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Diners Through the Decades: 1950s
No Comments on Diners Through the Decades: 1950s
The 1950s were both the heyday and twilight of classic American diners. As fast-food began to take off and the population grew, entrepreneurs were less likely to invest in establishments with such limited space and seating. Major diner manufacturers went out of business in the 1950s, including The Jerry O’Mahony Diner Company in 1952, the Worcester Lunch Car Company in 1957, and Mountain View Diners Company in 1957.
Still, when you think of the classic American diner, the 1950s always come to mind, with countertop jukeboxes and waitresses in pink aprons. In the late 1950s, the term “diner-restaurant” began to be used, as restaurateurs built larger, fixed structures retaining familiar diner elements.
Wolfe’s Diner, 625 N. U.S. Route 15 in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, is a 1952 O’Mahony, one of the last to be produced. Striped, stainless steel exteriors and flat roofs (as opposed to the classic barrel roof) and neon lights are characteristic of diners built in the 1950s. They resemble RVs or mobile homes.
Crazy Otto’s Empire Diner, 100 W Albany Street, Herkimer, Herkimer County, New York, is a 1952 Mountain View. Despite being manufactured by different companies, Wolfe’s Diner, Crazy Otto’s, and Al Mac’s are all virtually identical.
Al Mac’s Diner-Restaurant, at 135 President Avenue in Fall River, Massachusetts, is a 1953 DeRaffele model. The diner’s namesake, Al McDermott, began selling food in 1910 to mill workers from a horse cart. He opened this location, alongside a host of other restaurants, in the 1950s. Al Mac’s in Fall River was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.
Corner Lunch Diner, at 133 Lamartine Street in Worcester, Massachusetts, is a 1955 DeRaffele model. Originally located in Babylon, New York, it moved to Worcester in 1968, where it was owned by Demetrious Efstathiou and re-assembled by the Musi Dining Car Company. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
Whately Diner, at 372 State Road (just off I-91) in Whately, Massachusetts, is a 1958 Kullman model “princess style” diner, also known as the Fillin’ Station. It originally opened in Chicopee, MA as the Princess Diner, but moved by the F.L. Roberts Company in the early 1970s to its current location and called The Maverick. A scene from In Dreams (1999), starring Annette Benning and Robert Downey, Jr., was filmed there.
Tags diner, National Register of Historic Places, nostalgia
← Silver Bullets and Silver Tea–Pioneer Remedies for Witchcraft → Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia’s Historic Triangle
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Spike Walker – Photography
All of the specimen photography provided on this site is kindly supplied by Spike Walker.
Spike is a biologist who has been producing micrographs for over 60 years, starting out as a boy with a basic microscope and home-made camera. He works at home in the West Midlands, in a laboratory crammed with microscopes and technical paraphernalia
Spike has won 19 Wellcome image Awards since he started entering in 2002.In 2011 he won the Royal Photographic Society’s Combined Royal Colleges Medal. Spike’s photography is now achieved using various Zeiss microscopes.
None of the specimen photography was achieved with the products available on this site. The photographs are purely included to reflect the potential uses of the advertised microscopes and kind of specimens that the microscope would be used to observe.
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You are here: Home / Latest News / Aussie Modular Construction – 2030
Aussie Modular Construction – 2030
The Australian construction industry needs to radically shake up its approach to construction to help save the environment, experts say.
A more timber-heavy and mostly off-site construction process could be the way forward, Adjunct Professor at the Centre for Smart Modern Construction at Western Sydney University David Chandler said.
He will appeal to the timber and construction industries to adopt off-site construction manufacturing, or OSCM, already popular in Europe, by 2030 at the Timber Offsite Construction conference on June 17.
“The big difference between the [Australia and Europe] are the European businesses are very large businesses, in large markets and very close to each other,” he said.
“In Australia we have the opposite, small businesses in moderately sized markets far apart from each other.”
By building off-site, the construction process becomes more streamlined, materials and energy efficient, and faster, Adjunct Professor Chandler said.
“The moment you begin to transform the process of manufacturing building, you have to make less waste. And the less waste, the better for the environment,” he said.
To ease the likely advent of smart homes, Adjunct Professor Chandler said taking an OSCM approach was needed.
“[Buildings are] becoming filled with all sorts of sensors. They will record data about if they’re leaking [heat], cracking, all sorts of things,” he said.
“It’s very hard to put smart in buildings after they’re made, you need to put it in as you’re building them and if we don’t go down an OSCM pathway it will be very hard to put the smart in buildings.”
25 King in Brisbane is mostly made of timber, with some conventional material like concrete used sparingly. Photo: Aurecon
The resurgence of enthusiasm within the industry for the age-old building material timber was helping to enable this pathway, Aurecon major projects director Ralph Belpario said.
Aurecon has shown an interest in using timber in its construction projects, including in its new Brisbane headquarters, 25 King. The 10-storey building is mostly made from cross-laminated timber and glued-laminated timber.
“Timber is an enabler,” he said. “It’s lighter, easier to handle, less cranage, the material is easier to work.”
Mr Belpario said at present, building a tower with mostly timber attracted a price premium but it was worth it.
“That will alleviate as it becomes more popular,” he said. “At the moment there is a limited supply chain.
“What we need is a groundswell so more people invest in the technology.”
Just one company is locally producing cross-laminated timber in Australia.
Wood is better for the environment than conventional materials concrete and steel, the production of which results in significant carbon emissions. The cement, concrete and steel industries were working towards reducing their impact but Mr Belpario said it still didn’t measure up.
“Sustainable timber is the only true sustainable building material,” he said. “Everything else we use to build at some point comes out of the ground. It’s the only material that you can plant, grow, harvest and grow again.”
Timber is lighter and easier to handle, creating efficiencies in the building process. Photo: Supplied
The third change the industry needed to take on was a set of national building standards aimed at minimising energy use within homes and reducing the impact a changing climate would have on them, Timberlink Australia executive general manager of innovation Duncan Mayes said.
He was championing a change to national building codes to outlaw aluminium window and door frames in favour of aluminium-coated timber frames.
It was a small change, Mr Mayes said, but it would patch a key thermal weakness in homes, therefore reducing the energy needed for heating and cooling.
“Double-glazed glass can reduce the temperature, but the weakness is now the frames,” he said. “I only need to see it from my own energy bill. They provide me with a monthly consumption of how much I use and also the greenhouse gas emissions.
“You can see the direct impact of badly performing buildings. If we want to drive towards a significant reduction in our carbon footprint, we need to dramatically reduce the amount of thermal movement in our homes.”
A buried senate committee report last year called for national building standards to homogenise hodgepodge rules around Australia, and lead a top-down effort to deal with the climate crisis.
SOURCE: Domain
June 5, 2019 /0 Comments/by Lyn
https://mmcmag.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/05.06.19.jpg 350 525 Lyn https://mmcmag.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/MMC-Online-02.png Lyn2019-06-05 09:29:172019-06-05 09:32:35Aussie Modular Construction – 2030
UK HOUSING – BIGGEST MODULAR DEAL Technology can beat construction slump
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Kenneth Marder
Eric Nass
Leonard Wiener
James De Norscia
If you have been injured by a dangerous or defective product, you may be entitled to compensation. When a poorly-designed, manufactured, or marketed product results in injury or death, the victim can bring a product liability lawsuit against the responsible party or parties.
Product liability refers to the legal liability incurred for producing, selling, or marketing a faulty, defective, or dangerous product. It can apply to just about any type of product, including improperly-labeled medications, small parts on toys that can be choking hazards, and vehicle airbags that fail to deploy.
The legal team at Marder, Nass & Wiener, PLLC has successfully represented countless clients in cases involving dangerous or defective products. We will analyze the details of your case to identify responsible parties and gather the evidence needed to substantiate your claim. Do not attempt to handle a product liability lawsuit without the help of a NY injury lawyer who has extensive experience in this particular area of the law. Contact us today at (212) 390-9529 for a free and confidential consultation about your case.
Types of Product Liability Lawsuits
Product defects usually fall under one of three categories. The three types of defects that could cause injury and result in liability include:
Design defects—These flaws occur from the very beginning, existing in the product’s blueprint, before it is even manufactured.
Manufacturing defects—These problems occur when the product’s design is sound, but an error in the manufacturing process creates a dangerous defect.
Marketing defects—When both the design and manufacturing are sound, but the product is improperly labeled, or fails to include necessary safety warnings, someone could be injured as a result.
Of course, some product liability lawsuits involve more than one type of defect, or all three. Regardless of during which stage(s) of the process the defects occurred, a skilled NY product liability lawyer can help you obtain the compensation you deserve in a timely manner.
Defects in motor vehicles can lead to particularly disastrous consequences. Case in point, Takata airbags, which were recently at the center of the largest auto recall in history. More than 41 million vehicles were recalled due to faulty airbags that could explode, fail to inflate properly, or spew shrapnel. The defect has been linked to hundreds of injuries and at least 29 deaths. Takata had to file bankruptcy as a result.
Improperly-labeled medications and defective toys which result in strangulation, suffocation, and choking also top the list of most deadly product liability lawsuits. But proving that negligent design, manufacturing, or marketing was responsible for these injuries is rarely an easy task.
Why You Need a New York Product Liability Lawyer
In order to win a product liability lawsuit, you must be able to prove that there was a defect in the product, that you suffered injury, and that the injury was a result of that defect. An experienced injury lawyer can help show the causal connection between the defect and your injuries and other damages.
Identifying at which stage(s) in the process the defect(s) occurred can be extremely complicated. At Marder, Nass & Wiener, PLLC, we will perform a thorough investigation into your case, identifying responsible parties, gathering important evidence, and positioning you for the most favorable outcome possible.
We believe that clear and open lines of communication are a key component of a healthy attorney-client relationship. Our dedicated legal team will ensure that you understand your rights and options, and we will remain by your side from start to finish.
Types of Compensation You Can Receive in a Product Liability Lawsuit
As with most injury claims, the types and amount of compensation you receive will largely depend on the type and severity of your injuries. That being said, most personal injury cases take into account damages for medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, alternative transportation costs, and other costs associated with the injury.
Thousands of people are injured by defective, dangerous, or faulty products in the U.S. every year. If you have been injured, you may be entitled to compensation, but there is a statute of limitations on product liability cases, preventing individuals from bringing claims after a certain period of time. In New York, the window during which you must file a claim is three years. After that, your claim will likely be dismissed. The clock on this three-year period begins ticking once the victim knows, or should have known, that the product in question caused the injury.
Contact Marder, Nass & Wiener, PLLC Today
If you have been injured by a defective or faulty product, the legal team at Marder, Nass & Wiener, PLLC can help. We have successfully represented countless victims of dangerous products, and we have an impressive record of obtaining maximum compensation for our clients in the most efficient possible manner. Don’t attempt to navigate this complex process without the help of skilled legal counsel. Contact us today at (212) 390-9529 for a free and confidential consultation about your case.
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© 2020 Marder, Nass & Wiener, PLLC
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The materials available at this website are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem. Use of and access to this website or any of the e-mail links contained within the site do not create an attorney-client relationship between Marder, Nass & Wiener, PLLC and the visitor. The opinions expressed at or through this site are the opinions of the individual author and may not reflect the opinions of the firm or any individual attorney. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
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Haunted Nevada
The Nevada State Prison in Carson City has a hauntingly extensive history.
BY MEGG MUELLER AND ERIC CACHINERO
Nevada State Prison in Carson City circa 1880 © University of Nevada, Reno Special Collections
With an arsenal of abandoned historical buildings and eerie locations, Nevada can be spooky occasionally. Much of the energy stems from the state’s mining history, which got grizzly and dark at times. Mine fires and construction catastrophes are engrained in Nevada, as are Wild West-style murders. Some people attribute these factors to the reported hauntings at many of the state’s oldest mines and buildings.
Not everything paranormal needs to be scary, though. Many people believe in the presence of residents past, whose ties to a particular area will simply withstand the test of time.
Whether you believe in ghosts or not, there’s a strong case to be made that different buildings or areas can affect our senses in different ways. This certainly has been the case with myriad paranormal investigators that have spent countless hours in the Silver State searching for something spectral.
Warm Springs circa 1860 © University of Nevada, Reno Special Collections
A HISTORICAL LOOK
The phrase “if these walls could talk” is bandied about to convey that a room or structure had likely housed many conversations and situations that had been forgotten in the shadows of time. Nowhere could this be truer than the Nevada State Prison in Carson City. The stories that remain from the venerable institution are enough to fill 10 libraries, and consider this: those are just the ones we know about.
For 150 years—starting before Nevada was even a state—the prison played a significant role in the history of Nevada. Not only did it protect the state’s residents, but it influenced the architecture, and was home to a long list of historically significant, albeit not always pleasant, events.
Nevada State Prison circa 1870 © University of Nevada, Reno Special Collections
In December 1861, Nevada’s first territorial legislature met at Abraham Curry’s Warm Springs Hotel in Carson City and authorized the creation of the board of prison commissioners. Not wasting any time, the board leased property adjacent to Curry’s hotel on Jan. 1, 1862, for the new prison and Curry was appointed the first territorial warden.
Twice—in 1867 and 1870—the prison burned down and was eventually replaced by some of the sandstone buildings still standing today. The sandstone came from the prison’s own quarry and ended up being used in some of the area’s most prestigious buildings, including the Capitol and the Carson City Mint. The quarry turned out to be home to many fossils and fossilized tracks that were revealed as the sandstone was cut away. Mammoth, bison, horse, deer, wolf, and big tooth cat tracks all were found, as were those of a giant sloth that, for a time, were said to be the footprints of giant men.
The prison had its share of sensational events, including a mass escape of 29 prisoners in 1871, and the odd events surrounding Lieutenant Governor Frank Denver, who in 1873, refused to relinquish the position of warden until the Governor called out the militia. It took 60 soldiers and some artillery to convince him to open the prison gates to the new warden.
Perhaps as an adjunct to the gambling, the Nevada State Prison coined its own money. The money took the form of brass coins in various denominations. © University of Nevada, Reno Special Collections
Nevada State Prison gambling © University of Nevada, Reno Special Collections
The prison also was home to the only penal casino known in the U.S. From 1932 to 1967, inmates were allowed to gamble at table games, even spawning a currency coined by the prison. Brass coins of $1, $5, half-dollars, quarters, dimes, and nickels were made and used until the prison shut down.
Executions were a part of the prison’s history, with the first one occurring on Sept. 8, 1905, and the first and only inmate to be executed by firing squad died in 1910. The first person executed in a gas chamber happened at the prison in 1924, although it took two grisly attempts to get the new method to work. Lethal injection became the standard in 1985 until Nevada’s last execution in 2006. The prison housed Nevada’s only execution chamber until the Ely State Prison’s opened in 2016.
On May 12, 2012, the prison closed, but today, work is underway to make this landmark a historical destination where the past will be interpreted through exhibits, tours, and lectures. The Nevada State Prison Preservation Society is the nonprofit organization leading the effort and working to ready the building for visitors, hopefully in 2020. —Megg Mueller
© Megg Mueller
A SPECTRAL LOOK
In June, Megg and I visited the historic Nevada State Prison for a tour. Having driven past the building hundreds of times but never having entered, I was looking forward to seeing it from the inside. The prison has been the subject of many a haunting story over the years, and was even the subject of the Travel Channel paranormal investigative show “Ghost Adventures” in 2016. We were joined on the tour by Nevada State Prison Preservation Society Vice President Maurice White, former Nevada State Prison Corrections Officer Dennis Williams, and Paranormal Investigator Susan Bernard.
When viewed through a historical lens, the prison is fascinating. So many inmates and so much history happened inside the walls. When viewed through a haunted lens, though, the prison takes on a much more sinister feel.
Our tour starts with a brief look at the exterior of the building before heading inside. In the main courtyard, one can only imagine what living inside the walls must have felt like. The uniform sandstone blocks and concrete that compose much of the courtyard look strange when paired with the natural stone walls and crude caves that are intermixed. Barbed wire and metal bars cover most surfaces. Basketball hoops and barbells still line the yard, as does the chipping concrete foundation that once housed the prison’s onsite casino. Everything looks eerily bleak.
© Eric Cachinero
Once inside, this dullness is briefly offset—though only on the surface. In the visiting room—designed to make children and family members feel comfortable while visiting inmates—is a violently vibrant mural featuring familiar cartoon characters, which we’re told was painted by one of the most notorious serial killers in Nevada’s history.
From there we tour the cells blocks, which still bear the scratchings of inmates on the walls—some written in pencil counting down the days, some scratched in the walls reminiscing on old lovers, some with messages to religious figures written in toothpaste. The sun makes a mediocre attempt to penetrate the opaque windows and find its way into the cells, though most have an eerie darkness to them.
After the cell blocks, we travel to the most surreal part of the tour: the gas chamber. From 1924-1979, more than 30 death-row inmates were executed using lethal gas in the on-site gas chamber, and dozens more using lethal injection. Prior to the first execution by lethal gas (the first facility in the country to do so), the preferred method was hanging.
The room truly looks like something out of “The Twilight Zone.” A solitary mattress covered in leather restraints sits idly in a bowl-shaped room, complete with observation windows that are eerily reminiscent to a fishbowl. One can only imagine what those last moments must have felt like.
© Susan Bernard
Our tour concludes with a visit to the cafeteria, which gives off a similarly eerie vibe. Before leaving, we’re strongly cautioned by our tour guides to confidently tell any lingering ghosts to stay at the prison and not follow us home.
Upon later reviewing my audio recordings from inside the prison, I caught something interesting. During one segment, as our voices echoed from the concrete walls, there seemed to be an additional gravelly voice—not belonging to anyone on our tour—that says, “Get out of here.”
http://nevadamagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/GhostAudio.m4a
Here is the audio…Take a listen for yourself and let us know what you think. —Eric Cachinero
PAY A VISIT
Get in touch with the Nevada State Prison Preservation Society to see how you can learn about their efforts, find out about coming tours, and more. Visit nevadastateprison.org.
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Racial Diversity in EdTech: Global Edtech Companies Have an Impact
By Cait Etherington
While edtech may not be as racially diverse as it could be within the United States, as edtech continues to expand internationally, it is quickly changing the face of tech as POC founders and co-founders take the lead of innovative companies around the globe. In this article, the second of a three-part series on racial diversity in edtech, we survey just a few of the international edtech companies that are having an impact and specifically, focus on African edtech companies.
On the one hand, Africa faces especially steep challenges as educators and leaders across the continent work to expand access to education. On the other hand, there is reason to believe that the continent has the possibility to become a leader in edtech development. As reported in the African Times last year, “Africa is perfectly situated to embrace the opportunities the e-learning revolution provides. Smartphone usage is skyrocketing, Internet access has improved and the technology is steadily becoming more affordable. Digital entrepreneurs in Africa are leveraging the technology in agriculture, finance, business – and in education.” African edtech organizations can’t change the face of edtech alone, but they are contributing to racial diversity in edtech on a global scale while also responding to continent-specific educational challenges.
Racial Diversity in Edtech Around the World
ProTeach, Obasolape Abiola (Nigeria)
ProTeach is a Nigerian edtech company founded by Obasolape Abiola. The company describes itself as “an innovative tutoring platform redefining learning and education in Nigeria. ProTeach connects expert tutors to learners using individual learning styles as a basis for the matching.” As stated on its website, ProTeach enables one to find the best tutors nearby and the company runs “extreme background checks on all our tutors” to ensure only the most qualified and vetted candidates can work on the platform. Abiola founded ProTeach in 2012 after graduating from the University of Ilorin in 2009 with a BSc.Ed degree in Mathematics.
LangBot, Nati Gossaye (Ethiopia)
Nati Gossaye is a former Google Student Ambassador who has been a lead developer at several tech companies. He recently co-founded, with Rémi Veyrier, LangBot. LangBot is a personal language assistant designed to for mobile devices. On the LangBot website, the platform is billed as a personal language tutor that uses proven techniques from spaced repetition to gamification to AI to support one’s language development on the go.
Kytabu, Tonee Ndungu (Kenya)
Kytabu describes itself, ironically, as “a company built by the ‘dumbest kids in class’.” But is anything but a dumb platform. Founded by Tonee Ndungu, a Nairobi-based tech entrepreneur, Kytabu recognizes that education is based on resources like textbooks, videos, and audiobooks. The company’ mission is to make these resources more accessible.
Eneza Education, Millicent Mwendwa (Kenya)
Eneza Education, also based in Nairobi, was co-founded by Millicent Mwendwa. Previously she worked with businesses in Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Somalia and South Korea. Passionate about scaling African technology and supporting the continent’s developing economies through the use of mobile technology, Mwendwa is now using her skills in leadership, management, strategy, marketing, business modeling, data collection, and analysis to help expand edtech in Africa.
Edtech Incubators in Africa
In addition to the startups noted above, which only represent a very small percentage of the hundreds of edtech companies currently making a change in Africa, the continent is now home to a multinational edtech incubator.
Injini in Cape Town, South Africa got off the ground last fall. At the time of the launch, EdSurge reported that Injini first cohort of startups would be comprised of teams from Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, South Sudan and Tanzania. In total, 180 applicants from across the continent competed for spots. Injini founder, Michael Gove, started the incubator because, after speaking to local teachers and entrepreneurs, he realized edtech innovations weren’t getting off the ground due to a lack of startup funds. His hope is that Injini can turn Africa into a major center of edtech innovation and in the process help to expand access to education on a continent where basic educational access remains a problem.
Racial diversity in edtech remains a challenge, but as edtech expands in Africa, and in other emerging economies around the world, the face of edtech is slowly changing.
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Rewilding in Argentina: the giant river otter returns to Iberá park
Photo: Rafael Abuín/Conservation Land Trust Argentina
Landscape News Editor
The first attempt to reintroduce an extinct mammal in Argentina brings hope for restored ecosystems and increased ecotourism opportunities based on wildlife watching.
In June 2018, two new jaguar cubs were born in northern Argentina’s new Iberá National Park, marking a milestone in the efforts to bring the species back into the region after decades of absence. Now steps are being taken to reintroduce the giant river otter (Pteronura brasiliensis) as well.
After an extended period in quarantine, Alondra, an eight-year-old female from Budapest Zoo in Hungary, has been reintroduced into the Iberá wetlands. For now, she is in a tailor-made enclosure of 800 square meters on the island of San Alonso in the province of Corrientes.
This is part of an ambitious rewilding project pioneered by the Conservation Land Trust of Argentina, the foundation created by Tompkins Conservation, in partnership with the province of Corrientes and thanks to the collaboration of diverse national entities.
Half on water and half on land: Alondra for the first time in her amphibian enclosure. Rafael Abuín/Conservation Land Trust Argentina
Along with illegal hunting and coastal development, the construction of large-scale dams contributed to the species’ local extinction in the middle of the 20th century. Now the giant otter is globally endangered and extinct in Argentina, but in the few areas where the animal is currently found, including Brazil’s Pantanal and the Amazon region, it has become a key tourist attraction.
According to Kristine Tompkins, President of Tompkins Conservation and a United Nations Patron of Protected Areas, the arrival of the giant otters marks a significant step forward for the rewilding of the Iberá wetlands.
“We are creating a model for rewilding that can be applied to areas around the world,” says Tompkins. “As a conservation foundation, all of our work is focused on strategies that fight the species extinction crisis that we face – from creating national parks to bringing back those species that have gone missing.”
Continue reading the full story at UN Environment.
For further information, please contact Lisa Rolls or Carolyn McCarthy.
ecotourismrestorationsouth americawetlandswildlife
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All Posts in #Office of Veteran and Military Affairs
More Than 30 ROTC Cadets Make Commitment to Serve
Monday, May 13, 2019, By News Staff
On Friday, May 10, 23 U.S. Army and eight U.S. Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) cadets officially became the next generation of military leaders at Syracuse University’s annual commissioning ceremony held at Hendricks Chapel. Brig. Gen. Todd Lazaroski,…
Syracuse Veteran Advisor Program Celebrates First-Year Student Veterans
Tuesday, April 30, 2019, By Leah Lazarz
Syracuse University’s Peer Advisors for Veteran Education (PAVE) program recently brought student veterans, PAVE advisors, family members and campus staff together to support and celebrate first-year student veterans and the start of their Syracuse career. The “Celebration of First-Year Success,”…
Learning to Combat Risk the Air Force Way
Monday, April 15, 2019, By Matt Wheeler
Managing risk is an essential part of any operation. Syracuse University’s strong interdisciplinary expertise in military affairs, cybersecurity, human dynamics, business and more provides the ideal setting for studying risk and how to guard ourselves, our businesses,and our country from…
Military-Connected Student of the Month: George Canino
Thursday, April 11, 2019, By Leah Lazarz
Like many, George Canino’s path to service began with his family. His father, a retired member of the U.S. Air Force, sparked his interest in the military at a young age. Canino’s father was stationed in Madrid, Spain, while in…
Chancellor Syverud Hosts Annual Chancellor’s Review for ROTC Cadets
Monday, April 1, 2019, By Leah Lazarz
Last week, members of the campus community and Chancellor Kent Syverud gathered in the Dome for the 102nd Annual Chancellor’s Review of the Syracuse University Army and Air Force ROTC cadets. University leaders, alumni, community members, educational partners and special…
Growing Veteran and Military-Connected Community Gathers with Supporters and Chancellor Syverud at Spring Social
Friday, March 22, 2019, By Leah Lazarz
Over 50 members of the campus community gathered Thursday at the Genesee Grande Hotel in support of the University’s Veterans Affinity Group (SUVA.) Hosted in partnership with the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (OVMA), Chancellor Kent Syverud attended the…
Syracuse University Veterans Affinity Group to Host Social to Expand Membership and Engage Military-Connected Community
Wednesday, March 13, 2019, By News Staff
In partnership with the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (OVMA), the Syracuse University Veterans Affinity Group (SUVA) is hosting a social for Syracuse University veterans, military-connected individuals, dependents and supporters, to include students, faculty and staff on March 21…
OVMA and IVMF Staff Travel to Las Vegas to Share Expertise Around Student Veterans’ Education Experience
Thursday, February 14, 2019, By Leah Lazarz
Staff members from Syracuse University’s Office of Veteran and Military Affairs (OVMA) and Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) recently traveled to Las Vegas to share expertise around serving military-connected students during the annual National Association of Student Personnel…
Tillman Scholars Applications Open Feb. 1
Wednesday, January 30, 2019, By Leah Lazarz
The application process for the Tillman Scholars program, which funds education for student veterans and spouses of veterans, will open Feb. 1. The scholarship honors Pat Tillman, a starting safety for the National Football League’s Arizona Cardinals, who put his…
Syracuse University’s Veteran and Military-Connected Population Continues to Grow
Monday, January 28, 2019, By Leah Lazarz
Earlier this month, the University welcomed new student veterans to campus at the annual New Student Veteran Welcome Orientation and at the University’s Winter Welcome Resource Fair. These events provide student veterans, military-connected students and their families the opportunity to…
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Opinion HIV testing people who spit at police or health workers won't actually protect them
Nicholas Medland and Elizabeth Crock
Proposals in NSW to force someone who spits at or bites a frontline worker to be tested for HIV and other blood-borne viruses are a real problem - for workers and the public.
NSW has proposed legislation which gives authorities the power to test a person for HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C if they have deliberately exposed a front-line worker to their body fluids. Image from Shutterstock
People who expose a police officer or emergency worker to body fluids would be compelled to have their blood tested for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, under a proposed law in NSW.
But this law isn’t needed to protect first responders. We already have evidence-based protocols that are working well to protect them from blood-borne infections.
Rather, the proposed law is a political reaction to a problem that doesn’t need fixing. It is also not supported by scientific evidence or Australian government policy on HIV testing.
What is NSW proposing?
In November last year, the NSW government proposed legislation which gives authorities the power to test a person for HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C if they have deliberately exposed a front-line worker to their body fluids (saliva or blood).
Examples might be if a person bites a police officer restraining them during an arrest or protest; someone biting or scratching a youth justice or corrections officer; or a person behaving unpredictably, exposing ambulance officers to their body fluids.
The mandatory testing order would come from senior officers within the worker’s own agency. If the person does not comply, they can be forced to do so. They have 48 hours to appeal to the NSW chief health officer. Anyone who refuses a mandatory testing order will be committing an offence, with a maximum 12 months prison term or an A$11,000 fine, or both.
Is this happening elsewhere?
Five states have legislation that allows mandatory testing, according to a report by the National Association of People Living with HIV.
The proposed NSW model is closest to the one Western Australia introduced in 2014, where police can order testing. This resulted in 377 testing orders in the first four years.
In contrast, in Victoria the chief health officer has the power to order a test or issue a public health order to enforce it if necessary. In those same four years, not a single person was ordered to be tested.
What’s the risk of transmission anyway?
Outside of sexual transmission, HIV is transmitted through blood. Police and corrections officers are far less likely to be exposed to a blood-borne virus than hospital workers. When exposure does occur, it tends to be less serious.
There does not appear to be any recorded case of an Australian police officer being infected with HIV in the course of their duties.
Rates of HIV infection in the community are dropping anyway. Around 0.1% of the Australian population is living with HIV. The vast majority are on effective treatment which reduces transmission to zero. By 2022, Australia’s aiming for virtual elimination.
The chance of front-line workers contracting HIV at work are almost zero. Shutterstock
As hepatitis C and HIV are blood-borne viruses, saliva alone cannot transmit them. Sometimes, the mouth can be contaminated with blood, particularly if there has been traumatic injury. But contact between bloody saliva and intact skin does not transmit hepatitis C or HIV.
A 2018 study bringing together more than 30 years of studies in HIV transmission concluded:
There is no risk of transmitting HIV through spitting, and the risk through biting is negligible.
A similar 2018 study looked at the risk of hepatitis C transmission and concluded the risk “appears to be very low”.
Of the blood-borne viruses, hepatitis B, the most transmissible of these viruses, is completely preventable through a vaccine all front-line workers receive.
In NSW and nationally, if someone is exposed to another person’s body fluids at work, they are assessed by health care workers in their agency.
The nature of the exposure, the possibility the other person could have a blood-borne virus (or if known, whether they are infected) and the resulting risk are considered when evaluating both the injury and the need for testing. If needed, they are tested according to policies informed by scientific evidence.
But the overwhelming majority of injuries, including bites, do not carry a risk of transmision.
We already have evidence-based protocols to decide who needs testing for blood-borne viruses. Shutterstock
In the rare scenario, where the risk of HIV infection cannot be ruled out, the worker may be offered medications to prevent infection, and follow-up blood tests. These medications dramatically reduce risk of transmission but must be taken within 72 hours of the exposure.
Workers potentially exposed to hepatitis C can be monitored for infection, and given medications with near 100% cure rate if required.
So current measures are more than adequate to deal with all situations a police officer or other front-line worker will confront, and have been so since these issues were first addressed in the early 1990s.
Compulsory testing could cause harm
Front-line workers deserve our support and protection. But if these workers feel anxiety or distress related to their risk of contracting blood-borne viruses then their health services must more adequately reassure them.
New measures won’t help reduce their already low risk of transmission and therefore don’t provide any additional reassurance. Focussing on getting the other person tested might increase their anxiety when the risk is negligible, irrespective of the person’s status.
In the rare higher risk situations, perhaps an ambulance officer injured while at a car accident where there is massive blood loss, the risk of a blood-borne infection needs to be assessed and preventive medicine offered. Delaying this assessment while waiting for the results of compulsory testing has the real potential to harm the worker.
The proposed legislation also stigmatises people living with blood-borne viruses, incorrectly depicting them as dangerous, creating unnecessary fear, leading to discrimination.
We are working with the board of the Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (the peak body representing HIV, viral hepatitis and sexual health workers) and oppose mandatory testing measures as neither necessary nor useful.
Nicholas Medland, Sexual health physician, epidemiologist, researcher. (President-elect and vice-president Australasian Society of HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine), UNSW and Elizabeth Crock, Honorary Senior Research Fellow, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences., University of Melbourne; HIV Clinical Nurse Consultant with Bolton Clarke, Board Member Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine (ASHM), University of Melbourne
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Nicholas Medland
UNSW Medicine
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Home › News › Design
AFP-Relaxnews
H&M scores success with designer collaborations
This past week the Scandinavian clothing chain revealed the latest fashion house lined up to design a collection for its customers. Hot on the heels of Balmain, Kenzo -- headed by creative directors Carol Lim and Humberto Leon -- will be the next label to design a selection of womenswear, menswear and accessories for the store, on sale from November 3. This is the latest in a long line of blockbusting partnerships that have helped the Swedish clothing giant build a sound reputation in the ready-to-wear and couture fashion sectors. Here's a look back over the history of H&M's hit collaborations.
H&M called on Karl Lagerfeld for its first couture collaboration in 2004.Karl Lagerfeld and H&M's Margareta Van Den Bosch©H&M
The latest H&M designer collaboration with Kenzo is sure to create a buzz, as much in the media as among fashionistas, as well as in the exclusive world of couture fashion. The inevitable scenes of hysteria and endless lines are to be expected again at H&M stores worldwide, November 3, as well as in-store crushes as shoppers scramble to grab the must-have item. Even the sales don't generate the same level of frenzied excitement.
The high-street fashion giant has pulled off a masterstroke over the last decade, teaming with renowned designers and the trendiest fashion labels to bring habitually inaccessible, made-to-measure, rare and costly creations to the masses. Savvy shoppers now know that they'll be able to pick up couture creations at cut prices every year from H&M, after the store pulled off a crazy but winning gamble that seriously boosted its profile in the fashion world.
More than a decade of couture collaborations
This particular success story started back in 2004, when H&M sent shockwaves through the fashion world by announcing an unprecedented partnership with Karl Lagerfeld, creative director of Chanel and Fendi. The collection included around 40 pieces, sold at prices defying all competition. With everything under €200, the range brought the style, expertise and creativity of a big-name designer within much closer reach for one limited-edition collection. The collaboration proved an immediate success, with garments snapped up as soon as they hit stores. The ready-to-wear brand's risk had paid off big time!
But the Scandinavian brand didn't stop there, offering fashion fans a designer collaboration every year, with a seemingly constant stream of fresh partnerships in the pipeline. Today, H&M's designer collaborations are eagerly awaited events.
Over the years, the store has outed a host of successful collections from cutting-edge designers and fashion houses, such as Stella McCartney in 2005, Viktor & Rolf in 2006, Roberto Cavalli in 2007, Comme des Garçons in 2008, Jimmy Choo in 2009, Sonia Rykiel in 2009 and 2010, Lanvin in 2010, Versace in 2011, Marni and Maison Martin Margiela in 2012, Isabel Marant in 2013 and Alexander Wang in 2014.
The most recent designer collection to grace H&M shelves was created in partnership with Balmain, and, more precisely, the brand's creative director, Olivier Rousteing. It sold out in just a few hours.
There are now plenty of ready-to-wear and specialist brands that create capsule collections with fashion houses, designers and even celebrities. Nike, for example, has teamed up with Balmain, Fred Perry has worked with Raf Simons, Missoni has worked with Target and Christopher Kane has collaborated with Topshop. Japanese clothes store Uniqlo has a host of hit collaborations to its name, teaming with Carine Roitfeld, Ines de la Fressange and Lemaire. However, none has managed to match the same level of must-shop fashion hysteria as that started by H&M.
Fashion fans keen to get their hands on the Kenzo for H&M collection will have to wait until the autumn. It's due to go on sale from November 3, 2016, online and in a selection of 250 H&M stores worldwide.
Copyright © 2021 AFP-Relaxnews. All rights reserved.
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FC Halifax bring in Blackpool striker Quigley on loan
Jan 3, 2019 | Chimp Weekly More News, More News
Blackpool striker Scott Quigley has agreed to join FC Halifax Town on loan until the end of the season.
The 26-year-old, 6’4” frontman has recently been on loan at Neil Aspin’s League Two side Port Vale. Recalled by Blackpool from his loan to achieve more regular football, Quigley has agreed to join Halifax despite interest from other clubs.
Manager Jamie Fullarton said:
“I am delighted to have secured the signing of Scott on loan for the rest of the season. With Scott’s experience and proven record at this level last season, it is no wonder that we faced stiff competition for his signature from a number of clubs higher.
“Having met Scott, I was able to convince him why Halifax was the best place for him to come. Not only will Scott add another dimension to our squad and hopefully bring goals, his personality and character will fit seamlessly in to the group.
“He is a great addition and a real coup for us to get such a signing across the line.”
