. “If someone tells young people to ignore their history, to reject the experiences of their elders, to look down on the past and to look forward to a future that he himself holds out, doesn’t it then become easy to draw them along so that they only do what he tells them? He needs the young to be shallow, uprooted and distrustful, so that they can trust only in his promises and act according to his plans. That is how various ideologies operate: they destroy (or deconstruct) all differences so that they can reign unopposed. To do so, however, they need young people who have no use for history, who spurn the spiritual and human riches inherited from past generations, and are ignorant of everything that came before them”.[10]
14. These are the new forms of cultural colonization. Let us not forget that “peoples that abandon their tradition and, either from a craze to mimic others or to foment violence, or from unpardonable negligence or apathy, allow others to rob their very soul, end up losing not only their spiritual identity but also their moral consistency and, in the end, their intellectual, economic and political independence”.[11] One effective way to weaken historical consciousness, critical thinking, the struggle for justice and the processes of integration is to empty great words of their meaning or to manipulate them. Nowadays, what do certain words like democracy, freedom, justice or unity really mean? They have been bent and shaped to serve as tools for domination, as meaningless tags that can be used to justify any action.
LACKING A PLAN FOR EVERYONE
15. The best way to dominate and gain control over people is to spread despair and discouragement, even under the guise of defending certain values. Today, in many countries, hyperbole, extremism and polarization have become political tools. Employing a strategy of ridicule, suspicion and relentless criticism, in a variety of ways one denies the right of others to exist or to have an opinion. Their share of the truth and their values are rejected and, as a result, the life of society is impoverished and subjected to the hubris of the powerful. Political life no longer has to do with healthy debates about long-term plans to improve people’s lives and to advance the common good, but only with slick marketing techniques primarily aimed at discrediting others. In this craven exchange of charges and counter-charges, debate degenerates into a permanent state of disagreement and confrontation.
16. Amid the fray of conflicting interests, where victory consists in eliminating one’s opponents, how is it possible to raise our sights to recognize our neighbours or to help those who have fallen along the way? A plan that would set great goals for the development of our entire human family nowadays sounds like madness. We are growing ever more distant from one another, while the slow and demanding march towards an increasingly united and just world is suffering a new and dramatic setback.
17. To care for the world in which we live means to care for ourselves. Yet we need to think of ourselves more and more as a single family dwelling in a common home. Such care does not interest those economic powers that demand quick profits. Often the voices raised in defence of the environment are silenced or ridiculed, using apparently reasonable arguments that are merely a screen for special interests. In this shallow, short-sighted culture that we have created, bereft of a shared vision, “it is foreseeable that, once certain resources have been depleted, the scene will be set for new wars, albeit under the guise of noble claims”.[12]
A “throwaway” world
18. Some parts of our human family, it appears, can be readily sacrificed for the sake of others considered worthy of a carefree existence. Ultimately, “persons are no longer seen as a paramount value to be cared for and respected, especially when they are poor and disabled, ‘not yet useful’ – like the unborn, or ‘no longer needed’ – like the elderly. We have grown indifferent to all kinds of wastefulness, starting with the waste of food, which is deplorable in the extreme”.[13]
19. A decline in the birthrate, which leads to the aging of the population, together with the relegation of the elderly to a sad and lonely existence, is a subtle way of stating that it is all about us, that our individual concerns are the only thing that matters. In this way, “what is thrown away are not only food and dispensable objects, but often human beings themselves”.[14] We have seen what happened with the elderly in certain places in our world as a result of the coronavirus. They did not have to die that way. Yet something similar had long been occurring during heat waves and in other situations: older people found themselves cruelly abandoned. We fail to realize that, by isolating the elderly and leaving them in the care of others without the closeness and concern of family members, we disfigure and impoverish the family itself. We also end up depriving young people of a necessary connection to their roots and a wisdom that the young cannot achieve on their own.
20. This way of discarding others can take a variety of forms, such as an obsession with reducing labour costs with no concern for its grave consequences, since the unemployment that it directly generates leads to the expansion of poverty.[15] In addition, a readiness to discard others finds expression in vicious attitudes that we thought long past, such as racism, which retreats underground only to keep reemerging. Instances of racism continue to shame us, for they show that our supposed social progress is not as real or definitive as we think.
21. Some economic rules have proved effective for growth, but not for integral human development.[16] Wealth has increased, but together with inequality, with the result that “new forms of poverty are emerging”.[17] The claim that the modern world has reduced poverty is made by measuring poverty with criteria from the past that do not correspond to present-day realities. In other times, for example, lack of access to electric energy was not considered a sign of poverty, nor was it a source of hardship. Poverty must always be understood and gauged in the context of the actual opportunities available in each concrete historical period.
Insufficiently universal human rights
22. It frequently becomes clear that, in practice, human rights are not equal for all. Respect for those rights “is the preliminary condition for a country’s social and economic development. When the dignity of the human person is respected, and his or her rights recognized and guaranteed, creativity and interdependence thrive, and the creativity of the human personality is released through actions that further the common good”.[18] Yet, “by closely observing our contemporary societies, we see numerous contradictions that lead us to wonder whether the equal dignity of all human beings, solemnly proclaimed seventy years ago, is truly recognized, respected, protected and promoted in every situation. In today’s world, many forms of injustice persist, fed by reductive anthropological visions and by a profit-based economic model that does not hesitate to exploit, discard and even kill human beings. While one part of humanity lives in opulence, another part sees its own dignity denied, scorned or trampled upon, and its fundamental rights discarded or violated”.[19] What does this tell us about the equality of rights grounded in innate human dignity?
23. Similarly, the organization of societies worldwide is still far from reflecting clearly that women possess the same dignity and identical rights as men. We say one thing with words, but our decisions and reality tell another story. Indeed, “doubly poor are those women who endure situations of exclusion, mistreatment and violence, since they are frequently less able to defend their rights”.[20]
24. We should also recognize that “even though the international community has adopted numerous agreements aimed at ending slavery in all its forms, and has launched various strategies to combat this phenomenon, millions of people today – children, women and men of all ages – are deprived of freedom and forced to live in conditions akin to slavery… Today, as in the past, slavery is rooted in a notion of the human person that allows him or her to be treated as an object… Whether by coercion, or deception, or by physical or psychological duress, human persons created in the image and likeness of God are deprived of their freedom, sold and reduced to being the property of others. They are treated as means to an end… [Criminal networks] are skilled in using modern means of communication as a way of luring young men and women in various parts of the world”.[21] A perversion that exceeds all limits when it subjugates women and then forces them to abort. An abomination that goes to the length of kidnapping persons for the sake of selling their organs. Trafficking in persons and other contemporary forms of enslavement are a worldwide problem that needs to be taken seriously by humanity as a whole: “since criminal organizations employ global networks to achieve their goals, efforts to eliminate this phenomenon also demand a common and, indeed, a global effort on the part of various sectors of society”.[22]
Conflict and fear
25. War, terrorist attacks, racial or religious persecution, and many other affronts to human dignity are judged differently, depending on how convenient it proves for certain, primarily economic, interests. What is true as long as it is convenient for someone in power stops being true once it becomes inconvenient. These situations of violence, sad to say, “have become so common as to constitute a real ‘third world war’ fought piecemeal”.[23]
26. This should not be surprising, if we realize that we no longer have common horizons that unite us; indeed, the first victim of every war is “the human family’s innate vocation to fraternity”. As a result, “every threatening situation breeds mistrust and leads people to withdraw into their own safety zone”.[24] Our world is trapped in a strange contradiction: we believe that we can “ensure stability and peace through a false sense of security sustained by a mentality of fear and mistrust”.[25]
27. Paradoxically, we have certain ancestral fears that technological development has not succeeded in eliminating; indeed, those fears have been able to hide and spread behind new technologies. Today too, outside the ancient town walls lies the abyss, the territory of the unknown, the wilderness. Whatever comes from there cannot be trusted, for it is unknown, unfamiliar, not part of the village. It is the territory of the “barbarian”, from whom we must defend ourselves at all costs. As a result, new walls are erected for self-preservation, the outside world ceases to exist and leaves only “my” world, to the point that others, no longer considered human beings possessed of an inalienable dignity, become only “them”. Once more, we encounter “the temptation to build a culture of walls, to raise walls, walls in the heart, walls on the land, in order to prevent this encounter with other cultures, with other people. And those who raise walls will end up as slaves within the very walls they have built. They are left without horizons, for they lack this interchange with others”.[26]
28. The loneliness, fear and insecurity experienced by those who feel abandoned by the system creates a fertile terrain for various “mafias”. These flourish because they claim to be defenders of the forgotten, often by providing various forms of assistance even as they pursue their criminal interests. There also exists a typically “mafioso” pedagogy that, by appealing to a false communitarian mystique, creates bonds of dependency and fealty from which it is very difficult to break free.
GLOBALIZATION AND PROGRESS WITHOUT A SHARED ROADMAP
29. With the Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, we do not ignore the positive advances made in the areas of science, technology, medicine, industry and welfare, above all in developed countries. Nonetheless, “we wish to emphasize that, together with these historical advances, great and valued as they are, there exists a moral deterioration that influences international action and a weakening of spiritual values and responsibility. This contributes to a general feeling of frustration, isolation and desperation”. We see “outbreaks of tension and a buildup of arms and ammunition in a global context dominated by uncertainty, disillusionment, fear of the future, and controlled by narrow economic interests”. We can also point to “major political crises, situations of injustice and the lack of an equitable distribution of natural resources… In the face of such crises that result in the deaths of millions of children – emaciated from poverty and hunger – there is an unacceptable silence on the international level”.[27] This panorama, for all its undeniable advances, does not appear to lead to a more humane future.
30. In today’s world, the sense of belonging to a single human family is fading, and the dream of working together for justice and peace seems an outdated utopia. What reigns instead is a cool, comfortable and globalized indifference, born of deep disillusionment concealed behind a deceptive illusion: thinking that we are all-powerful, while failing to realize that we are all in the same boat. This illusion, unmindful of the great fraternal values, leads to “a sort of cynicism. For that is the temptation we face if we go down the road of disenchantment and disappointment… Isolation and withdrawal into one’s own interests are never the way to restore hope and bring about renewal. Rather, it is closeness; it is the culture of encounter. Isolation, no; closeness, yes. Culture clash, no; culture of encounter, yes”.[28]
31. In this world that races ahead, yet lacks a shared roadmap, we increasingly sense that “the gap between concern for one’s personal well-being and the prosperity of the larger human family seems to be stretching to the point of complete division between individuals and human community… It is one thing to feel forced to live together, but something entirely different to value the richness and beauty of those seeds of common life that need to be sought out and cultivated”.[29] Technology is constantly advancing, yet “how wonderful it would be if the growth of scientific and technological innovation could come with more equality and social inclusion. How wonderful would it be, even as we discover faraway planets, to rediscover the needs of the brothers and sisters who orbit around us”.[30]
PANDEMICS AND OTHER CALAMITIES IN HISTORY
32. True, a worldwide tragedy like the Covid-19 pandemic momentarily revived the sense that we are a global community, all in the same boat, where one person’s problems are the problems of all. Once more we realized that no one is saved alone; we can only be saved together. As I said in those days, “the storm has exposed our vulnerability and uncovered those false and superfluous certainties around which we constructed our daily schedules, our projects, our habits and priorities… Amid this storm, the façade of those stereotypes with which we camouflaged our egos, always worrying about appearances, has fallen away, revealing once more the ineluctable and blessed awareness that we are part of one another, that we are brothers and sisters of one another”.[31]
33. The world was relentlessly moving towards an economy that, thanks to technological progress, sought to reduce “human costs”; there were those who would have had us believe that freedom of the market was sufficient to keep everything secure. Yet the brutal and unforeseen blow of this uncontrolled pandemic forced us to recover our concern for human beings, for everyone, rather than for the benefit of a few. Today we can recognize that “we fed ourselves on dreams of splendour and grandeur, and ended up consuming distraction, insularity and solitude. We gorged ourselves on networking, and lost the taste of fraternity. We looked for quick and safe results, only to find ourselves overwhelmed by impatience and anxiety. Prisoners of a virtual reality, we lost the taste and flavour of the truly real”.[32] The pain, uncertainty and fear, and the realization of our own limitations, brought on by the pandemic have only made it all the more urgent that we rethink our styles of life, our relationships, the organization of our societies and, above all, the meaning of our existence.
34. If everything is connected, it is hard to imagine that this global disaster is unrelated to our way of approaching reality, our claim to be absolute masters of our own lives and of all that exists. I do not want to speak of divine retribution, nor would it be sufficient to say that the harm we do to nature is itself the punishment for our offences. The world is itself crying out in rebellion. We are reminded of the well-known verse of the poet Virgil that evokes the “tears of things”, the misfortunes of life and history.[33]
35. All too quickly, however, we forget the lessons of history, “the teacher of life”.[34] Once this health crisis passes, our worst response would be to plunge even more deeply into feverish consumerism and new forms of egotistic self-preservation. God willing, after all this, we will think no longer in terms of “them” and “those”, but only “us”. If only this may prove not to be just another tragedy of history from which we learned nothing. If only we might keep in mind all those elderly persons who died for lack of respirators, partly as a result of the dismantling, year after year, of healthcare systems. If only this immense sorrow may not prove useless, but enable us to take a step forward towards a new style of life. If only we might rediscover once for all that we need one another, and that in this way our human family can experience a rebirth, with all its faces, all its hands and all its voices, beyond the walls that we have erected.
36. Unless we recover the shared passion to create a community of belonging and solidarity worthy of our time, our energy and our resources, the global illusion that misled us will collapse and leave many in the grip of anguish and emptiness. Nor should we naively refuse to recognize that “obsession with a consumerist lifestyle, above all when few people are capable of maintaining it, can only lead to violence and mutual destruction”.[35] The notion of “every man for himself” will rapidly degenerate into a free-for-all that would prove worse than any pandemic.
AN ABSENCE OF HUMAN DIGNITY ON THE BORDERS
37. Certain populist political regimes, as well as certain liberal economic approaches, maintain that an influx of migrants is to be prevented at all costs. Arguments are also made for the propriety of limiting aid to poor countries, so that they can hit rock bottom and find themselves forced to take austerity measures. One fails to realize that behind such statements, abstract and hard to support, great numbers of lives are at stake. Many migrants have fled from war, persecution and natural catastrophes. Others, rightly, “are seeking opportunities for themselves and their families. They dream of a better future and they want to create the conditions for achieving it”.[36]
38. Sadly, some “are attracted by Western culture, sometimes with unrealistic expectations that expose them to grave disappointments. Unscrupulous traffickers, frequently linked to drug cartels or arms cartels, exploit the weakness of migrants, who too often experience violence, trafficking, psychological and physical abuse and untold sufferings on their journey”.[37] Those who emigrate “experience separation from their place of origin, and often a cultural and religious uprooting as well. Fragmentation is also felt by the communities they leave behind, which lose their most vigorous and enterprising elements, and by families, especially when one or both of the parents migrates, leaving the children in the country of origin”.[38] For this reason, “there is also a need to reaffirm the right not to emigrate, that is, to remain in one’s homeland”.[39]
39. Then too, “in some host countries, migration causes fear and alarm, often fomented and exploited for political purposes. This can lead to a xenophobic mentality, as people close in on themselves, and it needs to be addressed decisively”.[40] Migrants are not seen as entitled like others to participate in the life of society, and it is forgotten that they possess the same intrinsic dignity as any person. Hence they ought to be “agents in their own redemption”.[41] No one will ever openly deny that they are human beings, yet in practice, by our decisions and the way we treat them, we can show that we consider them less worthy, less important, less human. For Christians, this way of thinking and acting is unacceptable, since it sets certain political preferences above deep convictions of our faith: the inalienable dignity of each human person regardless of origin, race or religion, and the supreme law of fraternal love.
40. “Migrations, more than ever before, will play a pivotal role in the future of our world”.[42] At present, however, migration is affected by the “loss of that sense of responsibility for our brothers and sisters on which every civil society is based”.[43] Europe, for example, seriously risks taking this path. Nonetheless, “aided by its great cultural and religious heritage, it has the means to defend the centrality of the human person and to find the right balance between its twofold moral responsibility to protect the rights of its citizens and to assure assistance and acceptance to migrants”.[44]
41. I realize that some people are hesitant and fearful with regard to migrants. I consider this part of our natural instinct of self-defence. Yet it is also true that an individual and a people are only fruitful and productive if they are able to develop a creative openness to others. I ask everyone to move beyond those primal reactions because “there is a problem when doubts and fears condition our way of thinking and acting to the point of making us intolerant, closed and perhaps even – without realizing it – racist. In this way, fear deprives us of the desire and the ability to encounter the other”.[45]
THE ILLUSION OF COMMUNICATION
42. Oddly enough, while closed and intolerant attitudes towards others are on the rise, distances are otherwise shrinking or disappearing to the point that the right to privacy scarcely exists. Everything has become a kind of spectacle to be examined and inspected, and people’s lives are now under constant surveillance. Digital communication wants to bring everything out into the open; people’s lives are combed over, laid bare and bandied about, often anonymously. Respect for others disintegrates, and even as we dismiss, ignore or keep others distant, we can shamelessly peer into every detail of their lives.
43. Digital campaigns of hatred and destruction, for their part, are not – as some would have us believe – a positive form of mutual support, but simply an association of individuals united against a perceived common enemy. “Digital media can also expose people to the risk of addiction, isolation and a gradual loss of contact with concrete reality, blocking the development of authentic interpersonal relationships”.[46] They lack the physical gestures, facial expressions, moments of silence, body language and even the smells, the trembling of hands, the blushes and perspiration that speak to us and are a part of human communication. Digital relationships, which do not demand the slow and gradual cultivation of friendships, stable interaction or the building of a consensus that matures over time, have the appearance of sociability. Yet they do not really build community; instead, they tend to disguise and expand the very individualism that finds expression in xenophobia and in contempt for the vulnerable. Digital connectivity is not enough to build bridges. It is not capable of uniting humanity.
Shameless aggression
44. Even as individuals maintain their comfortable consumerist isolation, they can choose a form of constant and febrile bonding that encourages remarkable hostility, insults, abuse, defamation and verbal violence destructive of others, and this with a lack of restraint that could not exist in physical contact without tearing us all apart. Social aggression has found unparalleled room for expansion through computers and mobile devices.
45. This has now given free rein to ideologies. Things that until a few years ago could not be said by anyone without risking the loss of universal respect can now be said with impunity, and in the crudest of terms, even by some political figures. Nor should we forget that “there are huge economic interests operating in the digital world, capable of exercising forms of control as subtle as they are invasive, creating mechanisms for the manipulation of consciences and of the democratic process. The way many platforms work often ends up favouring encounter between persons who think alike, shielding them from debate. These closed circuits facilitate the spread of fake news and false information, fomenting prejudice and hate”.[47]
46. We should also recognize that destructive forms of fanaticism are at times found among religious believers, including Christians; they too “can be caught up in networks of verbal violence through the internet and the various forums of digital communication. Even in Catholic media, limits can be overstepped, defamation and slander can become commonplace, and all ethical standards and respect for the good name of others can be abandoned”.[48] How can this contribute to the fraternity that our common Father asks of us?
Information without wisdom
47. True wisdom demands an encounter with reality. Today, however, everything can be created, disguised and altered. A direct encounter even with the fringes of reality can thus prove intolerable. A mechanism of selection then comes into play, whereby I can immediately separate likes from dislikes, what I consider attractive from what I deem distasteful. In the same way, we can choose the people with whom we wish to share our world. Persons or situations we find unpleasant or disagreeable are simply deleted in today’s virtual networks; a virtual circle is then created, isolating us from the real world in which we are living.
48. The ability to sit down and listen to others, typical of interpersonal encounters, is paradigmatic of the welcoming attitude shown by those who transcend narcissism and accept others, caring for them and welcoming them into their lives. Yet “today’s world is largely a deaf world… At times, the frantic pace of the modern world prevents us from listening attentively to what another person is saying. Halfway through, we interrupt him and want to contradict what he has not even finished saying. We must not lose our ability to listen”. Saint Francis “heard the voice of God, he heard the voice of the poor, he heard the voice of the infirm and he heard the voice of nature. He made of them a way of life. My desire is that the seed that Saint Francis planted may grow in the hearts of many”.[49]
49. As silence and careful listening disappear, replaced by a frenzy of texting, this basic structure of sage human communication is at risk. A new lifestyle is emerging, where we create only what we want and exclude all that we cannot control or know instantly and superficially. This process, by its intrinsic logic, blocks the kind of serene reflection that could lead us to a shared wisdom.
50. Together, we can seek the truth in dialogue, in relaxed conversation or in passionate debate. To do so calls for perseverance; it entails moments of silence and suffering, yet it can patiently embrace the broader experience of individuals and peoples. The flood of information at our fingertips does not make for greater wisdom. Wisdom is not born of quick searches on the internet nor is it a mass of unverified data. That is not the way to mature in the encounter with truth. Conversations revolve only around the latest data; they become merely horizontal and cumulative. We fail to keep our attention focused, to penetrate to the heart of matters, and to recognize what is essential to give meaning to our lives. Freedom thus becomes an illusion that we are peddled, easily confused with the ability to navigate the internet. The process of building fraternity, be it local or universal, can only be undertaken by spirits that are free and open to authentic encounters.
FORMS OF SUBJECTION AND OF SELF-CONTEMPT
51. Certain economically prosperous countries tend to be proposed as cultural models for less developed countries; instead, each of those countries should be helped to grow in its own distinct way and to develop its capacity for innovation while respecting the values of its proper culture. A shallow and pathetic desire to imitate others leads to copying and consuming in place of creating, and fosters low national self-esteem. In the affluent sectors of many poor countries, and at times in those who have recently emerged from poverty, there is a resistance to native ways of thinking and acting, and a tendency to look down on one’s own cultural identity, as if it were the sole cause of every ill.
52. Destroying self-esteem is an easy way to dominate others. Behind these trends that tend to level our world, there flourish powerful interests that take advantage of such low self-esteem, while attempting, through the media and networks, to create a new culture in the service of the elite. This plays into the opportunism of financial speculators and raiders, and the poor always end up the losers. Then too, ignoring the culture of their people has led to the inability of many political leaders to devise an effective development plan that could be freely accepted and sustained over time.
53. We forget that “there is no worse form of alienation than to feel uprooted, belonging to no one. A land will be fruitful, and its people bear fruit and give birth to the future, only to the extent that it can foster a sense of belonging among its members, create bonds of integration between generations and different communities, and avoid all that makes us insensitive to others and leads to further alienation”.[50]
54. Despite these dark clouds, which may not be ignored, I would like in the following pages to take up and discuss many new paths of hope. For God continues to sow abundant seeds of goodness in our human family. The recent pandemic enabled us to recognize and appreciate once more all those around us who, in the midst of fear, responded by putting their lives on the line. We began to realize that our lives are interwoven with and sustained by ordinary people valiantly shaping the decisive events of our shared history: doctors, nurses, pharmacists, storekeepers and supermarket workers, cleaning personnel, caretakers, transport workers, men and women working to provide essential services and public safety, volunteers, priests and religious… They understood that no one is saved alone.[51]
55. I invite everyone to renewed hope, for hope “speaks to us of something deeply rooted in every human heart, independently of our circumstances and historical conditioning. Hope speaks to us of a thirst, an aspiration, a longing for a life of fulfillment, a desire to achieve great things, things that fill our heart and lift our spirit to lofty realities like truth, goodness and beauty, justice and love… Hope is bold; it can look beyond personal convenience, the petty securities and compensations which limit our horizon, and it can open us up to grand ideals that make life more beautiful and worthwhile”.[52] Let us continue, then, to advance along the paths of hope.
A STRANGER ON THE ROAD
56. The previous chapter should not be read as a cool and detached description of today’s problems, for “the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the people of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted, are the joys and hopes, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well. Nothing that is genuinely human fails to find an echo in their hearts”.[53] In the attempt to search for a ray of light in the midst of what we are experiencing, and before proposing a few lines of action, I now wish to devote a chapter to a parable told by Jesus Christ two thousand years ago. Although this Letter is addressed to all people of good will, regardless of their religious convictions, the parable is one that any of us can relate to and find challenging.
“Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’ But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’”(Lk 10:25-37).
57. This parable has to do with an age-old problem. Shortly after its account of the creation of the world and of man, the Bible takes up the issue of human relationships. Cain kills his brother Abel and then hears God ask: “Where is your brother Abel?” (Gen 4:9). His answer is one that we ourselves all too often give: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (ibid.). By the very question he asks, God leaves no room for an appeal to determinism or fatalism as a justification for our own indifference. Instead, he encourages us to create a different culture, in which we resolve our conflicts and care for one another.
58. The Book of Job sees our origin in the one Creator as the basis of certain common rights: “Did not he who made me in the womb also make him? And did not the same one fashion us in the womb?” (Job 31:15). Many centuries later, Saint Irenaeus would use the image of a melody to make the same point: “One who seeks the truth should not concentrate on the differences between one note and another, thinking as if each was created separately and apart from the others; instead, he should realize that one and the same person composed the entire melody”.[54]
59. In earlier Jewish traditions, the imperative to love and care for others appears to have been limited to relationships between members of the same nation. The ancient commandment to “love your neighbour as yourself” (Lev 19:18) was usually understood as referring to one’s fellow citizens, yet the boundaries gradually expanded, especially in the Judaism that developed outside of the land of Israel. We encounter the command not to do to others what you would not want them to do to you (cf. Tob 4:15). In the first century before Christ, Rabbi Hillel stated: “This is the entire Torah. Everything else is commentary”.[55] The desire to imitate God’s own way of acting gradually replaced the tendency to think only of those nearest us: “The compassion of man is for his neighbour, but the compassion of the Lord is for all living beings” (Sir 18:13).