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Full-back Hunter heads to Taddy
Tadcaster Albion have announced the signing of experienced full-back Laurence Hunter from Colne.
“I’m really happy to have signed for Taddy” said the former Harrogate Railway man.
Coincidentally, the thirty-year-old has already played against the Brewers on two occasions this season for Colne; winning one and losing one.
Hunter also scored straight from a corner kick in the most recent meeting.
He has featured for Garforth Town, Bamber Bridge and Hyde United.
He said: “Mikey [Morton] really impressed me when he spoke to me and after that conversation I knew I wanted to sign.”
“There’s a lot of quality in the squad and everyone is looking to take the club forward and I want to be a part of it.”
Read more at: http://www.tadalbion.com
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Harriers bring in Coasters star Bradley
Aug 8, 2017 | More News
Kidderminster Harriers have completed the signing of AFC Fylde star Dan Bradley.
Dan has consistently been one of non-league football’s best talents over the last few seasons. He has penned a three-year deal at Aggborough to start a second spell with the club.
He played here in the 2010-11 season before moving on to Alfreton Town where, across four seasons, he was the heart of the attack at the Impact Arena.
Fylde landed his signature just over a year ago, with the 26-year-old going on to play an influential role in the team’s title-winning success.
With the Midlander now keen to move back closer to home, Harriers have won the battle to sign him having agreed a substantial transfer with AFC Fylde as part of the deal.
Chairman Colin Gordon stated: “This has been a very long process and we’ve had to be very patient.
“Dan knows in coming here he’ll be taken care of both on and off the pitch at what is a challenging but exciting time for him personally and professionally as he prepares for the arrival of his first child.
“His ability on the pitch is undisputed and he’ll bring quality to the squad, there’s no doubt about that.”
The Chairman added: “I’m sure the fact that we’ve paid a big sum to bring Dan here will raise one or two eyebrows but this is very calculated gamble and, not having that kind of money just lying around, it isn’t something we’ve done lightly.
“We aren’t talking specifics with regards to the fee at the present moment but that’s only owing to the fact that we’ll be going to an FA Tribunal over Jordan Tunnicliffe – we would hope to recoup a good portion of the amount we’ve spent and will communicate that when we know more.
“It’s also important that our supporters can be confident in our ambitions for the season and I know they’ll make Dan feel very welcome here.”
Source: www.harriers.co.uk
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Heed make it eight with Preston addition
Jul 4, 2017 | More News
Gateshead have completed their eighth summer signing as 21-year-old forward Jordan Preston joins on a one-year deal following the end of his contract at Guiseley.
The former Scotland Under-19 international arrives at the International Stadium after netting seven times for Guiseley last term as the Lions kept their National League status intact in sensational fashion thanks to a last gasp equaliser from Danny Lowe on the final day of the season.
A Blackburn academy graduate, Preston has already joined up with his new teammates and is looking forward to the season ahead.
“It feels really good to be here at Gateshead,” he told Gateshead-FC.com.
“It’s a good opportunity for me coming back to full time football and that was a big factor in coming here.
“The manager (Neil Aspin) has spoken very highly of the club and our ambitions for the coming season so I think it’s a good club for me and I’m very happy to be playing here.”
Preston’s arrival means Neil Aspin now has six forwards at his disposal going into the new season with Jordan Burrow, Danny Johnson, Wes York, Macaulay Langstaff and Richard Peniket all vying for a place in the starting XI.
And the Heed’s latest addition feels he can offer something different to the side.
“I’m a player who likes to get on the ball and play football as much as possible,” he continued.
“I can play anywhere across the front three so I’ll be looking to create chances for my teammates and hopefully score some goals as well.
“I was very impressed with the club last season when I went up against them with Guiseley because they played some very good football.
“Another thing I noticed was just how good the surface was at the International Stadium which lends itself well to keeping the ball down and playing quick, attacking football.
“That is the manager’s philosophy going into the new season and that’s what sold it for me and I can’t wait to get started.”
Source: www.gateshead-fc.com
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Shots bring in Reading defender Osho
Aldershot Town have signed Reading defender Gabe Osho on an initial one-month loan deal from the Championship club.
Osho plays as centre-back and captains the Royals U23 side. He also spent time on loan at National League rivals Maidenhead United last season.
He goes straight into the squad for the game against FC Halifax Town. Meanwhile, goalkeeper George Legg will return to Reading after Saturday’s game, when his loan deal expires.
Source: www.theshots.co.uk
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Skelton returns to manage Workington
Dec 31, 2018 | Headlines, More News
Gavin Skelton has left his post as professional development phase coach with League One Carlisle United to re-join Evo-Stik Northern Premier League Premier Division club Workington AFC as manager.
Skelton, 37, joined Carlisle’s academy in the summer of 2017 to assist manager Darren Edmondson – also an ex-Workington boss – with the running of the under-18 side.
An approach was made by Workington to speak to the popular coach on the departure of Dave Hewson and, on being notified of the interest, Skelton expressed a wish to pursue the matter.
His second spell at Workington began in 2013 and he was in charge of team affairs on a temporary basis between Edmondson’s departure and Ian McDonald’s arrival.
He was appointed player-manager in 2014 and guided Reds to one of their best-ever seasons whilst playing in all but four of 56 games in charge.
Talks between the parties have concluded successfully, and the former-Queen of the South boss will take up his new role with immediate effect.
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Posted by Clarissa Atkinson November 25, 2018
Long ago, during an earlier life as a medievalist, I spent some time studying the trials of Joan of Arc. Like all those who encounter her words as well as her deeds, I was amazed and impressed by the courage and conviction displayed by that extraordinary 19-year old in front of the array of old men who confronted her.
Sworn in and disbelieved, then and now
I hadn’t thought about Joan for years, but in the last couple of months—okay, since the Brett Kavanaugh calamity—bits of her story keep coming back to me. So I took another look.
Everyone knows the story, or at least has seen the movie. I’ll write from selected versions of the legend here. [For a note on background and sources, see below.]
Joan was born in 1412 to a relatively prosperous peasant family in Domremy, a village in what is now northwestern France but was then in contested territory occupied by the English and their allies, the Burgundians. When she was about thirteen she was visited by the archangel Michael, and thereafter, frequently, by the virgin saints Catherine and Margaret. Joan referred to the saints as her “voices,” and the voices told her that she was a daughter of God who must lead a good life. Whether or not she was aware of a contemporary prophecy that a Maid, La Pucelle, would save France, she understood that she was charged with a special mission that required her to remain a virgin.
Joan with Catherine and Margaret
Joan was not frightened by her voices; their visits were occasions of joy. She obeyed them in every particular, even the preposterous instruction to leave home, go to the Dauphin (Crown Prince of France) at Chinon and escort him to Reims to be crowned. That insane enterprise required her not only to travel hundreds of miles through battle zones, but also—at least as difficult—to persuade several high ranking men, including the prince, to take her seriously. She succeeded: she reached the Dauphin, and with the aid of a miraculous secret sign convinced him that she might be useful. She passed a test conducted over several days by court theologians to establish that she was neither a heretic nor possessed by the Devil. Joan also “passed” a physical examination administered by some high-ranking ladies to confirm that she was not a camp-follower who consorted with soldiers, but a virgin who might be plausible as “La Pucelle.” It’s hard to imagine this quasi-gynecological event, but it was only the first of such that she endured.
Raising the siege at Orléans
Joan traveled to Chinon with the help of soldiers who provided her with a soldier’s outfit, including armor, so she could travel through combat zones. The armor was protective in another way; it discouraged her companions from thinking of her as a female available for sex. Years later, during her rehabilitation trial [see note below], some of her fellow soldiers reported that they had been unwilling or unable to respond to Joan as they would to any other young woman traveling alone – one assumes, by sexual assault. One of her companions reported that “. . . both Bertrand and I slept each night with her. The Maid slept beside us without taking off her doublet and breeches; and as for me, I was in such awe of her that I would not have dared to go near her; and I tell you on my oath that I never had any desire or carnal feelings for her.” Sex, gender, and clothing were central themes in the life of the Maid from the time she set out from home until her death—and even afterwards, when her naked, burned body was displayed to the crowd so they could see she was neither man nor angel, but a dead woman.
When Joan passed the exams and promised to raise the six-month-long siege of Orleans and escort him to his long-delayed coronation, the miserable Dauphin, whose fortunes had sunk very low, decided to give her a chance. She succeeded brilliantly: the siege ended nine days after Joan arrived with her army, who hailed her thereafter as a true messenger of God. Just three months later she escorted the Dauphin to Reims, where he was crowned Charles VII, king of a reawakened and re-inspired France. After that he had little use for Joan.
The coronation marked a turning point for France and its new king, and in the opposite direction also for Joan. After some military mistakes and defeats she was captured by the Burgundians, who sold her to the English, who handed her over to the Bishop of Beauvais, an English sympathizer whose task was to find her guilty of heresy and get rid of her. From May 1430 until her death a year later, Joan was imprisoned in a dungeon in Rouen, examined and interrogated over and over again by groups of men who tried to trap their unlettered young prisoner into heretical statements.
At night she was shackled to a heavy wooden block in her cell, guarded by soldiers who certainly taunted and probably molested her. She was not allowed to attend Mass, and she was not taken to an ecclesiastical prison where she could have been guarded by women instead of men (nuns, not soldiers), although she repeatedly requested both of those things.
But she persisted!… The Trial of Joan of Arc (c) Frances Maynard
Joan was continually harassed about her clothing, and she continually insisted that men’s clothes served as necessary protection against sexual assault. It’s worth asking: just what were the clothes that caused such an uproar, and eventually sent her to the fire? While Joan was with the soldiers but not armed for combat, she offended against the dress code for class as well as gender by wearing the clothes of an off-duty knight or squire: short breeches, “hosen” laced to a doublet (jacket), and a cloak and cap. (The hosen, or long stockings, were laced to the doublet with about twenty shoelace-like “points.”) In prison she wore a similar style of clothing, although not of such fine materials. High boots are mentioned occasionally, as is a man’s hood (known, oddly enough, as a “chaperon”). A woman in prison would have worn a long skirt, a blouse of some kind, and perhaps a cloak with a hood. No one of any class or gender in the 15th century, not even kings and queens, wore anything we would recognize as underwear.
Obviously, men’s clothes did offer some practical protection against assault, and perhaps a psychological barrier as well. Joan was certainly subjected by her guards to taunting and groping if not much worse, and towards the end of her imprisonment she told her confessor that an English “lord” had entered her cell and tried to rape her. Was he somehow prevented by her clothing? It seems unlikely—indeed, it seems extremely unlikely that one or more of these men would not have actually raped her. The soldiers with whom she lived when she traveled with the army may indeed have been awed, perhaps (as they said) even made impotent by the charisma of the Maid, but what about the jailers with whom she was alone, helpless, and shackled? We do not know what really happened, and we must take Joan at her word. The Maid, whose virginity was essential to her vocation, required men’s clothes when she lived with men, on the battlefield or in the dungeon.
The 19-year old Joan, without formal education, foiled and frustrated the bishop and his team of interrogators by repeatedly dodging their theological traps. After almost a year of this they resorted to terror: they took their prisoner to the place of execution and described in graphic terms what happened to heretics. Joan recanted, denied her voices and her mission and repented of wearing “a dissolute habit, misshapen and immodest and against the propriety of nature.” She put on a skirt, but that was not enough: her hair, she confessed, had been “clipped ‘en ronde’ in the style of a man, against all the modesty of the feminine sex.” The jailers shaved her head: a bald head was more acceptable than a man’s haircut, and doubtless contributed to the necessary shaming.
The bishop’s last trap was successful. A heretic who recanted could be spared the fire, but a heretic who recanted and then “relapsed” was doomed. The jailers must have been confident that Joan would relapse, and very shortly she did. She said she had been frightened into recantation, and there is no reason not to believe her—although her reasons for resuming men’s clothes may not have been so simple. The story tells us that the jailers tricked her again by hiding her skirt and leaving only men’s clothes available; she had to wear those or be naked. Whether or not that last piece of treachery really occurred, it was the resumption of men’s clothes that sent Joan to the stake on May 30, 1431.
After her body was displayed so the crowd could see that she was human and female, it was returned to the fire to be reduced to ashes. These were thrown into the Seine: the executioners wanted nothing left of the Maid to serve as relics for her followers. That hope was defeated, in the end, by the persistent legend that Joan’s heart never burned.
Joan of Arc was “rehabilitated” in a new trial twenty-five years later and canonized in 1920. She has been claimed as a saint by the church that burned her, and as a symbol of the French nation by Charles de Gaulle, Jean-Marie Le Pen, and many other Frenchmen. I believe it is time to claim her also for #MeToo.
Note on Background and Sources
The historical background of Joan of Arc’s short life was the Hundred Years War between England and France – the series of battles, sieges, and campaigns fought in much of what is now France from the mid-14th to mid-15th century. The issue was contested succession to the French throne, claimed by both Plantagenet and Valois monarchs. Joan’s mission to bring about the coronation of the Dauphin as Charles VII was a crucial step in the transformation of France into something like a modern nation, and of a dynastic conflict into an international war.
Joan grew up in a village in Lorraine, an area subject to the Dukes of Burgundy (allies of the English invaders) and ravaged by decades of occupation and destruction long before she was born. Her imprisonment and execution by the Burgundian-English forces and their clerical sympathizers was an act of war couched as an ecclesiastical trial and punishment of a heretic. When the long war ended in French victory, that trial was nullified and the Maid was “rehabilitated” and declared a martyr in 1456, 25 years after her death. Many of the stories about Joan come down to us from the second trial and thus depend on the highly subjective accounts of those who later “remembered” her.
Because of the two trials and the enormous accumulation of legend, politics, and romance around the figure of Joan, the sources for her history are extremely numerous and complicated. For beginners, the bibliographical note at the end of Larissa Taylor’s 2009 study, The Virgin Warrior, is a good place to start. The standard English translation of the first trial is W.P. Barrett, The Trial of Jeanne d’Arc (1932); for the second trial, significant extracts are made available to English readers in Regine Pernoud’s Retrial of Joan of Arc (1955). The secondary literature is also enormous and varied; again, Larissa Taylor’s book is a good place to start. Marina Warner offered a feminist perspective in Joan of Arc: The Image of Female Heroism (1981), and for a fresh take on an old subject, see also Francoise Meltzer, For Fear of the Fire: Joan of Arc and the Limits of Subjectivity (2001).
I note with delight that the slogan used by French women in our international #MeToo movement is #BalanceTonPorc—or “Expose your pig!”
Posted in: Gender, History, Middle AgesTagged: #BalanceTonPorc, #MeToo, Anita Hill, Brett Kavanaugh, Charles VII, Christine Blasey Ford, Jeanne d'Arc, Joan of Arc, La Pucelle, Sexism, Sexual assault, The Maid of Orléans, VirginityPermalink9 Comments
9 thoughts on “#MoiAussi”
Michelle Blake says:
This is one of my favorites so far on this website–and that’s saying a lot. The writing is always so good, and the insights so astute. But as usual what is most useful to me are the ways in which Atkinson’s knowledge and understanding of history illuminate what we are going through now–Me Too indeed–and the deep, deep desire to silence women at any cost. It’s no wonder so many of us feel eerily vulnerable after watching a spectacle like the Kavanaugh hearings–the implicit threat remains: You must not say these things. You must not speak out of turn. You must not interrupt our version of reality. On penalty of death.
Good luck with that, guys. As of today, the stake is not an option, and the word is out. Thanks in no small part to this kind of thoughtful, elegant research and writing.
Clarissa Atkinson says:
Thank you so much — and yes, the stake is not an option, but Dr. Ford hasn’t been able to go home yet…
Marilyn Richardson says:
Strong stuff, so beautifully written. And yes, we should embrace her for illuminating things of this moment from #MeToo to Michelle Obama’s concept of becoming, to transgender rights.
robyncadwallader says:
Great account of Joan’s life, Clarissa. You might be interested in a novel by Ali Alizadeh, Jeanne d’Arc. It’s quite an unusual take on the story of her life, and very moving.
Mary D'angelo says:
This is terrific, Crissy. When I was interviewed for the Wilson as an undergraduate, the panel consisted of two priests and a (male) professor of education, a cheery type but of marginal sanity. One of the priests (from the reactionary institute that “studied” relations with, I think., the Russian orthodox) was so hostile in questioning me that the other, a Jesuit from the English department whom I remember with great fondness, finally broke in to say, “I’m sorry to interrupt you, father, but this is beginning to sound a little too much like Joan of Arc and the Bishop of Beauvais.”
Thank you! I love this story — still relevant, isn’t she?
I should have added, ‘beautifully illustrated’.
Your note on background and sources is useful, but your account is incisive, elegant and sufficient. Thank you.
← P.S. The Windrush Generation
D-Day Memory: Then and Now →
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How U.S. Olympic men’s swim team would look based on 2015 times
By Nick ZaccardiAug 11, 2015, 9:00 AM EDT
Now that the year’s biggest swim meets are finished, there’s an opportunity to compare times and rank the fastest U.S. men’s swimmers per event.
The top two swimmers per event make the U.S. Olympic team at the trials next June and July, plus likely the top six from the 100m and 200m freestyles for relays.
Before getting to the rankings, some notes:
Michael Phelps is the only U.S. man ranked No. 1 in the world in an event, for the second straight year. Phelps posted world-leading times in the 100m butterfly, 200m butterfly and 200m individual medley at the U.S. Championships over the weekend.
There’s reason to believe that both Phelps and Ryan Lochte could be top six in the U.S. in the 100m freestyle to make the 4x100m free relay. They just didn’t swim the 100m free at top meets this summer. Their best times from 2014 (48.45 for Phelps and 48.90 for Lochte) would rank second and fifth if added to this year’s list.
Phelps’ best 200m freestyle time since his return in April 2014 (1:48.20) would rank No. 12 in the U.S. this year, but he hasn’t contested the event at a top meet in 2014 or 2015.
Caeleb Dressel, who turns 19 on Sunday, is ranked No. 2 in the 50m and 100m freestyle behind Olympic 100m free champion Nathan Adrian. Dressel could become the youngest U.S. male swimmer to compete in an individual event at an Olympics since 2004.
Jordan Wilimovsky, who is second in the 1500m freestyle, already made the Olympic team in the open-water 10km. The Rio Olympic open-water race is the day after the 1500m free.
How U.S. Olympic women’s swim team would look based on 2015 times
Here are the rankings with world ranking in parentheses.
50m Freestyle
1. Nathan Adrian — 21.37 (2)
2. Caeleb Dressel — 21.53 (3)
3. Josh Schneider — 21.86 (7)
4. Cullen Jones — 21.87 (10)
100m Freestyle
1. Nathan Adrian — 48.31 (11)
2. Caeleb Dressel — 48.78 (31)
3. Michael Chadwick — 48.87 (36)
4. Jack Conger — 49.02 (43)
5. William Copeland — 49.09 (50)
6. Jimmy Feigen — 49.12 (53)
1. Ryan Lochte — 1:45.36 (3)
2. Conor Dwyer — 1:45.64 (15)
3. Maxime Rooney — 1:47.10 (22)
4. Zane Grothe — 1:47.11 (25)
5. Reed Malone — 1:47.15 (26)
6. Blake Pieroni — 1:47.30 (29)
1. Connor Jaeger — 3:44.81 (6)
2. Zane Grothe — 3:45.98 (9)
3. Michael McBroom — 3:46.69 (16)
4. Clark Smith — 3:47.10 (17)
1500m Freestyle
1. Connor Jaeger — 14:41.20 (2)
2. Jordan Wilimovsky — 14:57.05 (9)
3. Michael McBroom — 14:57.07 (10)
4. Andrew Gemmell — 15:09.92 (30)
100m Backstroke
1. Matt Grevers — 52.66 (3)
2. Ryan Murphy — 53.05 (7)
3. Nick Thoman — 53.20 (11)
4. David Plummer — 53.54 (16)
1. Ryan Murphy — 1:55.00 (5)
2. Tyler Clary — 1:56.26 (7)
3. Jacob Pebley — 1:56.29 (8)
4. Sean Lehane — 1:57.11 (14)
100m Breaststroke
1. Cody Miller — 59.51 (8)
2. Andrew Wilson — 59.65 (11)
3. Nic Fink — 1:00.05 (17)
4. Kevin Cordes — 1:00.27 (22)
1. Kevin Cordes — 2:08.05 (3)
2. Josh Prenot — 2:08.90 (7)
3. Craig Benson — 2:09.68 (16)
4. Cody Miller — 2:09.71 (18)
100m Butterfly
1. Michael Phelps — 50.45 (1)
2. Tom Shields — 51.03 (5)
3. Jack Conger — 51.33 (8)
4. Matthew Josa — 51.68 (16)
1. Michael Phelps — 1:52.94 (1)
2. Jack Conger — 1:54.54 (8)
3. Tom Shields — 1:55.75 (16)
4. Tyler Clary — 1:55.86 (18)
200m Individual Medley
4. Josh Prenot — 1:58.38 (15)
1. Chase Kalisz — 4:10.05 (4)
3. Jay Litherland — 4:12.43 (7)
How Katie Ledecky can be an underdog at the Rio Olympics
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Adam Peaty breaks 100m breaststroke world record again
Associated PressAug 4, 2018, 4:00 PM EDT
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — By improving his own world record in the 100m breaststroke again, Olympic champion Adam Peaty is within one-hundredth of a second of completing his “Project 56.”
The British swimmer won gold in 57.00 seconds at the European Championships on Saturday, shaving 0.13 off his previous best mark, which he swam at the Rio de Janeiro Games two years ago.
Peaty, who has the 14 fastest times in the discipline, is the only swimmer to beat the 58-second mark, and last autumn he announced his ambition to go under 57 as well.
“I don’t want to just win, I want to dominate. And that’s not an arrogant side, that’s the competitive side in me,” he said on Saturday.
With a reaction time at the start of just 0.47, Peaty looked sharp from the beginning of the race. He never had his lead under threat. He beat James Wilby by 1.54 for a British 1-2 finish. Anton Chupkov of Russia finished 1.96 behind in third.
“It’s a weird one because I wasn’t going after a world record. But after the heat yesterday I knew I was in good shape,” said Peaty, who was still far from a world record in that heat (57.89) and in the semifinals (58.04), but he announced he “would be on my full game” for the final.
“After the semi I was back in the 58s but it just shows what you can do if you have a positive mental attitude,” he said.
It’s Peaty’s ninth European long-course title, to add to his five world titles.
In the buildup, Peaty said he wasn’t focusing on setting world records or below-57 finishing times anymore after his disappointing showing at the Commonwealth Games.
On the Gold Coast in April, he won the 100m breaststroke in only 58.84, and suffered a first defeat since 2014 in the 50m breaststroke, where he was edged by South Africa’s Cameron van der Burgh.
“When you go four years without losing, you kind of get complacent even if you don’t want to admit it to yourself,” he said, adding that a “spider web of support” — his girlfriend, family, and coaches — helped him to rediscover his joy in the sport.
“It’s not just my victory tonight. It’s their victory as well. I didn’t train too hard these last months. I got the balance right between training smart and training very hard.”
Just missing out on a time below 57 didn’t bother him.
“No, that gives me another level of motivation,” he said. “If I’d achieved that, people would be talking about ‘Project 55.’”
An hour after Peaty’s achievement, Kliment Kolesnikov set a world record in the 50m backstroke final. The Russian finished in 24 seconds to beat the previous best mark set by Britain’s Liam Tancock, who timed 24.04 at the 2009 World Championships in Rome.
Robert-Andrei Glinta of Romania won silver after trailing Kolesnikov by 0.55, and Shane Ryan of Ireland finished 0.64 behind for bronze.
It’s the 18-year-old Kolesnikov’s second gold medal of the European Championships after winning the 4x100m freestyle with the Russian team on Friday. He also won four European titles at the short-course championships in Copenhagen last year.
MORE: Chase Kalisz, among Floyd, swim stardom, Waffle House, at home in Athens
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRkbJOdT_Y8
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Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies
This Programme Statement states the focus of the funding provided by the Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies. The Forms of Support document (work in progress) describes the types of funding prioritised by the Foundation. The Statement, which relates to the period from 2020 to 2030, is continuously followed up by the Board and evaluated after three years.
The aim of the Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies is defined in its Statutes. The overarching aim of the Foundation is: The Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies’ support for research, doctoral studies and scientific infrastructure should generate research of the highest possible quality, at Södertörn University, in areas related to the Baltic Sea Region and Eastern Europe.
Points of departure
The Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies is an independent organisation governed by the Swedish Foundation Act. The Foundation’s Board interprets and applies the Statutes.
As a research funder, the Foundation has a distinct profile defined in its Statutes: its geographical area is specified, and its purpose is defined as supporting development of Södertörn University.
The Foundation’s financial support must be related to the Baltic Sea Region and Eastern Europe. This region comprises, the Baltic Sea and the states surrounding it and post-Communist Central, Southern and Eastern Europe. The Foundation does not fund research that exclusively concerns Sweden or Swedish conditions. However, support may be available for research relating to Sweden, or to countries entirely outside the Baltic Sea Region and Eastern Europe, in comparative studies where this is scientifically justified.
The Foundation funds research, doctoral studies and scientific infrastructure, and also activities that develop these areas at Södertörn University. This support may cover all disciplines.
The Foundation can, on its own initiative, fund activities to promote research, doctoral studies and scientific infrastructure at Södertörn University.
The Foundation can also support initiatives of external provenance related to the Baltic Sea Region and Eastern Europe that take place in collaboration with researchers at Södertörn University.
The Foundation works for sustainability and predictability in its forms of funding, clarity in communication, mutual respect, transparency and assessment of funding applications that ensures equal opportunities and fairness.
Support may be provided following applications to the Foundation by researchers or research groups and/or directly to Södertörn University after an application from the Vice-Chancellor. The support given to researchers or research groups for research and doctoral studies after they have applied directly to the Foundation must constitute the greater part of the Foundation’s allocation of funds.
Within the framework of the customary requirements of scientific quality and relevance to the Baltic Sea Region and Eastern Europe, four priorities clarify the intentions underlying the Foundation’s forms of support.
Today, all research is conducted in an international arena, and internationalisation is a means of enhancing quality in research and doctoral studies. The demand for internationalisation is emphasised by the Foundation’s focus on research in areas related to the Baltic Sea Region and Eastern Europe. Priority is given to support for international collaboration, network building and mobility of researchers and doctoral students. Other priorities of the Foundation are strategic alliances and updating of the forms of internationalisation.
The academic career – all stages
Creative research environments of high quality are distinguished not only by strong international networks but by a sound balance between a core of permanently employed researchers and an inflow of others employed in projects and engaged temporarily. This balance provides scope for innovative ideas, and is necessary for research environments to continue and develop. These environments are attractive to visiting researchers and external recruits. The Foundation prioritises support for all the various academic career stages and for strategic recruitments.
Scientific infrastructure
For high-quality research, sustainable infrastructure is essential. Growing digitisation is imposing new requirements on, and generating new opportunities and conditions for, research and dissemination of research results and data. Needs — for huge amounts of data to be stored, transferred and analysed, and to be accessible and reproducible — are growing rapidly. Access to suitable technology and laboratories of various kinds is crucial. The Foundation gives priority to supporting activities that strengthen scientific infrastructure.
Visibility and cooperation
A strong research environment is characterised by cooperation with the local community, dissemination of information about work in progress and practical use of research findings. These activities call for cooperation with all the relevant stakeholders both within and outside academia, abroad as well as in Sweden. The Foundation prioritises support for activities that improve accessibility, cooperation and visibility.
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Share this Story: Three officer cadets to be booted from Canadian Forces after desecrating Qur'an
Three officer cadets to be booted from Canadian Forces after desecrating Qur'an
May 25, 2018 • May 25, 2018 • 1 minute read
Canadian Forces photo.
Three officer cadets will be kicked out of the Canadian Forces after they were involved in the desecration of a Qur’an with bacon and bodily fluids.
Four cadets from the Royal Military College in Saint-Jean, Que., were involved in the incident that took place March 31.
Three officer cadets to be booted from Canadian Forces after desecrating Qur'an Back to video
The incident involving the Islamic sacred book took place off campus.
It was reported to Royal Military College Saint-Jean authorities on April 10 and an investigation was initiated the same day, the Canadian Forces said in a statement Friday.
“Such misconduct goes against our core beliefs and is not tolerated, especially at RMC Saint-Jean, where future leaders of the Canadian Armed Forces are trained and educated,” the military noted in a statement issued Friday.
Two of the officer cadets were served with a notice that they will be recommended for release from the Canadian Forces for unsatisfactory conduct. Another was served with a release notice based on unsatisfactory performance. One officer cadet was served with a recorded warning and will undergo counselling.
The officer cadets are appealing the decision to kick them out and a final ruling on that action is expected in mid-June, Department of National Defence sources say.
The military noted that it was officer cadets who reported the allegations that started the investigation.
The desecration of the Qur’an was visually recorded. But that imagery no longer exists, according to the Canadian Forces.
“At this time there is no indication that any of them belong to any kind of hate group,” the military added in its statement.
The military police and Canadian Forces National Investigation Service were consulted but have not started an investigation. That job was instead handed over to commanders at the college.
The Canadian Forces confirmed Friday that it is believed one of the cadets masturbated on the Qur’an.
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Cultural & Social Holistic • Rob's Blog and Commentary
Today, the digital news from most European presses about the USA and Americans gave me a sour taste. As an American citizen living in Europe, I can stay objective and better evaluate my perceptions of the American society. Something is deadly wrong occurring amongst people in America. I sense that it could be the final deterioration of what I’ve coined: a non-existent American culture.
Virtually every tribe, country, nation has a long-term grounded culture. Regardless of cultural bias within our history books, America is devoid of a long-existing culture. Throughout my worldly travels, I’ve witnessed that in each localized culture, people sing together, eat from recipes handed down by great grandparents, and behave according to what the indigenous cultures have given them. On the other hand, there’s no unified culture for Americans, which is one of the reasons it’s so divided: there’s nothing to hold it together except comfort, greed, sports, and entertainment.
The early European settlers sought religious freedom, and they betrayed and killed the native tribes to anchor their lust for freedom. So, right from the first “At bat” new continent moment, killing was acceptable. It was not religious or sharing; it was greed. The “Wild West” was a gun-slinging adventure: take what you can at the cost of a bullet. Hey, let’s bring in some slaves to help us make more money. These are not culturally driven; they are evil.
I can go on and on, but my suggestions would be to consider a theme of what American Culture is or is not. Though, the only real culture I can muster relates to the design of the Constitution. Wasn’t this marvelous piece of literature an attempt by the “Powers to Be” to present an oracle, a grand political masterpiece for humankind’s betterment? But as you can see, it’s a bunch of idealistic words, which the recent Republican Party and its President have made shambles of it.
The most apparent cultures that flourished in America have been the quest to be great, above all other Nations, and magnify the winning culture. Win at all costs—humans or otherwise—win to be on the top. To use what natural resources are available, no matter how harmful. Let the poor and unattainable populations wallow in their grief and shortsightedness. The American culture dictates that only the lucky survive. “No risk, no gain,” echoes through the capitalist indoctrinated entrepreneur.
For me, the only real culture in America embarks under the laws of the survival of the fittest—whether legally or illegally. Money and egotistical relationships buy the path upwards. The American population has proven that it’s predictable, spoon-fed, and can be bought for a price. These shameful characteristics deteriorated empires and civilization throughout history. Yet, in America, that has unfortunately been enabled.
The authentic culture of America embraces diversity. Though young at heart, diversity touches upon a Spirit-driven ideal of unifying the people, protecting them, and providing the infrastructure for their creative pursuits. Initially, that supposedly embraced the real culture of America.
America’s real culture serves to blend the impulse that each American has the right and opportunity to sustain his or her “Individualism” while not sustaining his or her “Uniqueness.” Americans are followers. Every person holds the God-given master design to declare their Earthly sojourn and pursue whatever path they choose. And with that, every person has the right to express their God-given talents and gifts. These two exclusive elements provide the foundation for a harmonious society’s existence: it’s a reciprocal relationship…
“You are given Uniqueness to help serve humanity, not control it.”
Greed has interfered with Natural Laws and has perpetuated an American and a worldwide ecological crisis. If Americans truly wanted to demonstrate their culture, they would lead and join with other Nations to preserve Earth’s resources. But this has failed in recent times.
The final frontier for Americans boils down to “Egotistical vs. Altruism” structures and values. Americans have become self-serving in so many ways that would make Kings and Queens envious. The rich get richer and the poor, well, they get worse. The original premise to make America unique was to close the gap between those who have and those who do not. American culture attempted to be a world leader in humanity but failed that miserably in recent times under the political mess it has mustered.
Mother Earth dares not expend her resources only for Americans, or those who are wealthy have little time or respect for the resourcefulness of the Earth. Mother Earth needs to hear from the masses that she is loved, respected, and wanted. She has a heart, too. Mother Earth has a mind. She has feelings. She has a purpose. She demands her culture to sustain the balance among all of her inhabitants. If not, she’ll devise a way to rekindle a culture of her liking, which might not be what the masses could tolerate. Under the previous political bipartisan framework of America, the Earth resources were more respected, and that set an excellent example for other nations to willfully participate. Unfortunately, this has vaporized!
The new American Culture needs to transcend from the premise of taking to that of giving, as exemplified by the sacrifice and courage of our vets in the First and Second World Wars. Our service men and women were honored. Americans need no longer seek to deserve rewards instead to advocated well-being for all. For a brief moment in modern American history, a tragic event won people’s hearts and souls from around the world. Immediately after 9/11, with over three thousand deaths, that global behavior was honored. Unfortunately, under the current culture of individualism, the premise of “taking” has been personified beyond belief. The “Non-Existent American Culture” has finally shown its face. With over one-hundred and fifty thousand deaths from a pandemic, a significant portion of Americans do nothing to stimulate a unified culture, a culture of diversity generated by being benevolent.
DrGerard.77@gmail.com
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Last edited by Zukora
7 edition of The Best Science Fiction Stories of the Year-1997 found in the catalog.
The Best Science Fiction Stories of the Year-1997
Published June 2001 by Dercum Audio .
Science Fiction - Anthologies,
Unabridged Audio - Fiction/Science Fiction & Fantasy,
Audio Adult: Books On Tape
The New York Times Best Book of the Year, Time Magazine Best Book of the Year Charles Mason () and Jeremiah Dixon () were . Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce. Publication year: ISBN: X Page count: p. Publisher: Random House Summary: When Thirteen-year-old DaIne loses her family and is forced from her home she sets out to find a new life for herself. With an unusual way with animals Daine takes a job handiling horses for the Queens elite group of fighters, the Riders.
The IRA Children's and Young Adults' Book Awards are intended for newly published authors who show unusual promise in the children’s and young adults’ book field. Awards are given for fiction and nonfiction in each of three categories: primary, intermediate, and young adult. Grade Level: K-5 Author: Kate Duke Publisher: Harper Year: ISBN: Description: A boy and his friends go on a dig in a local cornfield with their archaeologist friend Sophi and make discoveries about how scientists learn about the past. They learn that small pieces of stone, bone, or fossils are clues to long ago.
Synopsis. A collection of the best news stories, features, gossip, diary stories, trends and photographs published in the Guardian during Voted Newspaper of the Year by What the Papers Say, it features among its writers such names as Francis Wheen, Hugo Young, Ed Vulliamy and Nick Davis. Carol Borden draws out the best in comics, alex MacFadyen and Beth Watkins stare deeply into the screen, Keith Allison probes science fiction and Angela Englert sinks her fangs into horror. Thanks to Gutter aesthetic director Brian Kirby for all his swank art. Thanks to EJ Lee for providing the fantastic art we used in the Cultural Gutter book.
Canada geese in southern Ontario
The Girl Aviators on Golden Wings
Cold rubber feet
A Narrative of the Siege of Delhi
import of the Anglo-Japanese alliance (1902-1923).
Aurora the magnificent
enquiry whether a general practice of virtue tends to the wealth or poverty, benefit or disadvantage of a people
Tips & Tricks for Cat Owners
War with the devil
INSET courses for teaching staff.
Listen to the trees
How to grow sweet peas.
Algebraic K-theory.
Kômungo sanjo
Little Abraham Lincoln Learns to Be Honest (American Virtues for Kids: Honesty)
Musical growth in the elementary school
Charles Beylard Guerard de Nancrède
Pillow Talk (2 Grrrls)
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Selected by noted anthologist Martin Greenberg. HOLIDAY BOOKS Editor's Choice: The 11 best books of the year. Notable Books of the Year: A list of the high points in this year's fiction, poetry, nonfiction, children's books, mysteries and science fiction.
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Apostolou and Martin H. Greenburg Publication Year: Publisher: Barricade Books/5(13). British Science Fiction Association Excession by Iain M Banks (winner) Dagger Awards Bible Stories for Adults by James Morrow Best Book Awards. Arthur C. Clarke Award Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson The Calcutta Chromosome by Amitav Ghosh (winner) The Engines of God by Jack McDevitt Gibbon's Decline and Fall by Sheri S Tepper.
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Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Science Fiction Century Edited by David G. Hartwell Softcover Like at the best online prices at eBay. Free shipping for many products. Year’s Best SF 3 According to the introduction, “this selection of science fiction stories represents the best that was published during the year ” It was edited by David G.
Hartwell and published in by Harper Prism. This volume includes 22 stories and spans pages. I don’t think any of the stories were long enough to be. The first Anthology of Japanese Science Fiction Short Stories translated into English was The Best Japanese Science Fiction Stories Editors: John L.
Apostolou and Martin H. Greenburg Publication Year: Publisher: Barricade Books/5(4). SF Site's Best Read of the Year: There were over a thousand Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror books published in The writers, reviewers and editors of the SF Site present their pick for the Top Ten Books of the year.
Best non-fiction books of all time: Amy Poehler is the author of the book Yes Please. The book releases in the year The writer of the book is an American TV actor. Yes, Please is all about small humorous stories and some life lessons from the author’s life.
The book gets mix reviews from the critics. On the Origin of Species (By. Release year: Al Pacino and Johnny Depp team up in this story of an FBI informant who works for a New York crime family in the s and befriends an aging hit man (Pacino).
Depp plays the title character, based on a book by Joseph D. Pistone (the real-life Donnie Brasco). New to Flash Fiction. Flash Fiction are very very short books to tickle your fancy. They are a great way to see a writer's style and be introduced to the worlds they create and envision.
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Science fiction (abbreviated SF or sci-fi with varying punctuation and capitalization) is a broad genre of fiction that often involves speculations based on current or future science or e fiction is found in book s, art, television, film s, game s, theatre, and other organizational or marketing contexts, science fiction can be synonymous with the broader definition of.
Lev Grossman is a renowned American author as well as a popular journalist born in Concord, Massachusetts on J Best Lev Grossman books in order include the names as ‘The Magicians,’ ‘The magician king,’ and ‘the magician’s land.
Till the time he has written around books Lev Grossman popular novels and overall, his Lev Grossman books have been translated into. Teen science fiction book with male protagonist on spaceship destined for re-settlement on new planet.
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In communicating wildlife conservation, focus on the right message
by Melissa Osgood, Cornell University
If you want people to care about endangered species, focus on how many animals are left, not on the chances of a species becoming extinct, according to a new study by Cornell University communication scholars.
Since the 1960s, conservation experts have used specific labels to indicate how precariously a species is teetering on the brink of extinction. Categories like "critically endangered," "endangered" and "vulnerable" are meant to communicate how much risk animals face.
Conservation biologists use statistics about a species' population and the territory it inhabits to figure out which category it belongs in.
But researchers found that what scientists think those numbers say about a species' risk of extinction, and how the public perceives that risk, can be strikingly different.
"Although experts view these statistics as equal, the public does not. This research shows the numbers experts use don't necessarily register the same level of risk in the public's mind," said Hwanseok Song, a doctoral candidate in the field of communication and author of the study.
The research, "Communicating Conservation Status: How Different Statistical Assessment Criteria Affect Perceptions of Extinction Risk," appeared in the journal Risk Analysis.
To qualify as "endangered," "critically endangered" or "vulnerable," the International Union for Conservation of Nature says a species must meet any one of five criteria. These include:
the population's percentage decline over the past 10 years;
the total area of land and the number of locations the species occupies;
the number of individuals left;
the number of individuals left combined with the rate of decline; and
the probability that the species will become extinct in the wild within a certain number of years.
The five criteria describe the threat of extinction in different statistical ways, but each represents a significant danger to a population, according to co-author Jonathon Schuldt, assistant professor of communication.
"From a scientific perspective, they're all equal," Schuldt said. "But some criteria seem a lot riskier to people than others. What's equal to experts may not be equal to lay audiences, based on the perception of risk they associate with these labels."
The researchers asked more than 300 study participants to read six short descriptions of the conservation status of different species. After each description, the participants were asked how likely it is that the species would become extinct within 30 years, and how threatened the species is in general.
People said the criterion that indicated the most risk of extinction described the number of individual animals left in the species. It didn't matter how many individuals they were told remained - 50, 250 or 1,000; people viewed those species at high risk of extinction.
In contrast, the least risky criterion described the chances of that species as a whole becoming extinct within 10, 20 or 100 years, corresponding to the critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable categories.
And although one criterion offered more information - the number of remaining individuals and the proportion of population decline - it elicited less risk than another that described the risk in terms of the number of individuals only.
Overall, the researchers also found that how people perceived risk of extinction was also affected by their thinking style. Rational thinkers were more likely to perceive all five criteria as similar in terms of risk - like scientists do. In contrast, people who scored low on rationality were more likely to perceive differences across the five criteria.
"These different statistics do have differential effects and experts should not be using them as if they mean the same thing to the public as they mean to them," Song said.
Instead, public policy and conservation experts might want to consider which messages work well for different types of thinkers, Schuldt added.
"That can get you beyond one-size-fits-all messaging and toward targeted messaging for strategic impact," he said. "Organizations might want to think about that more than they do."
What can extinct species do to help conservation?
Journal information: Risk Analysis
Provided by Cornell University
Citation: In communicating wildlife conservation, focus on the right message (2016, October 31) retrieved 16 January 2021 from https://phys.org/news/2016-10-wildlife-focus-message.html
World's largest gorillas 'one step from going extinct'
Endangered animals can be identified by rate of genetic diversity loss
Lack of data increases risk to species' survival
Half of Africa's vultures flying towards extinction: conservationists
Species in the Spotlight campaign highlights NOAA Fisheries' endangered species conservation efforts
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Youth Photo Contests
Landscapes Art Competition
Deadline: January 1, 2021
Entry Fee: from $20 to $35
Prizes: Cash prizes, participation in the online exhibition, promotion, certificates
“For me, a landscape does not exist in its own right, since its appearance changes at every moment; but the surrounding atmosphere brings it to life – the light and the air which vary continually.” ~ Claude Monet
Fusion Art invites submissions for the 6th Annual Landscapes art competition for an online exhibition during the month of January 2021.
For this competition, both 2D and 3D artists, worldwide, are invited to submit their best art depicting natural scenery and the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, valleys, deserts, farmland, trees, rivers, lakes, ponds, forests, wilderness, polar regions, rainforests, islands and tropical landscapes. All artists, regardless of location or experience, are invited to submit their best representational and/or abstract art and photography.
All competitions include awards in three categories – “Traditional” Art, “Digital & Photography” and 3-Dimensional Art (if the gallery receives 3D entries). Best in Show and 2nd through 5th Place awards will be given. The Best in Show winners will receive a cash prize and an invitation to Fusion Art’s 5th Annual Group Show in Palm Springs in 2021.
Depending on the number and quality of all submissions received, Honorable Mention and/or Special Recognition awards may also be given.
Cash prizes will be given to the Best in Show winners in each category (Traditional, Digital & Photography and 3-Dimensional (if the gallery receives 3D entries).
The Best in Show winners will be the “Featured Artists” on the website for the duration of the exhibition. The Best in Show winners will also receive an invitation to participate in Fusion Art’s 5th annual group show in Palm Springs.
2nd through 5th Place awards in each category will also be given. Depending on the number and quality of all submissions received, Honorable Mention and/or Special Recognition awards may also be given.
All award winning artists will receive a digital award certificate, event announcement and copy of the press release for their art portfolio.
Video slideshows of the group exhibition will be created and available on the website and Fusion Art’s YouTube channel.
Links to the artist’s website will be listed on the exhibition page and should result in increased traffic to the artist’s website.
Fusion Art’s objective is to promote the artists, worldwide, to art professionals, gallerists, collectors and buyers.
All inquiries from potential buyers who see the artwork on the Fusion Art website will be directed to the artist for negotiation.
Call for Artists Announced: November 12, 2020
Deadline for Entries: January 1, 2021
Opening of Online Exhibition: January 5, 2021
Online Exhibition Closed & Archived: February 4, 2021 (remains on website under “Archived Exhibitions” for 3 years)
A nonrefundable entry fee of $20 for 1 image
A nonrefundable entry fee of $35 for up to 5 images (average of $7 per image)
Artists may enter the competition more than once if they have more than 5 works they want to be considered
Anthology Magazine Photographer of the Year Contest
Deadline: August 31, 2021 Entry Fee: from €10 to €15 Prizes: €500, publication
MUSE Photography Awards
Deadline: July 15, 2021 Entry Fee: from $25 to $30 Prizes: $100, $2,000
The State of the World Photo Contest
Deadline: June 30, 2021 Entry Fee: $35 Prizes: $200, participation in the
PX3 Photography Competition
Deadline: June 30, 2021 Entry Fee: from $20 to $50 Prizes: $250, $500
Vienna International Photo Awards
Deadline: May 31, 2021 Entry Fee: from €19 to €80 Prizes: Valuable Prizes
Deadline: May 16, 2021 Entry Fee: from $20 to $30 Prizes: $2,000, $3,000
Asian Contemporary Fine Art Competition
Deadline: May 4, 2021 Entry Fee: from $25 to $45 Prizes: $500, participation
Banff Mountain Photo Essay Competition
Deadline: May 3, 2021 Entry Fee: $15 CAD Prizes: $2,000 CAD, participation
© 2021 Pixcontests – Photo Contests of the World
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Alumni News Summer reading picks by alumni authors
Published in the June 6, 2007 Issue
For our summer reading list, PAW asked alumni authors to recommend books they recently have read
George Garrett ’52, poet, novelist, and professor emeritus of creative writing at the University of Virginia, and the poet laureate of Virginia from 2002 to 2004.
Recommendation: Toussaint Louverture: A Biography, by Madison Smartt Bell ’79 (Pantheon). “In the opening sentence of this fascinating book, Bell writes: ‘As leader of the only successful slave revolution in recorded history, and as the founder of the only independent black state in the Western Hemisphere ever to be created by former slaves, François Toussaint Louverture can be fairly called the highest-achieving African-American hero of all time.’ Bell, a first-rate novelist, tells in this biography the incredible story of Toussaint’s Haitian Revolution (1789–1804), which engaged anxious attention in Britain, France, Spain, and the brand-new United States of America as well as from leading figures of the times — Washington, Jefferson, John Adams, and Napoleon. This is exciting reading and strongly relevant to our troubled times.”
John McPhee ’53, Ferris Professor of Journalism at Princeton and winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Annals of the Former World.
Recommendation: Oracle Bones: A Journey Between China’s Past and Present, by Peter Hessler ’92(HarperCollins). “Oracle Bones is about Chinese people and Chinese places from Jiangsu Province to Xinjiang, and from the new city of Shenzhen to the border city of Dandong, not to mention Beijing. Through this writer’s many forms of adroitness, including spirit and humor, it carries a reader into an extremely distant context and makes the reader a part of the context. Beautifully organized, its extended landscapes and profiles are punctuated by short sections that Hessler calls artifacts, which outline the history of writing in China from ancient inscriptions carved into tortoise plastrons (known as oracle bones) on through the development of characters and what the elemental brush strokes represent.
“Hessler learned Chinese while teaching English at a teachers’ college in a small city in Sichuan Province, an experience that resulted in his first (and equally good) book, River Town. He has been The New Yorker’s correspondent in China for the past six years. Oracle Bones was nominated in 2006 for a National Book Award. It is a wondrous piece of reading.”
T.R. Reid ’66, Washington Post reporter, author of The United States of Europe: The New Superpower and the End of American Supremacy, and a Ferris Professor of Journalism last fall.
Recommendation: On Beauty, by Zadie Smith (Penguin). “We lived in London at the turn of the century. Almost every month, in those heady millennial days, the literary establishment would pronounce some bright young author to be the authentic new Voice of Britain for the 21st century. Few could live up to the hype. One who does — the one who has emerged as the best British novelist of the new century — is Zadie Smith, a precise and witty observer of contemporary life on both sides of the Atlantic. Her latest novel, On Beauty, about sexual and academic angst in Cambridge, Mass., is a charming introduction to her lucid style, her descriptive power, and her spectacular ability to capture the way people talk today. Whether it’s an ostentatiously erudite Harvard scholar, a Haitian hip-hop band in Boston, or a suburban American teenager trying to sound like an inner-city rapper, this British writer has a perfect ear for the endless varieties of American English.”
Annalyn Swan ’73, editor, writer, and co-author with her husband, Mark Stevens ’73, of the biography De Kooning: An American Master, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 2005.
Recommendation: The Inheritance of Loss, by Kiran Desai (Grove Press). “The classic tale of the immigrant — forever caught between cultures — and the family left behind is recast beautifully in The Inheritance of Loss by the young Indian writer Kiran Desai, winner of the 2006 Booker Prize. Desai chronicles the tragicomic efforts of young Biju to survive a string of jobs in the sweaty takeout joints of New York City, a world populated almost exclusively by illegal aliens. Meanwhile, back home ‘high in the northeastern Himalayas ... where India blurred into Bhutan and Sikkim,’ Biju’s father — a downtrodden cook — is besieged by parents who want help sending their children on the same fateful trip to America. In the background, insurgents gather and the last vestiges of colonial life fade away. Desai vividly evokes the many worlds of her characters, not least the magic mountains that tower above them all, impervious to poverty and politics: ‘Briefly visible above the vapor, Kanchenjunga was a far peak whittled out of ice, gathering the last of the light, a plume of snow blown high by the winds at its summit.’ ”
Lawrence Otis Graham ’83, attorney, contributing editor at Reader’s Digest, and author of The Senator and the Socialite and Member of the Club: Reflections on Life in a Racially Polarized World.
Recommendation: Redemption: The Last Battle of the Civil War, by Nicholas Lemann (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). “For readers who enjoy books about American history or race relations, I highly recommend Redemption: The Last Battle of the Civil War, which examines how the American South remade itself following its dramatic loss in the Civil War. After describing the tremendous gains that blacks made socially and politically in states like Mississippi, where newly freed blacks were elected to the U.S. Senate and House of Representa-tives during the 1865–1877 Reconstruc-tion period, Lemann focuses mostly on President Grant and on those white political leaders in Southern states who used violence and corruption to take power, money, and control from liberal whites and blacks. This era of Southern ‘redemption’ was an ugly and violent period, but Lemann, who is dean of Columbia University School of Journalism and a frequent writer for The New Yorker, expertly explains how the ‘new’ South’s political structure was cynically rebuilt through the encouragement of further racial and social divisions.”
Whitney Terrell ’91, New Letters writer-in-residence at the University of Missouri–Kansas City and author of the novel The King of Kings County.
Recommendations: Uncommon Carriers, by John McPhee ’53 (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), and The Edge of Maine, by Geoffrey Wolff ’60 (National Geographic). “In his new book, Uncommon Carriers, McPhee celebrates American commercial transportation via 18-wheeler, container ship, coal train, and even parcel post. But at its center, the author takes an idyllic digression up the waterways that Henry David Thoreau followed in A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers. The route survives, hidden but unharmed, and McPhee’s trip reads like a joyous (which for McPhee means Yankee wry) thanksgiving for Thoreau’s rivers and his inspiration.
I had a similar feeling reading Wolff’s The Edge of Maine. The book, a personal travelogue of Maine, begins with a terrifying cliffhanger — Wolff lost in the fog aboard his 30-foot cutter, Blackwing, as he crosses the Gulf of Maine. But it concludes with a beautiful and fair-minded explanation of how the Kennebec River, once destroyed by sawmills and industry, was rescued by, God save us, the wisdom of the federal government. Both Wolff and McPhee are deep-draft authors, always sounding the undercurrents of American place and history. Their books read like fellow travelers to me.”
Verlyn Klinkenborg *82, member of the editorial board of The New York Times and author of The Rural Life (a collection of essays), and the novel Timothy; Or, Notes of an Abject Reptile.
Recommendation: Pages from the Goncourt Journals, by Edmond and Jules de Goncourt, foreword by Geoff Dyer, edited and translated by Robert Baldick (New York Review Books). “I think we cannot be reminded too often — or too sharply — what a different country the past was. And in these journals, the past is Paris from 1851 to 1895, Paris in the company of French brothers Edmond and Jules de Goncourt. Until 1870, when Jules died, the journal was a collaborative effort. After that, Edmond carried on alone. He described the two of them as the ‘St. John-the-Baptists of modern neurosis,’ and though he was saying this about their novels and plays, he might also have said it about the city that emerges through their eyes.
This selection — first published in 1962 and now reissued — is endlessly interesting, whether we’re listening to Flaubert, witnessing the effects of the siege of Paris, or attending a house-warming dinner at Zola’s. This is the tide of life, with every now and then an observation that seems to reach down into the present, like this one: The Goncourts have dined next to an American woman in Rome. Later they write about Americans, ‘These men and women were destined to be the future conquerors of the world. They will be the Barbarians of civilization, who will devour the Latin world as the Barbarians of barbarism devoured it in the past.’”
W.S. Merwin ’48, poet, winner of the 2005 National Book award for Migration.
Recommendation: Wideawake Field, a collection of poems, by Eliza Griswold ’95 (Farrar, Straus and Giroux).
“Some of the strengths of Eliza Griswold’s first book [exploring desolation, travel, love, and the relationship between parent and child] are immediately apparent. They include an assured authority of tone, language of repeatedly astonishing transparency, images that emerge out of each poem’s invisible source, vivid and revelatory even when they appear to overlap like double exposures. Her subjects are raw, wrenching, and she makes them ours. This is writing of true originality, which seems to have started out knowing where it was going.”
William Greider ’58, national affairs correspondent for The Nation magazine and author of The Soul of Capitalism: Opening Paths to a Moral Economy.
Recommendation: Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future, by William McKibben (Times Books).
“Bill McKibben is a brilliantly original voice in the movement for ecological sanity and his book, Deep Economy, sustains the tradition. He examines the bizarrely destructive principles of economics and explodes many of the fallacies. Then he explores the future and gives us a glimpse of how a prosperous economy could function to the benefit of both nature and people.”
Alan P. Lightman ’70, novelist and scientist, whose latest novel, Ghost, will be published in October.
Recommendation: Intuition, by Allegra Goodman (The Dial Press).
“Intuition provides an unprecedented look into the culture of science, showing the community nature of research groups, the passion of the scientist, and scientists’ competitiveness and jealousies. I don’t know of any other novel that provides such insight into the world of the scientific community since the novels of C.P. Snow.”
Joshua Hammer ’79, foreign correspondent and author of three books, including Yokohama Burning, which was published in 2006.
Recommendation: When a Crocodile Eats the Sun: A Memoir of Africa, by Peter Godwin (Little, Brown and Company).
“Godwin’s first memoir, Mukiwa: An African Boyhood, was a lyrical and, at times, heartbreaking account of his boyhood in Rhodesia and of the civil war that swept that period of innocence away. This ‘sequel’ is even better: The book jumps ahead to the past decade, when Zimbabwe's dictator, Robert Mugabe, began seizing white-owned farms and sent Zimbabwe skittering toward economic collapse. Godwin, who was by then a successful New York-based journalist, returns repeatedly to his homeland to cover the brutal expulsions, and he juxtaposes that story with the sad decline of his parents hunkered down in the fraying capital, Harare. There’s a ‘secret’ in this memoir that involves Godwin’s discovery of his father’s long-concealed true identity. But that part, while intriguing, pales before his on-scene reportage about the consequences of Mugabe’s madly destructive campaign.”
Marc Fisher ’80, Washington Post columnist and author of Something in the Air: Radio, Rock and the Revolution That Shaped a Generation, which was published this year.
Recommendation: Prisoners: A Muslim and A Jew Across the Middle East Divide, by Jeffrey Goldberg (Alfred A. Knopf).
“I freely admit to information – and emotion – overload when it comes to seemingly intractable world crises such as terrorism and the standoff in the Middle East. But as a former foreign correspondent, I know that the path to reviving both interest and hope is through the lives and stories of people who do not ordinarily populate the daily news. One of our best foreign correspondents, the fearless, funny, and frequently wise Jeffrey Goldberg, has produced a book that incisively demonstrates just how wrong the stereotype of news reporters really is.
“Goldberg, like most correspondents I’ve known, is anything but hardened: Tracing his own journey from suburban American Jew to Israeli Army prison guard to New Yorker writer, Goldberg bares his doubts and struggles with identity while trying to reach into the soul of one of his former captives, a Palestinian named Rafiq Hijazi. Goldberg lets us see that even enormous effort cannot always bridge the gap created by ancient memories and contemporary jealousies. Too many books about wars and hatreds strain to tell us what we all have in common; Goldberg shows us the truth about what divides us, knowing that only by recognizing that exasperating gulf can we hope to figure out a way forward.”
Stona Fitch ’83, whose last novel, Senseless, will be released as a feature film in late 2007 by Matador UK/Shoreline Entertainment.
Recommendation: The Mangel Trilogy (Deadfolk, Fags and Lager, and King of the Road), by Charlie Williams (Serpent’s Tail).
“This is a trilogy of spot-on British low-life novels chronicling the exploits and skewed commentary of Royston Blake, bouncer and anti-hero. Pitch black and hilarious – a guilty pleasure of the highest order.”
Hilary Beard ’84, freelance health writer, editor, and author, who recently co-authored Friends: A Love Story, with Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance.
Recommendation: Half of a Yellow Sun, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Knopf).
“Half of a Yellow Sun is a stunning story, and the writer, former Princeton Hodding fellow Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, was talented and intelligent enough to let her telling of it stay out of it way. Adichie’s prose is clean, and her account of war and its politic – in this case, Biafra’s 1967 attempt to succeed from Nigeria, during which 1 million Igbo people were slaughtered or starved as the world watched – is impeccably researched and sensitively told. It is also unflinching. The author spares no details in bringing this epic to life – how a mother might carefully braid her decapitated daughter’s hair before burying her, or how a passing bullet has a scent. Her protagonists – a rural house hand to a black African professor; the professor’s girlfriend, a member of black Africa’s elite class; and a white male British expatriate romantically involved with the girlfriend’s sister – are compassionately crafted and consistent in their triumphs, failures, and frailties as they move from prosperity through tragedy. It’s also refreshing to get a look at war through the eyes of African women.”
W. Barksdale Maynard ’88, lecturer at Johns Hopkins University and Princeton and author of Architecture in the United States, 1800-1850 (Yale), Walden Pond: A History (Oxford), and two books to be published in 2008: Buildings of Delaware (Virginia), and Woodrow Wilson’s First War: Princeton to the Presidency (Yale).
Recommendation: Edmund Wilson: A Life in Literature, by Lewis M. Dabney (Farrar, Straus and Giroux).
“Edmund Wilson ’16 seems to belong to a bygone world, remote and barely relevant – back when people actually read serious books and debated them, back when left-leaning opinion was still varied and unpredictable (Wilson’s book on Civil War literature, Patriotic Gore, was pro-Southern). Yet Wilson lived into recent times, railing against the Vietnam War and going to the movies to watch Escape from the Planet of the Apes (a “waste of time”). Born in 1895, he straddled the Victorian age and our own, and he did much to batter down the old conventions. Princeton came in for his scorn, as he increasingly found it country-clubbish – though he never stopped romanticizing his precept days with Christian Gauss.
“As Lewis Dabney’s long-awaited biography shows, it is difficult to appreciate Wilson today, when the books he analyzed as literary critic for The New Republic or The New Yorker are long since gathering dust. What draws us irresistibly is his sexual frankness and serial infidelity to four wives, revealed with astonishing candor in his posthumously published journals, which Dabney helped edit. Chronicles of 20th-century upheaval and experimentation, those journals – read alongside Dabney’s insightful new biography – would fill many fascinating summer hours.”
Andrew Trees ’90, teacher at Horace Mann in New York and author of Academy X, a satirical novel about life at an elite high school.
Recommendation: Company, by Max Barry (Doubleday).
“If you have ever found yourself in a cubicle wondering if your employer has placed surveillance cameras in the fluorescent lights, Max Barry’s Company is the novel for you. Barry satirizes the absurdity of office politics where a missing doughnut can become the catalyst for a department-wide shake-up. He also has a keen eye for the myriad and devious ways in which management techniques humiliate and demoralize employees. If Dilbert ever wrote a novel, this would be it.”
David Treuer ’92, writer and critic. His most re cent novel is The Translation of Dr Apelles, published in August 2006.
Recommendation: The Time of Our Singing, by Richard Powers (Picador).
“Richard Powers has emerged as one of the best writers of the last 20 years, but it is only recently that he has achieved any kind of widespread recognition. The Time of Our Singing ostensibly is about race, music, and physics . . . but really it is about America. Powers is the only writer of his generation that has managed to write a convincing story of love and race that escapes the simple and dull binaries of white/black and good/bad and love/not-love. “The Time of Our Singing is challenging reading. It is not a simple story written in ‘beautiful’ language that serves up the same old story but with different packaging. It is a complicated, original, necessary book. But the struggle is worth the effort. Not since Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain has a writer merged action and idea so seamlessly and excitingly.”
Mohsin Hamid ’93, author of the novels Moth Smoke and The Reluctant Fundamentalist.
Recommendation: Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro (Faber and Faber).
“I live in London, and my favorite living writer in Britain today probably is Kazuo Ishiguro. Many readers will already know him from superb novels such as The Remains of the Day and An Artist of the Floating World. His most recent novel, Never Let Me Go, is a masterpiece. It has been described as science fiction, but that is perhaps unfair. It takes place in a reality just slightly different from our own, and is a love story and a meditation on life and loss that shook me to the core. Simply, beautifully, a work of genius that is at the same time impossible to put down.
“I must add that my selection was made easier by the fact that we were told to select one title, which made it impossible for me to choose between The Translation of Dr Apelles by David Treuer ’92 and American Shaolin by Matt Polly ’95, both good friends of mine, and both authors of excellent recent books well worth a read.”
Ian Caldwell ’98, co-author of The Rule of Four.
Recommendation: The First Fossil Hunters: Paleontology in Greek and Roman Times, by Adrienne Mayor (Princeton University Press).
“The book’s pedigree couldn’t be more orange and black – published by the Princeton University Press and written by a Princeton researcher whose husband was the chair of Princeton’s classics department – and this is an example of Princeton in the service of the universal imagination. Mayor’s hypothesis is eye-opening: Though modern textbooks would have us believe that paleontology is a modern science, and that the Greeks and Romans had no knowledge of fossils (partly because they had no mental framework to make sense of them), she shows that classical texts are littered with references to fossil finds, and proves that the ancients simply interpreted dinosaur remains as the skeletons of their mythological heroes and monsters. From the skulls of pygmy elephants on Sicily, whose large nasal cavities may have given rise to the myth of the Cyclops, to the bones of protoceratops in Mongolia, which seem to have inspired the fearsome griffin, Mayor develops a theory whose usefulness extends beyond its delicious particulars, and makes us wonder how much our own expectations dictate our conclusions.
“This, and Mayor’s follow-up book, Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, and Scorpion Bombs (about unconventional warfare and weapons of mass destruction in the ancient world), are so seductive that I spent two years writing an abortive novel about them, and I can’t even say I regret it. A wonderful book for anyone with an imaginative bone in his body.”
Jennifer Anne Kogler ’03, author of the novel Ruby Tuesday.
Recommendation: March, by Geraldine Brooks (Penguin).
“March provides a paternal parallel to Louisa May Alcott’s classic Little Women. Literary spin-offs are hazardous. For every homage like The Hours, there are 10 books such as Scarlett that probably cause the source material’s author (in Scarlett’s case, Margaret Mitchell) to cringe from the Literary Beyond. Yet March is both an impressive work of historical fiction and a captivating story. Mr. March, based on Alcott’s father Bronson, recounts his ordeals with the Union forces during the Civil War. His narrative is filled with Woody Allen’s Zelig-esque moments where Mr. March shows up in the middle of historically significant events (like a solitary walk with Thoreau near Walden Pond) as well as personally wrought details of the antebellum South.”
Rebecca Goldstein *77, fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, and winner of a 1996 MacArthur “genius grant” for her work combining literature and philosophy. Her latest book is Betraying Spinoza: The Renegade Jew Who Gave Us Modernity.
Recommendations: The Peabody Sisters, by Megan Marshall (Houghton Miflin), and Overture, by Yael Goldstein (Doubleday).
“These books deal with the special demands that genius makes when housed in the body of a woman. I confess I knew nothing at all about the Peabody sisters – intimates of such men as Emerson, Thoreau, and Hawthorne – until reading Marshall’s book, and that in itself tells you something. I ought to have known the names of these spectacular early 19th-century sisters, most especially that of Elizabeth Peabody, a fierce thinker who actually coined the term ‘Transcendentalism’ for that radical view of God and man (and woman) and nature that was America’s first home-grown philosophy, even though she often had to apologize for her ‘unwomanliness.’ Marshall’s book is vivid with the brilliance of these women (and her own), and makes one feel how lucky we contemporary women are to never have to feel our ‘womanliness’ at odds with our talents or ambition.
“That brings me to the second of my recommendations, Overture, about two gifted musicians, a mother and daughter, playing out their passions for music, for men, and for one another. The writing is lushly melodic, the psychological insights astute, and, yes, Yael Goldstein is my daughter. As contemporary as Overture is, I think the Peabody sisters would have loved it.”
The Princeton Campus – A Work in Progress
The principle of the thing
Why alumni lawyers advocate for detainees – often, on their own dime
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Quiz: The Ultimate 'M.A.S.H' Quiz: HowStuffWorks
The Ultimate 'M.A.S.H' Quiz
Image: CBS
"M*A*S*H" remains one of the most popular TV shows ever. Although the 1970s-era show was about the tragic Korean War, it made you laugh, cry and think. But how much do you know about this perennial favorite?
"M*A*S*H" was filmed in two locations: the former Fox Ranch at California's Malibu Creek State Park, and 20th Century Fox's Studio 9. Although most of the original characters left the show during its 11-year run, that never harmed "M*A*S*H's" popularity. After all, people serving in the military during wartime do come and go, according to the terms of their deployments. So that seemed realistic.
You may know, or at least suspect, that "M*A*S*H" and its actors won numerous awards over the years. But did you know that the Smithsonian accepted two complete show sets from 20th Century Fox? The Washington, D.C., museum normally doesn't accept complete television sets — only representative props. But it now has "M*A*S*H's" operating room and the "Swamp" in its possession, the latter being another name for the bachelor officers' quarters.
Interestingly, "M*A*S*H" didn't do so well in its inaugural year; it was actually in danger of being cancelled. Luckily for us, it was given a second chance, after which it hit the top 10 in viewer ratings. It remained popular from that second season on, until its end in 1983.
Now let's see how much you remember about this groundbreaking sitcom by taking our "M*A*S*H" quiz.
Cpl. Max Klinger, a regular for the entire show, was so desperate for a discharge that he did this most of the time -- though he stopped during the later seasons?
stole from the other residents
threatened to shoot up the place
dressed in women's clothing
Klinger dressed in women's clothing, hoping someone would think he was crazy and send him home.
War meant a lot of rotations of personnel, so it seemed natural in the course of the show for people to come and go. When Frank leaves, who replaces him?
Dr. Sidney Freedman
Maj. Charles Emerson Winchester
Col. Flagg
Boston blue-blood Winchester was smart and a great surgeon -- who didn't want to be in Korea. But that's where the similarities between him and his tent mates -- Hawkeye and BJ -- ended, making him an excellent foil for their antics.
Only one woman was a regular on the series. Who was she?
Maj. Margaret Houlihan stayed for the show's 11-year run as the woman in charge of the nurses. It was actually a very sexist show, representing both the 1950s and the 1970s.
Frank may have been a stickler for the rules, but he was breaking this biggie on a regular basis. What is it?
undermining the commands of officers Blake and Potter
stealing from the army
having an affair
Frank, a married man, had an affair with Margaret until she became engaged to another. Frank went more than a little nuts and was sent back to the states for psychiatric evaluation. He was promoted and put in charge of a VA hospital.
Who took over as permanent commanding officer following Henry's death?
Maj. Margaret Houlihan
Maj. Frank Burns
Col. Sherman Potter
Frank Burns was acting CO at the beginning of season 3, but Potter took over and stayed for the rest of the run.
When McLean Stevenson (Henry Blake) left the show, how was he written out?
He went back home to private practice.
He was killed.
He was promoted and sent back to the States.
Henry's on his way home when his plane is shot down over the Sea of Japan. Radar tells everyone in the OR -- and they all keep operating, even as they're crying.
When Trapper, Hawkeye's best friend, leaves, who replaces him?
Capt. Jonathan Tuttle
Capt. BJ Hunnicutt
Maj. Charles Winchester
Wayne Rogers' departure came following the third season. Mike Farrell, who played BJ through the rest of the run, came in as new tent mate, surgeon and friend to Hawkeye.
Who was the first commanding officer?
Lt. Col. Henry Blake
Blake, played by McLean Stevenson, was the commanding officer in the first three seasons.
Several episodes are framed as letters that Hawkeye writes home. To whom is he writing?
his girlfriend
One of the more popular episodes, "Dear Dad," has Hawkeye writing to his dad about the yuletide season in an army camp -- hijinks and heart.
Who was the original company clerk?
Cpl. Max Klinger
Cpl. Walter O'Reilly
Walter (better known as Radar) O'Reilly, played by Gary Burghoff, was the one who really ran the MASH unit. He left the show in Season 8.
What was the name of the final episode?
"Goodbye, Farewell and Amen"
"Who Knew?"
"Say No More"
The two-and-a-half-hour, show-ending movie aired Feb. 28, 1983, and wrapped up the war with a lot of laughs and more than a few tears, as everyone prepared to go their separate ways.
Self-righteous, poor surgeon, gung-ho about the war -- these all describe which character?
Hawkeye and Trapper's (and later BJ's) tent mate was everything the two of them weren't -- a stickler for rules, a bigoted snob and a terrible surgeon.
What does the BJ stand for in Hunnicutt's name?
Bobby Joe
Billy John
In one episode, Hawkeye searches for what the initials BJ stand for, but all the paperwork lists just BJ as his name. BJ says at the end of the episode that his parents names were Bea and Jay and that's where it came from.
What was Frank Burns nickname?
Rat Fink
Ferret Face
In a rare moment of drunkenness, Frank tells Hawkeye and Trapper the nickname his brother gave him. When BJ joins the show and meets Frank for the first time, it's clear he's been clued in when he says, "What say, Ferret Face?"
What does "MASH" stand for?
Mobile Army Surgical Hospital
Major Army Survival Hospital
Massive Army Surgical Hospital
Mobile was the key -- the hospital could move quickly as the war's front moved. In fact, "Bug Out," an episode from Season 5, features the camp moving, as the war comes closer. This MASH unit was the 4077th.
How did Trapper leave?
He went home to be with his sick mother.
He was discharged.
He was killed by a sniper.
Trapper was discharged while Hawkeye was on leave. Hawkeye spent the episode trying to get back to the 4077th before Trapper is gone.
Radar had a borderline super power. What was it?
He could find anything that anybody lost.
He could anticipate events.
He could heal sick animals.
While he was great with animals, his super power was knowing ahead of time what his commanding officers were going to say or ask him to do. He also knew just before helicopters of wounded were going to come in.
How long did MASH run?
While the Korean War itself only lasted three years, the show lasted 11 seasons and 256 episodes.
Which two main characters got married (not to each other) during the show?
Trapper and Margaret
Margaret and Klinger
Frank and Klinger
This wedding dress got around. Klinger wore it to marry his sweetheart back home via a phone ceremony. Margaret put it on when she got married in person. In the final episode, Klinger (by then divorced from his first wife) marries Soon-Lee Han, a Korean woman. She wears the wedding dress this time.
Who was Capt. Tuttle?
a nurse
an imaginary friend
a visiting dignitary
Tuttle was Hawkeye's childhood imaginary friend. When he wants to raise money and requisition supplies for a local orphanage, he resurrects Tuttle -- which stirs up the whole camp as people start claiming they've met the invisible man.