60. In the New Testament, Hillel’s precept was expressed in positive terms: “In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets” (Mt 7:12). This command is universal in scope, embracing everyone on the basis of our shared humanity, since the heavenly Father “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good” (Mt 5:45). Hence the summons to “be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Lk 6:36).
61. In the oldest texts of the Bible, we find a reason why our hearts should expand to embrace the foreigner. It derives from the enduring memory of the Jewish people that they themselves had once lived as foreigners in Egypt:
“You shall not wrong or oppress a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Ex 22:21).
“You shall not oppress a stranger; you know the heart of a stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Ex 23:9).
“When a stranger resides with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the stranger as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt” (Lev 19:33-34).
“When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, do not glean what is left; it shall be for the sojourner, the orphan, and the widow. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt” (Deut 24:21-22).
The call to fraternal love echoes throughout the New Testament:
“For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’” (Gal 5:14).
“Whoever loves a brother or sister lives in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling. But whoever hates another believer is in the darkness” (1 Jn 2:10-11).
“We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death” (1 Jn 3:14).
“Those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen” (1 Jn 4:20).
62. Yet this call to love could be misunderstood. Saint Paul, recognizing the temptation of the earliest Christian communities to form closed and isolated groups, urged his disciples to abound in love “for one another and for all” (1 Thess 3:12). In the Johannine community, fellow Christians were to be welcomed, “even though they are strangers to you” (3 Jn 5). In this context, we can better understand the significance of the parable of the Good Samaritan: love does not care if a brother or sister in need comes from one place or another. For “love shatters the chains that keep us isolated and separate; in their place, it builds bridges. Love enables us to create one great family, where all of us can feel at home… Love exudes compassion and dignity”.[56]
Abandoned on the wayside
63. Jesus tells the story of a man assaulted by thieves and lying injured on the wayside. Several persons passed him by, but failed to stop. These were people holding important social positions, yet lacking in real concern for the common good. They would not waste a couple of minutes caring for the injured man, or even in calling for help. Only one person stopped, approached the man and cared for him personally, even spending his own money to provide for his needs. He also gave him something that in our frenetic world we cling to tightly: he gave him his time. Certainly, he had his own plans for that day, his own needs, commitments and desires. Yet he was able to put all that aside when confronted with someone in need. Without even knowing the injured man, he saw him as deserving of his time and attention.
64. Which of these persons do you identify with? This question, blunt as it is, is direct and incisive. Which of these characters do you resemble? We need to acknowledge that we are constantly tempted to ignore others, especially the weak. Let us admit that, for all the progress we have made, we are still “illiterate” when it comes to accompanying, caring for and supporting the most frail and vulnerable members of our developed societies. We have become accustomed to looking the other way, passing by, ignoring situations until they affect us directly.
65. Someone is assaulted on our streets, and many hurry off as if they did not notice. People hit someone with their car and then flee the scene. Their only desire is to avoid problems; it does not matter that, through their fault, another person could die. All these are signs of an approach to life that is spreading in various and subtle ways. What is more, caught up as we are with our own needs, the sight of a person who is suffering disturbs us. It makes us uneasy, since we have no time to waste on other people’s problems. These are symptoms of an unhealthy society. A society that seeks prosperity but turns its back on suffering.
66. May we not sink to such depths! Let us look to the example of the Good Samaritan. Jesus’ parable summons us to rediscover our vocation as citizens of our respective nations and of the entire world, builders of a new social bond. This summons is ever new, yet it is grounded in a fundamental law of our being: we are called to direct society to the pursuit of the common good and, with this purpose in mind, to persevere in consolidating its political and social order, its fabric of relations, its human goals. By his actions, the Good Samaritan showed that “the existence of each and every individual is deeply tied to that of others: life is not simply time that passes; life is a time for interactions”.[57]
67. The parable eloquently presents the basic decision we need to make in order to rebuild our wounded world. In the face of so much pain and suffering, our only course is to imitate the Good Samaritan. Any other decision would make us either one of the robbers or one of those who walked by without showing compassion for the sufferings of the man on the roadside. The parable shows us how a community can be rebuilt by men and women who identify with the vulnerability of others, who reject the creation of a society of exclusion, and act instead as neighbours, lifting up and rehabilitating the fallen for the sake of the common good. At the same time, it warns us about the attitude of those who think only of themselves and fail to shoulder the inevitable responsibilities of life as it is.
68. The parable clearly does not indulge in abstract moralizing, nor is its message merely social and ethical. It speaks to us of an essential and often forgotten aspect of our common humanity: we were created for a fulfilment that can only be found in love. We cannot be indifferent to suffering; we cannot allow anyone to go through life as an outcast. Instead, we should feel indignant, challenged to emerge from our comfortable isolation and to be changed by our contact with human suffering. That is the meaning of dignity.
A story constantly retold
69. The parable is clear and straightforward, yet it also evokes the interior struggle that each of us experiences as we gradually come to know ourselves through our relationships with our brothers and sisters. Sooner or later, we will all encounter a person who is suffering. Today there are more and more of them. The decision to include or exclude those lying wounded along the roadside can serve as a criterion for judging every economic, political, social and religious project. Each day we have to decide whether to be Good Samaritans or indifferent bystanders. And if we extend our gaze to the history of our own lives and that of the entire world, all of us are, or have been, like each of the characters in the parable. All of us have in ourselves something of the wounded man, something of the robber, something of the passers-by, and something of the Good Samaritan.
70. It is remarkable how the various characters in the story change, once confronted by the painful sight of the poor man on the roadside. The distinctions between Judean and Samaritan, priest and merchant, fade into insignificance. Now there are only two kinds of people: those who care for someone who is hurting and those who pass by; those who bend down to help and those who look the other way and hurry off. Here, all our distinctions, labels and masks fall away: it is the moment of truth. Will we bend down to touch and heal the wounds of others? Will we bend down and help another to get up? This is today’s challenge, and we should not be afraid to face it. In moments of crisis, decisions become urgent. It could be said that, here and now, anyone who is neither a robber nor a passer-by is either injured himself or bearing an injured person on his shoulders.
71. The story of the Good Samaritan is constantly being repeated. We can see this clearly as social and political inertia is turning many parts of our world into a desolate byway, even as domestic and international disputes and the robbing of opportunities are leaving great numbers of the marginalized stranded on the roadside. In his parable, Jesus does not offer alternatives; he does not ask what might have happened had the injured man or the one who helped him yielded to anger or a thirst for revenge. Jesus trusts in the best of the human spirit; with this parable, he encourages us to persevere in love, to restore dignity to the suffering and to build a society worthy of the name.
The characters of the story
72. The parable begins with the robbers. Jesus chose to start when the robbery has already taken place, lest we dwell on the crime itself or the thieves who committed it. Yet we know them well. We have seen, descending on our world, the dark shadows of neglect and violence in the service of petty interests of power, gain and division. The real question is this: will we abandon the injured man and run to take refuge from the violence, or will we pursue the thieves? Will the wounded man end up being the justification for our irreconcilable divisions, our cruel indifference, our intestine conflicts?
73. The parable then asks us to take a closer look at the passers-by. The nervous indifference that makes them pass to the other side of the road – whether innocently or not, whether the result of disdain or mere distraction – makes the priest and the Levite a sad reflection of the growing gulf between ourselves and the world around us. There are many ways to pass by at a safe distance: we can retreat inwards, ignore others, or be indifferent to their plight. Or simply look elsewhere, as in some countries, or certain sectors of them, where contempt is shown for the poor and their culture, and one looks the other way, as if a development plan imported from without could edge them out. This is how some justify their indifference: the poor, whose pleas for help might touch their hearts, simply do not exist. The poor are beyond the scope of their interest.
74. One detail about the passers-by does stand out: they were religious, devoted to the worship of God: a priest and a Levite. This detail should not be overlooked. It shows that belief in God and the worship of God are not enough to ensure that we are actually living in a way pleasing to God. A believer may be untrue to everything that his faith demands of him, and yet think he is close to God and better than others. The guarantee of an authentic openness to God, on the other hand, is a way of practising the faith that helps open our hearts to our brothers and sisters. Saint John Chrysostom expressed this pointedly when he challenged his Christian hearers: “Do you wish to honour the body of the Saviour? Do not despise it when it is naked. Do not honour it in church with silk vestments while outside it is naked and numb with cold”.[58] Paradoxically, those who claim to be unbelievers can sometimes put God’s will into practice better than believers.
75. “Robbers” usually find secret allies in those who “pass by and look the other way”. There is a certain interplay between those who manipulate and cheat society, and those who, while claiming to be detached and impartial critics, live off that system and its benefits. There is a sad hypocrisy when the impunity of crime, the use of institutions for personal or corporate gain, and other evils apparently impossible to eradicate, are accompanied by a relentless criticism of everything, a constant sowing of suspicion that results in distrust and confusion. The complaint that “everything is broken” is answered by the claim that “it can’t be fixed”, or “what can I do?” This feeds into disillusionment and despair, and hardly encourages a spirit of solidarity and generosity. Plunging people into despair closes a perfectly perverse circle: such is the agenda of the invisible dictatorship of hidden interests that have gained mastery over both resources and the possibility of thinking and expressing opinions.
76. Let us turn at last to the injured man. There are times when we feel like him, badly hurt and left on side of the road. We can also feel helpless because our institutions are neglected and lack resources, or simply serve the interests of a few, without and within. Indeed, “globalized society often has an elegant way of shifting its gaze. Under the guise of being politically correct or ideologically fashionable, we look at those who suffer without touching them. We televise live pictures of them, even speaking about them with euphemisms and with apparent tolerance”.[59]
77. Each day offers us a new opportunity, a new possibility. We should not expect everything from those who govern us, for that would be childish. We have the space we need for co-responsibility in creating and putting into place new processes and changes. Let us take an active part in renewing and supporting our troubled societies. Today we have a great opportunity to express our innate sense of fraternity, to be Good Samaritans who bear the pain of other people’s troubles rather than fomenting greater hatred and resentment. Like the chance traveller in the parable, we need only have a pure and simple desire to be a people, a community, constant and tireless in the effort to include, integrate and lift up the fallen. We may often find ourselves succumbing to the mentality of the violent, the blindly ambitious, those who spread mistrust and lies. Others may continue to view politics or the economy as an arena for their own power plays. For our part, let us foster what is good and place ourselves at its service.
78. We can start from below and, case by case, act at the most concrete and local levels, and then expand to the farthest reaches of our countries and our world, with the same care and concern that the Samaritan showed for each of the wounded man’s injuries. Let us seek out others and embrace the world as it is, without fear of pain or a sense of inadequacy, because there we will discover all the goodness that God has planted in human hearts. Difficulties that seem overwhelming are opportunities for growth, not excuses for a glum resignation that can lead only to acquiescence. Yet let us not do this alone, as individuals. The Samaritan discovered an innkeeper who would care for the man; we too are called to unite as a family that is stronger than the sum of small individual members. For “the whole is greater than the part, but it is also greater than the sum of its parts”.[60] Let us renounce the pettiness and resentment of useless in-fighting and constant confrontation. Let us stop feeling sorry for ourselves and acknowledge our crimes, our apathy, our lies. Reparation and reconciliation will give us new life and set us all free from fear.
79. The Samaritan who stopped along the way departed without expecting any recognition or gratitude. His effort to assist another person gave him great satisfaction in life and before his God, and thus became a duty. All of us have a responsibility for the wounded, those of our own people and all the peoples of the earth. Let us care for the needs of every man and woman, young and old, with the same fraternal spirit of care and closeness that marked the Good Samaritan.
Neighbours without borders
80. Jesus told the parable of the Good Samaritan in answer to the question: Who is my neighbour? The word “neighbour”, in the society of Jesus’ time, usually meant those nearest us. It was felt that help should be given primarily to those of one’s own group and race. For some Jews of that time, Samaritans were looked down upon, considered impure. They were not among those to be helped. Jesus, himself a Jew, completely transforms this approach. He asks us not to decide who is close enough to be our neighbour, but rather that we ourselves become neighbours to all.
81. Jesus asks us to be present to those in need of help, regardless of whether or not they belong to our social group. In this case, the Samaritan became a neighbour to the wounded Judean. By approaching and making himself present, he crossed all cultural and historical barriers. Jesus concludes the parable by saying: “Go and do likewise” (Lk 10:37). In other words, he challenges us to put aside all differences and, in the face of suffering, to draw near to others with no questions asked. I should no longer say that I have neighbours to help, but that I must myself be a neighbour to others.
82. The parable, though, is troubling, for Jesus says that the wounded man was a Judean, while the one who stopped and helped him was a Samaritan. This detail is quite significant for our reflection on a love that includes everyone. The Samaritans lived in a region where pagan rites were practised. For the Jews, this made them impure, detestable, dangerous. In fact, one ancient Jewish text referring to nations that were hated, speaks of Samaria as “not even a people” (Sir 50:25); it also refers to “the foolish people that live in Shechem” (50:26).
83. This explains why a Samaritan woman, when asked by Jesus for a drink, answered curtly: “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jn 4:9). The most offensive charge that those who sought to discredit Jesus could bring was that he was “possessed” and “a Samaritan” (Jn 8:48). So this encounter of mercy between a Samaritan and a Jew is highly provocative; it leaves no room for ideological manipulation and challenges us to expand our frontiers. It gives a universal dimension to our call to love, one that transcends all prejudices, all historical and cultural barriers, all petty interests.
The plea of the stranger
84. Finally, I would note that in another passage of the Gospel Jesus says: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Mt 25:35). Jesus could speak those words because he had an open heart, sensitive to the difficulties of others. Saint Paul urges us to “rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Rom 12:15). When our hearts do this, they are capable of identifying with others without worrying about where they were born or come from. In the process, we come to experience others as our “own flesh” (Is 58:7).
85. For Christians, the words of Jesus have an even deeper meaning. They compel us to recognize Christ himself in each of our abandoned or excluded brothers and sisters (cf. Mt 25:40.45). Faith has untold power to inspire and sustain our respect for others, for believers come to know that God loves every man and woman with infinite love and “thereby confers infinite dignity” upon all humanity.[61] We likewise believe that Christ shed his blood for each of us and that no one is beyond the scope of his universal love. If we go to the ultimate source of that love which is the very life of the triune God, we encounter in the community of the three divine Persons the origin and perfect model of all life in society. Theology continues to be enriched by its reflection on this great truth.
86. I sometimes wonder why, in light of this, it took so long for the Church unequivocally to condemn slavery and various forms of violence. Today, with our developed spirituality and theology, we have no excuses. Still, there are those who appear to feel encouraged or at least permitted by their faith to support varieties of narrow and violent nationalism, xenophobia and contempt, and even the mistreatment of those who are different. Faith, and the humanism it inspires, must maintain a critical sense in the face of these tendencies, and prompt an immediate response whenever they rear their head. For this reason, it is important that catechesis and preaching speak more directly and clearly about the social meaning of existence, the fraternal dimension of spirituality, our conviction of the inalienable dignity of each person, and our reasons for loving and accepting all our brothers and sisters.
ENVISAGING AND ENGENDERING AN OPEN WORLD
87. Human beings are so made that they cannot live, develop and find fulfilment except “in the sincere gift of self to others”.[62] Nor can they fully know themselves apart from an encounter with other persons: “I communicate effectively with myself only insofar as I communicate with others”.[63] No one can experience the true beauty of life without relating to others, without having real faces to love. This is part of the mystery of authentic human existence. “Life exists where there is bonding, communion, fraternity; and life is stronger than death when it is built on true relationships and bonds of fidelity. On the contrary, there is no life when we claim to be self-sufficient and live as islands: in these attitudes, death prevails”.[64]
MOVING BEYOND OURSELVES
88. In the depths of every heart, love creates bonds and expands existence, for it draws people out of themselves and towards others.[65] Since we were made for love, in each one of us “a law of ekstasis” seems to operate: “the lover ‘goes outside’ the self to find a fuller existence in another”.[66] For this reason, “man always has to take up the challenge of moving beyond himself”.[67]
89. Nor can I reduce my life to relationships with a small group, even my own family; I cannot know myself apart from a broader network of relationships, including those that have preceded me and shaped my entire life. My relationship with those whom I respect has to take account of the fact that they do not live only for me, nor do I live only for them. Our relationships, if healthy and authentic, open us to others who expand and enrich us. Nowadays, our noblest social instincts can easily be thwarted by self-centred chats that give the impression of being deep relationships. On the contrary, authentic and mature love and true friendship can only take root in hearts open to growth through relationships with others. As couples or friends, we find that our hearts expand as we step out of ourselves and embrace others. Closed groups and self-absorbed couples that define themselves in opposition to others tend to be expressions of selfishness and mere self-preservation.
90. Significantly, many small communities living in desert areas developed a remarkable system of welcoming pilgrims as an exercise of the sacred duty of hospitality. The medieval monastic communities did likewise, as we see from the Rule of Saint Benedict. While acknowledging that it might detract from the discipline and silence of monasteries, Benedict nonetheless insisted that “the poor and pilgrims be treated with the utmost care and attention”.[68] Hospitality was one specific way of rising to the challenge and the gift present in an encounter with those outside one’s own circle. The monks realized that the values they sought to cultivate had to be accompanied by a readiness to move beyond themselves in openness to others.
The unique value of love
91. People can develop certain habits that might appear as moral values: fortitude, sobriety, hard work and similar virtues. Yet if the acts of the various moral virtues are to be rightly directed, one needs to take into account the extent to which they foster openness and union with others. That is made possible by the charity that God infuses. Without charity, we may perhaps possess only apparent virtues, incapable of sustaining life in common. Thus, Saint Thomas Aquinas could say – quoting Saint Augustine – that the temperance of a greedy person is in no way virtuous.[69] Saint Bonaventure, for his part, explained that the other virtues, without charity, strictly speaking do not fulfil the commandments “the way God wants them to be fulfilled”.[70]
92. The spiritual stature of a person’s life is measured by love, which in the end remains “the criterion for the definitive decision about a human life’s worth or lack thereof”.[71] Yet some believers think that it consists in the imposition of their own ideologies upon everyone else, or in a violent defence of the truth, or in impressive demonstrations of strength. All of us, as believers, need to recognize that love takes first place: love must never be put at risk, and the greatest danger lies in failing to love (cf. 1 Cor 13:1-13).
93. Saint Thomas Aquinas sought to describe the love made possible by God’s grace as a movement outwards towards another, whereby we consider “the beloved as somehow united to ourselves”.[72] Our affection for others makes us freely desire to seek their good. All this originates in a sense of esteem, an appreciation of the value of the other. This is ultimately the idea behind the word “charity”: those who are loved are “dear” to me; “they are considered of great value”.[73] And “the love whereby someone becomes pleasing (grata) to another is the reason why the latter bestows something on him freely (gratis)”.[74]
94. Love, then, is more than just a series of benevolent actions. Those actions have their source in a union increasingly directed towards others, considering them of value, worthy, pleasing and beautiful apart from their physical or moral appearances. Our love for others, for who they are, moves us to seek the best for their lives. Only by cultivating this way of relating to one another will we make possible a social friendship that excludes no one and a fraternity that is open to all.
A LOVE EVER MORE OPEN
95. Love also impels us towards universal communion. No one can mature or find fulfilment by withdrawing from others. By its very nature, love calls for growth in openness and the ability to accept others as part of a continuing adventure that makes every periphery converge in a greater sense of mutual belonging. As Jesus told us: “You are all brothers” (Mt 23:8).
96. This need to transcend our own limitations also applies to different regions and countries. Indeed, “the ever-increasing number of interconnections and communications in today’s world makes us powerfully aware of the unity and common destiny of the nations. In the dynamics of history, and in the diversity of ethnic groups, societies and cultures, we see the seeds of a vocation to form a community composed of brothers and sisters who accept and care for one another”.[75]
Open societies that integrate everyone
97. Some peripheries are close to us, in city centres or within our families. Hence there is an aspect of universal openness in love that is existential rather than geographical. It has to do with our daily efforts to expand our circle of friends, to reach those who, even though they are close to me, I do not naturally consider a part of my circle of interests. Every brother or sister in need, when abandoned or ignored by the society in which I live, becomes an existential foreigner, even though born in the same country. They may be citizens with full rights, yet they are treated like foreigners in their own country. Racism is a virus that quickly mutates and, instead of disappearing, goes into hiding, and lurks in waiting.
98. I would like to mention some of those “hidden exiles” who are treated as foreign bodies in society.[76] Many persons with disabilities “feel that they exist without belonging and without participating”. Much still prevents them from being fully enfranchised. Our concern should be not only to care for them but to ensure their “active participation in the civil and ecclesial community. That is a demanding and even tiring process, yet one that will gradually contribute to the formation of consciences capable of acknowledging each individual as a unique and unrepeatable person”. I think, too, of “the elderly who, also due to their disability, are sometimes considered a burden”. Yet each of them is able to offer “a unique contribution to the common good through their remarkable life stories”. Let me repeat: we need to have “the courage to give a voice to those who are discriminated against due to their disability, because sadly, in some countries even today, people find it hard to acknowledge them as persons of equal dignity”.[77]
Inadequate understandings of universal love
99. A love capable of transcending borders is the basis of what in every city and country can be called “social friendship”. Genuine social friendship within a society makes true universal openness possible. This is a far cry from the false universalism of those who constantly travel abroad because they cannot tolerate or love their own people. Those who look down on their own people tend to create within society categories of first and second class, people of greater or lesser dignity, people enjoying greater or fewer rights. In this way, they deny that there is room for everybody.
100. I am certainly not proposing an authoritarian and abstract universalism, devised or planned by a small group and presented as an ideal for the sake of levelling, dominating and plundering. One model of globalization in fact “consciously aims at a one-dimensional uniformity and seeks to eliminate all differences and traditions in a superficial quest for unity… If a certain kind of globalization claims to make everyone uniform, to level everyone out, that globalization destroys the rich gifts and uniqueness of each person and each people”.[78] This false universalism ends up depriving the world of its various colours, its beauty and, ultimately, its humanity. For “the future is not monochrome; if we are courageous, we can contemplate it in all the variety and diversity of what each individual person has to offer. How much our human family needs to learn to live together in harmony and peace, without all of us having to be the same!”[79]
BEYOND A WORLD OF “ASSOCIATES”
101. Let us now return to the parable of the Good Samaritan, for it still has much to say to us. An injured man lay on the roadside. The people walking by him did not heed their interior summons to act as neighbours; they were concerned with their duties, their social status, their professional position within society. They considered themselves important for the society of the time, and were anxious to play their proper part. The man on the roadside, bruised and abandoned, was a distraction, an interruption from all that; in any event, he was hardly important. He was a “nobody”, undistinguished, irrelevant to their plans for the future. The Good Samaritan transcended these narrow classifications. He himself did not fit into any of those categories; he was simply a foreigner without a place in society. Free of every label and position, he was able to interrupt his journey, change his plans, and unexpectedly come to the aid of an injured person who needed his help.
102. What would be the reaction to that same story nowadays, in a world that constantly witnesses the emergence and growth of social groups clinging to an identity that separates them from others? How would it affect those who organize themselves in a way that prevents any foreign presence that might threaten their identity and their closed and self-referential structures? There, even the possibility of acting as a neighbour is excluded; one is a neighbour only to those who serve their purpose. The word “neighbour” loses all meaning; there can only be “associates”, partners in the pursuit of particular interests.[80]
Liberty, equality and fraternity
103. Fraternity is born not only of a climate of respect for individual liberties, or even of a certain administratively guaranteed equality. Fraternity necessarily calls for something greater, which in turn enhances freedom and equality. What happens when fraternity is not consciously cultivated, when there is a lack of political will to promote it through education in fraternity, through dialogue and through the recognition of the values of reciprocity and mutual enrichment? Liberty becomes nothing more than a condition for living as we will, completely free to choose to whom or what we will belong, or simply to possess or exploit. This shallow understanding has little to do with the richness of a liberty directed above all to love.
104. Nor is equality achieved by an abstract proclamation that “all men and women are equal”. Instead, it is the result of the conscious and careful cultivation of fraternity. Those capable only of being “associates” create closed worlds. Within that framework, what place is there for those who are not part of one’s group of associates, yet long for a better life for themselves and their families?
105. Individualism does not make us more free, more equal, more fraternal. The mere sum of individual interests is not capable of generating a better world for the whole human family. Nor can it save us from the many ills that are now increasingly globalized. Radical individualism is a virus that is extremely difficult to eliminate, for it is clever. It makes us believe that everything consists in giving free rein to our own ambitions, as if by pursuing ever greater ambitions and creating safety nets we would somehow be serving the common good.
A UNIVERSAL LOVE THAT PROMOTES PERSONS
106. Social friendship and universal fraternity necessarily call for an acknowledgement of the worth of every human person, always and everywhere. If each individual is of such great worth, it must be stated clearly and firmly that “the mere fact that some people are born in places with fewer resources or less development does not justify the fact that they are living with less dignity”.[81] This is a basic principle of social life that tends to be ignored in a variety of ways by those who sense that it does not fit into their worldview or serve their purposes.
107. Every human being has the right to live with dignity and to develop integrally; this fundamental right cannot be denied by any country. People have this right even if they are unproductive, or were born with or developed limitations. This does not detract from their great dignity as human persons, a dignity based not on circumstances but on the intrinsic worth of their being. Unless this basic principle is upheld, there will be no future either for fraternity or for the survival of humanity.
108. Some societies accept this principle in part. They agree that opportunities should be available to everyone, but then go on to say that everything depends on the individual. From this skewed perspective, it would be pointless “to favour an investment in efforts to help the slow, the weak or the less talented to find opportunities in life”.[82] Investments in assistance to the vulnerable could prove unprofitable; they might make things less efficient. No. What we need in fact are states and civil institutions that are present and active, that look beyond the free and efficient working of certain economic, political or ideological systems, and are primarily concerned with individuals and the common good.
109. Some people are born into economically stable families, receive a fine education, grow up well nourished, or naturally possess great talent. They will certainly not need a proactive state; they need only claim their freedom. Yet the same rule clearly does not apply to a disabled person, to someone born in dire poverty, to those lacking a good education and with little access to adequate health care. If a society is governed primarily by the criteria of market freedom and efficiency, there is no place for such persons, and fraternity will remain just another vague ideal.
110. Indeed, “to claim economic freedom while real conditions bar many people from actual access to it, and while possibilities for employment continue to shrink, is to practise doublespeak”.[83] Words like freedom, democracy or fraternity prove meaningless, for the fact is that “only when our economic and social system no longer produces even a single victim, a single person cast aside, will we be able to celebrate the feast of universal fraternity”.[84] A truly human and fraternal society will be capable of ensuring in an efficient and stable way that each of its members is accompanied at every stage of life. Not only by providing for their basic needs, but by enabling them to give the best of themselves, even though their performance may be less than optimum, their pace slow or their efficiency limited.
111. The human person, with his or her inalienable rights, is by nature open to relationship. Implanted deep within us is the call to transcend ourselves through an encounter with others. For this reason, “care must be taken not to fall into certain errors which can arise from a misunderstanding of the concept of human rights and from its misuse. Today there is a tendency to claim ever broader individual – I am tempted to say individualistic – rights. Underlying this is a conception of the human person as detached from all social and anthropological contexts, as if the person were a “monad” (monás), increasingly unconcerned with others… Unless the rights of each individual are harmoniously ordered to the greater good, those rights will end up being considered limitless and consequently will become a source of conflicts and violence”.[85]
PROMOTING THE MORAL GOOD
112. Nor can we fail to mention that seeking and pursuing the good of others and of the entire human family also implies helping individuals and societies to mature in the moral values that foster integral human development. The New Testament describes one fruit of the Holy Spirit (cf. Gal 5:22) as agathosyne; the Greek word expresses attachment to the good, pursuit of the good. Even more, it suggests a striving for excellence and what is best for others, their growth in maturity and health, the cultivation of values and not simply material wellbeing. A similar expression exists in Latin: benevolentia. This is an attitude that “wills the good” of others; it bespeaks a yearning for goodness, an inclination towards all that is fine and excellent, a desire to fill the lives of others with what is beautiful, sublime and edifying.
113. Here, regrettably, I feel bound to reiterate that “we have had enough of immorality and the mockery of ethics, goodness, faith and honesty. It is time to acknowledge that light-hearted superficiality has done us no good. Once the foundations of social life are corroded, what ensues are battles over conflicting interests”.[86] Let us return to promoting the good, for ourselves and for the whole human family, and thus advance together towards an authentic and integral growth. Every society needs to ensure that values are passed on; otherwise, what is handed down are selfishness, violence, corruption in its various forms, indifference and, ultimately, a life closed to transcendence and entrenched in individual interests.
The value of solidarity
114. I would like especially to mention solidarity, which, “as a moral virtue and social attitude born of personal conversion, calls for commitment on the part of those responsible for education and formation. I think first of families, called to a primary and vital mission of education. Families are the first place where the values of love and fraternity, togetherness and sharing, concern and care for others are lived out and handed on. They are also the privileged milieu for transmitting the faith, beginning with those first simple gestures of devotion which mothers teach their children. Teachers, who have the challenging task of training children and youth in schools or other settings, should be conscious that their responsibility extends also to the moral, spiritual and social aspects of life. The values of freedom, mutual respect and solidarity can be handed on from a tender age… Communicators also have a responsibility for education and formation, especially nowadays, when the means of information and communication are so widespread”.[87]
115. At a time when everything seems to disintegrate and lose consistency, it is good for us to appeal to the “solidity”[88] born of the consciousness that we are responsible for the fragility of others as we strive to build a common future. Solidarity finds concrete expression in service, which can take a variety of forms in an effort to care for others. And service in great part means “caring for vulnerability, for the vulnerable members of our families, our society, our people”. In offering such service, individuals learn to “set aside their own wishes and desires, their pursuit of power, before the concrete gaze of those who are most vulnerable… Service always looks to their faces, touches their flesh, senses their closeness and even, in some cases, ‘suffers’ that closeness and tries to help them. Service is never ideological, for we do not serve ideas, we serve people”.[89]
116. The needy generally “practise the special solidarity that exists among those who are poor and suffering, and which our civilization seems to have forgotten or would prefer in fact to forget. Solidarity is a word that is not always well received; in certain situations, it has become a dirty word, a word that dare not be said. Solidarity means much more than engaging in sporadic acts of generosity. It means thinking and acting in terms of community. It means that the lives of all are prior to the appropriation of goods by a few. It also means combatting the structural causes of poverty, inequality, the lack of work, land and housing, the denial of social and labour rights. It means confronting the destructive effects of the empire of money… Solidarity, understood in its most profound meaning, is a way of making history, and this is what popular movements are doing”.[90]
117. When we speak of the need to care for our common home, our planet, we appeal to that spark of universal consciousness and mutual concern that may still be present in people’s hearts. Those who enjoy a surplus of water yet choose to conserve it for the sake of the greater human family have attained a moral stature that allows them to look beyond themselves and the group to which they belong. How marvellously human! The same attitude is demanded if we are to recognize the rights of all people, even those born beyond our own borders.
RE-ENVISAGING THE SOCIAL ROLE OF PROPERTY
118. The world exists for everyone, because all of us were born with the same dignity. Differences of colour, religion, talent, place of birth or residence, and so many others, cannot be used to justify the privileges of some over the rights of all. As a community, we have an obligation to ensure that every person lives with dignity and has sufficient opportunities for his or her integral development.
119. In the first Christian centuries, a number of thinkers developed a universal vision in their reflections on the common destination of created goods.[91] This led them to realize that if one person lacks what is necessary to live with dignity, it is because another person is detaining it. Saint John Chrysostom summarizes it in this way: “Not to share our wealth with the poor is to rob them and take away their livelihood. The riches we possess are not our own, but theirs as well”.[92] In the words of Saint Gregory the Great, “When we provide the needy with their basic needs, we are giving them what belongs to them, not to us”.[93]
120. Once more, I would like to echo a statement of Saint John Paul II whose forcefulness has perhaps been insufficiently recognized: “God gave the earth to the whole human race for the sustenance of all its members, without excluding or favouring anyone”.[94] For my part, I would observe that “the Christian tradition has never recognized the right to private property as absolute or inviolable, and has stressed the social purpose of all forms of private property”.[95] The principle of the common use of created goods is the “first principle of the whole ethical and social order”;[96] it is a natural and inherent right that takes priority over others.[97] All other rights having to do with the goods necessary for the integral fulfilment of persons, including that of private property or any other type of property, should – in the words of Saint Paul VI – “in no way hinder [this right], but should actively facilitate its implementation”.[98] The right to private property can only be considered a secondary natural right, derived from the principle of the universal destination of created goods. This has concrete consequences that ought to be reflected in the workings of society. Yet it often happens that secondary rights displace primary and overriding rights, in practice making them irrelevant.
Rights without borders
121. No one, then, can remain excluded because of his or her place of birth, much less because of privileges enjoyed by others who were born in lands of greater opportunity. The limits and borders of individual states cannot stand in the way of this. As it is unacceptable that some have fewer rights by virtue of being women, it is likewise unacceptable that the mere place of one’s birth or residence should result in his or her possessing fewer opportunities for a developed and dignified life.
122. Development must not aim at the amassing of wealth by a few, but must ensure “human rights – personal and social, economic and political, including the rights of nations and of peoples”.[99] The right of some to free enterprise or market freedom cannot supersede the rights of peoples and the dignity of the poor, or, for that matter, respect for the natural environment, for “if we make something our own, it is only to administer it for the good of all”.[100]
123. Business activity is essentially “a noble vocation, directed to producing wealth and improving our world”.[101] God encourages us to develop the talents he gave us, and he has made our universe one of immense potential. In God’s plan, each individual is called to promote his or her own development,[102] and this includes finding the best economic and technological means of multiplying goods and increasing wealth. Business abilities, which are a gift from God, should always be clearly directed to the development of others and to eliminating poverty, especially through the creation of diversified work opportunities. The right to private property is always accompanied by the primary and prior principle of the subordination of all private property to the universal destination of the earth’s goods, and thus the right of all to their use.[103]
The rights of peoples
124. Nowadays, a firm belief in the common destination of the earth’s goods requires that this principle also be applied to nations, their territories and their resources. Seen from the standpoint not only of the legitimacy of private property and the rights of its citizens, but also of the first principle of the common destination of goods, we can then say that each country also belongs to the foreigner, inasmuch as a territory’s goods must not be denied to a needy person coming from elsewhere. As the Bishops of the United States have taught, there are fundamental rights that “precede any society because they flow from the dignity granted to each person as created by God”.[104]
125. This presupposes a different way of understanding relations and exchanges between countries. If every human being possesses an inalienable dignity, if all people are my brothers and sisters, and if the world truly belongs to everyone, then it matters little whether my neighbour was born in my country or elsewhere. My own country also shares responsibility for his or her development, although it can fulfil that responsibility in a variety of ways. It can offer a generous welcome to those in urgent need, or work to improve living conditions in their native lands by refusing to exploit those countries or to drain them of natural resources, backing corrupt systems that hinder the dignified development of their peoples. What applies to nations is true also for different regions within each country, since there too great inequalities often exist. At times, the inability to recognize equal human dignity leads the more developed regions in some countries to think that they can jettison the “dead weight” of poorer regions and so increase their level of consumption.
126. We are really speaking about a new network of international relations, since there is no way to resolve the serious problems of our world if we continue to think only in terms of mutual assistance between individuals or small groups. Nor should we forget that “inequity affects not only individuals but entire countries; it compels us to consider an ethics of international relations”.[105] Indeed, justice requires recognizing and respecting not only the rights of individuals, but also social rights and the rights of peoples.[106] This means finding a way to ensure “the fundamental right of peoples to subsistence and progress”,[107] a right which is at times severely restricted by the pressure created by foreign debt. In many instances, debt repayment not only fails to promote development but gravely limits and conditions it. While respecting the principle that all legitimately acquired debt must be repaid, the way in which many poor countries fulfil this obligation should not end up compromising their very existence and growth.
127. Certainly, all this calls for an alternative way of thinking. Without an attempt to enter into that way of thinking, what I am saying here will sound wildly unrealistic. On the other hand, if we accept the great principle that there are rights born of our inalienable human dignity, we can rise to the challenge of envisaging a new humanity. We can aspire to a world that provides land, housing and work for all. This is the true path of peace, not the senseless and myopic strategy of sowing fear and mistrust in the face of outside threats. For a real and lasting peace will only be possible “on the basis of a global ethic of solidarity and cooperation in the service of a future shaped by interdependence and shared responsibility in the whole human family”.[108]
A HEART OPEN TO THE WHOLE WORLD
128. If the conviction that all human beings are brothers and sisters is not to remain an abstract idea but to find concrete embodiment, then numerous related issues emerge, forcing us to see things in a new light and to develop new responses.
BORDERS AND THEIR LIMITS
129. Complex challenges arise when our neighbour happens to be an immigrant.[109] Ideally, unnecessary migration ought to be avoided; this entails creating in countries of origin the conditions needed for a dignified life and integral development. Yet until substantial progress is made in achieving this goal, we are obliged to respect the right of all individuals to find a place that meets their basic needs and those of their families, and where they can find personal fulfilment. Our response to the arrival of migrating persons can be summarized by four words: welcome, protect, promote and integrate. For “it is not a case of implementing welfare programmes from the top down, but rather of undertaking a journey together, through these four actions, in order to build cities and countries that, while preserving their respective cultural and religious identity, are open to differences and know how to promote them in the spirit of human fraternity”.[110]
130. This implies taking certain indispensable steps, especially in response to those who are fleeing grave humanitarian crises. As examples, we may cite: increasing and simplifying the granting of visas; adopting programmes of individual and community sponsorship; opening humanitarian corridors for the most vulnerable refugees; providing suitable and dignified housing; guaranteeing personal security and access to basic services; ensuring adequate consular assistance and the right to retain personal identity documents; equitable access to the justice system; the possibility of opening bank accounts and the guarantee of the minimum needed to survive; freedom of movement and the possibility of employment; protecting minors and ensuring their regular access to education; providing for programmes of temporary guardianship or shelter; guaranteeing religious freedom; promoting integration into society; supporting the reuniting of families; and preparing local communities for the process of integration.[111]
131. For those who are not recent arrivals and already participate in the fabric of society, it is important to apply the concept of “citizenship”, which “is based on the equality of rights and duties, under which all enjoy justice. It is therefore crucial to establish in our societies the concept of full citizenship and to reject the discriminatory use of the term minorities, which engenders feelings of isolation and inferiority. Its misuse paves the way for hostility and discord; it undoes any successes and takes away the religious and civil rights of some citizens who are thus discriminated against”.[112]
132. Even when they take such essential steps, states are not able, on their own, to implement adequate solutions, “since the consequences of the decisions made by each inevitably have repercussions on the entire international community”. As a result, “our response can only be the fruit of a common effort”[113] to develop a form of global governance with regard to movements of migration. Thus, there is “a need for mid-term and long-term planning which is not limited to emergency responses. Such planning should include effective assistance for integrating migrants in their receiving countries, while also promoting the development of their countries of origin through policies inspired by solidarity, yet not linking assistance to ideological strategies and practices alien or contrary to the cultures of the peoples being assisted”.[114]
RECIPROCAL GIFTS
133. The arrival of those who are different, coming from other ways of life and cultures, can be a gift, for “the stories of migrants are always stories of an encounter between individuals and between cultures. For the communities and societies to which they come, migrants bring an opportunity for enrichment and the integral human development of all”.[115] For this reason, “I especially urge young people not to play into the hands of those who would set them against other young people, newly arrived in their countries, and who would encourage them to view the latter as a threat, and not possessed of the same inalienable dignity as every other human being”.[116]
134. Indeed, when we open our hearts to those who are different, this enables them, while continuing to be themselves, to develop in new ways. The different cultures that have flourished over the centuries need to be preserved, lest our world be impoverished. At the same time, those cultures should be encouraged to be open to new experiences through their encounter with other realities, for the risk of succumbing to cultural sclerosis is always present. That is why “we need to communicate with each other, to discover the gifts of each person, to promote that which unites us, and to regard our differences as an opportunity to grow in mutual respect. Patience and trust are called for in such dialogue, permitting individuals, families and communities to hand on the values of their own culture and welcome the good that comes from others’ experiences”.[117]
135. Here I would mention some examples that I have used in the past. Latino culture is “a ferment of values and possibilities that can greatly enrich the United States”, for “intense immigration always ends up influencing and transforming the culture of a place… In Argentina, intense immigration from Italy has left a mark on the culture of the society, and the presence of some 200,000 Jews has a great effect on the cultural ‘style’ of Buenos Aires. Immigrants, if they are helped to integrate, are a blessing, a source of enrichment and new gift that encourages a society to grow”.[118]
136. On an even broader scale, Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb and I have observed that “good relations between East and West are indisputably necessary for both. They must not be neglected, so that each can be enriched by the other’s culture through fruitful exchange and dialogue. The West can discover in the East remedies for those spiritual and religious maladies that are caused by a prevailing materialism. And the East can find in the West many elements that can help free it from weakness, division, conflict and scientific, technical and cultural decline. It is important to pay attention to religious, cultural and historical differences that are a vital component in shaping the character, culture and civilization of the East. It is likewise important to reinforce the bond of fundamental human rights in order to help ensure a dignified life for all the men and women of East and West, avoiding the politics of double standards”.[119]
A fruitful exchange
137. Mutual assistance between countries proves enriching for each. A country that moves forward while remaining solidly grounded in its original cultural substratum is a treasure for the whole of humanity. We need to develop the awareness that nowadays we are either all saved together or no one is saved. Poverty, decadence and suffering in one part of the earth are a silent breeding ground for problems that will end up affecting the entire planet. If we are troubled by the extinction of certain species, we should be all the more troubled that in some parts of our world individuals or peoples are prevented from developing their potential and beauty by poverty or other structural limitations. In the end, this will impoverish us all.
138. Although this has always been true, never has it been more evident than in our own day, when the world is interconnected by globalization. We need to attain a global juridical, political and economic order “which can increase and give direction to international cooperation for the development of all peoples in solidarity”.[120] Ultimately, this will benefit the entire world, since “development aid for poor countries” implies “creating wealth for all”.[121] From the standpoint of integral development, this presupposes “giving poorer nations an effective voice in shared decision-making”[122] and the capacity to “facilitate access to the international market on the part of countries suffering from poverty and underdevelopment”.[123]
A gratuitousness open to others
139. Even so, I do not wish to limit this presentation to a kind of utilitarian approach. There is always the factor of “gratuitousness”: the ability to do some things simply because they are good in themselves, without concern for personal gain or recompense. Gratuitousness makes it possible for us to welcome the stranger, even though this brings us no immediate tangible benefit. Some countries, though, presume to accept only scientists or investors.
140. Life without fraternal gratuitousness becomes a form of frenetic commerce, in which we are constantly weighing up what we give and what we get back in return. God, on the other hand, gives freely, to the point of helping even those who are unfaithful; he “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good” (Mt 5:45). There is a reason why Jesus told us: “When you give alms, do not let your right hand know what your left hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret” (Mt 6:3-4). We received life freely; we paid nothing for it. Consequently, all of us are able to give without expecting anything in return, to do good to others without demanding that they treat us well in return. As Jesus told his disciples: “Without cost you have received, without cost you are to give” (Mt 10:8).
141. The true worth of the different countries of our world is measured by their ability to think not simply as a country but also as part of the larger human family. This is seen especially in times of crisis. Narrow forms of nationalism are an extreme expression of an inability to grasp the meaning of this gratuitousness. They err in thinking that they can develop on their own, heedless of the ruin of others, that by closing their doors to others they will be better protected. Immigrants are seen as usurpers who have nothing to offer. This leads to the simplistic belief that the poor are dangerous and useless, while the powerful are generous benefactors. Only a social and political culture that readily and “gratuitously” welcomes others will have a future.
LOCAL AND UNIVERSAL
142. It should be kept in mind that “an innate tension exists between globalization and localization. We need to pay attention to the global so as to avoid narrowness and banality. Yet we also need to look to the local, which keeps our feet on the ground. Together, the two prevent us from falling into one of two extremes. In the first, people get caught up in an abstract, globalized universe… In the other, they turn into a museum of local folklore, a world apart, doomed to doing the same things over and over, incapable of being challenged by novelty or appreciating the beauty which God bestows beyond their borders”.[124] We need to have a global outlook to save ourselves from petty provincialism. When our house stops being a home and starts to become an enclosure, a cell, then the global comes to our rescue, like a “final cause” that draws us towards our fulfilment. At the same time, though, the local has to be eagerly embraced, for it possesses something that the global does not: it is capable of being a leaven, of bringing enrichment, of sparking mechanisms of subsidiarity. Universal fraternity and social friendship are thus two inseparable and equally vital poles in every society. To separate them would be to disfigure each and to create a dangerous polarization.
Local flavour
143. The solution is not an openness that spurns its own richness. Just as there can be no dialogue with “others” without a sense of our own identity, so there can be no openness between peoples except on the basis of love for one’s own land, one’s own people, one’s own cultural roots. I cannot truly encounter another unless I stand on firm foundations, for it is on the basis of these that I can accept the gift the other brings and in turn offer an authentic gift of my own. I can welcome others who are different, and value the unique contribution they have to make, only if I am firmly rooted in my own people and culture. Everyone loves and cares for his or her native land and village, just as they love and care for their home and are personally responsible for its upkeep. The common good likewise requires that we protect and love our native land. Otherwise, the consequences of a disaster in one country will end up affecting the entire planet. All this brings out the positive meaning of the right to property: I care for and cultivate something that I possess, in such a way that it can contribute to the good of all.
144. It also gives rise to healthy and enriching exchanges. The experience of being raised in a particular place and sharing in a particular culture gives us insight into aspects of reality that others cannot so easily perceive. Universal does not necessarily mean bland, uniform and standardized, based on a single prevailing cultural model, for this will ultimately lead to the loss of a rich palette of shades and colours, and result in utter monotony. Such was the temptation referred to in the ancient account of the Tower of Babel. The attempt to build a tower that would reach to heaven was not an expression of unity between various peoples speaking to one another from their diversity. Instead, it was a misguided attempt, born of pride and ambition, to create a unity other than that willed by God in his providential plan for the nations (cf. Gen 11:1-9).
145. There can be a false openness to the universal, born of the shallowness of those lacking insight into the genius of their native land or harbouring unresolved resentment towards their own people. Whatever the case, “we constantly have to broaden our horizons and see the greater good which will benefit us all. But this has to be done without evasion or uprooting. We need to sink our roots deeper into the fertile soil and history of our native place, which is a gift of God. We can work on a small scale, in our own neighbourhood, but with a larger perspective… The global need not stifle, nor the particular prove barren”;[125] our model must be that of a polyhedron, in which the value of each individual is respected, where “the whole is greater than the part, but it is also greater than the sum of its parts”.[126]
A universal horizon
146. There is a kind of “local” narcissism unrelated to a healthy love of one’s own people and culture. It is born of a certain insecurity and fear of the other that leads to rejection and the desire to erect walls for self-defence. Yet it is impossible to be “local” in a healthy way without being sincerely open to the universal, without feeling challenged by what is happening in other places, without openness to enrichment by other cultures, and without solidarity and concern for the tragedies affecting other peoples. A “local narcissism” instead frets over a limited number of ideas, customs and forms of security; incapable of admiring the vast potential and beauty offered by the larger world, it lacks an authentic and generous spirit of solidarity. Life on the local level thus becomes less and less welcoming, people less open to complementarity. Its possibilities for development narrow; it grows weary and infirm. A healthy culture, on the other hand, is open and welcoming by its very nature; indeed, “a culture without universal values is not truly a culture”.[127]
147. Let us realize that as our minds and hearts narrow, the less capable we become of understanding the world around us. Without encountering and relating to differences, it is hard to achieve a clear and complete understanding even of ourselves and of our native land. Other cultures are not “enemies” from which we need to protect ourselves, but differing reflections of the inexhaustible richness of human life. Seeing ourselves from the perspective of another, of one who is different, we can better recognize our own unique features and those of our culture: its richness, its possibilities and its limitations. Our local experience needs to develop “in contrast to” and “in harmony with” the experiences of others living in diverse cultural contexts.[128]
148. In fact, a healthy openness never threatens one’s own identity. A living culture, enriched by elements from other places, does not import a mere carbon copy of those new elements, but integrates them in its own unique way. The result is a new synthesis that is ultimately beneficial to all, since the original culture itself ends up being nourished. That is why I have urged indigenous peoples to cherish their roots and their ancestral cultures. At the same time, though, I have wanted to stress that I have no intention of proposing “a completely enclosed, a-historic, static ‘indigenism’ that would reject any kind of blending (mestizaje)”. For “our own cultural identity is strengthened and enriched as a result of dialogue with those unlike ourselves. Nor is our authentic identity preserved by an impoverished isolation”.[129] The world grows and is filled with new beauty, thanks to the successive syntheses produced between cultures that are open and free of any form of cultural imposition.
149. For a healthy relationship between love of one’s native land and a sound sense of belonging to our larger human family, it is helpful to keep in mind that global society is not the sum total of different countries, but rather the communion that exists among them. The mutual sense of belonging is prior to the emergence of individual groups. Each particular group becomes part of the fabric of universal communion and there discovers its own beauty. All individuals, whatever their origin, know that they are part of the greater human family, without which they will not be able to understand themselves fully.
150. To see things in this way brings the joyful realization that no one people, culture or individual can achieve everything on its own: to attain fulfilment in life we need others. An awareness of our own limitations and incompleteness, far from being a threat, becomes the key to envisaging and pursuing a common project. For “man is a limited being who is himself limitless”.[130]
Starting with our own region
151. Thanks to regional exchanges, by which poorer countries become open to the wider world, universality does not necessarily water down their distinct features. An appropriate and authentic openness to the world presupposes the capacity to be open to one’s neighbour within a family of nations. Cultural, economic and political integration with neighbouring peoples should therefore be accompanied by a process of education that promotes the value of love for one’s neighbour, the first indispensable step towards attaining a healthy universal integration.
152. In some areas of our cities, there is still a lively sense of neighbourhood. Each person quite spontaneously perceives a duty to accompany and help his or her neighbour. In places where these community values are maintained, people experience a closeness marked by gratitude, solidarity and reciprocity. The neighbourhood gives them a sense of shared identity.[131] Would that neighbouring countries were able to encourage a similar neighbourly spirit between their peoples! Yet the spirit of individualism also affects relations between countries. The danger of thinking that we have to protect ourselves from one another, of viewing others as competitors or dangerous enemies, also affects relations between peoples in the same region. Perhaps we were trained in this kind of fear and mistrust.