The final episode held the record for most-watched broadcast for years. What knocked it out of position?
World Series game 7 in 1995
NCAA basketball championship in 2002
While the Super Bowl of 2010 passed the episode in total viewership, "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" still stands as the most-watched television series finale.
True or False: The show had a laugh track.
Comedies had to have laugh tracks back in the day, so the network wanted one and the producers didn't. The compromise they reached was a "chuckle track," not quite as invasive, that was never played in the OR. When the show was run in the U.K., the track was turned off.
The final episode has everyone leaving when the war is over. Which character stays behind in Korea?
Father Mulcahy
Max Klinger
After years of wearing dresses in an effort to get a Section 8 (insanity) discharge and go home, Klinger marries a Korean woman and stays behind to help her find her parents.
Who was the only series regular who wasn't replaced after leaving the show?
Klinger stepped in as company clerk after Gary Burghoff, who played Radar, left in Season 8.
"MASH" was an ensemble show and, much like a real military conflict, characters came and went. How many stayed for the entire run?
Capt. Hawkeye Pierce, Father Francis Mulcahy, Maj. Margaret Houlihan and Cpl. Max Klinger were there for the full 11 seasons.
Though it was an ensemble show, there was definitely a star. Who was it?
By the end of the show, Alda was a household name. He was not only playing Hawkeye, who was the star of the show, but he was also writing and directing episodes.
Who were the original roommates in the swamp?
Hawkeye, Trapper and Frank
Hawkeye and BJ Hunnicutt
Hawkeye, Trapper, Frank and Spearchucker Jones
Jones, played by Timothy Brown, left the show in the first season because there was no evidence of African-American doctors having served in Korea.
When did "MASH" debut?
The TV show was based on the 1970 movie of the same name, which was in turn based on the book "MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors," by Richard Hooker.
Was "MASH" a comedy or a drama?
Though technically a comedy, one of the ways "MASH" broke TV ground was by delving into the bleaker aspects of war, always with one eye on the laugh meter. You could call it the first dramedy, although the term became popular only after "MASH" went off the air.
Which two actors actually served in Korea?
Wayne Rogers and Alan Alda
Harry Morgan and Jamie Farr
Alan Alda and Jamie Farr
Alda (Hawkeye) and Farr (Klinger) both served in Korea, though after the cease-fire in 1953. The dog tags Klinger wore in the show were Farr's from his time in Korea.
The M.A.S.H. Trivia Challenge
Can You Guess These 1980s Sitcoms From an Image?
Can You Name the Professions of These 1970s TV Characters?
Can You Name These 1950s Movies?
Can You Name These Comedy Legends?
Can You Match These Actors to Their '50s and '60s TV Shows?
Can You Pass This 1970s TV "True Or False" Quiz?
How Well Do You Know “Bonanza”?
TRIVIA MEDIUM
Can You Name These 1980s TV Families?
Can You Match These Classic Hollywood Actresses to Their 1960s TV Shows?
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1 in 11542 results
Entertainment Law 2020: Book Publishing; Right of Publicity; Litigation Update in Mobile/Digital; Film
Speaker(s): Alison Cohen, Elizabeth A. McNamara, Emerson E. Bruns, Gail Ross, Ian C. Ballon, Joseph J. Dapello, Kenneth M. Kaufman, Lateef Mtima, Linda A. Newmark, Lourdes López
Recorded on: Feb. 26, 2020
PLI Program #: 277649 View Program on PLI.edu
Right of Publicity Law: The Use of Celebrity and Athlete Images
Litigation Issues and Trends in Mobile, Cloud, Internet, and Digital Entertainment
Film: Key Legal Issues in the Development, Financing, Production & Distribution of Theatrical Motion Pictures
Joseph J. Dapello is a founding partner of Schreck Rose Dapello & Adams LLP, a boutique entertainment law firm based in New York and Los Angeles that is dedicated to serving the creative community throughout the world. The firm represents a variety of clients in all areas of the entertainment business, including film, television, theater, publishing, music and digital media. Currently, Mr. Dapello’s practice focuses on the representation of actors, directors and writers and the financing, production and distribution of motion pictures and television programs. Recent projects in which clients have been involved include the films “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” “Manchester by the Sea,” and “Nocturnal Animals” and the series “House of Cards,” “Transparent” and “Veep.”
Mr. Dapello has served as an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Entertainment, Media and Technology program at the Stern School of Business at New York University, and has been a member of entertainment law panels at Harvard Law School and the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. He is also a frequent lecturer on entertainment law at organizations such as the Practising Law Institute, Independent Feature Project (IFP) and the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, and has been recognized as one of The Best Lawyers in America in the field of Entertainment Law.
Mr. Dapello received his Juris Doctor degree in 1988 from Harvard Law School and his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1985 from Columbia College. He is admitted to the New York State Bar and is a member of the Entertainment, Arts and Sports Law Section of the New York State Bar Association.
Lateef Mtima is a Professor of Law at the Howard University School of Law. After graduating with honors from Amherst College, Professor Mtima received his J.D. degree from Harvard Law School, where he was the co-founder and later editor-in-chief of the Harvard BlackLetter Journal. He is admitted to the New York and Pennsylvania bars and has practiced intellectual property, bankruptcy, and commercial law, including a decade in private practice with the international law firm of Coudert Brothers. Currently a member of the Advisory Council for the United States Court of Federal Claims and the BNA Patent, Trademark & Copyright Journal Advisory Board, Professor Mtima has held the post of Distinguished Libra Visiting Scholar in Residence at the University of Maine School of Law, is a past President of the Giles S. Rich Inn of Court for the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and was a member of the founding Editorial Board for the American Bar Association intellectual property periodical Landslide. Professor Mtima is the Founder and Director of the Institute for Intellectual Property and Social Justice, an accredited Non-governmental Organization Member of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Linda A. Newmark is Executive Vice President – Head of Acquisitions and Strategic Projects for Universal Music Publishing Group. Linda obtains opportunities for Universal Music Publishing Group to acquire rights to musical compositions and music publishing catalogues, evaluates and negotiates acquisition, administration and subpublishing agreements, and promotes the general business development of the company. Linda is based in Universal Music Publishing Group’s Los Angeles offices.
Before joining Universal, Linda was Vice President, Business Affairs for PolyGram Music Publishing and handled the drafting and negotiation of songwriter and co-publishing agreements, as well as other legal and business affairs matters for PolyGram. Previously, Linda was a music attorney with the law firm of Cooper, Epstein & Hurewitz in Beverly Hills. She received her law degree from Stanford Law School.
Linda serves on the Music and Entertainment Industry Executive Committee for the City of Hope Medical Center, and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Independent Music Publishers (AIMP). Linda is also a member of the Board of Managers of Associated Production Music LLC (APM), and the Board of Managers of The Leonard Bernstein Music Publishing Company, LLC, and was a member of the Board of Visitors of Stanford Law School (2007 - 2010). Linda has been recognized in Billboard’s Women in Music feature as one of the top 25 female executives in the music industry (2009 – 2013).
Lourdes López has been a Contract Director at Simon & Schuster, Inc. since 2007, after twenty years assisting clients and representing authors at the theatrical literary agency, Helen Merrill, Ltd., and the literary agencies, Georges Borchardt, Inc. and The Wylie Agency.
Gail is a partner in the law firm of Trister, Ross, Schadler & Gold, PLLC where she focuses on the legal aspects of publishing and media law.
Additionally, as the President of the Ross Yoon Agency, Gail represents important commercial nonfiction in a variety of areas and counts top doctors, CEO's, prize-winning journalists, and historians, and experts in a variety of fields are among her clients. In the last year alone, close dozen of her books have been New York Times bestsellers.
Gail writes and lectures frequently on publishing issues. She teaches CLE courses on publishing law for the D.C. Bar and the Practicing Law Institute. She is an contributor to The Essential Guide to Entertainment Law: Dealmaking (Juris Publishing, 2018), the author of The Writer’s Lawyer (Times Books, 1989) and has also been named numerous times as one of the Best Lawyers in America and Washingtonian’s Best Lawyers (for entertainment law).
Ian C. Ballon is Co-Chair of Greenberg Traurig LLP’s Global Intellectual Property & Technology Practice Group and represents internet, mobile, entertainment and technology companies in defending data privacy, security breach and TCPA class action suits and in other intellectual property and technology litigation. A list of recent cases may be found at http://www.gtlaw.com/Ian-C-Ballon-experience.
He is also the author of the leading treatise on internet and mobile law, E-Commerce and Internet Law: Treatise with Forms 2d edition, the 5-volume set published by West (www.IanBallon.net), which includes extensive coverage of security breach and data privacy issues. In addition, he is the author of The Complete CAN-SPAM Act Handbook (West 2008) and The Complete State Security Breach Notification Compliance Handbook (West 2009). He also serves as Executive Director of Stanford University Law School’s Center for E-Commerce, which hosts the annual Best Practices Conference where lawyers, scholars and judges are regularly featured and interact.
Ian was named the Lawyer of the Year for Information Technology Law in the 2019, 2018, 2016 and 2013 editions of Best Lawyers in America and was recognized as the 2012 New Media Lawyer of the Year by the Century City Bar Association. In both 2018 and 2019 he was recognized as one of the Top 1,000 trademark attorneys in the world for his litigation practice by World Trademark Review. In addition, in 2019 he was named one of the top 20 Cybersecurity lawyers in California and in 2018 one of the Top Cybersecurity/Artificial Intelligence lawyers in California by the Los Angeles and San Francisco Daily Journal. He received the “Trailblazer” Award, Intellectual Property, 2017 from The National Law Journal and he has been recognized as a “Groundbreaker” in The Recorder’s 2017 Litigation Departments of the Year Awards. In 2010, he was the recipient of the California State Bar Intellectual Property Law section's Vanguard Award for significant contributions to the development of intellectual property law (http://ipsection.calbar.ca.gov/IntellectualPropertyLaw/IPVanguardAwards.aspx).
Mr. Ballon was listed in Variety's "Legal Impact Report: 50 Game-Changing Attorneys" and has been named by the LA Daily Journal as one of the Top 75 intellectual property litigators in California in every year that the list has been published (2009 through 2018) and as one of the top 100 lawyers in California. He is also listed in Legal 500 U.S., The Best Lawyers in America (in the areas of information technology and intellectual property) and Chambers and Partners USA Guide in the areas of privacy and data security and information technology. Mr. Ballon also holds the CIPP/US certification from the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).
Ian can be reached at: Ballon@gtlaw.com, 310-586-6575 or via leading social media platforms (IanBallon).
Alison Cohen is Executive Vice President of Business & Legal Affairs for FilmNation Entertainment, a leading independent production, finance and distribution company. Prior to joining FilmNation, Mrs. Cohen was a partner of Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz, P.C. and Epstein, Levinsohn, Bodine, Hurwitz & Weinstein, LLP, two pre-eminent entertainment law firms based in New York. Mrs. Cohen received her JD as a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar from Columbia University of Law.
Elizabeth McNamara has more than 30 years of litigation and counseling experience in media and intellectual property law, representing publishers (books, magazines, newspapers, and websites), television and radio broadcasters, cable companies, and motion picture producers and distributors. Her litigation practice includes all areas of sophisticated IP, media and entertainment litigation at the trial and appellate level of federal and state courts, in such areas as libel, privacy, copyright, trademark, prior restraint, and reporter's shield laws.
Liz's clients include: Associated Press, Bauer Publishing, Cablevision, CBS, CNN, Conde Nast, Financial Times, Hachette Book Group, Macmillan, MTV Networks, NBC, Random House, Sesame Workshop, Showtime, Simon & Schuster, Time Inc., and Wenner Media.
J.D., University of North Carolina School of Law, 1981
• Order of the Coif
• Law Review
B.A., University of Wisconsin, 1975
• Phi Beta Kappa
U.S. Supreme Court, 1998
U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 2000
U.S. Court of Appeals 2nd Circuit, 1996
U.S. District Court Southern District of New York, 1983
U.S. District Court Eastern District of New York, 1983
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Michigan, 2004
U.S. Court of Appeals 3rd Circuit, 2008
U.S. Court of Appeals 1st Circuit, 2010
Emerson Bruns is a founding partner of Bruns Brennan & Berry, an entertainment law firm with offices in New York. Mr. Bruns' practice involves all aspects of entertainment law and he specializes in the formation of investment vehicles for the production of independent films. He serves as counsel to numerous award-winning motion picture, television and video producers and regularly lectures on the motion picture and television industries at seminars and law schools throughout the metropolitan area. He has served as counsel on numerous motion picture productions, including, Arbitrage, Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present, Albert Nobbs, Begin Again, Cold in July, Face of Love, happythankyoumoreplease, Mother and Child, 10 Items or Less, The Hottest State, The Station Agent, Transamerica, Thirteen, Laurel Canyon, Nine Lives, Empire, The Believer, Big Eden, L.I.E., On The Ropes, Sling Blade, Star Maps, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Mr. Bruns has written articles for and contributed to numerous publications on the subject of independent film and has served as resource consultant and panel speaker for the Independent Feature Project, as well as a panelist for numerous seminars. Mr. Bruns has been practicing law in the entertainment field for 16 years and prior to establishing Bruns, Brennan & Berry, Mr. Bruns headed his eponymous firm, served as Of Counsel to Schreck, Rose, Dapello, Adams & Hurwitz. Mr. Bruns was a partner at Rudolph & Beer, an entertainment law firm with offices in New York, an associate with Warren Alpert & Beigelman, an entertainment law firm with offices in New York and Los Angeles and an associate with Williams, Mullen, Christian & Dobbins in Richmond, Virginia where he practiced securities and corporate law. Mr. Bruns received his law degree from William and Mary School of Law in 1991 and his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College in 1987.
Kenneth M. Kaufman was Senior Counsel in the Washington, D.C. office of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP. His practice focuses on copyright, entertainment and media law, content and music licensing, digital media, and sports law. He represents a wide range of clients including international media and publishing companies, television networks and distributors, music publishers, digital media and technology companies, telecommunications companies, photographers, visual artists, copyright licensing companies, software publishers, Broadway theatre producers, private equity firms, foundations, composers, recording artists and authors.
Ken is a recognized authority in the fields of copyright and entertainment law. He was named the Washington, D.C. Copyright Law “Lawyer of the Year” in 2014 by The Best Lawyers in America (where he is currently listed in the practice areas of copyright law, intellectual property litigation, entertainment law-music, and entertainment law-motion pictures and television). He has also been recognized by Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers, Washingtonian Magazine’s Best Lawyers, and Legal Times. For several years he was a Visiting Lecturer at Yale Law School, teaching a course on copyright, entertainment and Internet law, and has taught a course on copyright law at George Washington University Law School. In 2016 and 2017 he was an Advanced Leadership Initiative Fellow at Harvard University, where he has spoken on coalition building in education for gender equality.
Ken has extensive experience as both in-house and outside counsel in the entertainment and communications industries. Immediately prior to joining Manatt, he was a partner at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel of Showtime Networks Inc. in New York; as Senior Vice President, Corporate Affairs and General Counsel of PolyGram Records, Inc. in New York; and as General Counsel of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. In two of those positions, he was the first in-house attorney and organized the in-house legal department. Previously, he served as Assistant Counsel of a U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee.
Ken co-chairs the annual PLI conference on Counseling Clients in the Entertainment Industry and serves on the Governing Committee of the ABA’s Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries and on the Planning Committee for the annual Stanford Digital Economy Best Practices Conference. He teaches an annual course on “Copyright Law and Litigation” for the D.C. Bar, is a member of the Board of Directors of Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts, and has served as a Trustee and Chair of the Washington, D.C. Chapter of the Copyright Society of the U.S.A. He is a graduate of Harvard College (magna cum laude) and Yale Law School (where he was an Editor of the Yale Law Journal), and is admitted to practice in New York, California and the District of Columbia.
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14 January 1858 – Napoleon III of France escapes an assassination attempt made by Felice Orsini and his accomplices in Paris.
First French president and then emperor and member of the House of Bonaparte
Not to be confused with Napoleon.
"Louis Napoleon" redirects here. For other uses, see Louis Napoleon (disambiguation).
Emperor of the French
Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 1808 – 9 January 1873), the nephew of Napoleon I, was the first president of France, from 1848 to 1852, and the last French monarch, from 1852 to 1870. First elected president of the Second French Republic in 1848, he seized power by force in 1851, when he could not constitutionally be re-elected, and became the Emperor of the French. He founded the Second French Empire and was its only emperor, reigning until the defeat of the French Army and his capture by Prussia and its allies in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870. He worked to modernize the French economy, rebuilt the center of Paris, expanded the French overseas empire, and engaged in the Crimean War, the Second Italian War of Independence, and the ultimately disastrous war of 1870, in which he served alongside his soldiers during the fight, an uncommon action for a head of state to perform in the modern era.
Napoleon III commissioned a grand reconstruction of Paris carried out by his prefect of the Seine, Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann, and launched similar public works projects in Marseille, Lyon and other French cities. Napoleon III modernized the French banking system, expanded and consolidated the French railway system, and made the French merchant marine the second largest in the world. He promoted the building of the Suez Canal and established modern agriculture, which ended famines in France and made France an agricultural exporter. Napoleon III negotiated the 1860 Cobden–Chevalier free trade agreement with Britain and similar agreements with France's other European trading partners. Social reforms included giving French workers the right to strike and the right to organize. The first female students were admitted at the Sorbonne and educational opportunities for women were increased, as did the list of required subjects in public schools.
In foreign policy, Napoleon III aimed to reassert French influence in Europe and around the world. In Europe, he allied with Britain and defeated Russia in the Crimean War (1853–56). His regime assisted Italian unification by defeating the Austrian Empire in the Franco-Austrian War and later annexed Savoy and the County of Nice as its deferred reward. At the same time, his forces defended the Papal States against annexation by Italy. He was also favorable towards the union of the Danubian Principalities (24 January 1859), which resulted in the establishment of Romania. Napoleon III doubled the area of the French overseas empire in Asia, the Pacific and Africa. On the other hand, the French invasion of Mexico, which aimed to create a Second Mexican Empire under French protection, ended in total failure.
From 1866, Napoleon had to face the mounting power of Prussia as its Chancellor Otto von Bismarck sought German unification under Prussian leadership. In July 1870, Napoleon reluctantly declared war on Prussia after pressure by the public and, without allies and with inferior military forces, the French Army was rapidly defeated and Napoleon III was captured at the Battle of Sedan. He was swiftly dethroned and the French Third Republic was proclaimed in Paris. He went into exile in England, where he died in 1873.
NewsBot, Jan 14, 2021 at 12:42 AM
15 January 1889 – The Coca-Cola Company, then known as the Pemberton Medicine Company, is incorporated in Atlanta.
This article is about the company. For the carbonated beverage, see Coca-Cola.
American multinational beverage corporation
The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation incorporated under Delaware's General Corporation Law[a] and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The Coca-Cola Company has interests in the manufacturing, retailing, and marketing of nonalcoholic beverage concentrates and syrups. The company produces Coca-Cola, invented in 1886 by pharmacist John Stith Pemberton. In 1889, the formula and brand were sold for $2,300 to Asa Griggs Candler, who incorporated The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta in 1892.
The company has operated a franchised distribution system since 1889.[2] The Company largely produces syrup concentrate, which is then sold to various bottlers throughout the world who hold exclusive territories. The company owns its anchor bottler in North America, Coca-Cola Refreshments.[3] The company's stock is listed on the NYSE and is part of DJIA and the S&P 500 and S&P 100 indexes. The Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest producer of plastic waste.
^ a b c d e f "2019 Annual Report (Form 10-K)" (PDF). The Coca-Cola Company. February 24, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
^ "The Story of Coca-Cola: A Successful Franchising Strategy". Prestige Franchising Limited. April 27, 2017. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
^ Merced, Michael J. de la (February 25, 2010). "Coke Acquires North American Unit of Bottler (Published 2010)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
NewsBot, Jan 14, 2021 at 7:54 PM
16 January 1862 – Hartley Colliery disaster: Two hundred and four men and boys killed in a mining disaster, prompting a change in UK law which henceforth required all collieries to have at least two independent means of escape
Hartley Colliery disaster
The Hartley Colliery disaster (also known as the Hartley Pit disaster or Hester Pit disaster) was a coal mining accident in Northumberland, England that occurred on Thursday 16 January 1862 and resulted in the deaths of 204 men. The beam of the pit's pumping engine broke and fell down the shaft, trapping the men below. The disaster prompted a change in UK law that henceforth required all collieries to have at least two independent means of escape.[1]
^ BBC 2004.
Pigeon Toe Gait Corrected with Proprioceptive Insoles
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Louise Godbold
Louise Godbold has worked variously as a commercials producer in Europe, a "development girl" in Hollywood, and, for the last 20 years, in social programs. In 2010, she became dedicated to helping those with trauma when she started work at Echo, a non-profit that now, under her leadership, specializes in trauma training. Louise was one of the first women to come forward in October of 2017 about Harvey Weinstein. Since that time, Louise has conducted trauma training for sexual assault survivors and their supporters in the entertainment industry, and has given television and press interviews internationally on the topics of trauma and resilience.
A Code of Conduct for How Media Should Interview Trauma Survivors
Reflections from a trauma specialist and survivor.
By Louise Godbold
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Culture and Suicide
Editor, Quadrant Magazine
keithwindschuttle@quadrant.org.au
LAST month’s report by West Australian state coroner Rosalinda Fogliani into the suicides of thirteen Aboriginal children and young men in the Kimberley district between 2012 and 2016 is very depressing. This is not just because of the bleak portrait it paints of the brief lives of the five boys (twelve to seventeen years old), three girls (ten to thirteen), and five young men (eighteen to twenty-four) who it discusses in considerable detail. The report also indicates clearly how the current ideological agenda of the Aboriginal political class and its left-wing white supporters now dominates public policy about Australia’s remote communities, and how effectively this agenda has buried a more realistic approach that briefly came to the surface a decade ago. Rather than finding solutions to the alarmingly high rates of youth suicide in the Kimberley and other remote communities in the north, the Fogliani report guarantees that the same pattern of political and social engineering that produced the current disaster will continue for the foreseeable future.
In 2008, after he had conducted an inquest into the suicides that year of two female and three male youths, four of them children as young as fifteen, at the remote Kimberley community of Oombulgurri (population 200), the then West Australian coroner, Alastair Hope, identified three social problems he held largely responsible: chronic alcoholism, gross parental neglect and the uninhibited sexual abuse of children. All were common in the local community at the time and all contributed to the tragic outcomes.
Keith Windschuttle’s column appears in every Quadrant.
At the time of Hope’s inquest, most of the remote communities in the state were small, self-governing, closed outposts, with no permanent police or medical personnel. As a result, they were laws unto themselves. At Oombulgurri, after an eighteen-month police investigation in which detectives eventually gained the trust of several girl victims, ten male residents were charged with child sexual offences. The offenders were not only young men but some of the community’s elders. The police eventually laid 109 charges, including twenty-one counts of abuse of girls as young as twelve by the community’s head warden Darryl Morgan and four counts of child sexual abuse by his wife Veronica Bulsey, who groomed the girls for her husband. Morgan was sentenced to ten years’ jail and Bulsey to four years and nine months. At the same time, police arrested more than twenty men, including elders, at two other Kimberley communities, Kalumburu and Halls Creek, for sexual abuse of young children, including prostitution of under-age girls. Some of the men arrested at Halls Creek had travelled from Aboriginal communities at Balgo and Warmun and the Kimberley regional centre of Kununurra.
As a result of his coronial inquest, Hope despaired of the dysfunction he found and recommended the state government “assess the sustainability” of indigenous communities in the Kimberley, including Oombulgurri. He said in his findings: “It is not acceptable for public funding to support a closed community for the benefit of a limited number of families, some members of which are involved in pedophilia and alcohol abuse.”
The state’s new Liberal premier, Colin Barnett, responded by not only investigating their sustainability but by closing down Oombulgurri in 2011. Three years later, he announced he would do the same to another 150 of the state’s 274 remote communities, and provide accommodation for their inhabitants in larger regional towns such as Wyndham, Derby, Broome and Kununurra, where there were permanently manned police stations and hospitals.
Barnett’s decision had been made in the wake of the Howard government’s Intervention of 2007, when Commonwealth Aboriginal Affairs Minister Mal Brough decided that remote community dysfunction under his jurisdiction in the Northern Territory had reached the stage where local police were unable to cope. He decided to send the Army in to restore order at several Territory locations. Although Brough gained much acclamation from remote community mothers and children, the Aboriginal political class in our southern cities objected bitterly to the whole process. Denouncing the Intervention as racist and oppressive, they began a long campaign to discredit it. By the time Barnett was following Brough’s lead in Western Australia, the Intervention’s good deeds had almost been publicly forgotten and Brough had lost his seat in Parliament. By 2015, political objections in Western Australia, public demonstrations against him in Melbourne, and a change of policy in Canberra, persuaded Barnett to water down his proposals. In the end, only Oombulgurri and a handful of very small communities were closed down.
Today, no one in authority in this field dares to even contemplate closing down these communities, let alone recommending it to government. In her report, Fogliani barely acknowledges the problems that loomed so large in the mind of her predecessor: alcoholism, parental neglect and child sexual abuse. In fact, she plays down the last. She acknowledges that two of the boys who took their own lives had been victims of sexual abuse, but said she had been given no evidence that sexual abuse was a factor in the other eleven cases. This was despite the fact that, in another two of them, the victims had grown up in Oombulgurri and only left there in 2011 when it closed. One was a girl who took her life at Wyndham aged twelve; the other a twenty-one-year-old man who hanged himself at Halls Creek and whose older brother had committed suicide at their former home. The possibility that both these young people had been victims of the pederast regime at Oombulgurri is hard to dismiss.
Instead of the causes identified by Hope, Fogliani reverts to the current political orthodoxy expressed in submissions by the current Labor government of Mark McGowan and Labor Senator Pat Dodson, who both assure her that the causes lie in “colonisation”. Aboriginal people are still suffering from “historic experiences such as the loss of lands and languages, and the forced removal and relocation of children from family and cultural settings”.
This leads Fogliani to conclude that “cultural healing programs” are the solution.
She endorses the current demand by politicians and activists for the restoration of traditional Aboriginal culture, as if this was still possible, and for the principles of “self-determination and empowerment” to be enacted. She recommends that services “need to be co-designed in a completely different way, that recognises at a foundational level, the need for a more collective and inclusive approach towards cultural healing for Aboriginal communities”.
She has been impressed by the claims made by the now fashionable leftist Canadian academic psychologist Michael Chandler, who contends:
Individualistic approaches to suicide prevention are mistaken, and Indigenous suicide is instead required to be “communally treated with ‘cultural medicines’ prescribed and acted upon by whole cultural communities”. This communal approach is necessary as damage inflicted on Indigenous groups of “peoples is collective, rather than personal, and multiplicative, rather than simply additive”.
Chandler has defined a set of what he calls “protective markers” for indigenous communities which, when present, will purportedly give a community a low rate of youth suicide. They include: indigenous self-government; title to traditional land; local control over health, education, policing and child welfare services; facilities for the preservation of culture; and elected councils composed of at least 50 per cent women.
Yet in Australia, the remote communities with the highest rates of youth suicide and most other forms of social dysfunction are often those who can fulfil the above criteria. Many small closed communities in the Kimberley could easily fill out a form ticking all Chandler’s boxes. In fact, at Oombulgurri, before the telling spate of suicides occurred in 2008, this is precisely what happened. According to Debbie Guest of the Australian, who revealed the exhaustive police detective work that eventually blew the community’s cover, when government officials or media visited, the local men ensured the streets were clean and presented the place as an ideal example of how self-governing Aboriginal communities could work.
In all reliable measures of violent death in Australia, there is a stark difference between the rate recorded in remote communities, where 21 per cent of Aboriginal people live, compared to those in urban and regional centres, where 79 per cent live. The latter have lives not fundamentally different from the rest of Australia; the former are a national disgrace on every measure of health and well-being. The remote communities are not representative of some ancient culture, as they are now promoted. They are the products of a social experiment devised mostly by white bureaucrats and political activists in the 1970s who thought it would be a nice idea to turn the old missions and government welfare stations into self-governing communities. The monumental failure of their experiment has not led those who built their political ambitions and careers on it to ever rethink their position.
If Bill Shorten becomes Prime Minister this year and fulfils his promise to conduct a referendum to give Aborigines a “voice” in Australian government, this ideological agenda will become entrenched in our Constitution. Meanwhile, Aboriginal children will keep on committing suicide, and those responsible will keep on asking why.
Peter Sandery – 1st March 2019
Maybe I missed it, but I have seen no reaction from any of the Human Rights tribunals, or advocates, or members of the Greens, Feminist organisations, GetUp or Save The Children acknowledging, let alone advocating on the victims in these areas. Where are the likes of Phelps, Owler and DiNatale on this issue – what a bunch of hypocrites!
ianl – 4th March 2019
> ” … Phelps, Owler and DiNatale on this issue – what a bunch of hypocrites”
Yes, they are. They do not care about that, however. Hypocrisy is utterly meaningless to them, completely empty. If votes are involved, either + or -, power is threatened and reaction occurs.
Wayne – 5th March 2019
Preservation of culture? Is that such a wise thing?
canhippi – 5th March 2019
It is if you are remotely interested in preserving the evolution of the greatest cultural system of opportunity, fairness and generosity ever devised.
padraic – 5th March 2019
What is culture? It is a constantly shifting social paradigm, as societies shed some aspects and adopt new ones. So many people these days see culture as living in the past with all the shortcomings of that past plus the good bits. I have mentioned this before – if I adopted that attitude of living in the past, the Druids would be back slitting children’s throats as human sacrifice prior to the rest of us taking on the mob over the other side of the hill and tying their dried heads around our waists after defeating them. All societies have done this adaption to the present. It hasn’t been easy and took time and we still have some problems similar to that of remote Aboriginal communities but they are recognised as not being acceptable. Our culture is changed by innovations in transport, communication, medicine etc and we either reject the changes or adapt. It’s never static. “Culture made me do it” is no excuse.
whitelaughter – 7th March 2019
have to agree with padraic – if culture is static, then it is dead.
Our own historical culture is an position to flower and grow, evolving rapidly – and no, not the devolution that the trendy set want. Computer graphics allow entirely new forms of art; the ability to search an online Bible allows swift responses to dumb heresies and fads, learning games allows the ability to acquire new skills comparatively easily – Duolingo, Free Rice, Coursera and Khan Academy coming to mind. Kerbal Space Program is breaking my brain as I learn how to realistically pilot a space craft (!) and countless others exist. This is what we should be focusing on, not the absurd efforts to protect dead cultures.
Operation ‘Get Pell’
Grotesque Generosity
Tony Abbott on Leadership
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$5 General Admission
Free for CHS Members
info@calhist.org
eventbrite.com
RSVP Needed
Food played a huge part in the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. Visitors to the fair learned about new fruit hybrids, cookware innovations, leading Napa wines, and many other wonders in the Palace of Food Products; they tasted the winners of PPIE culinary competitions such as Larraburu sourdough bread; they snacked on enchiladas, chop suey, and clam chowder at the fair; and they explored San Francisco’s restaurants during their stay in the city.
The Culinary Historians of Northern California is partnering with the California Historical Society to host a panel discussing the edible elements of the Exposition experience. Attendees at this event will be offered light refreshments including a sampling of relevant historic dishes.
* Pam Elder, a founding member of the Culinary Historians of Northern California and a long-time collector of books on food, wine, and spirits, will present her research on PPIE culinary ephemera.
* Jeannette Ferrary, author of M.F.K. Fisher and Me: A Memoir of Food and Friendship, Out of the Kitchen: Adventures of a Food Writer, and The California-American Cookbook: Innovations on American Regional Dishes
* Julia Lavaroni, grand niece of Harold Paul, the long-time owner of Larraburu Brothers Bakery; Julia is currently producing a film on San Francisco’s iconic Larraburu bread, which won first place at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition.
* Erica J. Peters, Director, Culinary Historians of Northern California, and author of San Francisco: A Food Biography.
Image courtesy of the The San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection of the San Francisco Public Library
The Man Who Owned The Sky: Beachey Day
Hiller Aviation Museum
On March 14, author and researcher Frank Marrero commemorates the 100th anniversary of Beachey's demise and celebrates the incredible achievements of Lincoln Beachey, the Man Who Owned The Sky
Labor in San Francisco – Before and After 1915
May 28, 06:00PM – 08:00PM
The rights of workers have always been an important and vital topic in California. Join us for a stirring panel discussion around labor history during the first quarter of the 20th century.
Pacific Worlds
May 30, 2015 to Jan 03, 2016
Turning the familiar idea of California as the western frontier on its head and re-positioning the State as “the East Coast of the Pacific,” Pacific Worlds weaves together objects and ephemera from the Oakland Museum of California’s collections along with contemporary California Pacific Islander artwork and community voices.
Promises of Progress: PPIE
Feb 25, 07:30PM – 09:30PM
Shaping San Francisco
Shaping San Francisco presents: On the 100th anniversary of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (PPIE), Gray Brechin and others discuss the relationship of world’s fairs to the idea of progress over time. How did the presentations at PPIE in their early 20th century context boost now long-held assumptions about progress and development through technological innovation and economic growth?
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Omar Al-Ghossen
Coronavirus Spurs Reverse Mortgage Pros to Amend 2020 Plans
By Chris Clow | April 19, 2020 April 19, 2020
The outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has caused many American seniors to more seriously consider tapping their home’s equity to make ends meet in retirement. For some reverse mortgage professionals, the greater necessity for cash flow has translated into additional product inquiries and full loan pipelines. Still, no one is spared the economic impact of the pandemic and in some cases, reverse mortgage professionals are changing their outlooks for the rest of the year to account for changes brought about by COVID-19.
Different reverse mortgage professionals are taking different lessons and steps in the midst of the economic shock introduced by the virus, but many agree that this current moment will likely require some changes for business plans through the remainder of the year. This is according to outreach made to loan officers and branch managers across the country by RMD.
Pricing and demand
One of the current realities that reverse mortgage professionals currently have to contend with is fluctuations in pricing, as previously alluded to on RMD. That new reality may be with the industry for a while, and it’s because of that possibility that some are looking at the current business environment as potentially staying true for the rest of the year.
“With reverse mortgages, it’s not like there’s a fear of the borrower not making their mortgage payment, but I still think there’s an issue with liquidity with these investors, because they’re not just buying reverse mortgages. They’re buying pools of other mortgages as well,” says Steven Sless, reverse mortgage division manager with Primary Residential Mortgage, Inc. (PRMI) and branch manager with the Steven J. Sless Group. “Until there’s liquidity that comes back into the secondary market, I think pricing is going to be like it is for a little while. And so, we’re preparing right now for pricing to be like this for the rest of the year.”
Having that assumption will help better prepare his business for a shocked system through the end of 2020, and potentially into the first quarter of 2021, he says. That’s not to say that there isn’t an uptick in some sectors though, as referrals have noticeably increased, Sless says.
“We’re relying heavily on our referral partners, and we actually have more. We’re busier in the past couple of weeks as far as demand than we have been in quite some time,” he says. “The referral partnerships are really starting to see the light and see that reverse mortgages are a really good solution in times like these, and we’ve been preaching that to them for over a decade.”
This has led to a loan pipeline that is larger now than it’s been in some time, he says. Higher demand is also being observed in other parts of the country.
“I don’t think there’s any problem with surviving as long as you’re willing to work hard,” says Rich Pinnell, branch manager for PRMI in Redding, Calif. “There’s plenty of business, and there’s going to be a ton of business out there going forward. We have to pay attention to the mix, though. On the reverse mortgage side, you’ll have roughly 25% of the people who have a paid off home and all they want is a line of credit. And then, you’ll have 75% of the people who want to take some money out upfront.”
From his perspective, though, there are a lot of benefits to mapping out the remainder of the year with the current crisis being at the front of mind.
“I think that the smart thing to do is to prepare for the worst,” Pinnell says. “Knowing that to hit your numbers, you’re going to have to have more loans closing.”
Social distancing in the future
Because the effects of the COVID-19 disease disproportionately affect older people and those with compromised immune systems according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the general caution that has been instigated by the pandemic may be with American seniors for some time to come, so the industry should likely get comfortable with conducting more business over the phone. This is according to Steve Broaddus, director of the reverse mortgage division at First Alliance Home Mortgage in Feasterville, Penn.