153. There are powerful countries and large businesses that profit from this isolation and prefer to negotiate with each country separately. On the other hand, small or poor countries can sign agreements with their regional neighbours that will allow them to negotiate as a bloc and thus avoid being cut off, isolated and dependent on the great powers. Today, no state can ensure the common good of its population if it remains isolated.
A BETTER KIND OF POLITICS
154. The development of a global community of fraternity based on the practice of social friendship on the part of peoples and nations calls for a better kind of politics, one truly at the service of the common good. Sadly, politics today often takes forms that hinder progress towards a different world.
FORMS OF POPULISM AND LIBERALISM
155. Lack of concern for the vulnerable can hide behind a populism that exploits them demagogically for its own purposes, or a liberalism that serves the economic interests of the powerful. In both cases, it becomes difficult to envisage an open world that makes room for everyone, including the most vulnerable, and shows respect for different cultures.
Popular vs. populist
156. In recent years, the words “populism” and “populist” have invaded the communications media and everyday conversation. As a result, they have lost whatever value they might have had, and have become another source of polarization in an already divided society. Efforts are made to classify entire peoples, groups, societies and governments as “populist” or not. Nowadays it has become impossible for someone to express a view on any subject without being categorized one way or the other, either to be unfairly discredited or to be praised to the skies.
157. The attempt to see populism as a key for interpreting social reality is problematic in another way: it disregards the legitimate meaning of the word “people”. Any effort to remove this concept from common parlance could lead to the elimination of the very notion of democracy as “government by the people”. If we wish to maintain that society is more than a mere aggregate of individuals, the term “people” proves necessary. There are social phenomena that create majorities, as well as megatrends and communitarian aspirations. Men and women are capable of coming up with shared goals that transcend their differences and can thus engage in a common endeavour. Then too, it is extremely difficult to carry out a long-term project unless it becomes a collective aspiration. All these factors lie behind our use of the words “people” and “popular”. Unless they are taken into account – together with a sound critique of demagoguery – a fundamental aspect of social reality would be overlooked.
158. Here, there can be a misunderstanding. “‘People’ is not a logical category, nor is it a mystical category, if by that we mean that everything the people does is good, or that the people is an ‘angelic’ reality. Rather, it is a mythic category… When you have to explain what you mean by people, you use logical categories for the sake of explanation, and necessarily so. Yet in that way you cannot explain what it means to belong to a people. The word ‘people’ has a deeper meaning that cannot be set forth in purely logical terms. To be part of a people is to be part of a shared identity arising from social and cultural bonds. And that is not something automatic, but rather a slow, difficult process… of advancing towards a common project”.[132]
159. “Popular” leaders, those capable of interpreting the feelings and cultural dynamics of a people, and significant trends in society, do exist. The service they provide by their efforts to unite and lead can become the basis of an enduring vision of transformation and growth that would also include making room for others in the pursuit of the common good. But this can degenerate into an unhealthy “populism” when individuals are able to exploit politically a people’s culture, under whatever ideological banner, for their own personal advantage or continuing grip on power. Or when, at other times, they seek popularity by appealing to the basest and most selfish inclinations of certain sectors of the population. This becomes all the more serious when, whether in cruder or more subtle forms, it leads to the usurpation of institutions and laws.
160. Closed populist groups distort the word “people”, since they are not talking about a true people. The concept of “people” is in fact open-ended. A living and dynamic people, a people with a future, is one constantly open to a new synthesis through its ability to welcome differences. In this way, it does not deny its proper identity, but is open to being mobilized, challenged, broadened and enriched by others, and thus to further growth and development.
161. Another sign of the decline of popular leadership is concern for short-term advantage. One meets popular demands for the sake of gaining votes or support, but without advancing in an arduous and constant effort to generate the resources people need to develop and earn a living by their own efforts and creativity. In this regard, I have made it clear that “I have no intention of proposing an irresponsible populism”.[133] Eliminating inequality requires an economic growth that can help to tap each region’s potential and thus guarantee a sustainable equality.[134] At the same time, it follows that “welfare projects, which meet certain urgent needs, should be considered merely temporary responses”.[135]
162. The biggest issue is employment. The truly “popular” thing – since it promotes the good of the people – is to provide everyone with the opportunity to nurture the seeds that God has planted in each of us: our talents, our initiative and our innate resources. This is the finest help we can give to the poor, the best path to a life of dignity. Hence my insistence that, “helping the poor financially must always be a provisional solution in the face of pressing needs. The broader objective should always be to allow them a dignified life through work”.[136] Since production systems may change, political systems must keep working to structure society in such a way that everyone has a chance to contribute his or her own talents and efforts. For “there is no poverty worse than that which takes away work and the dignity of work”.[137] In a genuinely developed society, work is an essential dimension of social life, for it is not only a means of earning one’s daily bread, but also of personal growth, the building of healthy relationships, self-expression and the exchange of gifts. Work gives us a sense of shared responsibility for the development of the world, and ultimately, for our life as a people.
The benefits and limits of liberal approaches
163. The concept of a “people”, which naturally entails a positive view of community and cultural bonds, is usually rejected by individualistic liberal approaches, which view society as merely the sum of coexisting interests. One speaks of respect for freedom, but without roots in a shared narrative; in certain contexts, those who defend the rights of the most vulnerable members of society tend to be criticized as populists. The notion of a people is considered an abstract construct, something that does not really exist. But this is to create a needless dichotomy. Neither the notion of “people” nor that of “neighbour” can be considered purely abstract or romantic, in such a way that social organization, science and civic institutions can be rejected or treated with contempt.[138]
164. Charity, on the other hand, unites both dimensions – the abstract and the institutional – since it calls for an effective process of historical change that embraces everything: institutions, law, technology, experience, professional expertise, scientific analysis, administrative procedures, and so forth. For that matter, “private life cannot exist unless it is protected by public order. A domestic hearth has no real warmth unless it is safeguarded by law, by a state of tranquillity founded on law, and enjoys a minimum of wellbeing ensured by the division of labour, commercial exchange, social justice and political citizenship”.[139]
165. True charity is capable of incorporating all these elements in its concern for others. In the case of personal encounters, including those involving a distant or forgotten brother or sister, it can do so by employing all the resources that the institutions of an organized, free and creative society are capable of generating. Even the Good Samaritan, for example, needed to have a nearby inn that could provide the help that he was personally unable to offer. Love of neighbour is concrete and squanders none of the resources needed to bring about historical change that can benefit the poor and disadvantaged. At times, however, leftist ideologies or social doctrines linked to individualistic ways of acting and ineffective procedures affect only a few, while the majority of those left behind remain dependent on the goodwill of others. This demonstrates the need for a greater spirit of fraternity, but also a more efficient worldwide organization to help resolve the problems plaguing the abandoned who are suffering and dying in poor countries. It also shows that there is no one solution, no single acceptable methodology, no economic recipe that can be applied indiscriminately to all. Even the most rigorous scientific studies can propose different courses of action.
166. Everything, then, depends on our ability to see the need for a change of heart, attitudes and lifestyles. Otherwise, political propaganda, the media and the shapers of public opinion will continue to promote an individualistic and uncritical culture subservient to unregulated economic interests and societal institutions at the service of those who already enjoy too much power. My criticism of the technocratic paradigm involves more than simply thinking that if we control its excesses everything will be fine. The bigger risk does not come from specific objects, material realities or institutions, but from the way that they are used. It has to do with human weakness, the proclivity to selfishness that is part of what the Christian tradition refers to as “concupiscence”: the human inclination to be concerned only with myself, my group, my own petty interests. Concupiscence is not a flaw limited to our own day. It has been present from the beginning of humanity, and has simply changed and taken on different forms down the ages, using whatever means each moment of history can provide. Concupiscence, however, can be overcome with the help of God.
167. Education and upbringing, concern for others, a well-integrated view of life and spiritual growth: all these are essential for quality human relationships and for enabling society itself to react against injustices, aberrations and abuses of economic, technological, political and media power. Some liberal approaches ignore this factor of human weakness; they envisage a world that follows a determined order and is capable by itself of ensuring a bright future and providing solutions for every problem.
168. The marketplace, by itself, cannot resolve every problem, however much we are asked to believe this dogma of neoliberal faith. Whatever the challenge, this impoverished and repetitive school of thought always offers the same recipes. Neoliberalism simply reproduces itself by resorting to the magic theories of “spillover” or “trickle” – without using the name – as the only solution to societal problems. There is little appreciation of the fact that the alleged “spillover” does not resolve the inequality that gives rise to new forms of violence threatening the fabric of society. It is imperative to have a proactive economic policy directed at “promoting an economy that favours productive diversity and business creativity”[140] and makes it possible for jobs to be created and not cut. Financial speculation fundamentally aimed at quick profit continues to wreak havoc. Indeed, “without internal forms of solidarity and mutual trust, the market cannot completely fulfil its proper economic function. And today this trust has ceased to exist”.[141] The story did not end the way it was meant to, and the dogmatic formulae of prevailing economic theory proved not to be infallible. The fragility of world systems in the face of the pandemic has demonstrated that not everything can be resolved by market freedom. It has also shown that, in addition to recovering a sound political life that is not subject to the dictates of finance, “we must put human dignity back at the centre and on that pillar build the alternative social structures we need”.[142]
169. In some closed and monochrome economic approaches, for example, there seems to be no place for popular movements that unite the unemployed, temporary and informal workers and many others who do not easily find a place in existing structures. Yet those movements manage various forms of popular economy and of community production. What is needed is a model of social, political and economic participation “that can include popular movements and invigorate local, national and international governing structures with that torrent of moral energy that springs from including the excluded in the building of a common destiny”, while also ensuring that “these experiences of solidarity which grow up from below, from the subsoil of the planet – can come together, be more coordinated, keep on meeting one another”.[143] This, however, must happen in a way that will not betray their distinctive way of acting as “sowers of change, promoters of a process involving millions of actions, great and small, creatively intertwined like words in a poem”.[144] In that sense, such movements are “social poets” that, in their own way, work, propose, promote and liberate. They help make possible an integral human development that goes beyond “the idea of social policies being a policy for the poor, but never with the poor and never of the poor, much less part of a project that reunites peoples”.[145] They may be troublesome, and certain “theorists” may find it hard to classify them, yet we must find the courage to acknowledge that, without them, “democracy atrophies, turns into a mere word, a formality; it loses its representative character and becomes disembodied, since it leaves out the people in their daily struggle for dignity, in the building of their future”.[146]
INTERNATIONAL POWER
170. I would once more observe that “the financial crisis of 2007-08 provided an opportunity to develop a new economy, more attentive to ethical principles, and new ways of regulating speculative financial practices and virtual wealth. But the response to the crisis did not include rethinking the outdated criteria which continue to rule the world”.[147] Indeed, it appears that the actual strategies developed worldwide in the wake of the crisis fostered greater individualism, less integration and increased freedom for the truly powerful, who always find a way to escape unscathed.
171. I would also insist that “to give to each his own – to cite the classic definition of justice – means that no human individual or group can consider itself absolute, entitled to bypass the dignity and the rights of other individuals or their social groupings. The effective distribution of power (especially political, economic, defence-related and technological power) among a plurality of subjects, and the creation of a juridical system for regulating claims and interests, are one concrete way of limiting power. Yet today’s world presents us with many false rights and – at the same time – broad sectors which are vulnerable, victims of power badly exercised”.[148]
172. The twenty-first century “is witnessing a weakening of the power of nation states, chiefly because the economic and financial sectors, being transnational, tend to prevail over the political. Given this situation, it is essential to devise stronger and more efficiently organized international institutions, with functionaries who are appointed fairly by agreement among national governments, and empowered to impose sanctions”.[149] When we talk about the possibility of some form of world authority regulated by law,[150] we need not necessarily think of a personal authority. Still, such an authority ought at least to promote more effective world organizations, equipped with the power to provide for the global common good, the elimination of hunger and poverty and the sure defence of fundamental human rights.
173. In this regard, I would also note the need for a reform of “the United Nations Organization, and likewise of economic institutions and international finance, so that the concept of the family of nations can acquire real teeth”.[151] Needless to say, this calls for clear legal limits to avoid power being co-opted only by a few countries and to prevent cultural impositions or a restriction of the basic freedoms of weaker nations on the basis of ideological differences. For “the international community is a juridical community founded on the sovereignty of each member state, without bonds of subordination that deny or limit its independence”.[152] At the same time, “the work of the United Nations, according to the principles set forth in the Preamble and the first Articles of its founding Charter, can be seen as the development and promotion of the rule of law, based on the realization that justice is an essential condition for achieving the ideal of universal fraternity… There is a need to ensure the uncontested rule of law and tireless recourse to negotiation, mediation and arbitration, as proposed by the Charter of the United Nations, which constitutes truly a fundamental juridical norm”.[153] There is need to prevent this Organization from being delegitimized, since its problems and shortcomings are capable of being jointly addressed and resolved.
174. Courage and generosity are needed in order freely to establish shared goals and to ensure the worldwide observance of certain essential norms. For this to be truly useful, it is essential to uphold “the need to be faithful to agreements undertaken (pacta sunt servanda)”,[154] and to avoid the “temptation to appeal to the law of force rather than to the force of law”.[155] This means reinforcing the “normative instruments for the peaceful resolution of controversies... so as to strengthen their scope and binding force”.[156] Among these normative instruments, preference should be given to multilateral agreements between states, because, more than bilateral agreements, they guarantee the promotion of a truly universal common good and the protection of weaker states.
175. Providentially, many groups and organizations within civil society help to compensate for the shortcomings of the international community, its lack of coordination in complex situations, its lack of attention to fundamental human rights and to the critical needs of certain groups. Here we can see a concrete application of the principle of subsidiarity, which justifies the participation and activity of communities and organizations on lower levels as a means of integrating and complementing the activity of the state. These groups and organizations often carry out commendable efforts in the service of the common good and their members at times show true heroism, revealing something of the grandeur of which our humanity is still capable.
SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CHARITY
176. For many people today, politics is a distasteful word, often due to the mistakes, corruption and inefficiency of some politicians. There are also attempts to discredit politics, to replace it with economics or to twist it to one ideology or another. Yet can our world function without politics? Can there be an effective process of growth towards universal fraternity and social peace without a sound political life?[157]
The politics we need
177. Here I would once more observe that “politics must not be subject to the economy, nor should the economy be subject to the dictates of an efficiency-driven paradigm of technocracy”.[158] Although misuse of power, corruption, disregard for law and inefficiency must clearly be rejected, “economics without politics cannot be justified, since this would make it impossible to favour other ways of handling the various aspects of the present crisis”.[159] Instead, “what is needed is a politics which is far-sighted and capable of a new, integral and interdisciplinary approach to handling the different aspects of the crisis”.[160] In other words, a “healthy politics… capable of reforming and coordinating institutions, promoting best practices and overcoming undue pressure and bureaucratic inertia”.[161] We cannot expect economics to do this, nor can we allow economics to take over the real power of the state.
178. In the face of many petty forms of politics focused on immediate interests, I would repeat that “true statecraft is manifest when, in difficult times, we uphold high principles and think of the long-term common good. Political powers do not find it easy to assume this duty in the work of nation-building”,[162] much less in forging a common project for the human family, now and in the future. Thinking of those who will come after us does not serve electoral purposes, yet it is what authentic justice demands. As the Bishops of Portugal have taught, the earth “is lent to each generation, to be handed on to the generation that follows”.[163]
179. Global society is suffering from grave structural deficiencies that cannot be resolved by piecemeal solutions or quick fixes. Much needs to change, through fundamental reform and major renewal. Only a healthy politics, involving the most diverse sectors and skills, is capable of overseeing this process. An economy that is an integral part of a political, social, cultural and popular programme directed to the common good could pave the way for “different possibilities which do not involve stifling human creativity and its ideals of progress, but rather directing that energy along new channels”.[164]
Political love
180. Recognizing that all people are our brothers and sisters, and seeking forms of social friendship that include everyone, is not merely utopian. It demands a decisive commitment to devising effective means to this end. Any effort along these lines becomes a noble exercise of charity. For whereas individuals can help others in need, when they join together in initiating social processes of fraternity and justice for all, they enter the “field of charity at its most vast, namely political charity”.[165] This entails working for a social and political order whose soul is social charity.[166] Once more, I appeal for a renewed appreciation of politics as “a lofty vocation and one of the highest forms of charity, inasmuch as it seeks the common good”.[167]
181. Every commitment inspired by the Church’s social doctrine is “derived from charity, which according to the teaching of Jesus is the synthesis of the entire Law (cf. Mt 22:36-40)”.[168] This means acknowledging that “love, overflowing with small gestures of mutual care, is also civic and political, and it makes itself felt in every action that seeks to build a better world”.[169] For this reason, charity finds expression not only in close and intimate relationships but also in “macro-relationships: social, economic and political”.[170]
182. This political charity is born of a social awareness that transcends every individualistic mindset: “‘Social charity makes us love the common good’, it makes us effectively seek the good of all people, considered not only as individuals or private persons, but also in the social dimension that unites them”.[171] Each of us is fully a person when we are part of a people; at the same time, there are no peoples without respect for the individuality of each person. “People” and “person” are correlative terms. Nonetheless, there are attempts nowadays to reduce persons to isolated individuals easily manipulated by powers pursuing spurious interests. Good politics will seek ways of building communities at every level of social life, in order to recalibrate and reorient globalization and thus avoid its disruptive effects.
Effective love
183. “Social love”[172] makes it possible to advance towards a civilization of love, to which all of us can feel called. Charity, with its impulse to universality, is capable of building a new world.[173] No mere sentiment, it is the best means of discovering effective paths of development for everyone. Social love is a “force capable of inspiring new ways of approaching the problems of today’s world, of profoundly renewing structures, social organizations and legal systems from within”.[174]
184. Charity is at the heart of every healthy and open society, yet today “it is easily dismissed as irrelevant for interpreting and giving direction to moral responsibility”.[175] Charity, when accompanied by a commitment to the truth, is much more than personal feeling, and consequently need not “fall prey to contingent subjective emotions and opinions”.[176] Indeed its close relation to truth fosters its universality and preserves it from being “confined to a narrow field devoid of relationships”.[177] Otherwise, it would be “excluded from the plans and processes of promoting human development of universal range, in dialogue between knowledge and praxis”.[178] Without truth, emotion lacks relational and social content. Charity’s openness to truth thus protects it from “a fideism that deprives it of its human and universal breadth”.[179]
185. Charity needs the light of the truth that we constantly seek. “That light is both the light of reason and the light of faith”,[180] and does not admit any form of relativism. Yet it also respects the development of the sciences and their essential contribution to finding the surest and most practical means of achieving the desired results. For when the good of others is at stake, good intentions are not enough. Concrete efforts must be made to bring about whatever they and their nations need for the sake of their development.
THE EXERCISE OF POLITICAL LOVE
186. There is a kind of love that is “elicited”: its acts proceed directly from the virtue of charity and are directed to individuals and peoples. There is also a “commanded” love, expressed in those acts of charity that spur people to create more sound institutions, more just regulations, more supportive structures.[181] It follows that “it is an equally indispensable act of love to strive to organize and structure society so that one’s neighbour will not find himself in poverty”.[182] It is an act of charity to assist someone suffering, but it is also an act of charity, even if we do not know that person, to work to change the social conditions that caused his or her suffering. If someone helps an elderly person cross a river, that is a fine act of charity. The politician, on the other hand, builds a bridge, and that too is an act of charity. While one person can help another by providing something to eat, the politician creates a job for that other person, and thus practices a lofty form of charity that ennobles his or her political activity.
Sacrifices born of love
187. This charity, which is the spiritual heart of politics, is always a preferential love shown to those in greatest need; it undergirds everything we do on their behalf.[183] Only a gaze transformed by charity can enable the dignity of others to be recognized and, as a consequence, the poor to be acknowledged and valued in their dignity, respected in their identity and culture, and thus truly integrated into society. That gaze is at the heart of the authentic spirit of politics. It sees paths open up that are different from those of a soulless pragmatism. It makes us realize that “the scandal of poverty cannot be addressed by promoting strategies of containment that only tranquilize the poor and render them tame and inoffensive. How sad it is when we find, behind allegedly altruistic works, the other being reduced to passivity”.[184] What are needed are new pathways of self-expression and participation in society. Education serves these by making it possible for each human being to shape his or her own future. Here too we see the importance of the principle of subsidiarity, which is inseparable from the principle of solidarity.
188. These considerations help us recognize the urgent need to combat all that threatens or violates fundamental human rights. Politicians are called to “tend to the needs of individuals and peoples. To tend those in need takes strength and tenderness, effort and generosity in the midst of a functionalistic and privatized mindset that inexorably leads to a ‘throwaway culture’… It involves taking responsibility for the present with its situations of utter marginalization and anguish, and being capable of bestowing dignity upon it”.[185] It will likewise inspire intense efforts to ensure that “everything be done to protect the status and dignity of the human person”.[186] Politicians are doers, builders with ambitious goals, possessed of a broad, realistic and pragmatic gaze that looks beyond their own borders. Their biggest concern should not be about a drop in the polls, but about finding effective solutions to “the phenomenon of social and economic exclusion, with its baneful consequences: human trafficking, the marketing of human organs and tissues, the sexual exploitation of boys and girls, slave labour, including prostitution, the drug and weapons trade, terrorism and international organized crime. Such is the magnitude of these situations, and their toll in innocent lives, that we must avoid every temptation to fall into a declarationist nominalism that would assuage our consciences. We need to ensure that our institutions are truly effective in the struggle against all these scourges”.[187] This includes taking intelligent advantage of the immense resources offered by technological development.
189. We are still far from a globalization of the most basic of human rights. That is why world politics needs to make the effective elimination of hunger one of its foremost and imperative goals. Indeed, “when financial speculation manipulates the price of food, treating it as just another commodity, millions of people suffer and die from hunger. At the same time, tons of food are thrown away. This constitutes a genuine scandal. Hunger is criminal; food is an inalienable right”.[188] Often, as we carry on our semantic or ideological disputes, we allow our brothers and sisters to die of hunger and thirst, without shelter or access to health care. Alongside these basic needs that remain unmet, trafficking in persons represents another source of shame for humanity, one that international politics, moving beyond fine speeches and good intentions, must no longer tolerate. These things are essential; they can no longer be deferred.
A love that integrates and unites
190. Political charity is also expressed in a spirit of openness to everyone. Government leaders should be the first to make the sacrifices that foster encounter and to seek convergence on at least some issues. They should be ready to listen to other points of view and to make room for everyone. Through sacrifice and patience, they can help to create a beautiful polyhedral reality in which everyone has a place. Here, economic negotiations do not work. Something else is required: an exchange of gifts for the common good. It may seem naïve and utopian, yet we cannot renounce this lofty aim.
191. At a time when various forms of fundamentalist intolerance are damaging relationships between individuals, groups and peoples, let us be committed to living and teaching the value of respect for others, a love capable of welcoming differences, and the priority of the dignity of every human being over his or her ideas, opinions, practices and even sins. Even as forms of fanaticism, closedmindedness and social and cultural fragmentation proliferate in present-day society, a good politician will take the first step and insist that different voices be heard. Disagreements may well give rise to conflicts, but uniformity proves stifling and leads to cultural decay. May we not be content with being enclosed in one fragment of reality.
192. In this regard, Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb and I have called upon “the architects of international policy and world economy to work strenuously to spread the culture of tolerance and of living together in peace; to intervene at the earliest opportunity to stop the shedding of innocent blood”.[189] When a specific policy sows hatred and fear towards other nations in the name of its own country’s welfare, there is need to be concerned, to react in time and immediately to correct the course.
FRUITFULNESS OVER RESULTS
193. Apart from their tireless activity, politicians are also men and women. They are called to practice love in their daily interpersonal relationships. As persons, they need to consider that “the modern world, with its technical advances, tends increasingly to functionalize the satisfaction of human desires, now classified and subdivided among different services. Less and less will people be called by name, less and less will this unique being be treated as a person with his or her own feelings, sufferings, problems, joys and family. Their illnesses will be known only in order to cure them, their financial needs only to provide for them, their lack of a home only to give them lodging, their desires for recreation and entertainment only to satisfy them”. Yet it must never be forgotten that “loving the most insignificant of human beings as a brother, as if there were no one else in the world but him, cannot be considered a waste of time”.[190]
194. Politics too must make room for a tender love of others. “What is tenderness? It is love that draws near and becomes real. A movement that starts from our heart and reaches the eyes, the ears and the hands… Tenderness is the path of choice for the strongest, most courageous men and women”.[191] Amid the daily concerns of political life, “the smallest, the weakest, the poorest should touch our hearts: indeed, they have a ‘right’ to appeal to our heart and soul. They are our brothers and sisters, and as such we must love and care for them”.[192]
195. All this can help us realize that what is important is not constantly achieving great results, since these are not always possible. In political activity, we should remember that, “appearances notwithstanding, every person is immensely holy and deserves our love. Consequently, if I can help at least one person to have a better life, that already justifies the offering of my life. It is a wonderful thing to be God’s faithful people. We achieve fulfilment when we break down walls and our hearts are filled with faces and names!”[193] The great goals of our dreams and plans may only be achieved in part. Yet beyond this, those who love, and who no longer view politics merely as a quest for power, “may be sure that none of our acts of love will be lost, nor any of our acts of sincere concern for others. No single act of love for God will be lost, no generous effort is meaningless, no painful endurance is wasted. All of these encircle our world like a vital force”.[194]
196. For this reason, it is truly noble to place our hope in the hidden power of the seeds of goodness we sow, and thus to initiate processes whose fruits will be reaped by others. Good politics combines love with hope and with confidence in the reserves of goodness present in human hearts. Indeed, “authentic political life, built upon respect for law and frank dialogue between individuals, is constantly renewed whenever there is a realization that every woman and man, and every new generation, brings the promise of new relational, intellectual, cultural and spiritual energies”.[195]
197. Viewed in this way, politics is something more noble than posturing, marketing and media spin. These sow nothing but division, conflict and a bleak cynicism incapable of mobilizing people to pursue a common goal. At times, in thinking of the future, we do well to ask ourselves, “Why I am doing this?”, “What is my real aim?” For as time goes on, reflecting on the past, the questions will not be: “How many people endorsed me?”, “How many voted for me?”, “How many had a positive image of me?” The real, and potentially painful, questions will be, “How much love did I put into my work?” “What did I do for the progress of our people?” “What mark did I leave on the life of society?” “What real bonds did I create?” “What positive forces did I unleash?” “How much social peace did I sow?” “What good did I achieve in the position that was entrusted to me?”
DIALOGUE AND FRIENDSHIP IN SOCIETY
198. Approaching, speaking, listening, looking at, coming to know and understand one another, and to find common ground: all these things are summed up in the one word “dialogue”. If we want to encounter and help one another, we have to dialogue. There is no need for me to stress the benefits of dialogue. I have only to think of what our world would be like without the patient dialogue of the many generous persons who keep families and communities together. Unlike disagreement and conflict, persistent and courageous dialogue does not make headlines, but quietly helps the world to live much better than we imagine.
SOCIAL DIALOGUE FOR A NEW CULTURE
199. Some people attempt to flee from reality, taking refuge in their own little world; others react to it with destructive violence. Yet “between selfish indifference and violent protest there is always another possible option: that of dialogue. Dialogue between generations; dialogue among our people, for we are that people; readiness to give and receive, while remaining open to the truth. A country flourishes when constructive dialogue occurs between its many rich cultural components: popular culture, university culture, youth culture, artistic culture, technological culture, economic culture, family culture and media culture”.[196]
200. Dialogue is often confused with something quite different: the feverish exchange of opinions on social networks, frequently based on media information that is not always reliable. These exchanges are merely parallel monologues. They may attract some attention by their sharp and aggressive tone. But monologues engage no one, and their content is frequently self-serving and contradictory.
201. Indeed, the media’s noisy potpourri of facts and opinions is often an obstacle to dialogue, since it lets everyone cling stubbornly to his or her own ideas, interests and choices, with the excuse that everyone else is wrong. It becomes easier to discredit and insult opponents from the outset than to open a respectful dialogue aimed at achieving agreement on a deeper level. Worse, this kind of language, usually drawn from media coverage of political campaigns, has become so widespread as to be part of daily conversation. Discussion is often manipulated by powerful special interests that seek to tilt public opinion unfairly in their favour. This kind of manipulation can be exercised not only by governments, but also in economics, politics, communications, religion and in other spheres. Attempts can be made to justify or excuse it when it tends to serve one’s own economic or ideological interests, but sooner or later it turns against those very interests.
202. Lack of dialogue means that in these individual sectors people are concerned not for the common good, but for the benefits of power or, at best, for ways to impose their own ideas. Round tables thus become mere negotiating sessions, in which individuals attempt to seize every possible advantage, rather than cooperating in the pursuit of the common good. The heroes of the future will be those who can break with this unhealthy mindset and determine respectfully to promote truthfulness, aside from personal interest. God willing, such heroes are quietly emerging, even now, in the midst of our society.
Building together
203. Authentic social dialogue involves the ability to respect the other’s point of view and to admit that it may include legitimate convictions and concerns. Based on their identity and experience, others have a contribution to make, and it is desirable that they should articulate their positions for the sake of a more fruitful public debate. When individuals or groups are consistent in their thinking, defend their values and convictions, and develop their arguments, this surely benefits society. Yet, this can only occur to the extent that there is genuine dialogue and openness to others. Indeed, “in a true spirit of dialogue, we grow in our ability to grasp the significance of what others say and do, even if we cannot accept it as our own conviction. In this way, it becomes possible to be frank and open about our beliefs, while continuing to discuss, to seek points of contact, and above all, to work and struggle together”.[197] Public discussion, if it truly makes room for everyone and does not manipulate or conceal information, is a constant stimulus to a better grasp of the truth, or at least its more effective expression. It keeps different sectors from becoming complacent and self-centred in their outlook and their limited concerns. Let us not forget that “differences are creative; they create tension and in the resolution of tension lies humanity’s progress”.[198]
204. There is a growing conviction that, together with specialized scientific advances, we are in need of greater interdisciplinary communication. Although reality is one, it can be approached from various angles and with different methodologies. There is a risk that a single scientific advance will be seen as the only possible lens for viewing a particular aspect of life, society and the world. Researchers who are expert in their own field, yet also familiar with the findings of other sciences and disciplines, are in a position to discern other aspects of the object of their study and thus to become open to a more comprehensive and integral knowledge of reality.
205. In today’s globalized world, “the media can help us to feel closer to one another, creating a sense of the unity of the human family which in turn can inspire solidarity and serious efforts to ensure a more dignified life for all… The media can help us greatly in this, especially nowadays, when the networks of human communication have made unprecedented advances. The internet, in particular, offers immense possibilities for encounter and solidarity. This is something truly good, a gift from God”.[199] We need constantly to ensure that present-day forms of communication are in fact guiding us to generous encounter with others, to honest pursuit of the whole truth, to service, to closeness to the underprivileged and to the promotion of the common good. As the Bishops of Australia have pointed out, we cannot accept “a digital world designed to exploit our weaknesses and bring out the worst in people”.[200]
The BASIS of Consensus
206. The solution is not relativism. Under the guise of tolerance, relativism ultimately leaves the interpretation of moral values to those in power, to be defined as they see fit. “In the absence of objective truths or sound principles other than the satisfaction of our own desires and immediate needs… we should not think that political efforts or the force of law will be sufficient… When the culture itself is corrupt, and objective truth and universally valid principles are no longer upheld, then laws can only be seen as arbitrary impositions or obstacles to be avoided”.[201]
207. Is it possible to be concerned for truth, to seek the truth that responds to life’s deepest meaning? What is law without the conviction, born of age-old reflection and great wisdom, that each human being is sacred and inviolable? If society is to have a future, it must respect the truth of our human dignity and submit to that truth. Murder is not wrong simply because it is socially unacceptable and punished by law, but because of a deeper conviction. This is a non-negotiable truth attained by the use of reason and accepted in conscience. A society is noble and decent not least for its support of the pursuit of truth and its adherence to the most basic of truths.
208. We need to learn how to unmask the various ways that the truth is manipulated, distorted and concealed in public and private discourse. What we call “truth” is not only the reporting of facts and events, such as we find in the daily papers. It is primarily the search for the solid foundations sustaining our decisions and our laws. This calls for acknowledging that the human mind is capable of transcending immediate concerns and grasping certain truths that are unchanging, as true now as in the past. As it peers into human nature, reason discovers universal values derived from that same nature.
209. Otherwise, is it not conceivable that those fundamental human rights which we now consider unassailable will be denied by those in power, once they have gained the “consensus” of an apathetic or intimidated population? Nor would a mere consensus between different nations, itself equally open to manipulation, suffice to protect them. We have ample evidence of the great good of which we are capable, yet we also have to acknowledge our inherent destructiveness. Is not the indifference and the heartless individualism into which we have fallen also a result of our sloth in pursuing higher values, values that transcend our immediate needs? Relativism always brings the risk that some or other alleged truth will be imposed by the powerful or the clever. Yet, “when it is a matter of the moral norms prohibiting intrinsic evil, there are no privileges or exceptions for anyone. It makes no difference whether one is the master of the world or the ‘poorest of the poor’ on the face of the earth. Before the demands of morality we are all absolutely equal”.[202]
210. What is now happening, and drawing us into a perverse and barren way of thinking, is the reduction of ethics and politics to physics. Good and evil no longer exist in themselves; there is only a calculus of benefits and burdens. As a result of the displacement of moral reasoning, the law is no longer seen as reflecting a fundamental notion of justice but as mirroring notions currently in vogue. Breakdown ensues: everything is “leveled down” by a superficial bartered consensus. In the end, the law of the strongest prevails.
Consensus and truth
211. In a pluralistic society, dialogue is the best way to realize what ought always to be affirmed and respected apart from any ephemeral consensus. Such dialogue needs to be enriched and illumined by clear thinking, rational arguments, a variety of perspectives and the contribution of different fields of knowledge and points of view. Nor can it exclude the conviction that it is possible to arrive at certain fundamental truths always to be upheld. Acknowledging the existence of certain enduring values, however demanding it may be to discern them, makes for a robust and solid social ethics. Once those fundamental values are acknowledged and adopted through dialogue and consensus, we realize that they rise above consensus; they transcend our concrete situations and remain non-negotiable. Our understanding of their meaning and scope can increase – and in that respect, consensus is a dynamic reality – but in themselves, they are held to be enduring by virtue of their inherent meaning.
212. If something always serves the good functioning of society, is it not because, lying beyond it, there is an enduring truth accessible to the intellect? Inherent in the nature of human beings and society there exist certain basic structures to support our development and survival. Certain requirements thus ensue, and these can be discovered through dialogue, even though, strictly speaking, they are not created by consensus. The fact that certain rules are indispensable for the very life of society is a sign that they are good in and of themselves. There is no need, then, to oppose the interests of society, consensus and the reality of objective truth. These three realities can be harmonized whenever, through dialogue, people are unafraid to get to the heart of an issue.
213. The dignity of others is to be respected in all circumstances, not because that dignity is something we have invented or imagined, but because human beings possess an intrinsic worth superior to that of material objects and contingent situations. This requires that they be treated differently. That every human being possesses an inalienable dignity is a truth that corresponds to human nature apart from all cultural change. For this reason, human beings have the same inviolable dignity in every age of history and no one can consider himself or herself authorized by particular situations to deny this conviction or to act against it. The intellect can investigate the reality of things through reflection, experience and dialogue, and come to recognize in that reality, which transcends it, the basis of certain universal moral demands.
214. To agnostics, this foundation could prove sufficient to confer a solid and stable universal validity on basic and non-negotiable ethical principles that could serve to prevent further catastrophes. As believers, we are convinced that human nature, as the source of ethical principles, was created by God, and that ultimately it is he who gives those principles their solid foundation.[203] This does not result in an ethical rigidity nor does it lead to the imposition of any one moral system, since fundamental and universally valid moral principles can be embodied in different practical rules. Thus, room for dialogue will always exist.
A NEW CULTURE
215. “Life, for all its confrontations, is the art of encounter”.[204] I have frequently called for the growth of a culture of encounter capable of transcending our differences and divisions. This means working to create a many-faceted polyhedron whose different sides form a variegated unity, in which “the whole is greater than the part”.[205] The image of a polyhedron can represent a society where differences coexist, complementing, enriching and reciprocally illuminating one another, even amid disagreements and reservations. Each of us can learn something from others. No one is useless and no one is expendable. This also means finding ways to include those on the peripheries of life. For they have another way of looking at things; they see aspects of reality that are invisible to the centres of power where weighty decisions are made.
Encounter that becomes culture
216. The word “culture” points to something deeply embedded within a people, its most cherished convictions and its way of life. A people’s “culture” is more than an abstract idea. It has to do with their desires, their interests and ultimately the way they live their lives. To speak of a “culture of encounter” means that we, as a people, should be passionate about meeting others, seeking points of contact, building bridges, planning a project that includes everyone. This becomes an aspiration and a style of life. The subject of this culture is the people, not simply one part of society that would pacify the rest with the help of professional and media resources.
217. Social peace demands hard work, craftsmanship. It would be easier to keep freedoms and differences in check with cleverness and a few resources. But such a peace would be superficial and fragile, not the fruit of a culture of encounter that brings enduring stability. Integrating differences is a much more difficult and slow process, yet it is the guarantee of a genuine and lasting peace. That peace is not achieved by recourse only to those who are pure and untainted, since “even people who can be considered questionable on account of their errors have something to offer which must not be overlooked”.[206] Nor does it come from ignoring social demands or quelling disturbances, since it is not “a consensus on paper or a transient peace for a contented minority”.[207] What is important is to create processes of encounter, processes that build a people that can accept differences. Let us arm our children with the weapons of dialogue! Let us teach them to fight the good fight of the culture of encounter!
The joy of acknowledging others
218. All this calls for the ability to recognize other people’s right to be themselves and to be different. This recognition, as it becomes a culture, makes possible the creation of a social covenant. Without it, subtle ways can be found to make others insignificant, irrelevant, of no value to society. While rejecting certain visible forms of violence, another more insidious kind of violence can take root: the violence of those who despise people who are different, especially when their demands in any way compromise their own particular interests.
219. When one part of society exploits all that the world has to offer, acting as if the poor did not exist, there will eventually be consequences. Sooner or later, ignoring the existence and rights of others will erupt in some form of violence, often when least expected. Liberty, equality and fraternity can remain lofty ideals unless they apply to everyone. Encounter cannot take place only between the holders of economic, political or academic power. Genuine social encounter calls for a dialogue that engages the culture shared by the majority of the population. It often happens that good ideas are not accepted by the poorer sectors of society because they are presented in a cultural garb that is not their own and with which they cannot identify. A realistic and inclusive social covenant must also be a “cultural covenant”, one that respects and acknowledges the different worldviews, cultures and lifestyles that coexist in society.
220. Indigenous peoples, for example, are not opposed to progress, yet theirs is a different notion of progress, often more humanistic than the modern culture of developed peoples. Theirs is not a culture meant to benefit the powerful, those driven to create for themselves a kind of earthly paradise. Intolerance and lack of respect for indigenous popular cultures is a form of violence grounded in a cold and judgmental way of viewing them. No authentic, profound and enduring change is possible unless it starts from the different cultures, particularly those of the poor. A cultural covenant eschews a monolithic understanding of the identity of a particular place; it entails respect for diversity by offering opportunities for advancement and social integration to all.
221. Such a covenant also demands the realization that some things may have to be renounced for the common good. No one can possess the whole truth or satisfy his or her every desire, since that pretension would lead to nullifying others by denying their rights. A false notion of tolerance has to give way to a dialogic realism on the part of men and women who remain faithful to their own principles while recognizing that others also have the right to do likewise. This is the genuine acknowledgment of the other that is made possible by love alone. We have to stand in the place of others, if we are to discover what is genuine, or at least understandable, in their motivations and concerns.
RECOVERING KINDNESS
222. Consumerist individualism has led to great injustice. Other persons come to be viewed simply as obstacles to our own serene existence; we end up treating them as annoyances and we become increasingly aggressive. This is even more the case in times of crisis, catastrophe and hardship, when we are tempted to think in terms of the old saying, “every man for himself”. Yet even then, we can choose to cultivate kindness. Those who do so become stars shining in the midst of darkness.
223. Saint Paul describes kindness as a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22). He uses the Greek word chrestótes, which describes an attitude that is gentle, pleasant and supportive, not rude or coarse. Individuals who possess this quality help make other people’s lives more bearable, especially by sharing the weight of their problems, needs and fears. This way of treating others can take different forms: an act of kindness, a concern not to offend by word or deed, a readiness to alleviate their burdens. It involves “speaking words of comfort, strength, consolation and encouragement” and not “words that demean, sadden, anger or show scorn”.[208]
224. Kindness frees us from the cruelty that at times infects human relationships, from the anxiety that prevents us from thinking of others, from the frantic flurry of activity that forgets that others also have a right to be happy. Often nowadays we find neither the time nor the energy to stop and be kind to others, to say “excuse me”, “pardon me”, “thank you”. Yet every now and then, miraculously, a kind person appears and is willing to set everything else aside in order to show interest, to give the gift of a smile, to speak a word of encouragement, to listen amid general indifference. If we make a daily effort to do exactly this, we can create a healthy social atmosphere in which misunderstandings can be overcome and conflict forestalled. Kindness ought to be cultivated; it is no superficial bourgeois virtue. Precisely because it entails esteem and respect for others, once kindness becomes a culture within society it transforms lifestyles, relationships and the ways ideas are discussed and compared. Kindness facilitates the quest for consensus; it opens new paths where hostility and conflict would burn all bridges.
PATHS OF RENEWED ENCOUNTER
225. In many parts of the world, there is a need for paths of peace to heal open wounds. There is also a need for peacemakers, men and women prepared to work boldly and creatively to initiate processes of healing and renewed encounter.
STARTING ANEW FROM THE TRUTH
226. Renewed encounter does not mean returning to a time prior to conflicts. All of us change over time. Pain and conflict transform us. We no longer have use for empty diplomacy, dissimulation, double-speak, hidden agendas and good manners that mask reality. Those who were fierce enemies have to speak from the stark and clear truth. They have to learn how to cultivate a penitential memory, one that can accept the past in order not to cloud the future with their own regrets, problems and plans. Only by basing themselves on the historical truth of events will they be able to make a broad and persevering effort to understand one another and to strive for a new synthesis for the good of all. Every “peace process requires enduring commitment. It is a patient effort to seek truth and justice, to honour the memory of victims and to open the way, step by step, to a shared hope stronger than the desire for vengeance”.[209] As the Bishops of the Congo have said with regard to one recurring conflict: “Peace agreements on paper will not be enough. We will have to go further, by respecting the demands of truth regarding the origins of this recurring crisis. The people have the right to know what happened”.[210]
227. “Truth, in fact, is an inseparable companion of justice and mercy. All three together are essential to building peace; each, moreover, prevents the other from being altered… Truth should not lead to revenge, but rather to reconciliation and forgiveness. Truth means telling families torn apart by pain what happened to their missing relatives. Truth means confessing what happened to minors recruited by cruel and violent people. Truth means recognizing the pain of women who are victims of violence and abuse… Every act of violence committed against a human being is a wound in humanity’s flesh; every violent death diminishes us as people… Violence leads to more violence, hatred to more hatred, death to more death. We must break this cycle which seems inescapable”.[211]
THE ART AND ARCHITECTURE OF PEACE
228. The path to peace does not mean making society blandly uniform, but getting people to work together, side-by-side, in pursuing goals that benefit everyone. A wide variety of practical proposals and diverse experiences can help achieve shared objectives and serve the common good. The problems that a society is experiencing need to be clearly identified, so that the existence of different ways of understanding and resolving them can be appreciated. The path to social unity always entails acknowledging the possibility that others have, at least in part, a legitimate point of view, something worthwhile to contribute, even if they were in error or acted badly. “We should never confine others to what they may have said or done, but value them for the promise that they embody”,[212] a promise that always brings with it a spark of new hope.
229. The Bishops of South Africa have pointed out that true reconciliation is achieved proactively, “by forming a new society, a society based on service to others, rather than the desire to dominate; a society based on sharing what one has with others, rather than the selfish scramble by each for as much wealth as possible; a society in which the value of being together as human beings is ultimately more important than any lesser group, whether it be family, nation, race or culture”.[213] As the Bishops of South Korea have pointed out, true peace “can be achieved only when we strive for justice through dialogue, pursuing reconciliation and mutual development”.[214]
230. Working to overcome our divisions without losing our identity as individuals presumes that a basic sense of belonging is present in everyone. Indeed, “society benefits when each person and social group feels truly at home. In a family, parents, grandparents and children all feel at home; no one is excluded. If someone has a problem, even a serious one, even if he brought it upon himself, the rest of the family comes to his assistance; they support him. His problems are theirs… In families, everyone contributes to the common purpose; everyone works for the common good, not denying each person’s individuality but encouraging and supporting it. They may quarrel, but there is something that does not change: the family bond. Family disputes are always resolved afterwards. The joys and sorrows of each of its members are felt by all. That is what it means to be a family! If only we could view our political opponents or neighbours in the same way that we view our children or our spouse, mother or father! How good would this be! Do we love our society or is it still something remote, something anonymous that does not involve us, something to which we are not committed?”[215]
231. Negotiation often becomes necessary for shaping concrete paths to peace. Yet the processes of change that lead to lasting peace are crafted above all by peoples; each individual can act as an effective leaven by the way he or she lives each day. Great changes are not produced behind desks or in offices. This means that “everyone has a fundamental role to play in a single great creative project: to write a new page of history, a page full of hope, peace and reconciliation”.[216] There is an “architecture” of peace, to which different institutions of society contribute, each according to its own area of expertise, but there is also an “art” of peace that involves us all. From the various peace processes that have taken place in different parts of the world, “we have learned that these ways of making peace, of placing reason above revenge, of the delicate harmony between politics and law, cannot ignore the involvement of ordinary people. Peace is not achieved by normative frameworks and institutional arrangements between well-meaning political or economic groups… It is always helpful to incorporate into our peace processes the experience of those sectors that have often been overlooked, so that communities themselves can influence the development of a collective memory”.[217]
232. There is no end to the building of a country’s social peace; rather, it is “an open-ended endeavour, a never-ending task that demands the commitment of everyone and challenges us to work tirelessly to build the unity of the nation. Despite obstacles, differences and varying perspectives on the way to achieve peaceful coexistence, this task summons us to persevere in the struggle to promote a ‘culture of encounter’. This requires us to place at the centre of all political, social and economic activity the human person, who enjoys the highest dignity, and respect for the common good. May this determination help us flee from the temptation for revenge and the satisfaction of short-term partisan interests”.[218] Violent public demonstrations, on one side or the other, do not help in finding solutions. Mainly because, as the Bishops of Colombia have rightly noted, the “origins and objectives of civil demonstrations are not always clear; certain forms of political manipulation are present and in some cases they have been exploited for partisan interests”.[219]
Beginning with the least
233. Building social friendship does not only call for rapprochement between groups who took different sides at some troubled period of history, but also for a renewed encounter with the most impoverished and vulnerable sectors of society. For peace “is not merely absence of war but a tireless commitment – especially on the part of those of us charged with greater responsibility – to recognize, protect and concretely restore the dignity, so often overlooked or ignored, of our brothers and sisters, so that they can see themselves as the principal protagonists of the destiny of their nation”.[220]
234. Often, the more vulnerable members of society are the victims of unfair generalizations. If at times the poor and the dispossessed react with attitudes that appear antisocial, we should realize that in many cases those reactions are born of a history of scorn and social exclusion. The Latin American Bishops have observed that “only the closeness that makes us friends can enable us to appreciate deeply the values of the poor today, their legitimate desires, and their own manner of living the faith. The option for the poor should lead us to friendship with the poor”.[221]
235. Those who work for tranquil social coexistence should never forget that inequality and lack of integral human development make peace impossible. Indeed, “without equal opportunities, different forms of aggression and conflict will find a fertile terrain for growth and eventually explode. When a society – whether local, national or global – is willing to leave a part of itself on the fringes, no political programmes or resources spent on law enforcement or surveillance systems can indefinitely guarantee tranquility”.[222] If we have to begin anew, it must always be from the least of our brothers and sisters.
THE VALUE AND MEANING OF FORGIVENESS
236. There are those who prefer not to talk of reconciliation, for they think that conflict, violence and breakdown are part of the normal functioning of a society. In any human group there are always going to be more or less subtle power struggles between different parties. Others think that promoting forgiveness means yielding ground and influence to others. For this reason, they feel it is better to keep things as they are, maintaining a balance of power between differing groups. Still others believe that reconciliation is a sign of weakness; incapable of truly serious dialogue, they choose to avoid problems by ignoring injustices. Unable to deal with problems, they opt for an apparent peace.
Inevitable conflict
237. Forgiveness and reconciliation are central themes in Christianity and, in various ways, in other religions. Yet there is a risk that an inadequate understanding and presentation of these profound convictions can lead to fatalism, apathy and injustice, or even intolerance and violence.
238. Jesus never promoted violence or intolerance. He openly condemned the use of force to gain power over others: “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. It will not be so among you” (Mt 20:25-26). Instead, the Gospel tells us to forgive “seventy times seven” (Mt 18:22) and offers the example of the unmerciful servant who was himself forgiven, yet unable to forgive others in turn (cf. Mt 18:23-35).
239. Reading other texts of the New Testament, we can see how the early Christian communities, living in a pagan world marked by widespread corruption and aberrations, sought to show unfailing patience, tolerance and understanding. Some texts are very clear in this regard: we are told to admonish our opponents “with gentleness” (2 Tim 2:25) and encouraged “to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling, to be gentle, and to show every courtesy to everyone. For we ourselves were once foolish” (Tit 3:2-3). The Acts of the Apostles notes that the disciples, albeit persecuted by some of the authorities, “had favour with all the people” (2:47; cf. 4:21.33; 5:13).