“I don’t know what things are going to look like two months from now, four months from now, or six months from now,” he says. “Perhaps until a vaccine is developed and is readily available, I would assume because of the age of our clients there will continue to be a number of folks who are not interested in hosting strangers into their house. So, I would suspect there will be more distant business for the foreseeable future than there has been.”
That caution and concern on the part of seniors needs to be respected, and it also needs to form the basis of the ways in which reverse mortgage professionals interact with their clients, Broaddus says.
“Over the next several years, I don’t know that we have to prepare for that as much because we’re doing it now,” he says. “But, I think [the current crisis] will create the need to further develop relationships over the phone. Whereas in the past, we’ve been able to do that more successfully face-to-face.”
Adjusting to a new way of primarily communicating with clients to take their concerns into account is also on the mind of John Luddy, SVP of reverse lending at Norcom Mortgage in Avon, Ct.
“My business model of working lead sources will sustain, as it can withstand any storm. But certainly, I’ve got to think about not having face-to-face meetings with clients,” Luddy says. “I’ve got to think more about my interaction with clients because I prefer to be with them, and see them [confirm that] they understand me. I don’t like the idea of the husband having to hang up the phone and explain it to the wife, or vice versa. I’ve got to figure that out, I know, but as far as business level, I expect business to get better this year. Maybe even a lot better, just out of necessity.”
First Alliance Home Mortgage, Norcom Mortgage, Primary Residential Mortgage Inc.
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Quanto Magazine
For Physics Enthusiasts Everywhere
What is Quanto?
Archaeoastronomy: Newgrange
December 3, 2016 December 26, 2016 - Justin Casares
Archaeoastronomy combines astronomy with archaeology and history to unravel the mysteries and possible intentions of buildings and the legacy of past civilizations.
The examples are abundant, prehistoric buildings whose orientation is related to the position of the stars, such as Stonehedge or some structures Maya . The sun worship and knowledge of the solstices and equinoxes is present in many cultures and civilizations now extinct, was later replaced by purely religious holidays such as Hanukkah Jewish, the Christian Christmas or the Feast of San Juan (night bonfires at many points of the Spanish coast)
Others, such as the Pyramids of Egypt , are always surrounded by speculation and theories that emerge around them. However, given the number of stars it is not difficult to guess or experiment new hypotheses that fit the layout of a given complex. Archaeoastronomy is responsible for taking the necessary measures validated on the ground and running the relevant calculations on the exact position of the stars at stake during the time of execution of the works.
Today we will deal with one of these constructions, less known than others and yet very interesting for several issues.
Newgrange was accidentally discovered in 1699 and described as “a cave” ; it was not until the 60s when it was excavated and restored thoroughly.
Perhaps the first thing that draws attention is its age. Carbon 14 tests locate their origin between 3300 and 2900 BC (period neolithic ), the order of 500 years prior to the Great Pyramid of Giza and almost 1000 to Stonehedge .
Located in the eastern part of the current Ireland is part of the neolithic complex of Brú na Bóinne . The outward appearance is of a hill surrounded by a wall. Inside the mound, made of stone carved with peat inside, runs a passage of about 18 meters, up to a third of the diameter, leading to a cross – shaped chamber. Most of the stones come from nearby, but granite and quartz had to be transported from more distant areas, which indicates that the location was specifically chosen.
The interior ceiling dome shaped primitive rises to about 6 meters. The fit of the stones has remained intact for more than 5000 years of construction, avoiding completely efficient filtering water and the effect of erosion.
The finding inside the cremated remains of 5 individuals indicates its more than likely use as a necropolis.
The tumulus is oriented astronomically so that each year, on the morning of the winter solstice, sunlight enters through an opening above the entrance, walking the corridor 18 meters to illuminate the floor of the chamber for 17 minutes. The accuracy of the guidance brings credibility to the intention of this “birth”, probably based on the observation and measurement of the inhabitants of the area during the Neolithic. Decoration stones has the spiral ( of course solar symbol) as recurring element.
You can see all these details with great quality in the video that accompanies the entrance.
You can only be accessed within Newgrange through guided tours, a service specially requested for the solstice. I remember my visit to the tumulus the existence of a draw for invitations to date as indicated. Definitely a highly recommended visit if you pass through Dublin.
Posted in Astronomy - Tagged Archaeology, Astronomy
Introduction to the Physics behind Welding
The last transit of Venus that you or I have been able to see..
The Physics of Quadcopters
Great Scientists: David J. Bohm
Physics is Fun!
Alfred Nobel Archaeology Astronomy Bohm Chaos Einstein Gustav Dalen lightening lorentz Particles Photons Planets Pluto Quadcopter Solar System venus
Copyright © 2021 Quanto Magazine. All rights reserved.
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Posts Tagged ‘Strung Out Records’
Discipline. – To Shatter All Accord (2011)
Posted in Progressive Rock, Review, tagged Detroit, Discipline, Jon Preston Bouda, Mathew Kennedy, Matthew Parmenter, NEARfest, Paul Dzendzel, ProgDay, Strung Out Records on July 26, 2012| 4 Comments »
1. Circuitry (6:16)
2. When the Walls are Down (7:29)
3. Dead City (5:15)
4. When She Dreams She Dreams in Color (13:40)
5. Rogue (24:04)
Matthew Parmenter – vocals, keyboards, descants
Jon Preston Bouda – guitars
Mathew Kennedy – bass
Paul Dzendzel – drums, percussion
In spite of its long-standing tradition as one of the music capitals of the US, Detroit is not exactly known as a hotbed progressive rock. However, Discipline have almost single-handedly put the city on the prog map. Since their inception in the late Eighties, and through the release of two albums – Push and Profit (1993) and the celebrated Unfolded Like Staircase (1997) – they have become one of the highest-rated acts on the US prog scene, where their powerful live shows earned them five consecutive appearances at Progday, from 1995 to 1999. At the beginning of the new century, the band folded, though frontman Matthew Parmenter went on to release two solo albums, and three live recordings were also released between 2000 and 2005. Discipline made their official comeback at the 2008 edition of NEARfest, Three years later, To Shatter All Accord, their highly awaited third studio album (the first in 14 years), came out in the autumn of 2011 on the band’s own label, Strung Out Records.
Though often mislabeled as “neo-prog”, with the theatrical approach of keyboardist/vocalist Matthew Parmenter (aka Magic Acid Mime) drawing comparisons to the likes of Fish and Peter Gabriel, Discipline’s darkly intense musical and lyrical approach has more in common with Van Der Graaf Generator than with Marillion and their ilk. In spite of the lengthy pause between studio recordings, having kept the same lineup for over 20 years (no mean feat in itself) has allowed them to hone their distinctive sound, which runs the gamut from brooding harshness to soothing, almost pastoral melody.
While Parmenter’s dramatic vocals and tortured lyrics provide the main focus of attention, they are only one of the factors that make Discipline’s music so riveting. In fact, Parmenter’s voice often works as an additional instrument, and complements the other instruments instead of overwhelming them (as it is occasionally the case with Peter Hammill’s vocals in VDGG). Discipline handle the frequent transitions in the fabric of their songs with seamless skill, avoiding the lack of cohesion that often mars the most ambitious prog productions, and the dramatic quality inherent to their music is conveyed so as to enhance the emotional content without becoming jarring or bombastic.
Out of the five tracks featured on To Shatter All Accord, the first two date back from the mid-Nineties, and will be familiar to those who have followed Discipline’s live career. Both songs were included in the double CD set Live Days (2010), as well as in the DVD Live 1995 (released in 2005). The hard-edged mid-tempo of “Circuitry” opens the album with a bang: forceful organ introduces Parmenter’s intense vocals, which bookend a magnificent instrumental section where piano, sax, organ and finally Jon Preston Bouda’s incisive guitar solo take turns in the spotlight. “When the Walls Are Down” hinges on superb interplay between Bouda’s guitar and Parmenter’s voice, in turns pleading and sneering; then sax and guitar engage in an exhilarating duel until the end of the song. Strategically placed in the middle of the album, “Dead City” introduces Discipline’s new material on a deceptively upbeat note. The distorted guitar and spacey-industrial electronics at the opening of the song are offset by a melodic guitar solo in the bridge, while a snippet of a radio broadcast announcing a zombie invasion is tagged at the end as a wry commentary on the lyrics.
The band, however, pull out all the stops for the last two tracks, which make up more than two-thirds of the 56-minute album. “When She Dreams She Dreams in Color” starts out in an understated manner, with a lilting pace that brings to mind a tango with jazzy undertones, supported by Paul Dzendzel and Mathew Kennedy’s impeccable rhythm section. Almost theatrical bursts of intensity, driven by vocals and sax, are followed by moments of quiet, leading to a spectacular finale in which Parmenter’s hauntingly lyrical violin, backed by solemn guitar and drums, evokes shades of King Crimson’s “Starless”. The 24-minute “Rogue” is a textbook example of how to write an epic that never outstays its welcome. With plenty of mood and tempo changes, yet remarkably cohesive, it is a harrowing existentialist tale in 10 scenes – almost like a 21st century take on VDGG’s “A Plague of Lighthouse Keepers”- that might have resulted in an overblown mess, but is instead deeply involving. Parmenter’s vocal tour-de-force (complete with disturbing shrieks) enhances the stunning instrumental texture, made of powerful organ runs, tensely atmospheric interludes and dazzling guitar solos, full of melody and emotion, which relieve the intensity of the crescendo-like passages.
Though its release date, almost at the tail end of 2011 – a year noted for its many high-profile releases – has kept the album out of many “best of” lists, there is no doubt that To Shatter All Accord fully deserves to be mentioned alongside those albums that have drawn critical attention in the past year. Though not substantially different from its predecessors, it showcases a band that embodies the best of traditional prog without sounding either dated or derivative, and that seems to have gained polish and maturity in spite of the many years of inactivity. To Shatter All Accord is one of those rare efforts will potentially appeal to prog fans of every stripe, and marks a triumphant return to form for one of the top acts of the US scene.
http://www.strungoutrecords.com/
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Ruby Picks
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You are here: Home / Insights / Ruby Picks / The AFR and Westpac 100 Women of Influence is on again
Unearthing Australia's most influential women
by Ruby Connection
Unearthing Australia’s most influential women
Westpac and The Australian Financial Review launch the
100 Women of Influence Awards for 2016
Nominations are now open for The Australian Financial Review and Westpac 100 Women of Influence Awards, designed to increase the visibility of women’s leadership and highlight the important contribution women make in creating a bold and diverse future for Australia.
Westpac and Fairfax Media officially launched the 2016 program at an event in Sydney on Friday, featuring a keynote address by the 2015 Women of Influence Awards overall winner, Ann Sherry AO (above left with Westpac Director Women's Market, Inclusion and Diversity Ainslie Van Onselen and former Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick). Westpac Group CEO, Brian Hartzer, marked the launch with a nationwide call for individuals and businesses to nominate an inspiring and influential woman across the 10 categories.
Mr Hartzer said, “We all know inspiring women who are making a real difference in our society. It’s through nominating these women for honours like the 100 Women of Influence Awards that Australia can celebrate, recognise and promote their enduring efforts and success.
“Australians are equipped to adjust to our evolving service economy; we have a responsibility to ensure we support a diverse workplace, which can bring together varied perspectives, dynamic solutions and better decision-making.
“Women make a significant contribution to ensuring the continued success of Australia’s economy. Fully mobilising the female workforce will allow Australia to reach its full potential. Supporting women isn’t just a nice thing to do – it is a business imperative.
Mr Hartzer added, “Westpac are actively seeking talented leaders to join our Equilibrium Program, which brings highly accomplished women into the financial services sector and provides them with the training needed succeed at a more senior, more critical leadership position beyond their current specialisation. We want to see the next Ann Sherry, who championed for access to paid maternity leave while at Westpac, join us to help make a real change in Australia for women in the workplace as we work towards a truly diverse future.”
Greg Hywood, Fairfax Media CEO said, “The 100 Women of Influence Awards are a vitally important, agenda-setting, program that Fairfax Media is proud to be part of and it is great to be kicking off the 2016 season.
“By the end of this year, the Women of Influence program will have recognised 500 influential, inspirational and visionary women. Each has a powerful story of how they have made, and are making, a difference. Fairfax relishes being able to amplify their triumphs and achievements. These individuals will inspire and empower people and organisations to make a real difference and change for the better.
“Last year’s overall winner, Executive Chairman of Carnival Australia, Ann Sherry, is a standout example of an extraordinary force for progressing gender equality and diversity in business and our community. She is a key influencer among a new generation of leaders.
“At Fairfax we are focused on pursuing gender diversity, equality and inclusiveness for all employees. We have made progress – but we have much more to do. As a nation, clearly more needs to be done in all aspects of gender equality, and broader diversity – age, geography, ethnicity and matters indigenous. There’s no ducking it. We all need to drive fundamental cultural change. Every day, every opportunity,” Mr Hywood said.
The 2015 Woman of Influence Overall and Diversity category winner Ann Sherry said, “Being named the overall winner of the 2016 The Australian Financial Review and Westpac 100 Women of Influence Awards was a privilege, creating experiences that have filled me with optimism about the impact this group of women will have on our country.
“Following the Awards, it has been an honour to meet so many women who have each been inspired by the awards – women who are from science to the arts, community sectors and commerce.
“This Award creates a wave of women, young and older, to take action to pave the way for at least one other woman on the same journey knowing that the combined effect of these individual actions can make a material and wide scale difference across many areas of endeavour.
“The Awards are a powerful reminder that while great progress has been made, there are still challenges to overcome, but I am more convinced than ever that there is a desire for change to an inclusive world in which the entire community ultimately benefits.”
Nominations for the 2016 The Australian Financial Review and Westpac 100 Women of Influence Awards open Friday, 3 June 2016, and close on 5 August 2016. Entries can be submitted online at www.100womenofinfluence.com.au.
The 10 categories include: Board/Management, Public Policy, Young Leader, Social Enterprise and Not-for-Profit, Culture, Global Influence, Innovation, Local/Regional Community, Diversity and Business Enterprise. Entries will be assessed by a panel of well-regarded judges, which will be announced in early October.
A gala event celebrating the 100 Women of Influence winners and announcing the category and overall winners will be held at Sydney Town Hall on Thursday, 27 October 2016.
Joanne Gray, The Australian Financial Review BOSS magazine editor, and Ainslie van Onselen, Westpac’s Director Women’s Markets, Inclusion and Diversity, will co-chair the judging for 2016. Judges for this year’s program also include Lucy Turnbull AO, Sydney's first ever female Lord Mayor; Ann Sherry, 2015 Woman of Influence; Elizabeth Broderick AO, 2014 Woman of Influence; Leonie Walsh, Lead Scientist for the Victorian Government; and Professor Robert (Bob) Wood, Director of the Centre for Ethical Leadership.
The opening of the Awards follows a series of announcements from the Westpac Group, including making it standard operating procedure to recognise paid parental leave and return to work income for up to 12 months for home lending, and a partnership with the Victorian State Government designed to tackle unconscious bias in recruitment by piloting an anonymous applications program.
For further information please visit: www.100womenofinfluence.com.au.
20% discount on any booking.
By Elizabeth Kollias
Want more health, joy and passion in your life? Leave the stress and overwhelm behind!
By Rachael Ralli
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Cool places to go near me in spring, couple, activity, what is, time, fine dining near me, fancy restaurant, activities near me, beach hotels, fishing, parks near me, campground, RV resorts, winery, what's near me, bay, attractions near me, list of, orchards, national parks, fishing charters, places to travel: MA, FL, Caribbean, All-inclusive Jamaica, AR, CO, ME, KS, CT, Missouri caves, Gadsden, Pismo Beach, Blue Ridge, Best caves in Missouri, Beaches Near Atlanta, NJ, FL caves
Breckenridge is both a mountain town and a ski resort and is packed with plenty of Colorado history. It’s the oldest and largest town in Summit County, with about 250 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, making its Main Street an absolute dream to wander. There are tons of arts events and festivals all year, plus galleries, studios and shops worth checking out. In summer, you can enjoy the wildflowers in bloom in the surrounding areas, while in winter, Breckenridge Ski Resort provides some 2,908 acres (1,177ha) of the best skiing in the state.
The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad starts in Antonito, Colorado, and runs all the way through to Chama, New Mexico, spanning a track of 64 miles. Take a trip back in time on this old fashioned, narrow gauge heritage railroad and enjoy the countryside as you pass through it. You’ll have a front seat view of Toltec Gorge, the inspiration for the name of this railroad.
The multi-tower buildings are still well preserved after eight hundred years, and seeing them is worth driving to the remote location on the Colorado/Utah border. Dogs are welcome on the hiking trails. The Square Tower Group has a small interpretative center, and rangers are available throughout the park to answer questions and give guidance. Hovenweep has a primitive 31-site campground that fills up on a first-come, first-served basis.
Located in Central Colorado, Bishop Castle has quickly become one of the most popular roadside attractions in the state. In 1959, fifteen-year-old Jim Bishop dropped out of school and purchased a 2.5 acre piece of land for $450. This piece of land was located alongside southern Colorado’s San Isabel National Forest. In order to earn enough money to purchase the land, Bishop worked random side jobs and helped his father, Willard. Although Bishop funded the land purchase, his parent’s legally owned the land since Bishop was only a teenager.
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The Denver Museum of Nature & Science began with one man, Edwin Carter, who in 1868 moved to a one-room cabin high in the Rocky Mountains and singlehandedly amassed the largest collection of Colorado fauna in existence. In 1908, the museum in Denver formally opened, and it made world headlines when in 1926 museum researchers found fossil proof that North America was inhabited over 10,000 years ago.
While its Denver counterpart might be more popular, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs is the most interesting Colorado zoo experience you’ll find. It sits about 6,800ft (2,073m) above sea level and features exhibits built into the mountainside. You can also feed the giraffes, ride an open chairlift over the zoo, walk through an aviary of free-flying birds and expect plenty of animal encounters.
This guidance should be applied beyond traditional events if the business in question does not clearly fit into any other guidance category. For example, escape rooms do not clearly fit into any one business sector, so they should follow guidance for unseated indoor events. Other examples include arcades, wedding receptions, large-scale trade shows, and museums.
Mesa Verde National Park, near Cortez, is perhaps the greatest archaeological wonder in the United States and a Unesco World Heritage site. Learn about the lives and history of the Ancestral Pueblo people as you visit Cliff Palace, Balcony House and Long House, incredible cliff dwellings and mesa-top villages built between 600 and 1300. There are also a few hiking trails available within the park, including one to a petroglyph panel.
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Coloradans are outdoor enthusiasts, and one of their beloved hiking spots is Hanging Lake. The Hanging Lake Trail sits off Interstate 70, just 10mi (16km) east of the town of Glenwood Springs. The trail itself is short, just a little over a mile, but it can be a challenging hike because it’s steep and rocky. However, reaching the end is worth it. Hanging Lake is a unique geological feature, complete with a stunning hanging garden.
With over 750 animals of 170 species, the zoo is world-class, and contains the largest herd of reticulated giraffes in any zoo anywhere. A special feature of the zoo is the fact they allow visitors to hand-feed the giraffes, which are very tame. Hoping to inspire conservation action, the zoo has thoughtfully housed all of its animals in as natural an environment as possible so that visitors can understand the needs of each animal of each species.
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Family Events Along the Holiday Road!
What’s Happening Outside RVA?
Brandy Centolanza
It seems the holiday season is getting longer and longer every year. The season used to officially begin after Thanksgiving, but these days, the Christmas decorations are out before Halloween in many stores.
Whether or not you approve, the good news is, with a longer season, there is more time to spend with your family creating holiday memories and doing amazing things together.
That’s part of the magic of Christmas for our family. My husband, two children, and I have our own traditions in our hometown, but we also like to take a weekend or two over the holidays to get away as a family, traveling to take in the sights and sounds of other towns in Virginia and beyond.
There is plenty of holiday fun to be had in all directions, whether you and your brood want to head out for a day trip or an overnight stay.
We have season passes to Busch Gardens Christmas Town and Colonial Williamsburg. We love to frequent both during the holiday season, even if it’s simply to stroll along Duke of Gloucester Street in Williamsburg to admire the holiday décor, particularly the uniquely designed wreaths with fresh fruit hanging on the doors of the historic buildings. Colonial Williamsburg rings in the holiday season with fireworks during its renowned Grand Illumination, and has programs throughout November and December to celebrate the holidays, including story-telling, arts and crafts, musical performances and carolers, special dinners, and other events. My kids, though, get a thrill ice skating outside on Duke of Gloucester Street in the crisp air.
Busch Gardens Christmas Town is a seasonal delight for the whole family – with holiday activities and shows for all ages.
Meanwhile, families can also head over to Busch Gardens Christmas Town, and soak up the holiday atmosphere there while enjoying some rides, weather permitting. Be sure to hop on the sky ride, the train, or Mäch Tower just as the sun goes down and the twinkling holiday lights click on – it’s a breathtaking view! The park shines brightly with eight million lights, one of the largest displays in North America. At Christmas Town, families also take in holiday-themed concerts and shows, including the popular Scrooge No More, based on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, and the full-scale, musical ice skating show, ’Twas That Night, based on the poem, A Visit from St. Nicholas. World champion and Olympic silver medalist Elvis Stojko headlines that show at the Royal Palace Theatre.
The Christmas parade in Williamsburg is lovely, but we opt for a unique spin on the traditional parade in nearby Yorktown, where we enjoy the festively decorated boats during the annual boat parade. We sit on the beach and watch the boats sail by with their lights and Christmas music while drinking free hot chocolate. Next door in Newport News, you’ll find the Celebration In Lights, a two-mile drive-through holiday lights show.
On one of those rare 80-degree December days a few years ago (which seem to be less rare anymore), our family made a trip to the Outer Banks in North Carolina to see Winter Lights at the Elizabethan Gardens on Roanoke Island. We adored the walk-through light exhibit, especially the sparkling gingerbread men and gingerbread houses, gifts, toys, and treats, and other festive sights. Santa Claus was there handing out candy canes and taking Christmas list requests and posing for photos, and then the four of us gobbled up s’mores by a bonfire while watching Frosty the Snowman on a large movie projector screen. The garden has other special programs throughout the holiday season, including a dinner with Santa Claus.
Your family will treasure the festive displays in the walk-through light exhibit at the Elizabethan Gardens on Roanoke Island.
Families can also check out the holiday lights along the sand dunes at Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Kitty Hawk, and there are Christmas parades and tree lighting ceremonies all up and down the Outer Banks from Corolla to Hatteras. Although many families can’t fathom planning a beach getaway for November or December, it can be even more memorable for the kids to see the ocean during this time of year.
A New Year’s tradition for our family is to book a Virginia Beach oceanfront hotel room overlooking the McDonald’s Holiday Lights at the Beach. The 3-mile drive along the boardwalk (the only time of year you can actually drive on the Virginia Beach boardwalk) features nautical-themed holiday lights including seashells, fish, and jumping dolphins, as well as displays highlighting the themes of the “Twelve Days of Christmas,” one of my family’s all-time favorite Christmas songs.
Virginia Beach lets visitors drive along a 3-mile stretch of the boardwalk to take in its nautical-themed light exhibit. Nature provides a stunning backdrop.
Also along the oceanfront, you’ll find Santa’s Seaside Village with a walk-through exhibit of animated scenes, carolers, carnival rides, a petting zoo, pony rides, and other family entertainment. You can also check out a scuba Santa swimming in the tanks at the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center on select weekends.
The Norfolk Botanical Garden also has a drive-through holiday exhibit with dazzling floral lights featuring the four seasons. Back by popular demand, the Million Bulb Walk on select dates allows visitors to stroll through the gardens taking in the spectacular show. Families can also take a Polar Express Tram Ride around the garden.
Last year, our family also went to the Winter Wonderland at the Portsmouth Art and Cultural Center. The kids loved the animated displays of the elves and reindeer in Santa’s workshop and all the sweets in Candy Land. They had a blast participating in a scavenger hunt and an ornament-making craft. Winter Wonderland also has face-painting, musical performances, and carriage rides.
The four of us are routine visitors to Washington, DC, and know the National Zoo and sites along the mall like the backs of our hands. This Christmas, consider making the trek to Washington with your family to check out the National Christmas Tree, our area’s answer to the Rockefeller Christmas Tree. Afterward, head over to the National Zoo to say hello to the animals while enjoying the holiday lights extravaganza, Zoo Lights. The small mammal house, great ape house, reptile center, orangutan exhibit, and the kids’ farm are open every night during the event. Does that sound like too much walking? Hop on the train instead and take in the dazzling view on wheels. Little ones will also want to take a spin on the carousel.
Zoo Lights at the National Zoo features a variety of special displays for families. Plus, many of the animal habitats get the holiday treatment (inset). ICE! at the Gaylord is another kid-pleasing attraction.
Another one of our favorite attractions in DC is the United States Botanic Garden. This year, see a holiday show here called Season’s Greenings in honor of the centennial of the National Park Service and the fiftieth anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act. In the conservatory, you’ll find an enormous indoor Christmas tree decked out with ornaments from the national parks. Families also get a holiday kick out of the model train show with locomotives that chug along through plant-based replicas of famous American sites, including the Grand Canyon, the Gateway Arch, Mount Vernon, the Statue of Liberty, and more. Stay a while and check out blooms of exotic orchids, various poinsettias, and other plants and flowers. The garden also has live seasonal music performances on select Tuesday and Thursday evenings throughout the season.
Also plan to visit the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor. Its family-pleasing holiday attraction, ICE!, is back. You’ll feel as though you are at the actual North Pole during the self-guided walk-through tour of the exhibit, which is kept at a mere nine degrees. ICE! features more than two million pounds of hand-carved ice sculptures commemorating holiday traditions from around the world. You’ll find stunning frozen scenes from Santa’s workshop and sleigh, as well as a gorgeous nativity scene many families will cherish. ICE! also has five ice slides, a live carve zone (The Frostbite Factory), and a magical indoor snowfall. The National Harbor has restaurants that cater to any palate, as well as a carousel, ferris wheel, kids’ climbing area, and plenty of stores to wrap up your holiday shopping.
Fredericksburg kicks off its holiday celebrations mid-November with an open-house weekend downtown, replete with strolling entertainment, visits with St. Nick, refreshments, contests, and decorative storefronts showcasing a Window Wonderland theme. Young and old alike will enjoy the children’s tree lighting ceremony at Hurkamp Park. The event includes holiday crafts, hot chocolate and other treats, and children’s activities. Santa, of course, will drop by to read everyone’s favorite holiday tale, ’Twas the Night Before Christmas.
Enjoy a Jingle Bell ride through the streets of historic Fredericksburg.
You can also catch a glimpse of beautiful historic holiday scenery with the Historic Fredericksburg Foundation’s Candlelight Tour, which this year takes you into the homes in the Winchester/Lewis Street neighborhood. Or, get into the spirit and splurge on a Jingle Bell ride, a horse-drawn carriage ride through the historic Fredericksburg area.
Gari Melchers House and Studio at Belmont is worth the drive on 95 North. A renowned American artist of the early twentieth century, Melcher’s home is a National Historic Landmark. In late November, you can enjoy the estate decorated for the holidays in the spirit and style of the Melchers. It’s a glorious showcase featuring imaginative decorations and vignettes that interpret life at the Melchers’ cherished Falmouth country retreat. All exterior decorations are provided courtesy of a local garden club.
We visited the Biltmore Estate – the famous home of George Vanderbilt – in Asheville, North Carolina, over the summer, and the sight is one to behold, with breathtaking views of the property and grounds. The holiday season at the Biltmore is just as spectacular, featuring special family events and activities that are definitely worth the trip and at least one night’s stay. One of the most prominent remaining examples of the Gilded Age and the largest privately owned house in the United States, the 250-room home (including thirty-five bedrooms and forty-three bathrooms) has four acres of floor space, which is beautifully appointed with more than seventy hand-decorated Christmas trees. The tallest of these is thirty-five feet and stands in the banquet hall. More than 1,000 poinsettias as well as wreaths, garlands, and other festive illuminations and decorations await you.
Elegantly appointed for the holiday season, The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina, is the largest privately owned home in the United States.
At the Biltmore House, families can sit by candlelight or firelight and enjoy live music from carolers, or head over to Antler Hill Village, where you’ll find shopping, dining, and the winery. Kids can visit with Santa Claus here, too. Other programs include a Gingerbread House Tea at The Inn on Biltmore Estate, story-telling, and cookie and ornament decorating. (Read more about visiting Asheville and Biltmore at RFMonline.com.)
Brunch with Santa at Lewis Ginter
Closer to home, over Thanksgiving weekend, our family plans to visit the Science Museum of Virginia for the model train show. We also like outdoor ice skating (at West Broad Village in Short Pump and Stony Point Fashion Park this year), and strolling the grounds at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden during the Dominion GardenFest of Lights. We love how they change the theme each year. Trying to find where they’ve hidden the peacock in the garden is one of my kids’ favorite activities.
I keep saying one of these years, we will make it to brunch with Santa at Lewis Ginter. These wildly popular gatherings are already sold out. Also landing in the unlucky-for-us, sold-out category are the Santa train rides originating out of the Old Dominion Chapter National Railway Historic Society. The big guy visits with children during the 45-minute train trip. My kids are close to aging out of these kinds of things, so I really should look into both of these for next year, especially considering how quickly they book solid.
Meanwhile, our neighbors who visited Legendary Santa as children are now taking their own kids to see him. He’s celebrating his eightieth anniversary at the Children’s Museum of Richmond. And, if you’re a big holiday lights fan, there’s always the Tacky Lights Tour. For a top ten list of Richmond-area holiday traditions and family events, check out RFMonline.com and read Inside Christmas.
Photos: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Scott K. Brown, Craig McClure, Dan Ham, Stephanie Gross
Brandy Centolanza is a freelance writer and mother of two. She writes about family travel opportunities and lifestyle.
From the November 2016 issue:
previous post: Child Support Basics
next post: “We’ll Bring the Side!”
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Ways of Finding the Best Public and Private Schools
The people are encouraged to search for the right schools which can offer teachings to the learners in the proper way. The individuals are looking for the proper learning institutions where the kids can study in the best manner. There are two types of schools where the students learn including public and private schools. All the public schools are owned by the government an also endorsed by the government sectors. Many individuals require the best learning centers where they can obtain the best education. There are many techniques which helps the people to Find a School. The report describes the right methods which are useful for obtaining the best public and private schools.
At first, it is recommended that the people should seek guidance from the agencies which offer the services for school search. There are many companies which enable the people to find the best public and private schools. The firms have programs which aid in accessing the right public and private schools where the students can learn. The school search agencies enable the people to get updates about the best public and private schools.
Secondly, the people are supposed to research on the best public and private schools. The investigations are crucial since offer latest information about the right public and private schools. Research enable the people to determine the public and private schools which performs well. The network resources should be used at all the time since they supply sufficient information about the best public and private schools.
The individuals are encouraged to communicate with the referrals available to easily identify the right public and private schools which are more reliable. Many people know the best public and private schools. The references are helpful since they make it easy for people to find the right public and private schools. The consultations made from the references are beneficial since they assist in fast access to the best private and public schools. Consultations are vital since they aid in accessing the most reliable learning centers.
It is advisable for the individuals to search for the public and private schools which enable the students to learn in a good way and perform well in the national examinations. There exists a wide range of schools which produce different results for the examinations undertaken by the students. The people are encouraged to look for public and private schools which help the students to performs well in their examination.
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TODAY: National Endowment for Democracy declared the first undesirable organisation in Russia; Putin’s former ‘banker’ offers his insights into the machinations of the regime; opposition activists on hunger strike in Novosibirsk; plans to make patriotic cuisine a requirement for restaurants; pop stars protest Kremlin’s plans for regime-friendly talent hothouse; Britain complains about interference in Litvinenko inquiry; Gazprom in China.
U.S.-based international organisation the National Endowment for Democracy has officially been declared an ‘undesirable organisation’ by the Prosecutor General’s Office, which concluded it poses a threat ‘to the constitutional order of Russia, its defense and security.’ The NED’s activities are now banned. The move against civil society ‘is the latest evidence that the regime of President Vladimir Putin faces a worsening crisis of political legitimacy’, says a Washington Post op-ed. ‘In pursuit of absolute power, he is suffocating his own society’, adds a second. Known once as ‘Putin’s banker‘, now living in exile pursued by death threats, tycoon Sergei Pugachev talks to the Guardian about the mistakes of the post-Yeltsin era. Novosibirsk’s central district court has now fined eight Parnas party activists for disobeying police officers, following the election commission’s decision to bar them from the local polls. Three opposition activists have begun a hunger strike in protest. Alexei Navalny fears that moves against the opposition in Siberia will be replicated all over the country. A journalist running a support group for LGBT teenagers in the Urals has fallen foul of the gay propaganda law. Artist Petr Pavlensky, who famously nailed his scrotum to cobblestones in Red Square, reportedly managed to convince the investigator into his case to leave the Investigative Committee and join his support group.
Belarus, which has been hit badly by Russia’s economic problems, has received a $760 million loan from Moscow under a 10-year loan agreement. Could the crisis be nearing its end? New data indicates the decline could be ‘close to a bottom’. A State Duma Deputy is drawing up a bill that would require all restaurants to ensure Russian dishes make up at least half of their menu. A number of famous recording artists have taken issue with Putin’s plans to establish a ‘patriotic superstar incubator’, but apparently their concerns are not ideological. A 74-year-old Russian academic and former Roscosmos employee has been placed under house arrest on suspicion of committing state treason. The head of a British inquiry into the death of ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko has accused the Russian authorities of trying to thwart his investigation.
The Economy Ministry anticipates that production at Gazprom will decline to an all-time low of 414 billion cubic metres this year, as a result of dwindling demand and a drop in upstream investments. The energy major’s $400 billion deal to supply natural gas to China National Petroleum Corporation will win Russia political, as opposed to economic, advantages, says this analysis of the deal.
PHOTO: Leonid Volkov, pictures left of Alexei Navalny, is one of the opposition politicians taking part in a hunger strike in Novosibirsk. (BBC)
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Flooding Ruins Lives, Reveals Distrust
It is indisputable that heavy rainfall can produce major flooding. It can also be extremely difficult to preempt a natural disaster or its consequences, as authorities from across the globe will testify. However in the instance of the flash floods which claimed the lives of 171 people in the Krasnodar region on Friday and Saturday, there is some dispute as to what actually occurred to induce such levels of destruction. The fact that victims of the disaster have made some serious accusations against the authorities (to the point of suggesting they might have caused them by opening sluice gates) reveals the fact that in Russia, distrust of the authorities runs deep. From AFP:
After torrential rains dropped up to 300 milliliters (12 inches) of water late Friday and early Saturday, the flooding inundated Krymsk so quickly that that residents said they suspected that water had been intentionally released from a reservoir in the mountains above the city to prevent the dam from being breached.
The suspicion was that this had been done to protect the Novorossiysk port, which is part-owned by the government and Transneft, the state monopoly that runs the oil pipeline system. The reservoir lies in mountains situated between Novorossiysk and Krymsk. It was unclear whether the port was in any danger.
The government denied the sluices had been opened and, in an effort to convince the skeptics, the Krasnodar region governor arranged for a group of residents to fly over the reservoir in a helicopter. He even arranged a second flight over a wider area after they complained that they had not seen enough the first time. Two members of the group were shown on television saying they were now convinced that the reservoir had not been the source of the flooding.
This was the same conclusion reached by a well-known local environmentalist, Suren Gazaryan, who has opposed the governor on other issues. Gazaryan studied the area around the reservoir and the high-water marks along a network of mountain streams, posting the photographs and his conclusions on his blog.
Still, prominent Moscow journalist Oleg Kashin, who was in Krymsk, said on Kommersant FM radio that none of the residents he had spoken to believed it was the weather alone that caused the flooding.
“It’s not that the government’s version of the events differs from that of the victims, but the thing is that it’s normal in Russia to distrust authorities in everything — be it a natural disaster, elections or soccer,” Kashin said. “I’m sure that Krymsk will get repaired, compensations will be paid and the dead will be buried. But you have to agree that this will not make this crisis of confidence go away.”