240. Yet when we reflect upon forgiveness, peace and social harmony, we also encounter the jarring saying of Christ: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s foes will be members of his own household” (Mt 10:34-36). These words need to be understood in the context of the chapter in which they are found, where it is clear that Jesus is speaking of fidelity to our decision to follow him; we are not to be ashamed of that decision, even if it entails hardships of various sorts, and even our loved ones refuse to accept it. Christ’s words do not encourage us to seek conflict, but simply to endure it when it inevitably comes, lest deference to others, for the sake of supposed peace in our families or society, should detract from our own fidelity. Saint John Paul II observed that the Church “does not intend to condemn every possible form of social conflict. The Church is well aware that in the course of history conflicts of interest between different social groups inevitably arise, and that in the face of such conflicts Christians must often take a position, honestly and decisively”.[223]
Legitimate conflict and forgiveness
241. Nor does this mean calling for forgiveness when it involves renouncing our own rights, confronting corrupt officials, criminals or those who would debase our dignity. We are called to love everyone, without exception; at the same time, loving an oppressor does not mean allowing him to keep oppressing us, or letting him think that what he does is acceptable. On the contrary, true love for an oppressor means seeking ways to make him cease his oppression; it means stripping him of a power that he does not know how to use, and that diminishes his own humanity and that of others. Forgiveness does not entail allowing oppressors to keep trampling on their own dignity and that of others, or letting criminals continue their wrongdoing. Those who suffer injustice have to defend strenuously their own rights and those of their family, precisely because they must preserve the dignity they have received as a loving gift from God. If a criminal has harmed me or a loved one, no one can forbid me from demanding justice and ensuring that this person – or anyone else – will not harm me, or others, again. This is entirely just; forgiveness does not forbid it but actually demands it.
242. The important thing is not to fuel anger, which is unhealthy for our own soul and the soul of our people, or to become obsessed with taking revenge and destroying the other. No one achieves inner peace or returns to a normal life in that way. The truth is that “no family, no group of neighbours, no ethnic group, much less a nation, has a future if the force that unites them, brings them together and resolves their differences is vengeance and hatred. We cannot come to terms and unite for the sake of revenge, or treating others with the same violence with which they treated us, or plotting opportunities for retaliation under apparently legal auspices”.[224] Nothing is gained this way and, in the end, everything is lost.
243. To be sure, “it is no easy task to overcome the bitter legacy of injustices, hostility and mistrust left by conflict. It can only be done by overcoming evil with good (cf. Rom 12:21) and by cultivating those virtues which foster reconciliation, solidarity and peace”.[225] In this way, “persons who nourish goodness in their heart find that such goodness leads to a peaceful conscience and to profound joy, even in the midst of difficulties and misunderstandings. Even when affronted, goodness is never weak but rather, shows its strength by refusing to take revenge”.[226] Each of us should realize that “even the harsh judgment I hold in my heart against my brother or my sister, the open wound that was never cured, the offense that was never forgiven, the rancour that is only going to hurt me, are all instances of a struggle that I carry within me, a little flame deep in my heart that needs to be extinguished before it turns into a great blaze”.[227]
The best way to move on
244. When conflicts are not resolved but kept hidden or buried in the past, silence can lead to complicity in grave misdeeds and sins. Authentic reconciliation does not flee from conflict, but is achieved in conflict, resolving it through dialogue and open, honest and patient negotiation. Conflict between different groups “if it abstains from enmities and mutual hatred, gradually changes into an honest discussion of differences founded on a desire for justice”.[228]
245. On numerous occasions, I have spoken of “a principle indispensable to the building of friendship in society: namely, that unity is greater than conflict… This is not to opt for a kind of syncretism, or for the absorption of one into the other, but rather for a resolution which takes place on a higher plane and preserves what is valid and useful on both sides”.[229] All of us know that “when we, as individuals and communities, learn to look beyond ourselves and our particular interests, then understanding and mutual commitment bear fruit… in a setting where conflicts, tensions and even groups once considered inimical can attain a multifaceted unity that gives rise to new life”.[230]
246. Of those who have endured much unjust and cruel suffering, a sort of “social forgiveness” must not be demanded. Reconciliation is a personal act, and no one can impose it upon an entire society, however great the need to foster it. In a strictly personal way, someone, by a free and generous decision, can choose not to demand punishment (cf. Mt 5:44-46), even if it is quite legitimately demanded by society and its justice system. However, it is not possible to proclaim a “blanket reconciliation” in an effort to bind wounds by decree or to cover injustices in a cloak of oblivion. Who can claim the right to forgive in the name of others? It is moving to see forgiveness shown by those who are able to leave behind the harm they suffered, but it is also humanly understandable in the case of those who cannot. In any case, forgetting is never the answer.
247. The Shoah must not be forgotten. It is “the enduring symbol of the depths to which human evil can sink when, spurred by false ideologies, it fails to recognize the fundamental dignity of each person, which merits unconditional respect regardless of ethnic origin or religious belief”.[231] As I think of it, I cannot help but repeat this prayer: “Lord, remember us in your mercy. Grant us the grace to be ashamed of what we men have done, to be ashamed of this massive idolatry, of having despised and destroyed our own flesh which you formed from the earth, to which you gave life with your own breath of life. Never again, Lord, never again!”.[232]
248. Nor must we forget the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Once again, “I pay homage to all the victims, and I bow before the strength and dignity of those who, having survived those first moments, for years afterward bore in the flesh immense suffering, and in their spirit seeds of death that drained their vital energy… We cannot allow present and future generations to lose the memory of what happened. It is a memory that ensures and encourages the building of a more fair and fraternal future”.[233] Neither must we forget the persecutions, the slave trade and the ethnic killings that continue in various countries, as well as the many other historical events that make us ashamed of our humanity. They need to be remembered, always and ever anew. We must never grow accustomed or inured to them.
249. Nowadays, it is easy to be tempted to turn the page, to say that all these things happened long ago and we should look to the future. For God’s sake, no! We can never move forward without remembering the past; we do not progress without an honest and unclouded memory. We need to “keep alive the flame of collective conscience, bearing witness to succeeding generations to the horror of what happened”, because that witness “awakens and preserves the memory of the victims, so that the conscience of humanity may rise up in the face of every desire for dominance and destruction”.[234] The victims themselves – individuals, social groups or nations – need to do so, lest they succumb to the mindset that leads to justifying reprisals and every kind of violence in the name of the great evil endured. For this reason, I think not only of the need to remember the atrocities, but also all those who, amid such great inhumanity and corruption, retained their dignity and, with gestures small or large, chose the part of solidarity, forgiveness and fraternity. To remember goodness is also a healthy thing.
Forgiving but not forgetting
250. Forgiving does not mean forgetting. Or better, in the face of a reality that can in no way be denied, relativized or concealed, forgiveness is still possible. In the face of an action that can never be tolerated, justified or excused, we can still forgive. In the face of something that cannot be forgotten for any reason, we can still forgive. Free and heartfelt forgiveness is something noble, a reflection of God’s own infinite ability to forgive. If forgiveness is gratuitous, then it can be shown even to someone who resists repentance and is unable to beg pardon.
251. Those who truly forgive do not forget. Instead, they choose not to yield to the same destructive force that caused them so much suffering. They break the vicious circle; they halt the advance of the forces of destruction. They choose not to spread in society the spirit of revenge that will sooner or later return to take its toll. Revenge never truly satisfies victims. Some crimes are so horrendous and cruel that the punishment of those who perpetrated them does not serve to repair the harm done. Even killing the criminal would not be enough, nor could any form of torture prove commensurate with the sufferings inflicted on the victim. Revenge resolves nothing.
252. This does not mean impunity. Justice is properly sought solely out of love of justice itself, out of respect for the victims, as a means of preventing new crimes and protecting the common good, not as an alleged outlet for personal anger. Forgiveness is precisely what enables us to pursue justice without falling into a spiral of revenge or the injustice of forgetting.
253. When injustices have occurred on both sides, it is important to take into clear account whether they were equally grave or in any way comparable. Violence perpetrated by the state, using its structures and power, is not on the same level as that perpetrated by particular groups. In any event, one cannot claim that the unjust sufferings of one side alone should be commemorated. The Bishops of Croatia have stated that, “we owe equal respect to every innocent victim. There can be no racial, national, confessional or partisan differences”.[235]
254. I ask God “to prepare our hearts to encounter our brothers and sisters, so that we may overcome our differences rooted in political thinking, language, culture and religion. Let us ask him to anoint our whole being with the balm of his mercy, which heals the injuries caused by mistakes, misunderstandings and disputes. And let us ask him for the grace to send us forth, in humility and meekness, along the demanding but enriching path of seeking peace”.[236]
WAR AND THE DEATH PENALTY
255. There are two extreme situations that may come to be seen as solutions in especially dramatic circumstances, without realizing that they are false answers that do not resolve the problems they are meant to solve and ultimately do no more than introduce new elements of destruction in the fabric of national and global society. These are war and the death penalty.
The injustice of war
256. “Deceit is in the mind of those who plan evil, but those who counsel peace have joy” (Prov 12:20). Yet there are those who seek solutions in war, frequently fueled by a breakdown in relations, hegemonic ambitions, abuses of power, fear of others and a tendency to see diversity as an obstacle.[237] War is not a ghost from the past but a constant threat. Our world is encountering growing difficulties on the slow path to peace upon which it had embarked and which had already begun to bear good fruit.
257. Since conditions that favour the outbreak of wars are once again increasing, I can only reiterate that “war is the negation of all rights and a dramatic assault on the environment. If we want true integral human development for all, we must work tirelessly to avoid war between nations and peoples. To this end, there is a need to ensure the uncontested rule of law and tireless recourse to negotiation, mediation and arbitration, as proposed by the Charter of the United Nations, which constitutes truly a fundamental juridical norm”.[238] The seventy-five years since the establishment of the United Nations and the experience of the first twenty years of this millennium have shown that the full application of international norms proves truly effective, and that failure to comply with them is detrimental. The Charter of the United Nations, when observed and applied with transparency and sincerity, is an obligatory reference point of justice and a channel of peace. Here there can be no room for disguising false intentions or placing the partisan interests of one country or group above the global common good. If rules are considered simply as means to be used whenever it proves advantageous, and to be ignored when it is not, uncontrollable forces are unleashed that cause grave harm to societies, to the poor and vulnerable, to fraternal relations, to the environment and to cultural treasures, with irretrievable losses for the global community.
258. War can easily be chosen by invoking all sorts of allegedly humanitarian, defensive or precautionary excuses, and even resorting to the manipulation of information. In recent decades, every single war has been ostensibly “justified”. The Catechism of the Catholic Church speaks of the possibility of legitimate defence by means of military force, which involves demonstrating that certain “rigorous conditions of moral legitimacy”[239] have been met. Yet it is easy to fall into an overly broad interpretation of this potential right. In this way, some would also wrongly justify even “preventive” attacks or acts of war that can hardly avoid entailing “evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated”.[240] At issue is whether the development of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, and the enormous and growing possibilities offered by new technologies, have granted war an uncontrollable destructive power over great numbers of innocent civilians. The truth is that “never has humanity had such power over itself, yet nothing ensures that it will be used wisely”.[241] We can no longer think of war as a solution, because its risks will probably always be greater than its supposed benefits. In view of this, it is very difficult nowadays to invoke the rational criteria elaborated in earlier centuries to speak of the possibility of a “just war”. Never again war![242]
259. It should be added that, with increased globalization, what might appear as an immediate or practical solution for one part of the world initiates a chain of violent and often latent effects that end up harming the entire planet and opening the way to new and worse wars in the future. In today’s world, there are no longer just isolated outbreaks of war in one country or another; instead, we are experiencing a “world war fought piecemeal”, since the destinies of countries are so closely interconnected on the global scene.
260. In the words of Saint John XXIII, “it no longer makes sense to maintain that war is a fit instrument with which to repair the violation of justice”.[243] In making this point amid great international tension, he voiced the growing desire for peace emerging in the Cold War period. He supported the conviction that the arguments for peace are stronger than any calculation of particular interests and confidence in the use of weaponry. The opportunities offered by the end of the Cold War were not, however, adequately seized due to a lack of a vision for the future and a shared consciousness of our common destiny. Instead, it proved easier to pursue partisan interests without upholding the universal common good. The dread spectre of war thus began to gain new ground.
261. Every war leaves our world worse than it was before. War is a failure of politics and of humanity, a shameful capitulation, a stinging defeat before the forces of evil. Let us not remain mired in theoretical discussions, but touch the wounded flesh of the victims. Let us look once more at all those civilians whose killing was considered “collateral damage”. Let us ask the victims themselves. Let us think of the refugees and displaced, those who suffered the effects of atomic radiation or chemical attacks, the mothers who lost their children, and the boys and girls maimed or deprived of their childhood. Let us hear the true stories of these victims of violence, look at reality through their eyes, and listen with an open heart to the stories they tell. In this way, we will be able to grasp the abyss of evil at the heart of war. Nor will it trouble us to be deemed naive for choosing peace.
262. Rules by themselves will not suffice if we continue to think that the solution to current problems is deterrence through fear or the threat of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons. Indeed, “if we take into consideration the principal threats to peace and security with their many dimensions in this multipolar world of the twenty-first century as, for example, terrorism, asymmetrical conflicts, cybersecurity, environmental problems, poverty, not a few doubts arise regarding the inadequacy of nuclear deterrence as an effective response to such challenges. These concerns are even greater when we consider the catastrophic humanitarian and environmental consequences that would follow from any use of nuclear weapons, with devastating, indiscriminate and uncontainable effects, over time and space… We need also to ask ourselves how sustainable is a stability based on fear, when it actually increases fear and undermines relationships of trust between peoples. International peace and stability cannot be based on a false sense of security, on the threat of mutual destruction or total annihilation, or on simply maintaining a balance of power… In this context, the ultimate goal of the total elimination of nuclear weapons becomes both a challenge and a moral and humanitarian imperative… Growing interdependence and globalization mean that any response to the threat of nuclear weapons should be collective and concerted, based on mutual trust. This trust can be built only through dialogue that is truly directed to the common good and not to the protection of veiled or particular interests”.[244] With the money spent on weapons and other military expenditures, let us establish a global fund[245] that can finally put an end to hunger and favour development in the most impoverished countries, so that their citizens will not resort to violent or illusory solutions, or have to leave their countries in order to seek a more dignified life.
263. There is yet another way to eliminate others, one aimed not at countries but at individuals. It is the death penalty. Saint John Paul II stated clearly and firmly that the death penalty is inadequate from a moral standpoint and no longer necessary from that of penal justice.[246] There can be no stepping back from this position. Today we state clearly that “the death penalty is inadmissible”[247] and the Church is firmly committed to calling for its abolition worldwide.[248]
264. In the New Testament, while individuals are asked not to take justice into their own hands (cf. Rom 12:17.19), there is also a recognition of the need for authorities to impose penalties on evildoers (cf. Rom 13:4; 1 Pet 2:14). Indeed, “civic life, structured around an organized community, needs rules of coexistence, the wilful violation of which demands appropriate redress”.[249] This means that legitimate public authority can and must “inflict punishments according to the seriousness of the crimes”[250] and that judicial power be guaranteed a “necessary independence in the realm of law”.[251]
265. From the earliest centuries of the Church, some were clearly opposed to capital punishment. Lactantius, for example, held that “there ought to be no exception at all; that it is always unlawful to put a man to death”.[252] Pope Nicholas I urged that efforts be made “to free from the punishment of death not only each of the innocent, but all the guilty as well”.[253] During the trial of the murderers of two priests, Saint Augustine asked the judge not to take the life of the assassins with this argument: “We do not object to your depriving these wicked men of the freedom to commit further crimes. Our desire is rather that justice be satisfied without the taking of their lives or the maiming of their bodies in any part. And, at the same time, that by the coercive measures provided by the law, they be turned from their irrational fury to the calmness of men of sound mind, and from their evil deeds to some useful employment. This too is considered a condemnation, but who does not see that, when savage violence is restrained and remedies meant to produce repentance are provided, it should be considered a benefit rather than a mere punitive measure… Do not let the atrocity of their sins feed a desire for vengeance, but desire instead to heal the wounds which those deeds have inflicted on their souls”.[254]
266. Fear and resentment can easily lead to viewing punishment in a vindictive and even cruel way, rather than as part of a process of healing and reintegration into society. Nowadays, “in some political sectors and certain media, public and private violence and revenge are incited, not only against those responsible for committing crimes, but also against those suspected, whether proven or not, of breaking the law… There is at times a tendency to deliberately fabricate enemies: stereotyped figures who represent all the characteristics that society perceives or interprets as threatening. The mechanisms that form these images are the same that allowed the spread of racist ideas in their time”.[255] This has made all the more dangerous the growing practice in some countries of resorting to preventive custody, imprisonment without trial and especially the death penalty.
267. Here I would stress that “it is impossible to imagine that states today have no other means than capital punishment to protect the lives of other people from the unjust aggressor”. Particularly serious in this regard are so-called extrajudicial or extralegal executions, which are “homicides deliberately committed by certain states and by their agents, often passed off as clashes with criminals or presented as the unintended consequences of the reasonable, necessary and proportionate use of force in applying the law”.[256]
268. “The arguments against the death penalty are numerous and well-known. The Church has rightly called attention to several of these, such as the possibility of judicial error and the use made of such punishment by totalitarian and dictatorial regimes as a means of suppressing political dissidence or persecuting religious and cultural minorities, all victims whom the legislation of those regimes consider ‘delinquents’. All Christians and people of good will are today called to work not only for the abolition of the death penalty, legal or illegal, in all its forms, but also to work for the improvement of prison conditions, out of respect for the human dignity of persons deprived of their freedom. I would link this to life imprisonment… A life sentence is a secret death penalty”.[257]
269. Let us keep in mind that “not even a murderer loses his personal dignity, and God himself pledges to guarantee this”.[258] The firm rejection of the death penalty shows to what extent it is possible to recognize the inalienable dignity of every human being and to accept that he or she has a place in this universe. If I do not deny that dignity to the worst of criminals, I will not deny it to anyone. I will give everyone the possibility of sharing this planet with me, despite all our differences.
270. I ask Christians who remain hesitant on this point, and those tempted to yield to violence in any form, to keep in mind the words of the book of Isaiah: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares” (2:4). For us, this prophecy took flesh in Christ Jesus who, seeing a disciple tempted to violence, said firmly: “Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Mt 26:52). These words echoed the ancient warning: “I will require a reckoning for human life. Whoever sheds the blood of a man, by man shall his blood be shed” (Gen 9:5-6). Jesus’ reaction, which sprang from his heart, bridges the gap of the centuries and reaches the present as an enduring appeal.
RELIGIONS AT THE SERVICE OF FRATERNITY IN OUR WORLD
271. The different religions, based on their respect for each human person as a creature called to be a child of God, contribute significantly to building fraternity and defending justice in society. Dialogue between the followers of different religions does not take place simply for the sake of diplomacy, consideration or tolerance. In the words of the Bishops of India, “the goal of dialogue is to establish friendship, peace and harmony, and to share spiritual and moral values and experiences in a spirit of truth and love”.[259]
THE ULTIMATE FOUNDATION
272. As believers, we are convinced that, without an openness to the Father of all, there will be no solid and stable reasons for an appeal to fraternity. We are certain that “only with this awareness that we are not orphans, but children, can we live in peace with one another”.[260] For “reason, by itself, is capable of grasping the equality between men and of giving stability to their civic coexistence, but it cannot establish fraternity”.[261]
273. In this regard, I wish to cite the following memorable statement: “If there is no transcendent truth, in obedience to which man achieves his full identity, then there is no sure principle for guaranteeing just relations between people. Their self-interest as a class, group or nation would inevitably set them in opposition to one another. If one does not acknowledge transcendent truth, then the force of power takes over, and each person tends to make full use of the means at his disposal in order to impose his own interests or his own opinion, with no regard for the rights of others… The root of modern totalitarianism is to be found in the denial of the transcendent dignity of the human person who, as the visible image of the invisible God, is therefore by his very nature the subject of rights that no one may violate – no individual, group, class, nation or state. Not even the majority of the social body may violate these rights, by going against the minority”.[262]
274. From our faith experience and from the wisdom accumulated over centuries, but also from lessons learned from our many weaknesses and failures, we, the believers of the different religions, know that our witness to God benefits our societies. The effort to seek God with a sincere heart, provided it is never sullied by ideological or self-serving aims, helps us recognize one another as travelling companions, truly brothers and sisters. We are convinced that “when, in the name of an ideology, there is an attempt to remove God from a society, that society ends up adoring idols, and very soon men and women lose their way, their dignity is trampled and their rights violated. You know well how much suffering is caused by the denial of freedom of conscience and of religious freedom, and how that wound leaves a humanity which is impoverished, because it lacks hope and ideals to guide it”.[263]
275. It should be acknowledged that “among the most important causes of the crises of the modern world are a desensitized human conscience, a distancing from religious values and the prevailing individualism accompanied by materialistic philosophies that deify the human person and introduce worldly and material values in place of supreme and transcendental principles”.[264] It is wrong when the only voices to be heard in public debate are those of the powerful and “experts”. Room needs to be made for reflections born of religious traditions that are the repository of centuries of experience and wisdom. For “religious classics can prove meaningful in every age; they have an enduring power [to open new horizons, to stimulate thought, to expand the mind and the heart]”. Yet often they are viewed with disdain as a result of “the myopia of a certain rationalism”.[265]
276. For these reasons, the Church, while respecting the autonomy of political life, does not restrict her mission to the private sphere. On the contrary, “she cannot and must not remain on the sidelines” in the building of a better world, or fail to “reawaken the spiritual energy” that can contribute to the betterment of society.[266] It is true that religious ministers must not engage in the party politics that are the proper domain of the laity, but neither can they renounce the political dimension of life itself,[267] which involves a constant attention to the common good and a concern for integral human development. The Church “has a public role over and above her charitable and educational activities”. She works for “the advancement of humanity and of universal fraternity”.[268] She does not claim to compete with earthly powers, but to offer herself as “a family among families, this is the Church, open to bearing witness in today’s world, open to faith hope and love for the Lord and for those whom he loves with a preferential love. A home with open doors. The Church is a home with open doors, because she is a mother”.[269] And in imitation of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, “we want to be a Church that serves, that leaves home and goes forth from its places of worship, goes forth from its sacristies, in order to accompany life, to sustain hope, to be the sign of unity… to build bridges, to break down walls, to sow seeds of reconciliation”.[270]
Christian identity
277. The Church esteems the ways in which God works in other religions, and “rejects nothing of what is true and holy in these religions. She has a high regard for their manner of life and conduct, their precepts and doctrines which… often reflect a ray of that truth which enlightens all men and women”.[271] Yet we Christians are very much aware that “if the music of the Gospel ceases to resonate in our very being, we will lose the joy born of compassion, the tender love born of trust, the capacity for reconciliation that has its source in our knowledge that we have been forgiven and sent forth. If the music of the Gospel ceases to sound in our homes, our public squares, our workplaces, our political and financial life, then we will no longer hear the strains that challenge us to defend the dignity of every man and woman”.[272] Others drink from other sources. For us the wellspring of human dignity and fraternity is in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. From it, there arises, “for Christian thought and for the action of the Church, the primacy given to relationship, to the encounter with the sacred mystery of the other, to universal communion with the entire human family, as a vocation of all”.[273]
278. Called to take root in every place, the Church has been present for centuries throughout the world, for that is what it means to be “catholic”. She can thus understand, from her own experience of grace and sin, the beauty of the invitation to universal love. Indeed, “all things human are our concern… wherever the councils of nations come together to establish the rights and duties of man, we are honoured to be permitted to take our place among them”.[274] For many Christians, this journey of fraternity also has a Mother, whose name is Mary. Having received this universal motherhood at the foot of the cross (cf. Jn 19:26), she cares not only for Jesus but also for “the rest of her children” (cf. Rev 12:17). In the power of the risen Lord, she wants to give birth to a new world, where all of us are brothers and sisters, where there is room for all those whom our societies discard, where justice and peace are resplendent.
279. We Christians ask that, in those countries where we are a minority, we be guaranteed freedom, even as we ourselves promote that freedom for non-Christians in places where they are a minority. One fundamental human right must not be forgotten in the journey towards fraternity and peace. It is religious freedom for believers of all religions. That freedom proclaims that we can “build harmony and understanding between different cultures and religions. It also testifies to the fact that, since the important things we share are so many, it is possible to find a means of serene, ordered and peaceful coexistence, accepting our differences and rejoicing that, as children of the one God, we are all brothers and sisters”.[275]
280. At the same time, we ask God to strengthen unity within the Church, a unity enriched by differences reconciled by the working of the Spirit. For “in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body” (1 Cor 12:13), in which each member has his or her distinctive contribution to make. As Saint Augustine said, “the ear sees through the eye, and the eye hears through the ear”.[276] It is also urgent to continue to bear witness to the journey of encounter between the different Christian confessions. We cannot forget Christ’s desire “that they may all be one” (cf. Jn 17:21). Hearing his call, we recognize with sorrow that the process of globalization still lacks the prophetic and spiritual contribution of unity among Christians. This notwithstanding, “even as we make this journey towards full communion, we already have the duty to offer common witness to the love of God for all people by working together in the service of humanity”.[277]
RELIGION AND VIOLENCE
281. A journey of peace is possible between religions. Its point of departure must be God’s way of seeing things. “God does not see with his eyes, God sees with his heart. And God’s love is the same for everyone, regardless of religion. Even if they are atheists, his love is the same. When the last day comes, and there is sufficient light to see things as they really are, we are going to find ourselves quite surprised”.[278]
282. It follows that “we believers need to find occasions to speak with one another and to act together for the common good and the promotion of the poor. This has nothing to do with watering down or concealing our deepest convictions when we encounter others who think differently than ourselves… For the deeper, stronger and richer our own identity is, the more we will be capable of enriching others with our own proper contribution”.[279] We believers are challenged to return to our sources, in order to concentrate on what is essential: worship of God and love for our neighbour, lest some of our teachings, taken out of context, end up feeding forms of contempt, hatred, xenophobia or negation of others. The truth is that violence has no basis in our fundamental religious convictions, but only in their distortion.
283. Sincere and humble worship of God “bears fruit not in discrimination, hatred and violence, but in respect for the sacredness of life, respect for the dignity and freedom of others, and loving commitment to the welfare of all”.[280] Truly, “whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love” (1 Jn 4:8). For this reason, “terrorism is deplorable and threatens the security of people – be they in the East or the West, the North or the South – and disseminates panic, terror and pessimism, but this is not due to religion, even when terrorists instrumentalize it. It is due, rather, to an accumulation of incorrect interpretations of religious texts and to policies linked to hunger, poverty, injustice, oppression and pride. That is why it is so necessary to stop supporting terrorist movements fuelled by financing, the provision of weapons and strategy, and by attempts to justify these movements, even using the media. All these must be regarded as international crimes that threaten security and world peace. Such terrorism must be condemned in all its forms and expressions”.[281] Religious convictions about the sacred meaning of human life permit us “to recognize the fundamental values of our common humanity, values in the name of which we can and must cooperate, build and dialogue, pardon and grow; this will allow different voices to unite in creating a melody of sublime nobility and beauty, instead of fanatical cries of hatred”.[282]
284. At times fundamentalist violence is unleashed in some groups, of whatever religion, by the rashness of their leaders. Yet, “the commandment of peace is inscribed in the depths of the religious traditions that we represent… As religious leaders, we are called to be true ‘people of dialogue’, to cooperate in building peace not as intermediaries but as authentic mediators. Intermediaries seek to give everyone a discount, ultimately in order to gain something for themselves. The mediator, on the other hand, is one who retains nothing for himself, but rather spends himself generously until he is consumed, knowing that the only gain is peace. Each one of us is called to be an artisan of peace, by uniting and not dividing, by extinguishing hatred and not holding on to it, by opening paths of dialogue and not by constructing new walls”.[283]
285. In my fraternal meeting, which I gladly recall, with the Grand Imam Ahmad Al-Tayyeb, “we resolutely [declared] that religions must never incite war, hateful attitudes, hostility and extremism, nor must they incite violence or the shedding of blood. These tragic realities are the consequence of a deviation from religious teachings. They result from a political manipulation of religions and from interpretations made by religious groups who, in the course of history, have taken advantage of the power of religious sentiment in the hearts of men and women… God, the Almighty, has no need to be defended by anyone and does not want his name to be used to terrorize people”.[284] For this reason I would like to reiterate here the appeal for peace, justice and fraternity that we made together:
“In the name of God, who has created all human beings equal in rights, duties and dignity, and who has called them to live together as brothers and sisters, to fill the earth and make known the values of goodness, love and peace;
“In the name of innocent human life that God has forbidden to kill, affirming that whoever kills a person is like one who kills the whole of humanity, and that whoever saves a person is like one who saves the whole of humanity;
“In the name of the poor, the destitute, the marginalized and those most in need, whom God has commanded us to help as a duty required of all persons, especially the wealthy and those of means;
“In the name of orphans, widows, refugees and those exiled from their homes and their countries; in the name of all victims of wars, persecution and injustice; in the name of the weak, those who live in fear, prisoners of war and those tortured in any part of the world, without distinction;
“In the name of peoples who have lost their security, peace and the possibility of living together, becoming victims of destruction, calamity and war;
“In the name of human fraternity, that embraces all human beings, unites them and renders them equal;
“In the name of this fraternity torn apart by policies of extremism and division, by systems of unrestrained profit or by hateful ideological tendencies that manipulate the actions and the future of men and women;
“In the name of freedom, that God has given to all human beings, creating them free and setting them apart by this gift;
“In the name of justice and mercy, the foundations of prosperity and the cornerstone of faith;
“In the name of all persons of goodwill present in every part of the world;
“In the name of God and of everything stated thus far, [we] declare the adoption of a culture of dialogue as the path; mutual cooperation as the code of conduct; reciprocal understanding as the method and standard”.[285]
286. In these pages of reflection on universal fraternity, I felt inspired particularly by Saint Francis of Assisi, but also by others of our brothers and sisters who are not Catholics: Martin Luther King, Desmond Tutu, Mahatma Gandhi and many more. Yet I would like to conclude by mentioning another person of deep faith who, drawing upon his intense experience of God, made a journey of transformation towards feeling a brother to all. I am speaking of Blessed Charles de Foucauld.
287. Blessed Charles directed his ideal of total surrender to God towards an identification with the poor, abandoned in the depths of the African desert. In that setting, he expressed his desire to feel himself a brother to every human being,[286] and asked a friend to “pray to God that I truly be the brother of all”.[287] He wanted to be, in the end, “the universal brother”.[288] Yet only by identifying with the least did he come at last to be the brother of all. May God inspire that dream in each one of us. Amen.
A Prayer to the Creator
Lord, Father of our human family,
you created all human beings equal in dignity:
pour forth into our hearts a fraternal spirit
and inspire in us a dream of renewed encounter,
dialogue, justice and peace.
Move us to create healthier societies
and a more dignified world,
a world without hunger, poverty, violence and war.
May our hearts be open
to all the peoples and nations of the earth.
May we recognize the goodness and beauty
that you have sown in each of us,
and thus forge bonds of unity, common projects,
and shared dreams. Amen.
An Ecumenical Christian Prayer
O God, Trinity of love,
from the profound communion of your divine life,
pour out upon us a torrent of fraternal love.
Grant us the love reflected in the actions of Jesus,
in his family of Nazareth,
and in the early Christian community.
Grant that we Christians may live the Gospel,
discovering Christ in each human being,
recognizing him crucified
in the sufferings of the abandoned
and forgotten of our world,
and risen in each brother or sister
who makes a new start.
Come, Holy Spirit, show us your beauty,
reflected in all the peoples of the earth,
so that we may discover anew
that all are important and all are necessary,
different faces of the one humanity
that God so loves. Amen.
Given in Assisi, at the tomb of Saint Francis, on 3 October, Vigil of the Feast of the Saint, in the year 2020, the eighth of my Pontificate.
Franciscus
[1] Admonitions, 6, 1. English translation in Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, vol 1., New York, London, Manila (1999), 131.
[2] Ibid., 25: op. cit., 136.
[3] SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI, Earlier Rule of the Friars Minor (Regula non bullata), 16: 3.6: op. cit. 74.
[4] ELOI LECLERC, O.F.M., Exil et tendresse, Éd. Franciscaines, Paris, 1962, 205.
[5] Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, Abu Dhabi (4 February 2019): L’Osservatore Romano, 4-5 February 2019, p. 6.
[6] Address at the Ecumenical and Interreligious Meeting with Young People, Skopje, North Macedonia (7 May 2019): L’Osservatore Romano, 9 May 2019, p. 9.
[7] Address to the European Parliament, Strasbourg (25 November 2014): AAS 106 (2014), 996.
[8] Meeting with Authorities, Civil Society and the Diplomatic Corps, Santiago, Chile (16 January 2018): AAS 110 (2018), 256.
[9] BENEDICT XVI, Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate (29 June 2009), 19: AAS 101 (2009), 655.
[10] Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christus vivit (25 March 2019), 181.
[11] CARDINAL RAÚL SILVA HENRÍQUEZ, Homily at the Te Deum, Santiago de Chile (18 September 1974).
[12] Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ (24 May 2015), 57: AAS 107 (2015), 869.
[13] Address to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See (11 January 2016): AAS 108 (2016), 120.
[14] Address to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See (13 January 2014): AAS 106 (2014), 83-84.
[15] Cf. Address to the “Centesimus Annus pro Pontifice” Foundation (25 May 2013): Insegnamenti I, 1 (2013), 238.
[16] Cf. SAINT PAUL VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio (26 March 1967): AAS 59 (1967), 264.
[17] BENEDICT XVI, Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate (29 June 2009), 22: AAS 101 (2009), 657.
[18] Address to the Civil Authorities, Tirana, Albania (21 September 2014): AAS 106 (2014), 773.
[19] Message to Participants in the International Conference “Human Rights in the Contemporary World: Achievements, Omissions, Negations” (10 December 2018): L’Osservatore Romano, 10-11 December 2018, p. 8.
[20] Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (24 November 2013), 212: AAS 105 (2013), 1108.
[21] Message for the 2015 World Day of Peace (8 December 2014), 3-4: AAS 107 (2015), 69-71.
[22] Ibid., 5: AAS 107 (2015), 72.
[23] Message for the 2016 World Day of Peace (8 December 2015), 2: AAS 108 (2016), 49.
[24] Message fro the 2020 World Day of Peace (8 December 2019), 1: L’Osservatore Romano, 13 December 2019, p. 8.
[25] Address on Nuclear Weapons, Nagasaki, Japan (24 November 2019): L’Osservatore Romano, 25-26 November 2019, p. 6.
[26] Dialogue with Students and Teachers of the San Carlo College in Milan (6 April 2019): L’Osservatore Romano, 8-9 April 2019, p. 6.
[27] Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, Abu Dhabi (4 February 2019): L’Osservatore Romano, 4-5 February 2019, p. 6.
[28] Address to the World of Culture, Cagliari, Italy (22 September 2013): L’Osservatore Romano, 23-24 September 2013, p. 7.
[29] Humana Communitas. Letter to the President of the Pontifical Academy for Life on the Twenty-fifth Anniversary of its Founding (6 January 2019), 2.6: L’Osservatore Romano, 16 January 2019, pp. 6-7.
[30] Video Message to the TED Conference in Vancouver (26 April 2017): L’Osservatore Romano, 27 April 2017, p. 7.
[31] Extraordinary Moment of Prayer in Time of Epidemic (27 March 2020): L’Osservatore Romano, 29 March 2020, p. 10.
[32] Homily in Skopje, North Macedonia (7 May 2019): L’Osservatore Romano, 8 May 2019, p. 12.
[33] Cf. Aeneid 1, 462: “Sunt lacrimae rerum et mentem mortalia tangunt”.
[34] “Historia… magistra vitae” (CICERO, De Oratore, 2, 6).
[35] Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ (24 May 2015), 204: AAS 107 (2015), 928.
[36] Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christus Vivit (25 March 2019), 91.
[37] Ibid., 92.
[39] BENEDICT XVI, Message for the 2013 World Day of Migrants and Refugees (12 October 2012): AAS 104 (2012), 908.
[41] Message for the 2020 World Day of Migrants and Refugees (13 May 2020): L’Osservatore Romano, 16 May 2020, p. 8.
[43] Address to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See (13 January 2014): AAS 106 (2014), 84.
[45] Message for the 2019 World Day of Migrants and Refugees (27 May 2019): L’Osservatore Romano, 27-28 May 2019, p. 8.
[48] Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate (19 March 2018), 115.
[49] From the film Pope Francis: A Man of His Word, by Wim Wenders (2018).
[50] Address to Authorities, Civil Society and the Diplomatic Corps, Tallinn, Estonia (25 September 2018): L’Osservatore Romano, 27 September 2018, p. 7.
[51] Cf. Extraordinary Moment of Prayer in Time of Epidemic (27 March 2020): L’Osservatore Romano, 29 March 2020, p. 10; Message for the 2020 World Day of the Poor (13 June 2020), 6: L’Osservatore Romano, 14 June 2020, p. 8.
[52] Greeting to Young People at the Padre Félix Varela Cultural Centre, Havana, Cuba (20 September 2015): L’Osservatore Romano, 21-22 September 2015, p. 6.
[53] SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 1.
[54] SAINT IRENAEUS OF LYONS, Adversus Haereses, II, 25, 2: PG 7/1, 798ff.
[55] Talmud Bavli (Babylonian Talmud), Shabbat, 31a.
[56] Address to Those Assisted by the Charitable Works of the Church, Tallinn, Estonia (25 September 2018): L’Osservatore Romano, 27 September 2018, p. 8.
[57] Video Message to the TED Conference in Vancouver (26 April 2017):L’Osservatore Romano, 27 April 2017, p. 7.
[58] Homiliae in Matthaeum, 50: 3-4: PG 58, 508.
[59] Message to the Meeting of Popular Movements, Modesto, California, United States of America (10 February 2017): AAS 109 (2017), 291.
[61] SAINT JOHN PAUL II, Message to the Handicapped, Angelus in Osnabrück, Germany (16 November 1980): Insegnamenti III, 2 (1980), 1232.
[62] SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes, 24.
[63] Gabriel Marcel, Du refus à l’invocation, ed. NRF, Paris, 1940, 50.
[64] Angelus (10 November 2019): L’Osservatore Romano, 11-12 November 2019, 8.
[65] Cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas: Scriptum super Sententiis, lib. 3, dist. 27, q. 1, a. 1, ad 4: “Dicitur amor extasim facere et fervere, quia quod fervet extra se bullit et exhalat”.
[66] Karol Wojtyła, Love and Responsibility, London, 1982, 126.
[67] Karl Rahner, Kleines Kirchenjahr. Ein Gang durch den Festkreis, Herderbücherei 901, Freiburg, 1981, 30.
[68] Regula, 53, 15: “Pauperum et peregrinorum maxime susceptioni cura sollicite exhibeatur”.
[69] Cf. Summa Theologiae, II-II, q. 23, a. 7; Saint Augustine, Contra Julianum, 4, 18: PL 44, 748: “How many pleasures do misers forego, either to increase their treasures or for fear of seeing them diminish!”.
[70] “Secundum acceptionem divinam” (Scriptum super Sententiis, lib. 3, dist. 27, a. 1, q. 1, concl. 4).
[71] Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est (25 December 2005), 15: AAS 98 (2006), 230.
[72] Summa Theologiae II-II, q. 27, a. 2, resp.
[73] Cf. ibid., I-II, q. 26, a. 3, resp.
[74] Ibid., q. 110, a. 1, resp.
[76] Cf. Angelus (29 December 2013): L’Osservatore Romano, 30-31 December 2013, p. 7; Address to the Diplomatic Corps Accredited to the Holy See (12 January 2015): AAS 107 (2015), 165.
[77] Message for the World Day of Persons with Disabilities (3 December 2019): L’Osservatore Romano, 4 December 2019, 7.
[78] Address to the Meeting for Religious Liberty with the Hispanic Community and Immigrant Groups, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America (26 September 2015): AAS 107 (2015), 1050-1051.
[79] Address to Young People, Tokyo, Japan (25 November 2019): L’Osservatore Romano, 25-26 November 2019, 10.
[80] In these considerations, I have been inspired by the thought of Paul Ricoeur, “Le socius et le prochain”, in Histoire et Verité, ed. Le Seuil, Paris, 1967, 113-127.
[82] Ibid., 209: AAS 105 (2013), 1107.
[84] Message for the “Economy of Francesco” Event (1 May 2019): L’Osservatore Romano, 12 May 2019, 8.
[85] Address to the European Parliament, Strasbourg (25 November 2014): AAS 106 (2014), 997.
86] Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ (24 May 2015), 229: AAS 107 (2015), 937.
[87] Message for the 2016 World Day of Peace (8 December 2015), 6: AAS 108 (2016), 57-58.
[88] Solidity is etymologically related to “solidarity”. Solidarity, in the ethical-political meaning that it has taken on in the last two centuries, results in a secure and firm social compact.
[89] Homily, Havana, Cuba (20 September 2015): L’Osservatore Romano, 21-22 September 2015, 8.
[90] Address to Participants in the Meeting of Popular Movements (28 October 2014): AAS 106 (2014), 851-852.
[91] Cf. Saint Basil, Homilia XXI, Quod rebus mundanis adhaerendum non sit, 3.5: PG 31, 545-549; Regulae brevius tractatae, 92: PG 31, 1145-1148; Saint peter chrysologus, Sermo 123: PL 52, 536-540; Saint Ambrose, De Nabuthe, 27.52: PL 14, 738ff.; Saint Augustine, In Iohannis Evangelium, 6, 25: PL 35, 1436ff.
[92] De Lazaro Concio, II, 6: PG 48, 992D.
[93] Regula Pastoralis, III, 21: PL 77, 87.
[94] Saint John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus (1 May 1991), 31: AAS 83 (1991), 831.
[96] Saint John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Laborem Exercens (14 September 1981), 19: AAS 73 (1981), 626.
[97] Cf.Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 172.
[98]Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio (26 March 1967): AAS 59 (1967), 268.
[99] Saint John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (30 December 1987), 33: AAS 80 (1988), 557.
[100] Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ (24 May 2015), 95: AAS 107 (2015), 885.
[101] Ibid., 129: AAS 107 (2015), 899.
[102] Cf. Saint Paul VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio (26 March 1967): AAS 59 (1967), 265; Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate (29 June 2009), 16: AAS 101 (2009), 652.
[103] Cf. Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ (24 May 2015), 93: AAS 107 (2015), 884-885; Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (24 November 2013), 189-190: AAS 105 (2013), 1099-1100.
[104] United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Pastoral Letter Against Racism Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love (November 2018).
[106] Cf. Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate (29 June 2009), 6: AAS 101 (2009), 644.
[107] Saint John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus (1 May 1991), 35: AAS 83 (1991), 838.
[108] Address on Nuclear Weapons, Nagasaki, Japan (24 November 2019): L’Osservatore Romano, 25-26 November 2019, 6.
[109] Cf. CATHOLIC BISHOPS OF MEXICO AND THE UNITED STATES, A Pastoral Letter Concerning Migration: “Strangers No Longer Together on the Journey of Hope” (January 2003).
[110] General Audience (3 April 2019): L’Osservatore Romano, 4 April 2019, p. 8.
[111] Cf. Message for the 2018 World Day of Migrants and Refugees (14 January 2018): AAS 109 (2017), 918-923.
112] Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, Abu Dhabi (4 February 2019): L’Osservatore Romano, 4-5 February 2019, p. 7.
[113] Address to the Diplomatic Corps Accredited to the Holy See, 11 January 2016: AAS 108 (2016), 124.
[114] Ibid., 122.
[115] Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christus Vivit (25 March 2019), 93.
[116] Ibid., 94.
[117] Address to Authorities, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (6 June 2015): L’Osservatore Romano, 7 June 2015, p. 7.
[118] Latinoamérica. Conversaciones con Hernán Reyes Alcaide, ed. Planeta, Buenos Aires, 2017, 105.[119] Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, Abu Dhabi (4 February 2019): L’Osservatore Romano, 4-5 February 2019, p. 7.
[120] BENEDICT XVI, Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate (29 June 2009), 67: AAS 101 (2009), 700.
[121] Ibid., 60: AAS 101 (2009), 695.
[123] PONTIFICAL COUNCIL FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 447.
[124] Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (24 November 2013), 234: AAS 105 (2013), 1115.
[125] Ibid., 235: AAS 105 (2013), 1115.
[126] Ibid.
[127] SAINT JOHN PAUL II, Address to Representatives of Argentinian Culture, Buenos Aires, Argentina (12 April 1987), 4: L’Osservatore Romano, 14 April 1987, p. 7.
[128] Cf. ID., Address to the Roman Curia (21 December 1984), 4: AAS 76 (1984), 506.
[129] Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Querida Amazonia (2 February 2020), 37.
[130] GEORG SIMMEL, Brücke und Tür. Essays des Philosophen zur Geschichte, Religion, Kunst und Gesellschaft, ed. Michael Landmann, Köhler-Verlag, Stuttgart, 1957, 6.
[131] Cf. JAIME HOYOS-VÁSQUEZ, S.J., “Lógica de las relaciones sociales. Reflexión onto-lógica”, Revista Universitas Philosophica, 15-16 (December 1990-June 1991), Bogotá, 95-106.
[132] ANTONIO SPADARO, S.J., Le orme di un pastore. Una conversazione con Papa Francesco, in JORGE MARIO BERGOLIO – PAPA FRANCESCO, Nei tuoi occhi è la mia parola. Omelie e discorsi di Buenos Aires 1999-2013, Rizzoli, Milan 2016, XVI; cf. Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (24 November 2013), 220-221: AAS 105 (2013), 1110-1111.
[133] Apostolic Exaltation Evangelii Gaudium (24 November 2013), 204: AAS 105 (2013), 1106.
[134] Cf. ibid.: AAS 105 (2013), 1105-1106.
[136] Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ (24 May 2015), 128: AAS 107 (2015), 898.
[137] Address to the Diplomatic Corps Accredited to the Holy See (12 January 2015): AAS 107 (2015), 165; cf. Address to Participants in the World Meeting of Popular Movements (28 October 2014): AAS 106 (2014), 851-859.
[138] A similar point could be made with regard to the biblical category of the Kingdom of God.
[139] PAUL RICOEUR, Histoire et Verité, ed. Le Seuil Paris, 1967, 122.
[142] Address to Participants in the World Meeting of Popular Movements (28 October 2014): AAS 106 (2014), 858.
[144] Address to Participants in the World Meeting of Popular Movements (5 November 2016): L’Osservatore Romano, 7-8 November 2016, pp. 4-5.
[148] Address to the Members of the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization, New York (25 September 2015): AAS 107 (2015), 1037.
[149] Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ (24 May 2015), 175: AAS 107 (2015), 916-917.
[150] Cf. BENEDICT XVI, Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate (29 June 2009), 67: AAS 101 (2009), 700-701.
[151] Ibid.: AAS 101 (2009), 700.
[153] Address to the Members of the General Assembly of the United Nations Organization, New York (25 September 2015): AAS 107 (2015), 1037, 1041.
[155] SAINT JOHN PAUL II, Message for the 2004 World Day of Peace, 5: AAS 96 (2004), 117.
[157] Cf. SOCIAL COMMISSION OF THE BISHOPS OF FRANCE, Declaration Réhabiliter la Politique (17 February 1999).
[163] PORTUGUESE BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE, Pastoral Letter Responsabilidade Solidária pelo Bem Comum (15 September 2003), 20; cf. Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ (24 May 2015), 159: AAS 107 (2015), 911.
[165] PIUS XI, Address to the Italian Catholic Federation of University Students (18 December 1927): L’Osservatore Romano, 23 December 1927, p. 3.
[166] Cf. ID., Encyclical Letter Quadragesimo Anno (15 May 1931): AAS 23 (1931), 206-207.
[167] Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (24 November 2013), 205: AAS 105 (2013), 1106
[168] Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Caritas in Veritate (29 June 2009), 2: AAS 101 (2009), 642.
[172] SAINT JOHN PAUL II, Encyclical Letter Redemptor Hominis (4 March 1979), 15: AAS 71 (1979), 288.
[173] Cf. SAINT PAUL VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio (26 March 1967), 44: AAS 59 (1967), 279.
[176] Ibid., 3: AAS 101 (2009), 643.
[181] Catholic moral doctrine, following the teaching of Saint Thomas Aquinas, distinguishes between “elicited” and “commanded” acts; cf. Summa Theologiae, I-II, qq. 8-17; M. ZALBA, S.J., Theologiae Moralis Summa. Theologia Moralis Fundamentalis. Tractatus de Virtutibus Theologicis, ed. BAC, Madrid, 1952, vol. I, 69; A. ROYO MARÍN, Teología de la Perfección Cristiana, ed. BAC, Madrid, 1962, 192-196.
[183] Cf. SAINT JOHN PAUL II, Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis (30 December 1987), 42: AAS 80 (1988), 572-574; Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus (1 May 1991), 11: AAS 83 (1991), 806-807.
185] Address to the European Parliament, Strasbourg (25 November 2014): AAS 106 (2014), 999.
[186] Address at the Meeting with Authorities and the Diplomatic Corps in the Central African Republic, Bangui (29 November 2015): AAS 107 (2015), 1320.
[187] Address to the United Nations Organization, New York (25 September 2015): AAS 107 (2015), 1039.
[189] Document on Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, Abu Dhabi (4 February 2019): L’Osservatore Romano, 4-5 February 2019, p. 6.
[190] RENÉ VOILLAUME, Frères de tous, ed. Cerf, Paris, 1968, 12-13.
[191] Video Message to the TED Conference in Vancouver (26 April 2017): L’Osservatore Romano, 27 April 2017, p. 7.
[192] General Audience (18 February 2015): L’Osservatore Romano, 19 February 2015, p. 8.
[195] Message for the 2019 World Day of Peace (8 December 2018), 5: L’Osservatore Romano, 19 December 2018, p. 8.
[196] Meeting with Brazilian Political, Economic and Cultural Leaders, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (27 July 2013): AAS 105 (2013), 683-684.
[197] Apostolic Exhortation Querida Amazonia (2 February 2020), 108.
[198] From the film Pope Francis: A Man of His Word, by Wim Wenders (2018).
[199] Message for the 2014 World Communications Day (24 January 2014): AAS 106 (2014), 113.
[200] AUSTRALIAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE, Commission for Social Justice, Mission and Service, Making It Real: Genuine Human Encounter in Our Digital World (November 2019).
[202] SAINT JOHN PAUL II, Encyclical Letter Veritatis Splendor (6 August 1993), 96: AAS 85 (1993), 1209.
[203] As Christians, we also believe that God grants us his grace to enable us to act as brothers and sisters.
[204] VINICIUS DE MORAES, Samba da Benção, from the recording Um encontro no Au bon Gourmet, Rio de Janeiro (2 August 1962).
[208] Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia (19 March 2016), 100: AAS 108 (2016), 351.
[210] EPISCOPAL CONFERENCE OF THE CONGO, Message au Peuple de Dieu et aux femmes et aux hommes de bonne volonté (9 May 2018).