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Former Russian Spy on Putin’s “Selective” Stalinism
By James Kimer | Published: August 7, 2007
Former Russian Spy Oleg Kalugin says he had a change of heart about the KGB when he was transferred to the domestic service.
Below are a few excerpts from an interview by the magazine Foreign Policy with the Washington DC-based former KGB senior operative, Oleg Kalugin. We haven’t heard much out of Kalugin since the shooting of Paul Joyal – a story that the media has chosen to forget. From Foreign Policy (OK refers to Oleg Kalugin):
FP: When you were in St. Petersburg working for the KGB, you counted Vladimir Putin and Nikolai Patrushev, the current head of the FSB, Russia’s domestic security agency, as your subordinates. What memories do you have of these two men? OK: Nikolai Patrushev was my subordinate for years in Leningrad. One day he brought a report about one dissident in his district and said, “We must take care of him, maybe arrest him.” I said, “Why? Give me the case.” I read the file of this man, and it showed that he was honest about the lack of food, long lines you have to stand in for food, the bureaucracy of the Soviet party and government institutions. When Patrushev brought it, I said, “Why do we have to put him in jail? What is this case?” Patrushev’s first desire was to put the guy in jail because he would spread his discontent and unhappiness among his friends and colleagues and that was dangerous. Putin was too small to report to me directly. He was an operative; he was five steps below, so he never reported to me. He was one of 3,000 guys. He was just a gray, nonentity walking in the corridors. He was like all subordinates who had no confidence in themselves. …. FP: What in your mind then is the difference between the system Putin operates and Soviet Russia? OK: Putin has partially restored the old Stalinist methods. The difference is Stalin used mass repressions. He would imprison and execute hundreds of thousands, millions. In Putin’s case, it is more selective: individuals who he finds too hostile or harmful for his rule. Putin has actually put the country back to the authoritarian state; it’s not as bloody but just as criminal as Stalin’s regime. FP: At what point did you begin to become suspicious of Putin, and what pushed you to become more outspoken against him? OK: Putin? Well, I was always outspoken about him. I know this man’s background better than many others. I do not talk in details—people who knew them are all dead now because they were vocal, they were open. I am quiet. There is only one man who is vocal, and he may be in trouble: [former] world chess champion [Garry] Kasparov. He has been very outspoken in his attacks on Putin, and I believe that he is probably next on the list.
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TODAY: Trump shocks with acceptance Putin’s denial of election meddling in otherwise uneventful summit meeting; Russia prepared to extend START treaty; Washington-based woman arrested for spying for Kremlin; Pussy Riot World Cup protesters jailed; MegaFon to delist from LSE; Merkel acknowledges politics of Nord Stream.
Despite claims that their meeting “did not seem to have much substance”, US President Donald Trump’s summit with President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki yesterday (full transcript here) created a media hurricane of bipartisan shockwaves and disbelief amongst intelligence and law enforcement officials alike, due to Trump’s refusal to blame Putin for Russia’s 2016 election meddling. “President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today,” Trump said. A former director of the CIA called Trump’s stance “treasonous”, although of course it won praise from Putin who called him a “competent person” who “can listen to and understand the line of reasoning”. Republican Senator John McCain commented, “No prior president has ever abased himself more abjectly before a tyrant”; Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, on the other hand, called the meeting “better than super” and “fabulous”. Both sides agreed on the need to counter the threat of terrorism, as well as on a plan to secure Israel’s border with Syria, and Putin said he told Trump that Russia is prepared to extend the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) once both sides have agreed on the specifics. Speaking to Fox News after the meeting, Putin blamed current poor relations on “internal political games” in the US. He insisted that Russia is doing its best to bring the killers of popular political opponents such as Anna Politkovskaya and Boris Nemtsov to justice. “Haven’t presidents been killed in the United States?” He also said that Russia has no compromising materials on Trump because it doesn’t have the resources to organize surveillance of all of the foreign businessmen that visit. “[B]efore he announced that he will run for presidency, he was of no interest for us.”
A 29-year-old Washington, D.C.-based woman from Russia has been arrested and charged with acting as an agent of the Kremlin. The four protesters from Pussy Riot who ran onto the field wearing fake police uniforms during the World Cup final have all been jailed for 15 days. The UK’s media regulator Ofcom found that state-funded news network RT broke the British broadcasting code by falsely presenting the views of its own staff as those of viewers. Billionaire Alisher Usmanov’s phone carrier MegaFon is planning to delist from the London Stock Exchange and go private. Usmanov’s mobile phone retailer Svyaznoy has added electric vehicles to its line, potentially meaning a doubling of Russian sales for carmaker Tesla. During his time in prison, Alexei Navalny’s brother Oleg became a protest tattoo designer.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is acknowledging the need to ensure that Nord Stream 2 does not damage Ukraine’s status as a transit country for Russian gas; Putin says Moscow will only agree if Gazprom and Naftogaz settle their ongoing dispute. “Yet circumventing the Ukrainian network is precisely what Nord Stream is about,” notes the FT. France will shut its Business France trade agency in Russia due to long term disputes with Moscow authorities.
PHOTO: President Trump and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin shake hands as they meet in Helsinki, Finland. REUTERS\/Kevin Lamarque July 16, 2018
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Rumble in the Congo
By Robert Amsterdam | Published: March 22, 2013
It’s one of the world’s largest untapped reserves of precious metals and natural resources. It’s also an ungoverned “Wild East” drawing in competing militias into prolonged bloody wars, and soon, possibly the neighboring states competing for influence. Welcome to the eastern corner of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Last week, Africa watchers worldwide were shocked and relieved when Bosco Ntaganda, the notorious Rwandan-born warlord wanted for terrorizing the eastern part of the DRC, surrendered to the American Embassy in Kigali asking for transfer to the International Criminal Court at the Hague. After all, it isn’t every day that an infamous warlord wanted for crimes against humanity voluntarily surrenders.
Ntaganda’s surrender comes just after 11 countries in the region signed a regional peace accord designed to curb covert support for ruthless armed groups in the region and restore peace and stability to the DRC. The UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon is also pushing for authorization of an “Intervention Brigade” as part of MONUSCO (the UN force in the DRC) that would have a mandate to meet force with force to battle the armed groups.
On the surface it would seem like these two developments were a fitting and just end to a very long and bloody chapter for the central African region, however in actuality, it is highly unlikely that either one will bring an end to the violence.
In fact just days after the accord was signed, Ntaganda’s armed group allegedly sponsored by Rwanda, splintered into two factions which went to war with another in the DRC, leaving the former warlord a refugee and likely leading him to turn himself in. Security analysts in the region believe that Ntaganda turned himself in because it was his best shot at staying alive.
As the violence intensifies in this mineral rich area of Central Africa, neighboring nations are getting pulled into armed disputes via their guerrilla proxies, which could easily escalate to intra-state warfare.
An earlier peace accord in 2003 had already put an end to a five-year civil war involving six countries including Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia on the one side against the rebels sponsored by Uganda and Rwanda on the other. That war resulted in 2 million casualties in the DRC, many of them civilians. Unfortunately, the armed bands sponsored covertly by Uganda and Rwanda did not disband after the civil war. Instead they remained illegally embedded in the eastern part of the DRC and became rivals for influence against one another, setting up a dangerous proxy struggle between Rwanda and Uganda within the DRC’s borders. This latest accord was an attempt at getting that struggle under control. Unfortunately, it is failing.
Instead, in recent days, that proxy struggle is escalating. Rwanda recently threatened to send its troops into the Congo unless Uganda withdrew its forces. Uganda did not take the threat kindly. Ugandan Defence Minister issued a statement saying “If Rwanda attacks us directly we shall fight them ourselves. If they attack us using proxies, we shall fight those proxies.”
The war of words continues with new statements from each side becoming sharper and more bellicose. In the meantime, this brewing conflict has left the Congolese government understandably disturbed and angry. Congolese foreign affairs minister Leonard She Okitundu issued remarks angrily condemning Rwanda and Uganda for choosing to fight each other inside the DRC, rather than across their common border.
Complicating this matter even further is what is happening in the DRC’s mineral rich southern region. Since its bloody history as a Belgian colony, the DRC has long been the object of intense power struggles as regional states compete over its rich reserves of copper. According to a recent Reuters article “Decades of corruption and a brutal civil war brought Katanga to its knees. Relative stability since the 2003 peace deal and ensuing elections, plus high metal prices, brought private miners. Officials say Congo’s copper exports jumped to 600,000 tonnes in 2012, from under 20,000 a decade ago.”
Today that stability is starting to crumble again as armed groups from all over the region have begun to launch attacks in the region.
The sad consequence of the struggle in the Eastern and Southern regions of the DRC is the impact that it has had on the people. The Congolese people have lived for too long in abject poverty with little access to healthcare, education, and other basic necessities. Moreover, they have suffered systemic sexual assault, forced conscription by armed groups, and even massacres of entire villages on a massive scale and continue to face the same threats today. More than 2 million people have been killed in the DRC’s internal warfare.
If this weren’t horrible enough on its own, these constant power struggles involving actors from all over the region threaten to embroil entire nations in war. While it is high time for a new peace accord and this one is certainly welcome, it must have real teeth to prevent further bloodshed.
The international community can and should be taking greater action in support of this accord. Both citizens and entrepreneurs are yearning for enough peace and stability to get the economy going, and given the country’s natural wealth, this could quickly translate into rapid growth and development if handled properly.
It is no secret that both Rwanda and Uganda, two of the biggest aggressors in the history of this conflict, depend greatly on Western development assistance. If donors were to demand greater accountability in preventing further aggression, we could foresee a reduction in the economic pillaging and human rights abuses. Furthermore, there should be incentives in place to promote greater transparency in the mining concessions, financial sector, and government, which would give the international community greater confidence and good faith in the potential for progress in the DRC.
Part of the problem is that the U.S. is not the only foreign entity that carries weight in the region. With its strong economic ties, China also has a great deal of incentive to contribute to promoting stability in the region. John Campbell, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations says it best in a recent posting: “In sum, the exploitation of Congo’s vast resources by competing elites and militaries for personal enrichment promotes insecurity and stymies development. Only very strong Western and African public outcry and a change in China’s nonintervention approach might open the possibilities for change.”
If the U.S., China and other Western powers could put aside their competition to “win” Africa, and instead bonded together to put greater pressure toward solving the conflict in the DRC once and for all, the newly agreed peace accord may have a real chance of finally turning around a decades-old spiral of violence and give the people of Central Africa the peace that they surely deserve.
Until such a major shift, it is difficult to imagine any end to the current violence and instability.
Tags: Robert Amsterdam
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SQN Johnson earns first Master’s Degree in 10 years
March 10, 2020 by Timothy Hicks
Striving for a good education has its challenges for anyone, but for incarcerated students those trials and tribulations are greater. However, one incarcerated man has persevered and has become the first student to earn a Master’s of Business and Administration (MBA) degree at San Quentin State Prison in almost a decade.
Michael Johnson, 37, earned his MBA with an emphasis in “Leadership” from Adams State University of Colorado, where the motto is “Great stories start here!”
“He is the first guy to receive that level of a degree since I started overseeing the education department in 2013,” said Michael Wheeless, the principal of San Quentin’s education department. Wheeless is in charge of handling educational tasks and the overall education responsibilities, plus keeping track of who receives AA degrees and BA degrees.
There are other outside correspondence colleges active at San Quentin, as well as the Prison University Project that offers face-to-face classes and awards Associate Degrees upon graduation.
“For an incarcerated person to achieve any accomplishment in education is remarkable,” Wheeless said.
“Since Proposition 57 was implemented in November of 2016, there have been plenty of instances when inmates have earned time off their sentences for achieving AA and BA degrees, but this is the first time under the San Quentin rules of Prop.57 that I’ve seen a Master’s earned.”
Smiling while leaning back in his chair and beaming proudly, Wheeless continued,
“I’m impressed with Mr. Johnson’s educational achievement, at having earned an MBA degree while incarcerated. It means even more to have earned it while in prison rather than being on the streets.”
However, Johnson is modest about earning the MBA during his prison stay. Although he received his bachelor’s degree while at another prison, the challenges there were much greater to overcome.
“I treated my prison time as if I was away at college,” Johnson said, “I did my time and did not allow the time to do me.”
Johnson took such courses as Managerial Accounting and Business Management along with a laundry list of other business classes– and emerged triumphant.
He maintained a 3.86 grade point average, earning “A’s” and “B’s,” grades that he could not imagine earning back in Woodland, California where he was born.
“When I was in the fourth grade I could not even read; I was like in what they call, “slow learning classes,” said Johnson. He was a late starter and said that he actually started learning after he got to high school.
“I was determined to learn, though,” said Johnson.
Other SQ residents stopped by to congratulate Johnson even during this interview, but he modestly accepts compliments on his achievements from his peers. His wish is that he can encourage other guys in prison to pursue their dreams like he did.
Johnson understands the challenges an incarcerated person can face while in prison. During his humbling six year prison experience, Johnson was not always on the right path to education. It was a life-altering experience with a family member that sparked his desire of higher learning.
“My first year in prison my grandmother passed away,” Johnson recalls, “Her name was Mary Rita Moncrif. She was my inspiration to do better. She raised me and when she passed, it pained me that I could not be there for the funeral.”
He somberly sank back in his seat at the memory. So, in honor of her memory, Johnson wanted to do something that would make his grandmother proud of him. For Johnson, education was the best way to show his appreciation to his grandmother for raising him.
Throughout his life, Johnson has been familiar with loss in many other situations. Due to alcoholism he lost his wife and other assets. “Now I know how to appreciate the things that really matter in life, like family and loved ones, not the material things, the superficial things.”
He credits his Aunt Elizabeth for supporting him financially and helping him achieve his education goals.
“Feels good to be the first one to achieve this milestone at San Quentin,” Johnson said.. “I encourage other guys to go ahead and do it, too.
“If the government would focus more on education instead of just locking people up, I believe that would help communities out there a lot better.”
Filed Under: CDCR, Education, Featured, Most Read, Recently Posted, Rehabilitation Corner Tagged With: Adams State University, MBA, michael johnson, PUP, San Quentin State Prison
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View source for Eric O. Ayisi
← Eric O. Ayisi
'''Eric O. Ayisi''' was a member of the faculty at the [[College of William and Mary]]. ==Obituary Announcement== From a Faculty and Staff Announcement Email from Provost Michael Halleran on July 14, 2010: "Dear Campus Community: "I am writing to report the sad news that Eric O. Ayisi, Associate Professor of [[Anthropology]] at William & Mary [from 1980-1996], died last month (June 14, 2010). Professor Ayisi served as Assistant to the Provost for Off-Campus Program Development from 1986-1996 and upon his retirement, was described as “a sympathetic, warm, and kind mentor” who was “most generous with his time and his expertise with his students” in a resolution by the [[Board of Visitors]]. "Born in Mampong, Ghana, Professor Ayisi earned his Ph.D. from the London School of Economics. He was a Research Fellow at the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana and a Fulbright Professor. Prior to joining the faculty at William & Mary, Professor Ayisi taught at Hampton Institute, Dillard University, Northwestern University, Hamlin University, Fisk University, Vanderbilt University, Ramapo College and Bloomfield College. "Professor Ayisi’s wife, Dorothy, preceded him in death. He is survived by his brother and sister, three daughters, seven grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren. "A memorial service is scheduled at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 17, at Cooke Bros. Funeral Chapel in Newport News." ==Material in the Special Collections Research Center== *University Archives Faculty Alumni File Collection, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary. *[http://guides.swem.wm.edu/wm Guide for conducting research related to the College of William & Mary] ==External Links== *[http://www.wm.edu/as/anthropology/ Department of Anthropology Website] {{helpmsg}} {{infodisclaimer}} [[Category:Biographical Sketch|Ayisi, Eric O.]][[Category:College of William and Mary Faculty and Staff|Ayisi, Eric O.]]
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Accession and Original Ownership
Thomas W. Merrill, Columbia Law SchoolFollow
Although first possession is generally assumed to be the dominant means of establishing original ownership of property, there is a second but less studied principle for initiating ownership, called accession, which awards new resources to the owner of existing property most prominently connected to the new resource. Accession applies across a wide variety of areas, from determining rights to baby animals and growing crops to determining ownership of derivative rights under intellectual property laws. Accession shares common features with first possession, in that both principles assign ownership uniquely in a way that imposes minimal information cost burdens on society. But accession differs from first possession in that it does not presuppose that rights are established in an open access commons and does not require the performance of an act to establish ownership. These features of accession make it, as a rule, more efficient than first possession, at least where property rights are thick and securely enforced. More broadly, accession can be seen as the critical legal principle that generates the internalization function of property, insofar as gains and losses attributable to the management of resources are automatically assigned to the most prominently connected property by accession. Although the story of accession is generally a positive one from an efficiency perspective, it may be more problematic from several normative perspectives, which are briefly considered.
Thomas W. Merrill, Accession and Original Ownership, Journal of Legal Analysis, Vol. 1, p. 459, 2009 (2009).
Intellectual Property Law Commons, Property Law and Real Estate Commons
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United StatesUnited KingdomChinaBrazilGermanySwedenRussiaAustraliaIndiaTurkeyCzechiaDenmarkFranceSlovakiaSwitzerlandCanadaIrelandIndonesiaAustriaFinlandItalyThailandArgentinaSpainPortugalNetherlandsMexicoEgyptBelgiumPhilippinesNorwaySingaporeTunisiaRomaniaUnited Arab EmiratesMoroccoPeruMalaysiaPolandIsraelChileColombiaPakistanSaudi ArabiaHong KongGreeceIraqAlbaniaSouth KoreaJapanUkraineMaltaVietnamSerbiaEcuadorBelarusAlgeriaCroatiaCosta RicaMoldovaKenyaJamaicaSri LankaPalestinian TerritoryBahrainNigeriaAzerbaijanLatviaReunionZimbabweYemenHondurasKuwaitCabo VerdeGeorgiaBulgariaPanamaCambodiaGabonSloveniaSenegalHungaryIceland
China Population: 1,384,688,986
194 VISITORS FROM HERE!
China's historical civilization dates from at least 1200 B.C.; from the 3rd century B.C. and for the next two millennia, China alternated between periods of unity and disunity under a succession of imperial dynasties. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Chinese Communist Party under MAO Zedong established an autocratic socialist system that, while ensuring China's sovereignty, imposed strict controls over everyday life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, MAO's successor DENG Xiaoping and other leaders focused on market-oriented economic development and by 2000 output had quadrupled. For much of the population, living standards have improved dramatically but political controls remain tight. Since the early 1990s, China has increased its global outreach and participation in international organizations.
World's fourth largest country (after Russia, Canada, and US) and largest country situated entirely in Asia; Mount Everest on the border with Nepal is the world's tallest peak above sea level
the largest cave chamber in the world is the Miao Room, in the Gebihe cave system at China's Ziyun Getu He Chuandong National Park, which encloses some 10.78 million cu m (380.7 million cu ft) of volume
Location: Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam
Geographic coordinates: 35 00 N, 105 00 E
Area: total: 9,596,960 sq km
land: 9,326,410 sq km
water: 270,550 sq km
Size comparison: slightly smaller than the US
Land Boundaries: total: 22,457 km border countries (15): Afghanistan 91 km, Bhutan 477 km, Burma 2129 km, India 2659 km, Kazakhstan 1765 km, North Korea 1352 km, Kyrgyzstan 1063 km, Laos 475 km, Mongolia 4630 km, Nepal 1389 km, Pakistan 438 km, Russia (northeast) 4133 km, Russia (northwest) 46 km, Tajikistan 477 km, Vietnam 1297 km
Coastline: 14,500 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate: extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north
Terrain: mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east
Natural resources: coal, iron ore, helium, petroleum, natural gas, arsenic, bismuth, cobalt, cadmium, ferrosilicon, gallium, germanium, hafnium, indium, lithium, mercury, tantalum, tellurium, tin, titanium, tungsten, antimony, manganese, magnesium, molybdenum, selenium, strontium, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, rare earth elements, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest), arable land
other: 23% (2011 est.)
Irrigated land: 690,070 sq km (2012)
Natural hazards: frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts; land subsidence volcanism: China contains some historically active volcanoes including Changbaishan (also known as Baitoushan, Baegdu, or P'aektu-san), Hainan Dao, and Kunlun although most have been relatively inactive in recent centuries
Current Environment Issues: air pollution (greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide particulates) from reliance on coal produces acid rain; China is the world's largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels; water shortages, particularly in the north; water pollution from untreated wastes; coastal destruction due to land reclamation, industrial development, and aquaculture; deforestation and habitat destruction; poor land management leads to soil erosion, landslides, floods, droughts, dust storms, and desertification; trade in endangered species
International Environment Agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
Nationality: noun: Chinese (singular and plural)
adjective: Chinese
Ethnic groups: Han Chinese 91.6%, Zhuang 1.3%, other (includes Hui, Manchu, Uighur, Miao, Yi, Tujia, Tibetan, Mongol, Dong, Buyei, Yao, Bai, Korean, Hani, Li, Kazakh, Dai, and other nationalities) 7.1% (2010 est.) note: the Chinese Government officially recognizes 56 ethnic groups
Languages: Standard Chinese or Mandarin (official; Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry) note: Zhuang is official in Guangxi Zhuang, Yue is official in Guangdong, Mongolian is official in Nei Mongol, Uighur is official in Xinjiang Uygur, Kyrgyz is official in Xinjiang Uygur, and Tibetan is official in Xizang (Tibet)
Religions: Buddhist 18.2%, Christian 5.1%, Muslim 1.8%, folk religion 21.9%, Hindu < 0.1%, Jewish < 0.1%, other 0.7% (includes Daoist (Taoist)), unaffiliated 52.2% (2010 est.)
note: officially atheist
Population: 1,384,688,986 (July 2018 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 17.22% (male 128,270,371 /female 110,120,535)
15-24 years: 12.32% (male 91,443,139 /female 79,181,726)
25-54 years: 47.84% (male 338,189,015 /female 324,180,103)
65 years and over: 11.27% (male 74,277,631 /female 81,828,269) (2018 est.)
potential support ratio: 7.5 (2015 est.) data do not include Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan
Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)
rate of urbanization: 2.42% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.) note: data do not include Hong Kong and Macau
Major urban areas - population: 25.582 million Shanghai
19.618 million BEIJING (capital)
14.838 million Chongqing
12.683 million Guangdong
13.215 million Tianjin
11.908 million Shenzhen (2018)
Maternal mortality rate: 27 deaths/100,000 live births (2015 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate: 84.5% (2017)
rural: 93% of population
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: n/a
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: n/a
HIV/AIDS - deaths: n/a
Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 2.4% (2013)
Education expenditures: n/a
Country name: conventional long form: People's Republic of China
conventional short form: China
local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo
local short form: Zhongguo
abbreviation: PRC
etymology: English name derives from the Qin (Chin) rulers of the 3rd century B.C., who comprised the first imperial dynasty of ancient China; the Chinese name Zhongguo translates as "Central Nation" or "Middle Kingdom"
Government type: communist party-led state
Capital: name: Beijing
time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymolgy: the Chinese meaning is "Northern Capital"
note: despite its size, all of China falls within one time zone
Administrative divisions: 23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions (zizhiqu, singular and plural), and 4 municipalities (shi, singular and plural) provinces: Anhui, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Zhejiang; (see note on Taiwan); autonomous regions: Guangxi, Nei Mongol (Inner Mongolia), Ningxia, Xinjiang Uygur, Xizang (Tibet); municipalities: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Tianjin
note: China considers Taiwan its 23rd province; see separate entries for the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau
Independence: 1 October 1949 (People's Republic of China established);
notable earlier dates: 221 B.C. (unification under the Qin Dynasty); 1 January 1912 (Qing Dynasty replaced by the Republic of China)
National holiday: National Day (anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949)
Constitution: history: several previous; latest promulgated 4 December 1982 amendments: proposed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress or supported by more than one-fifth of the National People’s Congress membership; passage requires more than two-thirds majority vote of the Congress membership; amended several times, last in 2018 (2018)
Legal system: civil law influenced by Soviet and continental European civil law systems; legislature retains power to interpret statutes; note - in early 2017, the National People's Congress took the first step in adopting a new civil code by passing the General Provisions of the Civil Law
Executive branch: chief of state: President XI Jinping (since 14 March 2013); Vice President WANG Qishan (since 17 March 2018)
head of government: Premier LI Keqiang (since 16 March 2013); Executive Vice Premiers HAN Zheng (since 19 March 2018), SUN Chunlan (since 19 March 2018), LIU He (since 19 March 2018), HU Chunhua (since 19 March 2018)
cabinet: State Council appointed by National People's Congress elections/appointments: president and vice president indirectly elected by National People's Congress for a 5-year term (unlimited terms); election last held on 17 March 2018 (next to be held in March 2023); premier nominated by president, confirmed by National People's Congress
election results: XI Jinping reelected president; National People's Congress vote - 2,970 (unanimously); WANG Qishan elected vice president with 2,969 votes
Legislative branch: description: unicameral National People's Congress or Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (maximum of 3,000 seats; members indirectly elected by municipal, regional, and provincial people's congresses, and the People's Liberation Army; members serve 5-year terms); note - in practice, only members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), its 8 allied independent parties, and CCP-approved independent candidates are elected
elections: last held in December 2017-February 2018 (next to be held in late 2022 to early 2023)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 2,238, women 742, percent of women 24.9%
Judicial branch: highest courts: Supreme People's Court (consists of over 340 judges, including the chief justice and 13 grand justices organized into a civil committee and tribunals for civil, economic, administrative, complaint and appeal, and communication and transportation cases) judge selection and term of office: chief justice appointed by the People's National Congress (NPC); limited to 2 consecutive 5-year-terms; other justices and judges nominated by the chief justice and appointed by the Standing Committee of the NPC; term of other justices and judges determined by the NPC
subordinate courts: Higher People's Courts; Intermediate People's Courts; District and County People's Courts; Autonomous Region People's Courts; International Commercial Courts; Special People's Courts for military, maritime, transportation, and forestry issues note: in late 2014, China unveiled a multi-year judicial reform program; progress continued in 2018
Political parties and leaders: Chinese Communist Party or CCP [XI Jinping] note: China has 8 nominally independent small parties controlled by the CCP
International organization participation: ADB, AfDB (nonregional member), APEC, Arctic Council (observer), ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, BRICS, CDB, CICA, EAS, FAO, FATF, G-20, G-24 (observer), G-5, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSMA, MONUSCO, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, Pacific Alliance (observer), PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC (observer), SCO, SICA (observer), UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNOCI, UN Security Council (permanent), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
National symbol(s): dragon, giant panda;
national colors: red, yellow
National anthem: name: "Yiyongjun Jinxingqu" (The March of the Volunteers)
lyrics/music: TIAN Han/NIE Er
note: adopted 1949; the anthem, though banned during the Cultural Revolution, is more commonly known as "Zhongguo Guoge" (Chinese National Song); it was originally the theme song to the 1935 Chinese movie, "Sons and Daughters in a Time of Storm"
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador CUI Tiankai (since 3 April 2013)
chancery: 3505 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Terry BRANSTAD (since 12 July 2017)
embassy: 55 An Jia Lou Lu, 100600 Beijing
mailing address: PO AP 96521
telephone: [86] (10) 8531-3000
FAX: [86] (10) 8531-3300
consulate(s) general: Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang, Wuhan
Since the late 1970s, China has moved from a closed, centrally planned system to a more market-oriented one that plays a major global role. China has implemented reforms in a gradualist fashion, resulting in efficiency gains that have contributed to a more than tenfold increase in GDP since 1978. Reforms began with the phaseout of collectivized agriculture, and expanded to include the gradual liberalization of prices, fiscal decentralization, increased autonomy for state enterprises, growth of the private sector, development of stock markets and a modern banking system, and opening to foreign trade and investment. China continues to pursue an industrial policy, state support of key sectors, and a restrictive investment regime. From 2013 to 2017, China had one of the fastest growing economies in the world, averaging slightly more than 7% real growth per year. Measured on a purchasing power parity (PPP) basis that adjusts for price differences, China in 2017 stood as the largest economy in the world, surpassing the US in 2014 for the first time in modern history. China became the world's largest exporter in 2010, and the largest trading nation in 2013. Still, China's per capita income is below the world average. In July 2005 moved to an exchange rate system that references a basket of currencies. From mid-2005 to late 2008, the renminbi (RMB) appreciated more than 20% against the US dollar, but the exchange rate remained virtually pegged to the dollar from the onset of the global financial crisis until June 2010, when Beijing announced it would resume a gradual appreciation. From 2013 until early 2015, the renminbi held steady against the dollar, but it depreciated 13% from mid-2015 until end-2016 amid strong capital outflows; in 2017 the RMB resumed appreciating against the dollar – roughly 7% from end-of-2016 to end-of-2017. In 2015, the People’s Bank of China announced it would continue to carefully push for full convertibility of the renminbi, after the currency was accepted as part of the IMF’s special drawing rights basket. However, since late 2015 the Chinese Government has strengthened capital controls and oversight of overseas investments to better manage the exchange rate and maintain financial stability. The Chinese Government faces numerous economic challenges including: (a) reducing its high domestic savings rate and correspondingly low domestic household consumption; (b) managing its high corporate debt burden to maintain financial stability; (c) controlling off-balance sheet local government debt used to finance infrastructure stimulus; (d) facilitating higher-wage job opportunities for the aspiring middle class, including rural migrants and college graduates, while maintaining competitiveness; (e) dampening speculative investment in the real estate sector without sharply slowing the economy; (f) reducing industrial overcapacity; and (g) raising productivity growth rates through the more efficient allocation of capital and state-support for innovation. Economic development has progressed further in coastal provinces than in the interior, and by 2016 more than 169.3 million migrant workers and their dependents had relocated to urban areas to find work. One consequence of China’s population control policy known as the "one-child policy" - which was relaxed in 2016 to permit all families to have two children - is that China is now one of the most rapidly aging countries in the world. Deterioration in the environment - notably air pollution, soil erosion, and the steady fall of the water table, especially in the North - is another long-term problem. China continues to lose arable land because of erosion and urbanization. The Chinese Government is seeking to add energy production capacity from sources other than coal and oil, focusing on natural gas, nuclear, and clean energy development. In 2016, China ratified the Paris Agreement, a multilateral agreement to combat climate change, and committed to peak its carbon dioxide emissions between 2025 and 2030. The government's 13th Five-Year Plan, unveiled in March 2016, emphasizes the need to increase innovation and boost domestic consumption to make the economy less dependent on government investment, exports, and heavy industry. However, China has made more progress on subsidizing innovation than rebalancing the economy. Beijing has committed to giving the market a more decisive role in allocating resources, but the Chinese Government’s policies continue to favor state-owned enterprises and emphasize stability. Chinese leaders in 2010 pledged to double China’s GDP by 2020, and the 13th Five Year Plan includes annual economic growth targets of at least 6.5% through 2020 to achieve that goal. In recent years, China has renewed its support for state-owned enterprises in sectors considered important to "economic security," explicitly looking to foster globally competitive industries. Chinese leaders also have undermined some market-oriented reforms by reaffirming the "dominant" role of the state in the economy, a stance that threatens to discourage private initiative and make the economy less efficient over time. The slight acceleration in economic growth in 2017—the first such uptick since 2010—gives Beijing more latitude to pursue its economic reforms, focusing on financial sector deleveraging and its Supply-Side Structural Reform agenda, first announced in late 2015.
GDP (purchasing power parity): $23.21 trillion (2017 est.) $21.72 trillion (2016 est.) $20.35 trillion (2015 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $12.01 trillion (2017 est.) note: because China's exchange rate is determined by fiat rather than by market forces, the official exchange rate measure of GDP is not an accurate measure of China's output; GDP at the official exchange rate substantially understates the actual level of China's output vis-a-vis the rest of the world; in China's situation, GDP at purchasing power parity provides the best measure for comparing output across countries
Gross national saving: 45.8% of GDP (2017 est.) 45.9% of GDP (2016 est.) 47.5% of GDP (2015 est.) GDP - composition, by end use: household consumption: 39.1% (2017 est.) government consumption: 14.5% (2017 est.) investment in fixed capital: 42.7% (2017 est.) investment in inventories: 1.7% (2017 est.) exports of goods and services: 20.4% (2017 est.) imports of goods and services: -18.4% (2017 est.) GDP - composition, by sector of origin: agriculture: 7.9% (2017 est.) industry: 40.5% (2017 est.) services: 51.6% (2017 est.)
Agriculture - products: world leader in gross value of agricultural output; rice, wheat, potatoes, corn, tobacco, peanuts, tea, apples, cotton, pork, mutton, eggs; fish, shrimp
Industries: world leader in gross value of industrial output; mining and ore processing, iron, steel, aluminum, and other metals, coal; machine building; armaments; textiles and apparel; petroleum; cement; chemicals; fertilizer; consumer products (including footwear, toys, and electronics); food processing; transportation equipment, including automobiles, railcars and locomotives, ships, aircraft; telecommunications equipment, commercial space launch vehicles, satellites
Labor force: 806.7 million (2017 est.) note: by the end of 2012, China's working age population (15-64 years) was 1.004 billion
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 27.7%
industry: 28.8%
services: 43.5% (2016 est.)
Unemployment rate: 3.9% (2017 est.) 4% (2016 est.) note: data are for registered urban unemployment, which excludes private enterprises and migrants
Population below poverty line: 3.3% (2016 est.)
note: in 2011, China set a new poverty line at RMB 2300 (approximately US $400)
highest 10%: 31.4% (2012) note: data are for urban households only
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 46.5 (2016 est.) 46.2 (2015 est.)
Budget: revenues: 2.553 trillion (2017 est.)
expenditures: 3.008 trillion (2017 est.)
Public debt: 47% of GDP (2017 est.) 44.2% of GDP (2016 est.)
note: official data; data cover both central and local government debt, including debt officially recognized by China's National Audit Office report in 2011; data exclude policy bank bonds, Ministry of Railway debt, and China Asset Management Company debt
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.6% (2017 est.) 2% (2016 est.)
Current account balance: $164.9 billion (2017 est.) $202.2 billion (2016 est.)
Exports: $2.216 trillion (2017 est.) $1.99 trillion (2016 est.)
Exports - commodities: electrical and other machinery, including computers and telecommunications equipment, apparel, furniture, textiles
Exports - partners: US 19%, Hong Kong 12.4%, Japan 6%, South Korea 4.5% (2017)
Imports: $1.74 trillion (2017 est.) $1.501 trillion (2016 est.)
Imports - commodities: electrical and other machinery, including integrated circuits and other computer components, oil and mineral fuels; optical and medical equipment, metal ores, motor vehicles; soybeans
Imports - partners: South Korea 9.7%, Japan 9.1%, US 8.5%, Germany 5.3%, Australia 5.1% (2017)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $3.236 trillion (31 December 2017 est.) $3.098 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)
Debt - external: $1.598 trillion (31 December 2017 est.) $1.429 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: $1.523 trillion (31 December 2017 est.) $1.391 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: $1.383 trillion (31 December 2017 est.) $1.227 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares: $7.335 trillion (December 2016 est.) $8.234 trillion (December 2015 est.) $8.518 trillion (31 est.)
Exchange rates: Renminbi yuan (RMB) per US dollar - 7.76 (2017 est.) 6.6446 (2016 est.) 6.2275 (2015 est.) 6.1434 (2014 est.) 6.1958 (2013 est.)
Electricity - production: 5.883 trillion kWh (2016 est.)
Electricity - consumption: 5.564 trillion kWh (2016 est.)
Electricity - installed generating capacity: 1.653 billion kW (2016 est.)
Electricity - from fossil fuels: 62% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Crude oil - production: 3.838 million bbl/day (2017 est.)
Crude oil - imports: 6.71 million bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil - proved reserves: 25.63 billion bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Refined petroleum products - production: 11.51 million bbl/day (2015 est.)
Refined petroleum products - consumption: 12.47 million bbl/day (2016 est.)
Refined petroleum products - imports: 1.16 million bbl/day (2015 est.)
Natural gas - production: 145.9 billion cu m (2017 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: 238.6 billion cu m (2017 est.)
Natural gas - exports: 3.37 billion cu m (2017 est.)
Natural gas - imports: 97.63 billion cu m (2017 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves: 5.44 trillion cu m (1 January 2018 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy: 11.67 billion Mt (2017 est.)