[211] Address at the National Reconciliation Encunter, Villavicencio, Colombia (8 September 2017): AAS 109 (2017), 1063-1064, 1066.
[213] SOUTHERN AFRICAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE, Pastoral Letter on Christian Hope in the Current Crisis (May 1986).
[214] CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE OF KOREA, Appeal of the Catholic Church in Korea for Peace on the Korean Peninsula (15 August 2017).
[215] Meeting with Political, Economic and Civic Leaders, Quito, Ecuador (7 July 2015): L’Osservatore Romano, 9 July 2015, p. 9.
[216] Interreligious Meeting with Youth, Maputo, Mozambique (5 September 2019): L’Osservatore Romano, 6 September 2019, p. 7.
[217] Homily, Cartagena de Indias, Colombia (10 September 2017): AAS 109 (2017), 1086.
[218] Meeting with Authorities, the Diplomatic Corps and Representatives of Civil Society, Bogotá, Colombia (7 September 2017): AAS 109 (2017), 1029.
[219] BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE OF COLOMBIA, Por el bien de Colombia: diálogo, reconciliación y desarrollo integral (26 November 2019), 4.
[220] Meeting with the Authorities, Civil Society and the Diplomatic Corps, Maputo, Mozambique (5 September 2019): L’Osservatore Romano, 6 September 2019, p. 6.
[221] FIFTH GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE LATIN AMERICAN AND CARIBBEAN BISHOPS, Aparecida Document (29 June 2007), 398.
[222] Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (24 November 2013), 59: AAS 105 (2013), 1044.
[223] Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus (1 May 1991), 14: AAS 83 (1991), 810.
[224] Homily at Mass for the Progress of Peoples, Maputo, Mozambique (6 September 2019): L’Osservatore Romano, 7 September 2019, p. 8.
[225] Arrival Ceremony, Colombo, Sri Lanka (13 January 2015): L’Osservatore Romano, 14 January 2015, p. 7.
[226] Meeting with the Children of the “Bethany Centre” and Representatives of other Charitable Centres of Albania, Tirana, Albania (21 September 2014): Insegnamenti II, 2 (2014), 288.
[228] PIUS XI, Encyclical Letter Quadragesimo Anno (15 May 1931): AAS 23 (1931), 213.
[230] Meeting with the Civil Authorities, Civil Society and the Diplomatic Corps, Riga, Latvia (24 September 2018): L’Osservatore Romano, 24-25 September 2018, p. 7.
[231] Arrival Ceremony, Tel Aviv, Israel (25 May 2014): Insegnamenti II, 1 (2014), 604.
[232] Visit to the Yad Vashem Memorial, Jerusalem (26 May 2014): AAS 106 (2014), 228.
[233] Address at the Peace Memorial, Hiroshima, Japan (24 November 2019): L’Osservatore Romano, 25-26 November 2019, p. 8.
[235] CROATIAN BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE, Letter on the Fiftieth Anniversary of the End of the Second World War (1 May 1995).
[236] Homily, Amman, Jordan (24 May 2014): Insegnamenti II, 1 (2014), 593.
[237] Cf. Message for the 2020 World Day of Peace (8 December 2019), 1: L’Osservatore Romano, 13 December 2019, p. 8.
[238] Address to the Members of the General Assembly of the United Nations, New York (25 September 2015): AAS 107 (2015), 1041.
[239] No. 2309.
[242] Saint Augustine, who forged a concept of “just war” that we no longer uphold in our own day, also said that “it is a higher glory still to stay war itself with a word, than to slay men with the sword, and to procure or maintain peace by peace, not by war” (Epistola 229, 2: PL 33, 1020).
[243] Encyclical Letter Pacem in Terris (11 April 1963): AAS 55 (1963), 291.
[244] Message to the United Nations Conference to Negotiate a Legally Binding Instrument to Prohibit Nuclear Weapons (23 March 2017): AAS 109 (2017), 394-396.
[245] Cf. SAINT PAUL VI, Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio (26 March 1967): AAS 59 (1967), 282.
[246] Cf. Encyclical Letter Evangelium Vitae (25 March 1995), 56: AAS 87 (1995), 463-464.
[247] Address on the Twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Promulgation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (11 October 2017): AAS 109 (2017), 1196.
[248] Cf. CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Letter to the Bishops Regarding the Revision of No. 2267 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the Death Penalty (1 August 2018): L’Osservatore Romano, 3 August 2018, p. 8.
[249] Address to Delegates of the International Association of Penal Law (23 October 2014): AAS 106 (2014), 840.
[251] SAINT JOHN PAUL II, Address to the National Association of Magistrates (31 March 2000), 4: AAS 92 (2000), 633.
[252] Divinae Institutiones VI, 20, 17: PL 6, 708.
[253] Epistola 97 (Responsa ad consulta Bulgarorum), 25: PL 119, 991. “ipsi (Christo) non solum innoxios quosque, verum etiam et noxios a mortis exitio satagite cunctos eruere…”.
[254] Epistola ad Marcellinum 133, 1.2: PL 33, 509.
[255] Address to Delegates of the International Association of Penal Law (23 October 2014): AAS 106 (2014), 840-841.
[258] SAINT JOHN PAUL II, Encyclical Letter Evangelium Vitae (25 March 1995), 9: AAS 87 (1995), 411.
[259] CATHOLIC BISHOPS’ CONFERENCE OF INDIA, Response of the Church in India to the Present-day Challenges (9 March 2016).
[260] Homily at Mass in Domus Sanctae Marthae (17 May 2020).
[263] Address to the Leaders of Other Religions and Other Christian Denominations, Tirana, Albania (21 September 2014): Insegnamenti II, 2 (2014), 277.
[266] BENEDICT XVI, Encyclical Letter Deus Caritas Est (25 December 2005), 28: AAS 98 (2006), 240.
[267] “Man is a political animal”, ARISTOTLE, Politics, 1253a 1-3.
[269] Address to the Catholic Community, Rakovski, Bulgaria (6 May 2019): L’Osservatore Romano, 8 May 2019, p. 9.
[270] Homily, Santiago de Cuba (22 September 2015): AAS 107 (2015), 1005.
[271] SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions Nostra Aetate, 2.
[272] Ecumenical Prayer Service, Riga, Latvia (24 September 2018): L’Osservatore Romano, 24-25 September 2018, p. 8.
[273] Lectio Divina, Pontifical Lateran University, Rome (26 March 2019): L’Osservatore Romano, 27 March 2019, p. 10.
[274] SAINT PAUL VI, Encyclical Letter Ecclesiam Suam (6 August 1964): AAS 56 (1964), 650.
[275] Address to the Civil Authorities, Bethlehem, Palestine (25 May 2014): Insegnamenti II, 1 (2014), 597.
[276] Enarrationes in Psalmos, 130, 6: PL 37, 1707.
[277] Common Declaration of Pope Francis and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Jerusalem (25 May 2014), 5: L’Osservatore Romano, 26-27 May 2014, p. 6.
[279] Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Querida Amazonia (2 February 2020), 106.
[280] Homily, Colombo, Sri Lanka (14 January 2015): AAS 107 (2015), 139.
[282] Address to Civil Authorities, Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina (6 June 2015): L’Osservatore Romano, 7 June 2015, p. 7.
[283] Address to the International Meeting for Peace organized by the Community of Sant’Egidio (30 September 2013): Insegnamenti I, 1 (2013), 301-302.
[286] Cf. CHARLES DE FOUCAULD, Méditation sur le Notre Père (23 January 1897).
[287] Letter to Henry de Castries (29 November 1901).
[288] Letter to Madame de Bondy (7 January 1902). Saint Paul VI used these words in praising his commitment: Encyclical Letter Populorum Progressio (26 March 1967): AAS 59 (1967), 263.
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The Worst US Consumer Banks
Paul Ausick
The recent $185 million fine assessed on Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) and the subsequent congressional hearings have deservedly put the big bank squarely in the media spotlight. But when it comes to the amount of fines Wells Fargo has paid and the number of consumer complaints against the bank, it is only the fifth-worst in the United States.
According to a report at ValuePenguin.com, Bank of America Corp. (NYSE: BAC) is the worst U.S. bank out of the 50 included in a recent analysis. It ranked 44th in number of consumer complaints, 48th in regulatory penalties and 34th in responsiveness to consumer issues.
Other banks that ranked worse than Wells Fargo are Barclays PLC (NYSE: BCS), HSBC Holdings PLC (NYSE: HSBC) and EverBank Financial Corp. (NYSE: EVER).
ValuePenguin used data collected by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to measure the number of complaints and a bank’s responsiveness to consumer issues. The best, in terms of number of complaints, were Raymond James Bank, Frost Bank, East West Bank and Rabobank, all with fewer than 100 complaints since the CFPB began collecting data in 2013.
The banks receiving the most complaints were Capital One Financial Inc. (NYSE: COF), with 17,177 complaints; Synchrony Financial (NYSE: SYF), 10,665 complaints; Barclays, 3,216; Discover, 5,365); and Santander, 4,524.
The most penalized banks for acts like mortgage abuses, credit card violations, bad securities and creating thousands of unwanted accounts were Bank of America, which has paid nearly $57 billion in fines, HSBC (just over $4 billion) and Barclays ($3.37 billion).
The nation’s largest banks are also the institutions that receive the most complaints. ValuePenguin lists the most penalized banks by state, and one of three big banks — Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) — tops the list in all 50 states.
ValuePenguin also spoke to a few experts in banking and financial services. Jim Angleton of Aegis FinServ said that consumers who bank at small regional and community banks have a better chance of avoiding predatory practices, especially at banks with assets under $1.5 billion. And the larger banks? Angleton said:
The bigger ones, to a certain point are very gamy. Regulators are cautious when writing up bigger banks and citing violations. They know once they issue their exit memorandum and citations for violation of regs, policy and procedures … they could be sued, challenged by official filing of complaint plus objection to findings. They actually are much harsher upon the smaller bank than the big ones.
And if anyone complains about the CFPB overreaching its authority, the report notes that the agency has collected $11 billion in consumer relief in its first four years operation. Georgetown University law professor Adam Levitin said:
These recoveries are even more remarkable given that they include a period of time when the CFPB was still ramping up its staffing and finding its sea legs, and do not include pending actions. In contrast, all of the federal bank regulators combined—the Federal Reserve, FDIC, OCC, OTS, and NCUA—plus the Federal Trade Commission achieved less than a billion in consumer relief over the decade prior to the operation of the CFPB despite these agencies having the very same power as the CFPB to prohibit unsafe and deceptive acts and practices.
[ValuePenguin] examined the top 50 retail banks in the United States as measured by their assets. We excluded corporate banks from our listing. The banks were obtained using iBanknet.com. We then scored each bank according to three separate metrics, which we break down below.
Complaints: We looked at over 600,000 complaints dating back to December 2011. They were logged against a number of financial products, including mortgages, credit reporting and bank accounts and services. For example, some banks did not properly credit a mortgage payment, charging consumers a late fee. The CFPB would then track several additional factors – whether the company responded in a timely manner, what the bank’s response was, and whether the company responded in a timely manner.
Regulatory Violations & Penalties: This category allowed us to keep track of how effective banks are at sticking to laws and regulations – most of which are aimed at protecting consumer rights. In our overall ranking, we considered penalties per asset, to control for the size of the institutions. Regulatory are sometimes decided on by scope. Therefore, a large institution violating a law may get fined more because more consumers were affected.
Responsiveness: Finally, it was important to factor in the effectiveness of each institution’s responses to consumer issues. We looked at three factors for this metric: were the responses to complaints timely? Did the institution provide relief to the consumer (either through a refund or a non-monetary compensation)? Did the consumer dispute the bank’s response to the issue? Most institutions responded to complaints in a timely manner 97-99% of the time. Because of this, we put less weight on this factor than the other two.
Read more: Banking & Finance, BAC, BCS, COF, EVER, HSBC, JPM, SYF, featured, Government Regulation, Research
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America's Biggest Banks May Be Forced to Lend to Gunmakers
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Margaret Ling, Barnard ’78, Professional Development; Membership (Barnard)
Margaret T. Ling has been a real estate attorney since 1986. Her real estate experience commenced with a private real estate practice for almost a decade. Prior to practicing as a real estate attorney, Margaret was a Law Clerk for Chief Judge Constance Baker Motley of the United States District Court - Southern District of New York. Following her clerkship, Margaret focused on the area of immigration law before transitioning into real estate law.
For the past twenty years, Margaret has been Senior Underwriting Counsel in the title insurance industry. In her multifacted positions, Margaret was responsible for all legal title underwriting; reading; clearing and processing all title files for closing. She coordinated all title underwriting requirements with the Agent's respective Title Underwriters and also addressed all post-closing escrow and policy matters. Margaret also held positions at the major New York Title Underwriters.
Margaret received her Bachelor of Arts degree in History, Cum Laude and Dean's List from Barnard College - Columbia University and her Juris Doctor degree from New York Law School. She's admitted to practice law in the State of New York, Appellate Division, and Second Department.
Margaret currently serves as Co-Chairperson of the Asian American Bar Association of New York Real Estate Committee and the Asia Practice Committee. Margaret was also a former Board of Director. In 2013, Margaret was awarded the "Most Valuable Player Award" for outstanding dedication and service to AABANY.
Her other Bar Association memberships include the New York Country Lawyer's Association where she is Co-Chairperson of the Asian Practice Committee; the National Asian Pacific Bar Association; the New York State Bar Association where she is a member of the Real Property Committee and the Diversity Committee; the Queens Asian Bar Association; the Korean Lawyers Association of Greater New York, and the Asian Pacific American Lawyer's Association of New Jersey.
This past January 2016, Margaret was elected as a Fellow of the New York Bar Foundation. Election as a Fellow recognizes outstanding achievement and dedication to the legal profession. Margaret was also featured in the Women in Real Estate Issue of the New York Real Estate Journal. Margaret is an active member of both the Staten Island Board of Realtors and the Brooklyn Real Estate Board. Margaret is a Board of Director of New York Law School Alumnae Association.
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The 6th Floor | Courting Athletes
Courting Athletes
By Dean Robinson
December 13, 2011 1:07 pm December 13, 2011 1:07 pm
Yesterday, Advertising Age published its list of the 10 best magazine covers of 2011, and among their number is the one at right, from August, which featured Andy Samberg channeling both Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe for us. You can revisit some behind-the-scenes pictures from its creation here.
The cover, along with half a dozen additional images inside that issue of the magazine, was taken by a photographer who just happened to show up in Sports Illustrated last week with a lengthy first-person account of his life in picture-making: “The Education of Walter Iooss Jr.” It’s a winning jaunt down a 50-year-long memory lane, full of fun and anecdotes about Iooss’s interactions with the likes of Michael Jordan (didn’t like his legs photographed), Reggie Jackson (anything for the picture), Barry Bonds (not nice), Muhammad Ali (funny, but silent) and LeBron James (galactic-size posse). You can read the story here, but you should try to get a print copy in order to see the many great photos that accompany it; the pictures of Tiger Woods and of Ali and Joe Frazier are particularly cool.
For all of Iooss’s go-anywhere, do-anything zest for every kind of sporting event, you get the sense he holds tennis in special regard. In one sidebar, he recounts a doubles match he played with Bjorn Borg and reveals: “Understand, I loved Borg. I named one of my sons Bjorn and the other Christian Bjorn.” Elsewhere he admits that Roger Federer is the “white whale” he most laments not having been assigned to photograph. And then there’s the other, non-Borg half of our cover.
“I was sort of obsessed with John McEnroe,” Iooss writes. In 1980, a Japanese company hired him to photograph only McEnroe for the duration of Wimbledon (the event and the year, as it happens, that Iooss and Samberg recreated for the magazine). It was not the beginning of a beautiful — or any other kind of — friendship.
So we get to the Wimbledon men’s singles final, and before the match starts I walk out to shoot McEnroe. He looks at me and says, “You [expletive] [expletive]. You [expletive] [expletive].” This is before the final. Really, this is what he’s going to spend his energy on?
He looks up at me and says, “You’re an assassin. You’re all assassins.” . . . He says, “Why can’t you use just one roll of film?”
In short, unlike his experiences with so many other subjects, from Jim Brown to Joe Montana to Paulina Porizkova, when it came to McEnroe, “We never did connect,” Iooss says.
Oh, well, he’ll always have Andy Samberg, at least.
What Goes With Glogg? Swedish Gingersnaps
The Meh List
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The Black Crowes to Reschedule Reunion Tour for 2021 [Update]
Jeff Cornell
Ethan Miller, Getty Images
UPDATE: All 2020 Black Crowes tour dates have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The reunion tour will be rescheduled for 2021 and an official statement from the band can be seen at the bottom of the page.
The Black Crowes have made it official. The band announced a lengthy reunion tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of their debut album Shake Your Money Maker. The 45-date trek kicks off in Austin, Texas on June 27 and wraps at The Forum in Los Angeles, Calif. on Sept. 19.
While billboards popped up in Los Angeles and New York City teasing the reunion, it was made official this morning (Nov. 11) on Howard Stern’s SiriusXM radio show. Stern announced the reunion of brothers Chris and Rich Robinson and shared that they will play the Crowes’ debut album in its entirety as well as their laundry list of hits.
Chris Robinson says of reuniting, "I'm thrilled & blessed to be playing with my brother celebrating the music we've made & bringing our lives together full circle. Long live Rock n' Roll & The Black Crowes!"
Rich Robinson adds, "First and foremost, I'm really happy to have my brother back in my life. To be able to play music again together and celebrate the first record we made as kids, is a gift. To have these songs stand up after 30 years is something I could've never fathomed."
The 2020 version of the Crowes will feature guitarist Isiah Mitchell of psych-rock band Earthless, veteran bassist Tim LeFebvre who appeared on David Bowie’s final album Blackstar and keyboardist Joel Robinow and drummer Ojha of Once and Future Band.
The Black Crowes join a wave of huge rock reunions announced over the past few weeks including My Chemical Romance and Rage Against the Machine.
In advance of the 2020 tour dates, the group will play a pair of intimate shows, starting tonight (Nov. 11) at New York's Bowery Ballroom, followed by a show this Thursday (Nov. 14) in Los Angeles at the Troubadour. More info about tickets for these shows will be shared via the band's Instagram page.
The Black Crowes last performed in February of 2014 and officially disbanded in 2015. Chris Robinson went on to record and tour with The Chris Robinson Brotherhood and put together As The Crow Flies last year to perform Black Crowes songs. While his brother Rich formed The Magpie Salute with former Crowes’ guitarist Marc Ford.
Tickets for The Black Crowes Present: Shake Your Money Maker Tour are on sale now here.
The Black Crowes Issue Statement on Reunion Tour Postponement
While Chris, Rich and the band were so excited to play for you all this summer, the North American Shake Your Money Maker 30th Anniversary tour dates are being rescheduled to 2021 in the interest of everyone’s health and safety. Hold on to your tickets as they will be honored at the new show dates. Keep an eye on this space and www.theblackcrowes.com for more information, to be announced soon.
The whole band and crew can’t wait to get back on the road as soon as its safe. Much love #TBC
POSTPONED - The Black Crowes Present: 'Shake Your Money Maker' Tour Dates:
June 17 – Austin, Texas @ Austin360 Amphitheater
June 19 – Dallas, Texas @ Dos Equis Pavilion
June 20 – Houston, Texas @ Mitchell Pavilion
June 23 – Tulsa, Okla, @ BOK Center
June 24 – Rogers, Ark. @ Walmart Amp
June 26 – Birmingham, Ala. @ Oak Mountain Amphitheater
June 27 – Atlanta, Ga. @ Cellairis Amphitheater at Lakewood
June 30 – W. Palm Beach, Fla. @ Coral Sky Amphitheatre
July 1 – Tampa, Fla. @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
July 3 – Charlotte, N.C. @ PNC Music Pavilion
July 4 – Raleigh, N.C. @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
July 7-8 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Ascend Amphitheatre
July 10 – Virginia Beach, Va. @ Veteran United Home Loans Amphitheater
July 11 – Washington, D.C. @ Jiffy Lube Live
July 14 – Camden, N.J. @ BB&T Pavilion
July 15 – Bethel, N.Y. @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
July 17 – Holmdel, N.J. @ PNC Bank Arts Center
July 18 – Wantagh, N.Y. @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
July 21 – Gilford, N.H. @ Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
July 22 – Boston, Mass. @ Xfinity Center
July 24 – Hartford, Ct. @ Xfinity Center
July 25 – Saratoga Springs, N.Y. @ SPAC
July 28 – Toronto, Ontario @ Budweiser Stage
July 29 – Detroit, Mich. @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
July 31 – Buffalo, N.Y. @ Darien Lake Amphitheatre
Aug. 1 – Pittsburgh, Pa. @ KeyBank Pavilion
Aug. 13 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ Xcel Energy Center
Aug. 15 – Chicago, Ill. @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Aug. 16 – Indianapolis, Ind. @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
Aug. 18 – Cleveland, Ohio @ Blossom Music Center
Aug. 20 – Cincinnati, Ohio @ Riverbend Music Center
Aug. 23 – St. Louis, Mo. @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Aug. 26 – Kansas City, Mo. @ Providence Medical Center Amphitheater
Aug. 28 – Omaha, Neb. @ CHI Health Center
Aug. 30 – Denver, Colo. @ Red Rock Amphitheatre
Sept. 1 – Salt Lake City, Utah @ USANA Amphitheatre
Sept. 4 – Seattle, Wash. @ White River Amphitheatre
Sept. 5 – Portland, Ore. @ Sunlight Supply Amphitheatre
Sept. 8 – Concord, Calif. @ Concord Pavilion
Sept. 9 – Mountain View, Calif. @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
Sept. 11 – Las Vegas, Nev. @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
Sept. 12 – Phoenix, Ariz. @ Ak-Chin Pavilion
Sept. 18 – San Diego, Calif. @ North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
Sept. 19 – Los Angeles. Calif. @ The Forum
Top 90 Hard Rock + Metal Albums of the 1990s
Source: The Black Crowes to Reschedule Reunion Tour for 2021 [Update]
Filed Under: The Black Crowes
Categories: Concerts
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National Crime Victims’ Rights Week
Every April, the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) leads communities throughout the country in their annual observances of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW). This year, the week took place on April 19 – 25th. We have been very busy providing services to protect our community from COVID-19, but we did not want this important week to pass without supporting and acknowledging those who have been negatively and directly impacted by crime.
Every year, millions of Americans are affected by crime. Many will need ongoing care and resources. National Crime Victims’ Rights Week is a time to celebrate the progress achieved, raise awareness of victims’ rights and services, and stand with our families, neighbors, friends, and colleagues whose lives have been forever altered by crime. We resolve to reach out, listen, and support them as they press forward on a path to recovery. We commit to making our services more accessible and to building partnerships across the community so that we can continue to seek justice, ensure victims’ rights, and inspire hope for crime victims. Call 855–4–VICTIM or visit VictimConnect.org to learn about victims’ rights and options. You can also access resources for victims of crime in Alabama, which are listed at the end of this article.
Although NCVRW is commemorated once a year, we at Alabama Bio-Clean support their core principles and goals every single day:
The rights of crime victims are best protected when all participants in the criminal justice process—not only victims—are appropriately educated about victims’ rights.
Supporting victims of crime is crucial to the U.S. justice system because our support honors the experiences of victims and allows them to find autonomy and empowerment through achieving self-defined goals.
Victims must be able to access the justice, assistance, and support they need to rebuild their lives.
Advocacy by and for victims of crime is itself a form of seeking justice, no less than justice sought in the courts.
The accomplishments of the victims’ rights movement—achieved through compassion and collaboration, and built on the courageous advocacy of individual victims and their families across the country—inspire hope for future progress and greater healing.
Victims deserve support, recovery, and justice, as well as a sense of hope for their future.
National Crime Victims’ Rights Week provides an opportunity to recommit to ensuring that accessible, appropriate, and trauma-informed services are offered to all victims of crime.
Justice consists not in being neutral between right and
wrong, but in finding out the right and upholding it,
wherever found, against the wrong.
– Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919)
The OVC leads communities throughout the country in their annual observances of NCVRW by promoting victims’ rights and honoring crime victims and those who advocate on their behalf. This year’s theme — Seek Justice | Ensure Victims’ Rights | Inspire Hope — recognizes the individuals and groups whose advocacy has propelled the victims’ rights movement forward for the past half-century, inspiring in victims and their loved ones a feeling of hope for progress, justice, and healing.
Resources in Alabama for Victims of Crime
The Attorney General’s Office of Victim Assistance (AGOVA) provides direct victim assistance and referrals for victims through its toll-free hotline, 1.800.626.7676 or click here for more information.
The Alabama Attorney General’s Office offers assistance to victims and their families before and after an offender is sentenced. Additionally, the staff can help individuals better understand the judicial process and advocate for their rights. For more information, visit ago.alabama.gov or call 1-800-626-7676.
Financial Compensation
The Alabama Crime Victims Compensation Commission was established in 1984 to assist innocent victims of violent crime and reimburse them for some direct, out-of-pocket expenses incurred because of the crime. For more information, visit www.acvcc.state.al.us or call 800-541-9388.
Victim Service Organizations
Alabama Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Alabama Coalition Against Sexual Violence
Alabama Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers
Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)
Victims of Crime and Leniency (VOCAL)
Just as despair can come to one only from other human
beings, hope, too, can be given to one only by other
human beings.
– Elie Wiesel (1928–2016)
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