Cellular Phones in use: total subscriptions: 1,474,097,000
Telephone system: general assessment: China has become the largest Internet market in the world, with the majority of users accessing the Internet through mobile devices; moderate growth is predicted over the next five years in the fixed broadband segment; one of the biggest drivers of commercial growth is its increasing urbanisation rate as rural residents move to cities; 98.6% of China's Internet users access the Internet through mobile devices; China will be the world's largest 5G market (2018)
domestic: 14 per 100 fixed line and 107 per 100 mobile-cellular; a domestic satellite system with several earth stations is in place in 2018 (2018)
international: country code - 86; a number of submarine cables provide connectivity to Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the US; satellite earth stations - 7 (5 Intelsat - 4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean; 1 Intersputnik - Indian Ocean region; and 1 Inmarsat - Pacific and Indian Ocean regions)
Broadcast media: all broadcast media are owned by, or affiliated with, the Communist Party of China or a government agency; no privately owned TV or radio stations; state-run Chinese Central TV, provincial, and municipal stations offer more than 2,000 channels; the Central Propaganda Department sends directives to all domestic media outlets to guide its reporting with the government maintaining authority to approve all programming; foreign-made TV programs must be approved prior to broadcast; increasingly, Chinese turn to online and satellite television to access Chinese and international films and television shows (2019)
Internet country code: .cn
Internet users: total: 730,723,960
(2017) over 3,047 m: 71 (2017)
2,438 to 3,047 m: 158 (2017)
Heliports: 47 (2013)
Pipelines: 76000 km gas, 30400 km crude oil, 27700 km refined petroleum products, 797000 km water (2018)
Railways: total 131,000 km
1.435-m gauge (80,000 km electrified); 102,000 traditional, 29,000 high-speed (2018)
Roadways: total 4,960,600 km
(2017) paved: 4,338,600 km (includes 136,500 km of expressways) (2017)
Waterways: 110,000 km (navigable waterways) (2011)
Merchant marine: total 4,610
by type: bulk carrier 1114, container ship 242, general cargo 741, oil tanker 503, other 2010 (2018)
Ports and terminals: major seaport(s): Dalian, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tianjin container port(s) (TEUs): Dalian (9,707,000), Guangzhou (18,858,000), Ningbo (24,607,000), Qingdao (18,262,000), Shanghai (40,233,000), Shenzhen (25,208,000), Tianjin (15,040,000) (2017) LNG terminal(s) (import): Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shandong, Shanghai, Tangshan, Zhejiang
river port(s): Guangzhou (Pearl)
Military branches: People's Liberation Army (PLA): Army, Navy (PLAN, includes marines and naval aviation), Air Force (PLAAF, includes airborne forces), Rocket Force (strategic missile force), and Strategic Support Force (space and cyber forces); People's Armed Police (PAP, includes Coast Guard); PLA Reserve Force (2019)
Military service age and obligation: 18-22 years of age for selective compulsory military service, with a 2-year service obligation; no minimum age for voluntary service (all officers are volunteers); 18-19 years of age for women high school graduates who meet requirements for specific military jobs (2018)
Military expenditures: 2% of GDP (2017) 1.9% of GDP (2016) 1.95% of GDP (2015) 1.9% of GDP (2014) 1.85% of GDP (2013)
Disputes - International: China and India continue their security and foreign policy dialogue started in 2005 related to a number of boundary disputes across the 2,000 mile shared border; India does not recognize Pakistan's 1964 ceding to China of the Aksai Chin, a territory designated as part of the princely state of Kashmir by the British Survey of India in 1865; China claims most of the Indian state Arunachal Pradesh to the base of the Himalayas, but The US recognizes the state of Arunachal Pradesh as Indian territory; Bhutan and China continue negotiations to establish a common boundary alignment to resolve territorial disputes arising from substantial cartographic discrepancies, the most contentious of which lie in Bhutan's west along China's Chumbi salient; Chinese maps show an international boundary symbol off the coasts of the littoral states of the South China Sea, where China has interrupted Vietnamese hydrocarbon exploration; China asserts sovereignty over Scarborough Reef along with the Philippines and Taiwan, and over the Spratly Islands together with Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Brunei; the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea eased tensions in the Spratlys, and in 2017 China and ASEAN began confidential negotiations for an updated Code of Conduct for the South China Sea designed not to settle territorial disputes but establish rules and norms in the region; this still is not the legally binding code of conduct sought by some parties; Vietnam and China continue to expand construction of facilities in the Spratlys and in early 2018 China deployed advanced military systems to disputed Spratly outposts; China occupies some of the Paracel Islands also claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands are also claimed by China and Taiwan; certain islands in the Yalu and Tumen Rivers are in dispute with North Korea; North Korea and China seek to stem illegal migration to China by North Koreans, fleeing privation and oppression; China and Russia have demarcated the once disputed islands at the Amur and Ussuri confluence and in the Argun River in accordance with their 2004 Agreement; China and Tajikistan have begun demarcating the revised boundary agreed to in the delimitation of 2002; the decade-long demarcation of the China-Vietnam land boundary was completed in 2009; citing environmental, cultural, and social concerns, China has reconsidered construction of 13 dams on the Salween River, but energy-starved Burma, with backing from Thailand, continues to consider building five hydro-electric dams downstream despite regional and international protests
Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 321,502 (Vietnam), undetermined (North Korea) (2018) IDPs: undetermined (2014)
Illicit drugs: major transshipment point for heroin produced in the Golden Triangle region of Southeast Asia; growing domestic consumption of synthetic drugs, and heroin from Southeast and Southwest Asia; source country for methamphetamine and heroin chemical precursors, despite new regulations on its large chemical industry; more people believed to be convicted and executed for drug offences than anywhere else in the world, according to NGOs
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Serum Institute Fracas Exposes Loose Ends of India’s Clinical Trial Machinery
Government, Health, The Sciences
Shreya Dasgupta
India Needs a More Transparent Approach To Space Situational Awareness
Representative photo: NCI/Unsplash.
Bengaluru: In November, two leading Indian COVID-19 vaccine manufacturers, Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute of India (SII), found themselves embroiled in controversy. Media reports alleged that there had been a “serious adverse event” in phase 1 of Bharat Biotech’s clinical trials for Covaxin. Phase 1 tests the safety of a new drug or vaccine in human subjects for the first time.
Then, a 40-year-old man in Chennai, through a legal notice to SII, sought compensation of Rs 5 crore for an illness he alleged appeared after he participated in a clinical trial for Covishield, SII-made version of University of Oxford and AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate.
Both firms confirmed that serious adverse events (SAEs) had occurred. Both said that all due process had been followed and that the SAEs were found to not be related to their candidates. However, neither firm shared any more details. And both Bharat Biotech and SII applied for emergency use authorisation for their candidates earlier this week.
SII called the volunteer’s allegations ‘malicious and misconceived’ and said it would seek damages in excess of Rs 100 crore. But experts said this response sets a bad precedent. “You respond to a legal notice like this with logic and reasoning, dignity and empathy, so the trial participant is satisfied,” T. Jacob John, a retired virologist who was formerly at the Christian Medical College, Vellore, told The Wire Science. “Instead, the company’s response is saying ‘who are you to question?’. When there’s stonewalling, public trust becomes a casualty.”
Indeed, to understand how much is really at stake here, it’s important to understand what SAEs are and how they’re addressed within a clinical trial in India.
No medicine or vaccine is 100% safe, Santanu Tripathi, a clinical trials specialist at the Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine, said. “What we can expect is an acceptable risk-benefit ratio – that is, [the product] will only be allowed for marketing when its benefits outweigh its risks.”
That’s what a clinical trial sets out to test – both the safety of the new drug or vaccine and how well it works. Clinical trials also often run for several months, sometimes for a few years. In this period, it’s difficult to guarantee that a participant will never fall sick, Tripathi said.
For example, a trial participant may get fever, develop skin rashes or slip on a wet floor, fall and fracture her arm. A volunteer might also fall terribly ill with neurological complications – as has happened with the SII volunteer – and have to be admitted to the hospital for several days. Someone may die. The important thing, experts said, is to determine whether these events are related to the trial drug or vaccine.
Any deviation from normalcy, like fever, headache or pain at the injection site, is an adverse event, according to John. “But we’re not very worried if they’re mild.”
The adverse event becomes concerning when it is deemed to be serious. And it usually qualifies as ‘serious’ when one of the following occurs: a patient or participant dies during a trial; the participant gets hospitalised whereas the study did not involve any hospital stay to begin with; the participant’s hospital stay gets prolonged (if the study was being conducted on in-patients); the participant suffers from a chronic or life-threatening disability; or a participant gives birth to a child with congenital defects.
The Chennai volunteer’s neurological symptoms and hospitalisation after injection of the first Covaxin trial dose is considered to be an SAE. The recent hospitalisation of Haryana’s health minister Anil Vij with COVID-19 two weeks after participating in the phase 3 trial of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin also qualifies as one, Tripathi said. But a “relatedness assessment using objective tools” is necessary to check if the trial medication or procedures had something to do with it, he added.
Also read: India’s COVID-19 Response Suggests ‘Scientific Superpower’ Status an Impossible Dream
There’s an SAE. What next?
Photo: Karolina Grabowska/Pexels
Every time a participant falls very sick or dies during a trial, steps prescribed in the New Drugs and Clinical Trial Rules of 2019 kick in. First, the principal investigator of the trial needs to report every SAE within 24 hours of learning about its occurrence to three parties: the trial sponsor; the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), who heads the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO); and the ethics committee that approved the trial protocol.
“It is also the prime responsibility of the principal investigator to provide and ensure complete and the right medical care to the subject,” Mira Desai, a professor of pharmacology at the Nootan Medical College and Research Centre, Visnagar, Gujarat, told The Wire Science. The cost of medical treatment is typically borne by the sponsor.
Then comes the causality assessment: figuring out whether the symptoms were caused by the drug/vaccine being tested by the trial or by the trial’s procedures in any way. This check is important because if the SAE is related to the trial, it determines whether the participant is owed compensation, and the amount to be compensated as well.
The principal investigator of the trial is the main point of contact and conducts the initial assessment by considering the patient’s medical history, doctors’s opinions, all treatment received and lab reports.
For example, the Chennai volunteer’s discharge summary suggests he was seen by a neurologist, a rheumatologist and a psychiatrist, in addition to other doctors. The volunteer’s wife also told The Quint that doctors suggested his diagnosis of acute encephalopathy – indicating altered brain function or structure – could be because of a pre-existing autoimmune disorder or vitamin deficiencies.
“But the investigator’s judgement alone isn’t enough,” John cautioned.
So the investigator must then send their assessment report to the DCGI, the chairperson of the ethics committee and the head of the institution where the trial is being conducted within 14 days of the SAE happening, according to the 2019 Rules.
The ball then moves to the ethics committee. By reviewing all information that the investigator has shared, the committee tries to piece together the puzzle by working through a number of questions. For instance, did the SAE occur within a reasonable time period from the administration of the treatment? “If someone dies 10 years later,” as John said, “you cannot blame it on the vaccine.”
Some other questions they consider: Can the adverse reaction be explained on the basis of some alternate causes, such as other medicines the patient might be on or an undiagnosed illness that the investigation throws light on? Can the biological properties of the vaccine, such as the virus in it, or the drug’s inherent properties, theoretically explain the symptoms? Has the vaccine or drug caused a similar event in other participants in the same or other trials? Were the patient’s issues resolved once the test drug was stopped or its dose reduced?
In a few cases, the relationship between the treatment and the SAE might be clear – such as a participant going into anaphylactic shock immediately after receiving the drug. But in most SAEs, a definitive link can be intricate and challenging to detect, Desai said.
The interim results of Oxford-AstraZeneca’s vaccine trials in the UK, South Africa, and Brazil, for example, found 168 serious adverse events in nearly 24,000 participants who were either in the vaccine or the control group. The researchers concluded that three of the SAEs were “possibly related” to the trial while two were “unlikely to be related”.
If the ethics committee becomes reasonably certain that an SAE is related to the trial, the committee then computes the amount of compensation it thinks is to be paid to the participant. For this, committee members use a formula specified in the seventh schedule of the 2019 Rules.
If there’s any doubt about whether the trial could have caused the illness or death, and if a link can’t be ruled out, some ethics committees tend to give the affected participant the benefit of the doubt, several experts told The Wire Science.
“At the end of the day, there is a huge imbalance in power, and the weaker person should benefit and that’s the approach we take in most cases,” a member of one ethics committee said on condition of anonymity.
The ethics committee then sends its assessment as a report that also contains recommendations vis-à-vis compensation, if any, to the DCGI.
Sometimes, a third party may be involved – typically in the form of a data and safety monitoring board (DSMB). The sponsor constitutes this committee with several experts, but it is ultimately expected to remain independent of the sponsor’s influence. Indian regulations don’t mandate a DSMB for every regulatory trial, but companies usually do form one, said Anant Bhan, a public health and bioethics researcher at Mangaluru’s Yenepoya University. The board is appointed especially if a clinical trial is high-profile or is happening in multiple locations in India or around the world, such as the ongoing COVID-19 vaccine trials, he added. “And it is good practice to do so.”
When constituted, the DSMB meets at pre-decided intervals to review safety and efficacy data from the trial. It also reviews SAEs when they happen. And when there’s a particularly concerning SAE, the board can ask for the trial data to be unmasked if the study has been blinded (i.e. if investigators and analysts don’t know if a participant was in the treatment or the control group).
“If the DSMB feels there’s an issue and we need to halt the trial, they’ll ask the sponsor to do so,” Bhan said. “It could also be the other way – where they find that one arm of the trial is strongly benefiting so it’s unethical for the trial to continue. That would also be the DSMB’s recommendation.”
But Tripathi and others said the DSMBs’ opinions aren’t regulatorily mandated – although, Tripathi added, regulators have often asked to see their reports. The Subject Expert Committee of the DCGI, which reviews COVID-19 vaccine trials’ data, has sometimes asked for DSMB assessments to be presented, according to minutes of their meetings (one example here).
The final decision-making power lies with the DCGI. The regulator may appoint an independent panel of experts to further review reports and share their recommendations. If compensation is due, the DCGI must then pass an order asking the sponsor to pay the participant.
In the SII volunteer’s case, for example, it appears that all three parties – the ethics committee, the DSMB and the DCGI’s expert committee – reviewed the SAE. But it remains to be seen how the regulator found the man’s neurological complications to be conclusively unrelated to the trial.
The chairperson of the ethics committee at the Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, where the man volunteered for the trial, didn’t respond to an email request for clarification.
Does the system work?
Ultimately, it all depends on how good the vigilance system is, Tripathi said. “It also depends on how well the investigator explains everything to the participant during the informed consent process, and how well the participants then comply with the advice.”
Let’s consider the case of the SII volunteer.
On December 1, while rejecting the volunteer’s claims, Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan told journalists that every trial has an informed consent form that “tells the subject that these are the possible adverse events that might happen in case you decide to participate in a clinical trial. And if you understand the implications of the prior informed consent form, please sign this form.”
SII’s informed consent form does list several side-effects, like fever, headache and allergic reactions, that participants can expect after inoculation. It mentions the possibility of unforeseen side effects, and also notes that during the international Oxford-AstraZeneca trials, two participants developed “unexplained neurological symptoms” that were found to be either unlikely to be associated with the vaccine, or there wasn’t enough information to show a causal link.
However, in the legal notice sent to SII, the Chennai volunteer alleged a lack of adequate information about the risks during the consent-obtaining process. “There is nothing in the Participant Information Sheet to educate or warn the participants about any serious side-effects of the said vaccine, like the one suffered by him,” the notice says. “Our client states that he believed the assertion about the ‘safety’ of the vaccine in the Participant Information Sheet and decided to volunteer to take the vaccine.”
Details about how information on adverse events was communicated at the Sri Ramachandra Institute aren’t clear.
However, many experts have said simply signing an informed consent form doesn’t necessarily mean the participant understood all risks or the processes that will be followed. As Tripathi put it, “It requires special skill – how do you explain the risks without frightening the volunteer?”
At the same time, he said the investigator ought to explain the details several times over if required. “It is through the informed consent process that you win the trust and confidence of volunteers, so they don’t feel like blaming the investigator,” he explained. “The investigator can also drop a volunteer from the trial if she thinks the volunteer hasn’t fully understood how the trial is to be conducted.”
Anil Hebbar, a health entrepreneur who participated in SII’s trial in Mumbai along with three friends, told The Wire Science he was asked to call the investigator if he fell sick and that the treatment would be taken care of. “They said if there is compensation to be paid they will do as directed by the government.”
But Hebbar said he wasn’t told how he might report any grievances he experienced. And according to Tripathi, this should also be part of the informed-consent conversation.
Experts agree unanimously that clear, honest communication helps avoid hostile situations throughout the trial. The volunteer’s wife, for example, told NDTV they decided to go public after the trials continued sans any resolution or answers about whether her husband’s symptoms were related to the vaccine.
While trials aren’t always halted when there’s an SAE, Hebbar said he still expected more timely and open communication from the investigators – instead of having to get updates from news reports. “My consent form says that I will be informed of any new information about the vaccine, and it already talks about the two cases in the UK,” he said. “So here also it was their ethical duty to tell us that there was an SAE and that they are looking into it. We would have understood and taken the second dose.”
SII’s ambiguous press statements in particular haven’t gone down well with the trial’s other participants. On November 28, the company told reporters that there had been “zero hospitalisations” for everyone who took the vaccine. Then, in a statement about the Chennai SAE, the firm said, “It is only after we cleared all the required processes that we continued with the trials.”
“This makes it seem that the trial was paused until all processes were completed,” Hebbar said. “But the man had a problem on October 11 and I got my second dose on November 8. So how can they say that ‘we are now resuming the trial now that all results are clear’?”
Some experts have said going public with grievances is problematic for clinical trials in India in general. But sometimes the volunteer may feel that’s her only choice, according to John.
“When there’s slowness, lack of upfront information and high-handed, angry responses, it usually means that something is being hidden, which is why they must have gone public,” he speculated. “It was only after the beans were spilled by the lawyer of the volunteer that people are now responding. That is not good.”
But even the legal notice hasn’t provoked a response, the volunteer’s advocate N.G.R. Prasad told The Wire Science on November 30. SII hadn’t responded to their legal notice nor had anyone been in touch with the family about the assessment of his illness, he said.
The volunteer’s wife confirmed this, as The Quint reported. The principal investigator hadn’t handed the family the final results of all the tests and the hospital hadn’t told them what, if not the vaccine, could explain his symptoms, according to her.
Photo: Clay Banks/Unsplash
John, who has been part of DSMBs and vaccine trials, said the regulator’s decision, along with convincing evidence – not opinion – should have been provided to the volunteer in writing. “Not sharing this information with the volunteer, or being rude, is both unprofessional and unethical,” in his telling.
However, neither the clinical trials 2019 Rules nor the Indian Council of Medical Research’s ethics guidelines are categorical about closing the loop with the participant. In particular, decisions that conclude that the SAE was unrelated to the trial aren’t typically formally communicated to the participant in writing, several experts noted.
“That is certainly a lacuna,” according to Bhan. The person who has gone through the SAE is a key stakeholder in the clinical trial process, he added, and has a right to know what decision was taken and why.
In fact, experts said the participants’ voice is currently missing from deliberations about how an SAE should be addressed. “Rather than treating participants as sources of data, we should ideally be engaging with them in a respectful manner, getting their perspective and their lived experience of having gone through the SAE,” Bhan said. “Perhaps by doing that, we lessen the chances of circumstances that we saw with this incident, where the person felt excluded from the whole process.”
Even if the decision on an SAE is communicated, the trial participant also has a right to disagree and legally contest it, experts said. But again, mechanisms by which a participant can appeal aren’t spelled out in any rules or guidelines.
It isn’t just participants suffering from SAEs who are often left in the dark: ethics committees that have sent their reports on SAEs to the DCGI have also been met with silence in several cases.
For example, the ethics committee member who requested anonymity told The Wire Science that the committee had reviewed three separate SAEs – two deaths and one hospitalisation – that had occurred in clinical trials they’d been overseeing earlier this year. They sent the reports for all three SAEs to the DCGI in a timely manner, the member said, recommending compensation in two cases. There was no response from the regulator.
“For us, it is very frustrating because the investigators and we are doing our jobs conscientiously. We break our heads at the meetings, collecting all documents, writing a well-drafted letter explaining what we want to be done and reasons for that, but there is no acknowledgement, not even to say that the letters have been received and action will be taken. That is seriously problematic.”
Bhan, who has served on various ethics committees, agreed. “It’s almost a blackhole,” he said. “It would be good practice to acknowledge every report of SAE. But it is likely that the DCGI’s office might not have enough people to do a quick enough job.”
In the end, if there is one thing the SII case highlights, it’s this: the legal obligation under the 2019 Rules may have made people aware of the timelines during an SAE. But without formal communication to all stakeholders, it’s difficult to know how closely those timelines are followed – and that in turn can have serious adverse consequences.
As Bhan said, “There are loose ends that need to be tied.”
This report was supported by a grant from the Thakur Family Foundation. The foundation didn’t exercise any editorial control over the contents of this report.
Shreya Dasgupta (@ShreyaDasgupta) is an independent science writer based in Bengaluru, India. Her work has appeared in Mongabay, Nature, BBC Earth, Smithsonian.com, New Scientist, Ensia, and other publications.
Shreya Dasgupta 10/12/2020
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mikethemadbiologist
Lionfish in Long Island?
By mikethemadbiologist on September 9, 2006.
This is really odd: there just might be a stable population of lionfish off the cost of Long Island. Many moons ago, I used to be a marine ecologist, and I would have never considered the notion that a tropical fish would be able to maintain an overwintering population even in Long Island Sound (which is a little warmer than the Atlantic Ocean). It's not clear if the population actually overwinters, since mostly juveniles have been found; however, the number of juveniles suggests that there is more than one breeding female. I'm wondering if there is the possibility that a cold-tolerant mutant could arise. On a more serious vein, it would be interesting to compare the cold tolerance of adults in the northern part of their novel Atlantic range with those in their native tropical Pacific habitat.
This weirder than the time I was diving near Groton, and I saw a barracuda.
From the Grey Lady:
Long Island's waters are being invaded by the exotic lionfish, an alien tropical species native to the Pacific Ocean that has vividly colored stripes and a freakish array of venomous spines.
Divers report capturing hundreds of lionfish this summer, compared with a total of about 30 over the last three years.
"For us to be finding that many, there must be thousands and thousands more out there," said Todd R. Gardner, a biologist at Atlantis Marine World aquarium in Riverhead. "It's a population explosion."
Apart from the novelty of lionfish and the mystery of how they wound up so far from home, the sudden proliferation also raises questions about effects on the ecosystem, including potential threats to indigenous fish and hazards to swimmers.
"That's really the $2 million question: What are they eating and what are they competing with for habitat?" said Paula E. Whitfield, a biologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is studying the phenomenon with Mr. Gardner and the University of North Carolina.
For now, the strange species is a draw at the aquarium. "It's a flamboyant fish," Mr. Gardner said. "People walk into the room and run right to that."
For the worried, the good news so far is that all the odd-looking visitors are pale babies and are expected to die off when the cooling sea drops below 50 degrees in the fall. But the fish are voracious eaters, feasting on Long Island's already diminished shellfish and fin fish as they grow to five inches long during their detour here.
"All you have to do is look at their full bellies," Mr. Gardner said. "They look like they're going to explode."
And even in the juvenile stage, the fishes' hollow hypodermic-like spines and venom sacs inflict nasty -- but not deadly -- stings. "It's very painful, a burning pain," said Mr. Gardner, who has impaled a finger.
One pet-store worker required surgery to save a badly swollen arm after four punctures from an adult lionfish, Mr. Gardner said.
Experts advise prompt medical attention and immersion of the wound in hot water to weaken the venom.
Every year, the Gulf Stream sweeps tropical fish north, and some of them inevitably veer off to the New York region, delighting researchers, divers and fishers.
But lionfish are not native to this hemisphere, at least not until recently. A few appeared in Florida in the mid-1990's, followed by occasional sightings along the Carolinas and Georgia.
Those few fish were adults, prompting speculation that they had been released by pet shops, suppliers or hobbyists, or that they had escaped somehow. Inadvertent transport in ship ballast is another possibility, but experts discount it.
Scientists were stunned in 2001 with the discovery of evidence that the lionfish, whatever their origin, were spawning in the Atlantic. That discovery came when Mr. Gardner, then a graduate student on a field trip, found a tiny lionfish clinging to a dock piling in the Great South Bay by Fire Island.
"I was absolutely shocked," he recalled. Coming up for air, he wondered: "How could there be a lionfish here in New York? It was just not registering, not making sense." He dipped back underwater. "Sure enough, he was still there, and I caught it."
His perplexed professor accused Mr. Gardner of using a pet fish as a prank, but it was so tiny that it could not have come from a store. Others suggested mistaken identity, but the lionfish is unique with its vertical stripes of white alternating with a deep maroon or rusty color.
Skepticism melted a week later when Mr. Gardner captured another baby at the same site.
Other divers and researchers were finding adult lionfish established on reefs and shipwrecks off Southern states. Reports trickled in of hatchlings carried on currents as far north as New Jersey and Rhode Island.
Still, Mr. Gardner's many dives off Long Island never found more than a dozen or so lionfish in any season -- until this year. "They're very easy to catch," he said. "I don't even use a net, because they don't scare very easy, because they have such an effective defense system. I just carry a Ziploc bag and scoop them up."
Some recreational divers have started collecting lionfish for home aquariums, Mr. Gardner said, and one diver offered to sell 39 to a pet shop in Patchogue.
The local lionfish were found in the bays along Suffolk's South Shore, but not in the open ocean, so bathers at the major beaches were not at risk. And even in the bays, the fish congregate at underwater rocks or pilings, so waders are unlikely to bump into them or step on them, said Stephan B. Munch, who teaches at the marine sciences center at the State University at Stony Brook.
With a long history of tropical fish like grouper, snapper and jacks straying to Long Island, "it's really unlikely that lionfish are having any more impact than the others," he said.
Lionfish grow to 18 inches and, while they have no known predators in the wild, Mr. Munch said he had lost one specimen to its hungry tankmate, a grouper. Ms. Whitfield, the biologist with the oceanic administration, said they are eaten by people in the Philippines, and are starting to be eaten in the Carolinas.
One crew collecting lionfish for the federal study tried grilling some of its catch of the day. "They said it was good, a mild white flesh," Ms. Whitfield said, though she did not sample it herself. "I'm allergic to fish."
Pan-Fried Conservation: How to eat our way to healthy reefs
Most of the time, marine conservation entails convincing people not to eat the over-exploited seafoods they love. We tell people to stop eating the fried grouper sandwiches, spicy tuna rolls and shark-fin soup that they crave. Well, we don't have to avoid seafood altogether to help marine life - in…
My picks from ScienceDaily
New Giant Toothless Pterosaur Species Discovered: A researcher at the University of Portsmouth has identified a new species of pterosaur, the largest of its kind to ever be found. It represents an entirely new genus of these flying reptiles that ruled the skies 115 million years ago. Antioxidants…
Can we overfish the lionfish?
Lionfish are one of my favorite animals (I study them, after all). They're stunningly beautiful. Of course, they're also a devastating invasive species. Though they've only been in the Atlantic Ocean for some 15 years or so, they've taken over reefs, eating everything in their path. They've been…
For All You Piscivores ..
tags: Photographer and Goliath Grouper, Nature's Best Photography, underwater photography, Florida, image of the day Photographer and Goliath Grouper, Epinephelus itajara. Image: Michael Patrick ONeill/MSNBC Nature's Best Photography 2008 [larger view]. Photographer comment: The Goliath…
I find it interesting that no one tries to link the presence of lionfish in Long Island sound to climate change. A couple of years ago some biologists tied increased captures of jumbo flying squid off the British Columbia coast to potential effects of climate change. The article doesn't mention it but perhaps this has been considered and ruled out.
By bfy (not verified) on 11 Sep 2006 #permalink
I caught a one & one half inch lionfish under a dock in Strathmere, N.J. near Corsons Inlet on October 16th, 2006.
For more information email me @ oysterseab@comcast.net
By Bob Seabrook (not verified) on 27 Oct 2006 #permalink
Its also possible the fish simply migrated a bit maybe due to tides,etc its normal for fish and mammals to migrate naturally and wind up in areas they dont "belong".
The common Oppossum has over decades migrateed and established very nicely up North in the cold but it was "originally" a warm weather mammal.
By Sal (not verified) on 24 Mar 2008 #permalink
I caught a lionfish at a beach in Shippan Point (Stamford, CT) in the mid 1970s. Perhaps they are more prevalent now, but they've been there for decades, so I don't think it has much to do with climate change.
By Tony (not verified) on 21 Apr 2008 #permalink
By mirc (not verified) on 14 Mar 2009 #permalink
Program Announcement: I'm Moving
I've dropped some hints in the past that my relationship with ScienceBlogs would be...altered. Well, I've decided to leave. Mostly, it had to do with the issue of pseudonymity, although I'm very excited to hang out my own shingle once again. I don't want to rehash the issue of pseudonymity,…
Note to Unions: This Is Not How You Build a Coalition
The old saw that 'we hang together or we get hung separately' is a perfect description of how the left has disintegrated into irrelevance. Too often, groups will focus on modest gains for their own narrow constituency, while selling out other allies. Over the long term, each component of the…
Links for you. Science: Underground river 'Rio Hamza' discovered 4km beneath the AmazonWhat do accommodationists do about creationist politicians?I've Been Told You Can Get Flu From the Flu Shot: False!Federal Work Suspension of Leading Arctic Scientist Ended as Investigation of His Investigators…
Meet the New New Math, Same As the Old New Math? What We Can Learn from Finland
Recently, The New York Times published an op-ed calling for curricular changes in K-12 math education: Today, American high schools offer a sequence of algebra, geometry, more algebra, pre-calculus and calculus (or a "reform" version in which these topics are interwoven). This has been codified by…
Links for you. Another Scientist Calls Out Sen. Coburn's Misleading, Juvenile "Report"XMRV: ITS EVERYWHERE! UUUUUGH! ITS IN MY RACCOON WOUNDS! AND MY QIAGEN COLUMNS!Coulter Goes All Science-y in Bid to Disprove EvolutionYet another bad day for the anti-vaccine movement 2011Antibiotics: Killing Off…
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Istanbul Airport shortlisted for World Architecture News Awards
Istanbul Airport has been shortlisted for a World Architecture News (WAN) Award in the Transport category, following a joint submission by Scott Brownrigg, Grimshaw, Nordic-Office of Architecture, Haptic Architects and Fonksiyon / TAM / Kiklop.
Now in its eleventh year, the WAN Awards accept entries from architecture practises from across the globe. It recognises the outstanding works of innovative, visionary and imaginative architects worldwide.
Istanbul Airport opened in April 2019. With a floor area of 1.4 million sq m and an initial capacity of 90 million passengers per year, it is the largest single terminal under one roof in the world and a heroic feat of design, engineering and construction.
As the Design Development Architect and Interior Concept Designer, Scott Brownrigg worked with a highly collaborative international team that included: Concept Architects Grimshaw, Nordic Office of Architecture and Haptic Architects; Delivery Architects Fonksiyon Mimarlik, Turgut Alton Mimarlik, and Kiklop Design & Engineering.
Inspired by the vibrant city of Istanbul, with a modern take on classic Turkish architecture, Istanbul Airport provides an iconic transport-hub for a world-class city, improving connectivity to Istanbul, Turkey and the rest of the world
Final judging takes place on Thursday 24 October in London just before the awards ceremony that evening.
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‘Law & Order: SVU’ Makes History With Order For 21st Season
With NBC’s order of a record-breaking 21st season, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit just made history. SVU is now the longest-running primetime live-action series of all time. The previous shows to hold that title were the old Western Gunsmoke, which aired for 20 seasons from 1955 to 1975, and the original Law & Order, which aired from 1990 to 2010.
Here was SVU star and producer Mariska Hargitay’s statement on the news:
I’m deeply proud to be a part of this groundbreaking show, and humbled to make television history today. The longevity and continued success of SVU is a testament not only to the show’s powerful storytelling and ability to connect with viewers, but to its necessity. We have told important stories for 20 years, and we will continue to tell them.
Hargitay has been with the show from the very beginning. Co-star Ice-T has co-starred with her since the second season. That’s some serious TV longevity. A few years ago we got to see how well Ice-T knew SVU. It went ... hilariously.
Congrats to the cast and creators of SVU on their impressive achievement. 21 years! Law & Order: SVU is old enough to legally drink.
Gallery — The Best Television Shows of the Year:
Ranking Every Episode of ‘Law & Order: SVU’
Filed Under: Law and Order: SVU, Mariska Hargitay
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Tag Archives: Our Lady of Angels Seminary
Birth of Father Michael Joseph McGivney
Michael Joseph McGivney, American Catholic priest, is born to Irish immigrants Patrick and Mary (Lynch) McGivney on August 12, 1852 in Waterbury, Connecticut. He founds the Knights of Columbus at a local parish to serve as a mutual aid and fraternal insurance organization, particularly for immigrants and their families. It develops through the 20th century as the world’s largest Catholic fraternal organization.
McGivney attends the local Waterbury district school but leaves at 13 to work in the spoon-making department of one of the area brass mills. In 1868, at the age of 16, he enters the Séminaire de Saint-Hyacinthe in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Canada. He continues his studies at Our Lady of Angels Seminary, near Niagara Falls, New York (1871–1872) and at the Jesuits‘ St. Mary’s College, in Montreal, Quebec. He has to leave the seminary, returning home, to help finish raising his siblings after the death of his father in June 1873. He later resumes his studies at St. Mary’s Seminary, in Baltimore, Maryland. He is ordained a priest on December 22, 1877, by Archbishop James Gibbons at the Baltimore Cathedral of the Assumption.
From his own experience, McGivney recognizes the devastating effect on immigrant families of the untimely death of the father and wage earner. Many Catholics are still struggling to assimilate into the American economy. On March 29, 1882, while an assistant pastor at Saint Mary’s Church in New Haven, Connecticut, he founds the Knights of Columbus, with a small group of parishioners, as a mutual aid society to provide financial assistance in the event of the men’s death to their widows and orphans. The organization develops as a fraternal society. He is also known for his tireless work among his parishioners.
Father Michael Joseph McGivney dies from pneumonia at the age of 38 on August 14, 1890, the eve of the Assumption, in Thomaston, Connecticut.
The Knights of Columbus is among the first groups to recruit blood donors, with formal efforts dating to 1937 during the Great Depression. As of 2013, the order has more than 1.8 million member families and 15,000 councils. During the 2012 fraternal year, $167 million and 70 million man-hours are donated to charity by the order.
In 1996, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford opens the cause for canonization, an investigation into McGivney’s life with a view towards formal recognition by the Church of his sainthood. Father Gabriel O’Donnell, OP, is the postulator of McGivney’s cause. He is also the director of the Fr. McGivney Guild, which now has 150,000 members supporting his cause.
The diocesan investigation is closed in 2000 and the case is passed to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints in Vatican City. On March 15, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI approves a decree recognizing McGivney’s heroic virtue, thus declaring him “Venerable.” As of August 6, 2013, a miracle attributed to McGivney’s intercession is under investigation at the Vatican.
Categories: Human Rights, Irish American, Irish History, Religion | Tags: Archbishop, Assumption of Mary, Baltimore, Blood Donor, Brass Mill, Canada, Canonization, Cathedral of the Assumption, Catholic, Congregation for the Causes of Saints, Connecticut, Fraternal Society, Great Depression, Heroic Virtue, James Gibbons, Jesuit, Knights of Columbus, Man-hour, Maryland, Michael Joseph McGivney, Montreal, New Haven, New York, Niagara Falls, Our Lady of Angels Seminary, Pastor, Pneumonia, Pope Benedict XVI, Postulator, Quebec, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford, Saint Mary's Church, Saint-Hyacinthe, Sainthood, Séminaire de Saint-Hyacinthe, St. Mary's Seminary, Thomaston, Vatican City, Waterbury | Permalink.
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Brittany Snow - IMDb
Brittany Snow, Actress: Pitch Perfect. Brittany Anne Snow (born March 9, 1986) is an American actress and singer. She began her career as Susan "Daisy" Lemay on the CBS series Guiding Light (1952) for which she won a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress and was nominated for two other Young Artist Awards and a Soap Opera Digest Award.
Brittany Anne Snow (born March 9, 1986) is an American...
Brittany Snow 4 of 416. Brittany Snow in Pitch Perfect...
Brittany Snow. Awards. Showing all 6 wins and 13...
The IMDb Show -- "The IMDb Show" sits down with the stars of 'Someone Great' to find out what breakup movie clichés they are guilty of.
Hairspray -- Clip: Welcome to the 60's
The Pacifier -- Clip: On the Set with Mr. Diesel - #2
Who is Brittany Snow?
Brittany Snow. Brittany Anne Snow (born March 9, 1986) is an American actress and singer. She began her career as Susan "Daisy" Lemay on the CBS series Guiding Light (1952) for which she won a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress and was nominated for two other Young Artist Awards and a Soap Opera Digest Award.
What movies has Brittany Snow been in?
Brittany Snow was also in Bushwick (2017). She played her character, Lucy. She acted with actor Dave Bautista Snow was also in The Late Bloomer (2016) playing as Michelle. She shared this experience with actor Johnny Simmons . She portrayed Blair Helms in Netflix 's romantic comedy film Someone Great (2019).
Brittany Snow - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brittany_Snow
How old is Brittany Snow?
Brittany Anne Snow (born March 9, 1986) is an American actress and singer.
Brittany Snow Imdb Movie - Image Results
More Brittany Snow Imdb Movie images
m.imdb.com/name/nm0811242/filmotype/actress
Brittany Snow (1 episode, 2017) Bushwick (2017) Lucy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend ... Brittany The Vicious Kind (2009) Emma Gainsborough Streak (Short 2008) Baylin Prom Night
m.imdb.com/name/nm0811242/filmotype
Brittany Snow. Filmography Actress (58) Soundtrack (6) Producer (3) Director (1) Writer (1) Self (86) Archive Footage (6) Get the IMDb App. Get the IMDb App; View ...
IMDb - Brittany Snow Can't Stop Watching This Movie | Facebook
www.facebook.com/imdb/videos/brittany-snow-cant...
'Hooking Up' star Brittany Snow adores this '90s TV theme song, hasn't seen this classic Tom Hanks film, and can't get enough of this hilarious comedy. https://imdb.to/39U3D3e
Prom Night (2008) - IMDb
Directed by Nelson McCormick. With Brittany Snow, Scott Porter, Jessica Stroup, Dana Davis. Donna's senior prom is supposed to be the best night of her life, though a sadistic killer from her past has different plans for her and her friends.
Brittany Snow (born March 9, 1986) is an American actress, producer, director, and singer. She rose to prominence when she appeared in the CBS soap opera Guiding Light (1998–2001), for which she won a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress and was nominated for two other Young Artist Awards and a Soap Opera Digest Award.
Brittany Snow: Movies, TV, and Bio - amazon.com
www.amazon.com/prime-video/actor/Brittany-Snow/...
Snow's notable film roles include Kate Spencer in John Tucker Must Die (2006), Amber Von Tussle in Hairspray (2007), Donna Keppel in Prom Night (2008), Emma Gainsborough in The Vicious Kind (2009), and Chloe Beale in Pitch Perfect (2012). Brittany Anne Snow (born March 9, 1986) is an American actress and singer.
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Home TV 2 BROKE GIRLS Season 5 Episode 16 Photos And the Pity Party Bus
2 BROKE GIRLS Season 5 Episode 16 Photos And the Pity Party Bus
“And the Pity Party Bus” — Pictured: Max Black (Kat Dennings) and Caroline Channing (Beth Behrs). The girls’ Hollywood adventure continues as Caroline signs away the rights to her life story so it can be turned a movie. Also, Max is heartbroken when Randy breaks up with her via his therapist, and Caroline rents a party bus in an attempt to cheer her up, on 2 BROKE GIRLS, Thursday, March 31 (9:30-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Darren Michaels/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. é 2016 WBEI. All rights reserved.
2 BROKE GIRLS Season 5 Episode 16 Photos And the Pity Party Bus “And the Pity Party Bus” – The girls’ Hollywood adventure continues as Caroline signs away the rights to her life story so it can be turned a movie. Also, Max is heartbroken when Randy (Ed Quinn) breaks up with her via his therapist, Elliot (John Michael Higgins), and Caroline rents a party bus in an attempt to cheer her up, on 2 BROKE GIRLS, Thursday, March 31 (9:30-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.
“And the Pity Party Bus” — Pictured: Oleg (Jonathan Kite) and Earl (Garrett Morris). The girls’ Hollywood adventure continues as Caroline signs away the rights to her life story so it can be turned a movie. Also, Max is heartbroken when Randy breaks up with her via his therapist, and Caroline rents a party bus in an attempt to cheer her up, on 2 BROKE GIRLS, Thursday, March 31 (9:30-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Darren Michaels/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. é 2016 WBEI. All rights reserved.
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GRIMM Season 5 Episode 13 Photos Silence of the Slams
NCIS NEW ORLEANS Season 2 Episode 19 Photos Means to an End
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Home TV EPIX Greenlights FIASCO To Series
EPIX Greenlights FIASCO To Series
Epix Logo
Premium network EPIX® has greenlit Fiasco, a new documentary series about politics, power, and uncertainty. Fiasco, from Prologue Projects and Left/Right, adapts host and executive producer Leon Neyfakh’s podcast of the same name. The six-episode docuseries marks the second partnership for Neyfakh, Left/Right and EPIX, following the acclaimed Slow Burn – an incisive look at the Watergate crisis – earlier this year. Currently in production, Fiasco will debut on EPIX in 2021.
In Fiasco, Neyfakh will transport listeners into the day-to-day reality of our country’s most pivotal historical events, bringing to life the forgotten twists and turns of the past while shedding light on the present. Season One of Fiasco will tell the story of the Iran-Contra affair, the Cold War-era debacle — involving a secret war in Nicaragua and an arms-for-hostages deal with Iran — that almost took down the presidency of Ronald Reagan.
Fiasco is produced by Neyfakh’s Prologue Projects, and Left/Right. The podcast is available exclusively on Luminary. Neyfakh, Andrew Parsons, and Steven Fisher serve as executive producers, along with Ken Druckerman, Banks Tarver, and John Marks for Left/Right, a Red Arrow Studios company.
Leon Neyfakh is the host of Fiasco and co-creator of Slow Burn, as well as the founder of Prologue Projects, an independent podcast studio. Neyfakh started his reporting career at the New York Observer before joining The Boston Globe. At Slate, he wrote about the criminal justice system before co-creating Slow Burn with Andrew Parsons. Neyfakh is the author of The Next Next Level, a critically-acclaimed book about the choice between life as an artist and the stability of a nine-to-five job.
Andrew Parsons is an award-winning audio producer and the executive producer of Prologue Projects. His work has been featured on Marketplace, Studio 360, and Snap Judgment, among other outlets. He’s been the senior producer at the history podcast BackStory and co-created and produced the first two seasons of the Slate podcast Slow Burn. He’s lectured and taught at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism and serves on the Google/PRX podcast creator advisory committee.
Steven Fisher is a partner in Underground, a management and production company. In addition to managing Leon Neyfakh and Prologue Projects, Fisher most recently Executive Produced the Comedy Central special DESI LYDIC: A BROAD (nominated for a WGA Award), and the short form series OH JEROME, NO for FX (lead actor Mamoudou Athie was nominated for an Emmy). In addition, Underground’s credits include Snowfall on FX, HEATHERS for Paramount Network, the upcoming GAME CHANGER for Netflix, DRAGON’S LAIR for Netflix starring Ryan Reynolds, the sports docuseries DREAM TEAM at BET, and the independent film SMALL ENGINE REPAIR.
ABOUT PROLOGUE PROJECTS
Prologue Projects is an independent production company specializing in audio journalism. Prologue was founded in 2019 by the co-creators of Slow Burn. Since that time, the studio has built a slate of original podcasts, including Fiasco; The Trevor Noah Podcast; The Edge, a narrative series about the Houston Astros cheating scandal hosted by Ben Reiter; 5-4, a weekly talk show about the Supreme Court; and Whirlwind, a series about the Cold War hosted by Tim Weiner.
ABOUT LEFT/RIGHT
LEFT/RIGHT has produced hundreds of hours of television in an extraordinarily eclectic mix of genres ranging from hard-hitting documentaries to side-splitting comedies, covering topics from sex to secret societies to stand-up comedy to science fiction to school segregation. Past and present productions include our groundbreaking political series THE CIRCUS (Showtime), multiple episodes of the acclaimed investigative series FRONTLINE (PBS), our award-winning TV adaptation of the popular public radio show THIS AMERICAN LIFE (Showtime), and the New York Times documentary series THE WEEKLY and THE NEW YORK TIMES PRESENTS (FX and Hulu). Our shows have been nominated for numerous Emmy® Awards and have won multiple awards, including a Peabody® and the Emmy® for Best Nonfiction Series. Left/Right is a Red Arrow Studios company.
ABOUT EPIX®
EPIX®, an MGM company, is a premium television network delivering a broad line-up of quality original series and documentaries, the latest movie releases and classic film franchises – all available on TV, on demand, online and across devices. EPIX® has tripled the amount of original programming on the network and has become a destination for original premium content with series including Godfather of Harlem, starring and executive produced by Forest Whitaker; Pennyworth, the origin story of Batman’s butler Alfred; Perpetual Grace, LTD, starring Sir Ben Kingsley; spy thriller Deep State; epic fantasy drama series Britannia; War of the Worlds, from Howard Overman and starring Gabriel Byrne and Elizabeth McGovern; two-part music docuseries Laurel Canyon; docuseries Slow Burn based on the hit podcast, docuseries NFL: The Grind, from NFL Films and hosted by Rich Eisen; Belgravia, from Julian Fellowes, Gareth Neame and the creative team from Downton Abbey and six-part docuseries Helter Skelter: An American Myth, executive produced and directed by Lesley Chilcott; six-part docuseries Enslaved featuring Hollywood icon and human rights activist Samuel L. Jackson; as well as upcoming premieres of drama Chapelwaite, based on the short story Jerusalem’s Lot by Stephen King and starring Academy Award winner Adrien Brody and music docuseries By Whatever Means Necessary: The Times of Godfather of Harlem. Launched in October 2009, EPIX® is available nationwide through cable, telco, satellite and emerging digital distribution platforms as well as through its EPIX NOW app, providing more movies than any other network with thousands of titles available for streaming.
CHRISLEY KNOWS BEST And MIZ AND MRS Return To USA Network Thursday, Nov. 12
ARCHER Season 11 Episode 5 Photos Best Friends
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Home Contests Wolverine And The X-Men Complete Series DVD Contest
Wolverine And The X-Men Complete Series DVD Contest
Seat42f, Marvel Animation and Lionsgate have teamed up to give 3 lucky winners a a copy of Wolverine and the X-Men: The Complete Series on DVD. For a chance to win leave a comment below telling us why you want to add Wolverine and the X-Men: The Complete Series to your DVD collection. Only one entry per person. Contest ends October 19th. Winners will be notified on October 20th via email so make sure to use a valid email address when you post your comment.
DVD Release Date: October 12th, 2010
Sharpen your adamantium claws, suit up in yellow and blue and prepare for the Super Hero clash of a lifetime as Marvel Animation and Lionsgate Home Entertainment team up to release Wolverine and the X-Men: The Complete Series! Available for the first time as a single complete series set, the collection comprises all 26 episodes with over ten hours of content from the hit TV show, “Wolverine and the X-Men.” In addition, the series makes its 1080P High Definition debut with a three-disc Blu-ray set now available for the first time ever. With amazing bonus features including audio commentaries from the masterminds behind the successful series plus two unique “Wolverine and the X-Men” show featurettes, these three-disc sets will give fanboys and mutants alike plenty of reason to rejoice. Featuring some of the most iconic Super Heroes ever created, Wolverine and the X-Men: The Complete Series will slash its way to store shelves on DVD and Blu-ray Disc October 12, 2010.
Paramount Acquires Worldwide Rights to Reitman and Cody's YOUNG ADULT
FRINGE Season 3 Episode 4 Do Shapeshifters Dream Of Electric Sheep Sneak Peek Clip
COLLATERAL 4K Giveaway
Seat42F and Paramount Home Media have teamed up to give THREE lucky winners a copy of COLLATERAL on 4K Blu-ray.…
POPEYE Blu-ray Giveaway
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Eddie Murphy Blu-ray Prize Pack Giveaway
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THE GREAT Season 1 DVD Giveaway
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NUS investigating sex-for-grades complaint involving 2 staff and ex-student
NUS file photo
SINGAPORE — The National University of Singapore (NUS) is investigating a complaint allegedly involving two staff members having sex with a former student on the basis of sex-for-grades.
The complaint was received by the Whistle-blowing Unit at NUS on 2 December last year, according to a summary of sexual misconduct complaints involving staff received in 2020.
The offence allegedly took place off campus with the complaint listed as pending investigation and classification, and that no police report has been filed.
Inaugural report of sexual misconduct complaints
The summary is contained in the inaugural report of sexual misconduct complaints published by NUS dated 31 December 2020.
Data in the report indicates that the number of sexual misconduct complaints involving staff rose to 10 last year from three in 2019. Of these 10 complaints, five involved staff and students, two involved staff and staff, and the remaining three involved staff and outsiders.
NUS did not break down the classification of the complaints involving staff for 2020. Instead, it listed the nature of the 19 complaints involving staff that it had received between 2016 and 2020.
These complaints were for rape (one), sexual assault (five), verbal or physical contact of a sexual nature (six), making unwanted sexual advances or request for sexual favours (six), and yet to be classified (one).
Number of complaints in 2020 fell from 2019
The report also shows the number of sexual misconduct complaints involving students fell to 12 last year from 25 in 2019.
NUS noted there was an increase in complaints of sexual misconduct in 2019, with the majority of them made after a town-hall meeting on sexual misconduct held in April 2019.
The town-hall meeting was held after former NUS student Monica Baey sparked a discussion about sexual misconduct, by voicing her frustration that the university had not done more against a male student who filmed her in the shower at the Eusoff Hall student residence.
Of the 12 complaints involving students last year, five were adjudicated by the Board of Discipline, one was referred to faculty for disciplinary action, one was listed as no further action being taken due to insufficient evidence, and five are pending investigation.
Similarly, NUS did not break down the classification of the complaints involving students for 2020. It listed down the nature of the 71 complaints involving students that it had received between 2016 and 2020.
These complaints were rape (two), sexual assault (five), verbal or physical contact of a sexual nature (24), voyeurism (18), taking upskirt photos or videos (six), incident exposure (four), disseminating sexual/intimate information about the victim (three), making unwanted sexual advances or request for sexual favours (two), and thefts of undergarments (seven).
NUS sacks professor for sexually harassing student; 2nd high-profile dismissal in 2 months
172 sexual misconduct cases involving IHL students, staff from 2015-19: Sun Xueling
Jeremy Fernando saga: NUS considered alleged victims' mental health before making police report – Tommy Koh
Police report filed by NUS against sacked teaching staff for sexual misconduct
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Home / Events / Linguistics: The story of language documentation and description in India today
Linguistics: The story of language documentation and description in India today – School of Literature, Art and Media Linguistics: The story of language documentation and description in India today – School of Literature, Art and Media
Linguistics: The story of language documentation and description in India today
The story of language documentation and description in India today
Prof Shobhana Chelliah, University of North Texas
The last twenty years have seen efforts to support the study of minority and lesser-studied languages of India from varied stakeholders: these include the Indian government, international and Indian non-profit organizations, indigenous and state-level cultural and language committees and institutes, and individuals with a passion to preserve and document their cultures and languages. Their efforts have led to mixed success due to conflicting ideologies, history, and resource availability. Basing my observations on my research, personal experience and engagement with language documentation activities in India, I provide an overview of the current state of language study and my hopes and efforts for the future of language documentation and description in India.
Zoom Session Link
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Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Season 3 Episode 13 : Parting Shot
Bobbi and Lance follow Gideon to Russia, and discover that he and a secret Inhuman are planning a coup. To stop them, the couple must make the ultimate sacrifice for the good of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Marvel's Agentes da S.H.I.E.L.D., Agentes da SHIELD da Marvel, Marvel: Agenti S.H.I.E.L.D., Agenti S.H.I.E.L.D., Agentes de S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Marvel - Les Agents du SHIELD, A S.H.I.E.L.D. ügynökei, Marvels.Agents.of.S.H.I.E.L.D, ماموران شیلد, 에이전트 오브 쉴드, Os Agentes S.H.I.E.L.D., S.H.I.L.E.D Ajanları, S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel's Agents of SHIELD, Marvels Agents of SHIELD, Marvel's Agents of S H I E L D
Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Action & Adventure,
ABC,
Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Chloe Bennet, Elizabeth Henstridge, Jeff Ward, Henry Simmons, Natalia Córdova-Buckley
Melinda May / The Cavalry
Ming-Na Wen
Daisy "Skye" Johnson / Quake
Elizabeth Henstridge
Deke Shaw
Jeff Ward
Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie
Henry Simmons
Elena "Yo-Yo" Rodriguez / Slingshot
Natalia Córdova-Buckley
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 :Episode 1 Laws of Nature Laws of Nature
Agent Phil Coulson of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division) puts together a team of agents to...
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 :Episode 2 Purpose in the Machine Purpose in the Machine
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 :Episode 3 A Wanted (Inhu)man A Wanted (Inhu)man
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 :Episode 4 Devils You Know Devils You Know
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 :Episode 5 4,722 Hours 4,722 Hours
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 :Episode 6 Among Us Hide... Among Us Hide...
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 :Episode 7 Chaos Theory Chaos Theory
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 :Episode 8 Many Heads, One Tale Many Heads, One Tale
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 :Episode 9 Closure Closure
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 :Episode 10 Maveth Maveth
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 :Episode 11 Bouncing Back Bouncing Back
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 :Episode 12 The Inside Man The Inside Man
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 :Episode 13 Parting Shot Parting Shot
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 :Episode 14 Watchdogs Watchdogs
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 :Episode 15 Spacetime Spacetime
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 :Episode 16 Paradise Lost Paradise Lost
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 :Episode 17 The Team The Team
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 :Episode 18 The Singularity The Singularity
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 :Episode 19 Failed Experiments Failed Experiments
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 :Episode 20 Emancipation Emancipation
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 :Episode 21 Absolution (1) Absolution (1)
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 3 :Episode 22 Ascension (2) Ascension (2)
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 0
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about us | dv project | family support projects | training | projects | policy subs | newsletter | membership | resources | contact |languages | links
IWSA Chairperson Report 2003-2004
Chairperson: Vivi Germanos - Koutsounadis
During the year, Speakout experienced many positive internal changes. These developments and progress placed our organisation in a better position to respond to the many needs and challenges faced by our members, other stakeholders and the community in which we are all a part.
One of these changes is our move to a new location. Our new premises are more accessible and have a larger meeting room and office spaces for the staff. We can better look after our resources and make them available to our members and other migrant and refugee women. Women and their families can hold their various activities in a happy and safe environment. The Hon. Carmel Tebbutt, Minister for Community Services, Ageing, Disability Services and Youth officially opened the new premises on 14th October 2004.
The Department of Community Services funds the Immigrant Women’s Speakout as a peak organisation, through the project the Immigrant Women’s’ Resource Centre and the Support Service for CALD Women in Domestic Violence. Other projects were funded by non-government organisations such as the Family Support Project that was funded by the Casino Community Benefit Fund.
The Family Support Project and the Skilled Migrant Placement Project (SMPP) ended this year. The NSW Government terminated all SMP Programs. The closure and defunding of SMP program has left a gap in the provision of assistance to immigrant and refugee women. The women who sought assistance from Speakout are very vulnerable as they are often in domestic violence situations. They need English proficiency and local work experience to get paid job. Many of them do not fully understand the Australian process of employment and other systems in the workplace.
On the other hand, the funding grant for the Family Support Project was eighteen months only. However, the valuable casework and community development work done by the Project Officer have addressed the needs and gaps in service provision for NESB women and their families from small emerging communities and Temporary Protection Visa holders, in Blacktown and Fairfield.
We procured new funding from the Department of Community Services (DoCS), Community Development Support Expenditure Scheme (CDSE) and the Western Sydney Area Assistance Scheme (WSAAS) for four new projects:
· the Multicultural Family Support Service - Early Intervention Project for families and children in Blacktown;
· the Families First Community Development Project in Auburn.
· the NESB Women’s Multicultural Access Project for Local Gov- ernment Areas (LGAs) of Auburn, Parramatta and Blacktown (The Western Sydney Area Assistance Scheme (WSAAS))
· CALD Women: Getting Job-Ready in Parramatta (CDSE)
· CALD Women Volunteers’ Training in Burwood (CDSE)
There were many changes on the staff profile. A few left and others have joined our organisation. We wish to thank those who are still with us for their commitment, contribution and dedication to their work and the professional service they provide.
The new Management Committee is composed of women from various professional and ethnic backgrounds. They have expertise in domestic violence, rural, aged, disability, child-care, employment, training, welfare and participation in ethnic communities and organisations and a wealth of skills in many fields, wisdom and understanding of NESB and other women’s issues. They make invaluable contribution in the governance of the organisation and in mentoring and assisting the staff in their various projects. We wish to say goodbye to those who have left and resigned. We thank them for their valuable contribution. Thank you to those who continued, for their dedication and commitment through the year.
Please read the Executive Officer’s Report and the reports of the staff of the various Projects. These will give you details on the various projects operated by the organisation, the partnerships formed and committees and interagencies attended. You will find information on the input made in campaigns on issues affecting women in the Federal and State levels, with the staff of various projects, and the Management Committee members representing the interest of immigrant and refugee women.
We wish to thank and acknowledge the leadership, dedication, patience and perseverance of our Executive Officer, Jane Brock, who ably co-ordinated the work of the various projects, provided support and direction to the staff and the management committee during the year.
· the State and Local government departments or providing the funding,
· the staff of these departments for their support,
· our partners in the community sector, and
· those who contributed in any way
Together, you enable us to continue to serve the needs of immigrant and refugee women, their families and communities so that they may participate in and gain access to services that are culturally and linguistically relevant to meet their needs.
Thank you to Camille Moldrich for her advice and support with our finances, and to our Auditor, Sandra Groulmus. Finally, yet importantly, thank you to our members who support our work and to all of you who have come to our Annual General Meeting and Opening of our New Premises.
We have outlined some issues of concern encountered by the organisation in our contact with our clients, the NESB women and their families and communities. The staff reports presented these issues and concerns.
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I watched Question Time last night. I’m not sure why I do it every week. I think I have some sort of inner desire to shout at the telly every seven days, and Question Time allows me to do that. You also get to play games each week, guessing how many minutes it will take for the unemployed to be referred to as “scroungers” and for immigration to be viewed as the downfall of the country. I guess it’s easier for the MPs to do that than blame themselves and the bankers for the mess we’re in.
I have to say last night’s discussions were a little less heated than I thought they would be. After all, with Halloween monster Peter Hitchens seated at a table with Owen Jones, surely Guy Fawkes night would come early and there would be fireworks? Well, yes there were some, not least because Hitchens thinks global warming is a load of nonsense, but it was still a relatively sedate affair. However, the programme does allow me suitable cover in order to write about politics (well, education) in a blog dedicated to film, tv and music. And without anyone noticing.
Much of the discussion last night centred on the issue of whether schools should be able to hire unqualified teachers. The problem with these kinds of questions on this kind of programme is that the point-scoring politics comes first and the question itself gets shoved to one side. I admit that I think all teachers should have the basic PGCE qualification so that they are given the necessary tools, knowledge and background information with which to teach in 2013. That said, I don’t believe that anyone who passes that qualification is necessarily a better teacher than someone who doesn’t
I view teaching a little like I view acting. You can attend drama school and there you can be taught stage craft, styles of acting, etc but at the end of the day if you couldn’t act when you started drama school you’re not going to be able to act when you leave. You either have the basic gift to start with or you don’t. You can attend singing lessons for ten years but, if you don’t have a decent set of pipes to start with, you’re not going to become a great singer.
Teaching is the same. You’re either good at it or you’re not, and while a PGCE can help you develop that talent, you’re not going to become a great teacher if you don’t have that innate ability to start with. I was taught by great teachers at school and some crap teachers at school – but they all had the same qualification. Likewise, I have come across some great lecturers at university and some awful ones – and none of those have a teaching qualification. So, while I agree school teachers should have a PGCE, I don’t think it necessarily means they are going to be a great teacher.
However, all of this is part and parcel of our school system, and has been for many years – it’s all about passing exams and not learning a subject. Twenty years ago, I was studying A-level English Literature at sixth form – but actually what I learned was how to pass an exam by studying nine works. I spent two years studying English Literature and yet was never taught about Dickens, Austen, Chaucer, Hemingway, Keats or Wordsworth. I wasn’t taught the history of the novel, or the development of drama from Shakespeare to the present day. I was taught to pass an exam. And this is the way the system works both within schools and beyond, from PGCEs to driving tests.
It appears that things are about to get worse. Michael Gove’s reforms of the curriculum are going to ensure that some subjects concentrate more on facts than analytical skills. One has to wonder what decade Mr Gove is living in. We are not living in a time where knowing the dates of Henry VIII’s birth and death is going to achieve anything – we carry that sort of information around with us all the time now, as we can aceess it via the internet or on our phones. Surely history is more about analysing the past than trying to remember dates? Surely music is more about understanding the structure of Bach’s music than remembering where he was born? And how is learning facts and figures going to prepare people for careers or university? The only career this is going to prepare people for is a role on future series of Eggheads or The Chase.
Gove was recently criticised by Lord Baker for basing his education reforms on “his own personal experience”. While it is nice that he looks back on his schooling so fondly, this is also the schooling that helped to create the man who gets booed enthusiastically by the Question Time audience each time his name is mentioned. I’m not sure that being one of the most hated men in British politics is a recommendation for a trip back fifty years in the school curriculum time machine.
Gove has also presented us with his own hierarchy of subjects that matter and those that don’t. The arts, apparantly, are superfluous. And yet, the film industry alone employs an approximate 43000 people in the UK according to a report by Oxford Economics. £2.2billion was generated through music tourism in the UK in 2012. But, apparantly, still superfluous.
We have forgotten what our schools are for. They are not to teach our kids simply facts and figures, although they must, of course, be a part of schooling. But surely school is primarily there to teach kids the skills that they will need for life, their careers and for higher education if they choose that route.
School should be there to teach our children how to think, how to analyse, and how to criticise.
It should be there so that kids can explore all avenues, discover their aptitudes and learn who they are.
There are things I worry about in our schools much more than unqualified teachers. I worry, for example, that qualified teachers will not be disciplined for refusing to teach about same-sex marriage in our classrooms. Why should it be OK for a teacher to pass on his or prejudices to their pupils? I worry that our kids are going to leave school being able to recite the dates of kings and queens and wars, but not have the skills to understand the implications of what happened between those dates.
I would suggest we should worry less about the very few unqualified teachers in free schools and more about the fact we have unqualified MPs, with no qualifications in teaching or education, setting a national curriculum based on their own narrow-minded views which the qualified teachers then have to do the best they can with.
Leave a comment Posted in politics Tagged Education, Question Time
Ten favourite Horror Films
Well, it’s that time of year, folks, where the horror genre comes to the fore as we all go a little Halloween crazy. Actually, I can’t say Halloween has ever bothered me a great deal (and the original film even less so), but it is a damn fine opportunity to wheel out another in my occasional series of “ten favourite” blogposts. As with the entries on 1910s and 1920s films, these are favourite films and I make no pretence that they are or might be the ten “best” horror films.
Waxworks (1924)
It’s true to say that Dr Caligari leaves me a little cold, and so if I’m looking for a German expressionist horror film it is Waxworks that I normally turn to. This is a great little portmanteau feature which includes three stories within a framing device in which a writer is employed to write stories about the various exhibits in a waxworks museum. The most famous sequence is by far the shortest, and involves the coming to life of the Jack-the-Ripper type figure. The sequence only lasts six minutes, and seems like a bit of an afterthought compared to the other stories lasting nearly forty minutes each. However, there are reasons for this. Firstly, there was originally going to be a fourth story, although this was never filmed and, secondly, the order of the stories was changed due to the censors in Germany. It is the resequenced version we have on DVD from Kino. However, the film was shown in its original sequence at its USA premiere in 1926 – so perhaps a version with the pre-censor sequencing is hiding in a vault somewhere, waiting to be rediscovered.
The Mummy (1932)
For me this is the most chilling of all films in the first cycle of Universal horror films. Dracula feels stage-bound and Frankenstein, though a brilliant film, is not one that ever unnerved me. The Mummy, on the other hand, does just that. Karl Freund’s direction is remarkably creepy, Karloff is superb, and the flashback sequence is as horrifying now as when it was filmed.
I Walked with a Zombie (1943)
I have always felt this was a most unfortunate title, as it is one that makes the film sound like a trashy drive-in type move from the 1960s. It is instead a brilliantly executed horror movie inspired by Jane Eyre. In all of the current crop of zombie movies, there is nothing quite as terrifying as the zombies portrayed here in what is probably the best of all the Val Lewton-produced horror cycle from the early 1940s. It wasn’t an instant classic, however. The New York Times review didn’t have much positive to say: ‘To this spectator, at least, it proved to be a dull, disgusting exaggeration of an unhealthy, abnormal concept of life. If the Hays office feels it has a duty to protect the morals of movie-goers by protesting the use of such expressions as “hell” and “damn” in purposeful dramas like “In Which We Serve” and “We Are the Marines,” then how much more important is its duty to safeguard the youth of the land from the sort of stuff and nonsense that their minds will absorb from viewing “I Walked With a Zombie”?’
The Uninvited (1944)
I recently re-watched The Uninvited and was a little disappointed in that it didn’t live up to the distant memory I had of it from when the UK’s Channel Four showed it when I was but a nipper. That said, this is still an engrossing mystery/ghost story that has achieved both classic and cult status over the years. Ray Milland’s character might be a little too chipper and bright, often breaking the atmosphere the film tries so hard to achieve, but otherwise this is one of the best ghost stories of the 1940s.
The Innocents (1961)
Another film I remember watching when I was younger, and one that is still totally entrancing today. Jack Clayton’s direction provides a spooky atmosphere from the opening credits and never lets up throughout the entire film. Based on Henry James’s novella The Turn of the Screw, arguments still continue as to whether the narrative is a straightforward ghost story or the delusions of the governess. In the end it doesn’t matter, for the film delivers no matter which reading you happen to favour. The film is actually based on the stage adaptation of the novel with the same name (The Innocents), the 1950s production of which starred British child actor Jeremy Spenser (It’s Great to Be Young, Ferry to Hong Kong) as Miles.
The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)
One of the best entries in Roger Corman’s series of horror films based on the stories of Edgar Allan Poe. Like most of the other films, Poe’s story is used as the third act of the film, with the rest of the narrative built around it. Others might favour others in the series as better films, and they might be right, but nothing beats the brilliant, disturbing climax of this film.
One of the great unsung horror classics, this stars George C Scott as a recently-bereaved composer who finds that the house he has moved into is haunted. This is stunning stuff, with Scott in great form, and the atmosphere built-up superbly throughout the film. One of the few horror films I saw as a teenager and still find as unnerving now as I did then – and a good example of how atmosphere is what makes a horror film scary, not buckets of blood!
A Nightmare on Elm Street III: Dream Warriors (1987)
Perhaps an unlikely choice, but I still feel that this is the best of the wonderful Nightmare on Elm Street series. It sees the return of Heather Langenkamp as Nancy, the main character of the first film. By this point she has become a dream therapist and joins a hospital where some kids are being treated for their nightmares (of Freddy Kreuger, of course). For once, the kids are all likeable (who didn’t fall in love with Rodney Eastman as Joey? I know I did), Langenkamp finally shows signs that she might be learning how to act, and there are some brilliant set pieces. Sadly it was mostly downhill for the series after this one.
Idle Hands (1999)
I feel sorry for Idle Hands. It’s one of those films that came along at the worst possible time: a fun, irreverant horror comedy about a kid who unwillingly goes on a killing spree when his “idle hands” are taken over by an evil spirit or demon or…something. And released ten days after the Columbine shootings. It’s actually a fun teen horror comedy, with great performances from Devon Sawa and Seth Green, but this was not what American audiences were clamouring to see at that point in time.
Ok, I admit it. I was possibly the only person in the world who saw Dead Silence and really liked it. It’s an old-fashioned horror film with ghosts, spooky ventriloquist’s dummies and a ridiculously good looking leading man. But what I really liked about it was that it showed there was life in the horror genre beyond the torture porn which had almost taken over the market over the previous few years. Dead Silence might not have been seen by many at the cinema, but it is good entertainment and helped to pave the way for the return of the traditional horror movie which has blossomed over the last few years with Dark Skies, Sinister, The Conjuring and Insidious.
Honourable mentions:
The Old Dark House
The Seventh Victim
Wes Craven’s New Nightmare
Leave a comment Posted in General, Guilty Pleasures, Reviews, Silents, Talkies Tagged dead silence, horror films, i walked with a zombie, idle hands, nigthmare on elm street, the changeling, the innocents, The Mummy, waxworks
This Week’s TV: Supernatural & Glee
Contains minor spoilers.
I’m not quite sure when it happened – at the end of season seven, I think – but Supernatural lost its way. I remember looking forward to each new episode during the period when it was, first and foremost, a monster-of-the-week type of show, a Scooby-Doo for grown-ups. Then it all got a bit convoluted with the introduction of angels, but we went with it. Then there were angel wars and it all seemed to be getting a little bit silly. Then there were leviathans and, despite the fact we never really understood what they were and never really found them such a menace, we went with that too.
But season eight found Supernatural doing something I have yet to forgive: it simply got a bit shit. The scripts got weaker, the stars were at times looking visibly bored, and the whole thing was like watching Supernatural through a frosted window. The first half of season eight wasn’t helped by the awful flashback structure or the introduction of Benny, a character it seems most fans didn’t warm to. The second half was passable, but only because it was a TV series the fans loved and didn’t want to let go of.
Now we have season nine – four seasons more than the original intention. The way forward might have been to go back to the monster-of-the-week format, but this week’s first episode doesn’t point towards that happening as one of the Winchesters is again at death’s door (literally). How many times can they die or nearly die before us not shouting at the screen “just die and be done with it?” We know they’re not going to die. Or, if they do, they won’t stay dead. There’s no suspense in these scenarios anymore.
To be fair, the first episode of season nine was better than the first episode of season eight, but that’s not saying much. There’s no inspiration here anymore, and certainly no logic – just scatterbrained ideas with no rhyme or reason to them. It’s almost as if the writers have got together in a panic having learned yet another season is on its way and they have no idea what they are going to fill twenty-two episodes with. I’m not even sure they understand the storyline anymore and how we landed up at this point. Even the re-cap at the beginning of the episode gave up on reminding us of the story so far, it was just 60 seconds of snippets that could have been thrown together by a kid at a computer.
To be fair, there were some highlights of S09E01. Ezekiel seemed like a nice chap, but it doesn’t look like he will be around on a regular basis. Castiel is present and correct, but he’s gained and lost his powers more times that a recurring guest star has found themselves filming a death scene. And it’s always nice to see Bobby (killing him off in season seven was hardly the programme’s most sensible decision), but his appearance seems to have been to delight fans rather than to serve any great purpose. Finally, there was Castiel recreating a famous laundrette-set advert – the episode’s highpoint and one reminding us that the surreal humour that used to a be a trademark of the series has been sorely lacking of late. Castiel with his kit off, though, actually makes us realise he now looks younger than Sam (who hasn’t had a haircut since the last season, in case you were wondering).
I wanted to be drawn back into Supernatural, but I now sit here and wonder if I can really be bothered anymore.
I talked about the return of Glee a couple of weeks back, and last night saw the broadcast of the anticipated episode dealing with the passing of Finn Hudson, following Cory Monteith’s death in the summer. Reviews of the episode have ranged from luke-warm to very favourable. Glee might miss the mark quite a bit these days but, unlike Supernatural, it does seem to be trying its best. There have been comments that there was no explanation for Finn’s death, and that the series could have force-fed us a drugs-related issue-of-the-week episode. But this probably wasn’t the time or place for a drugs-related episode (although the absence of such a storyline is a mysterious omission over the last four seasons). Instead, Glee played a blinder dealing with an issue that effects more teenagers than drugs does: grief.
The episode starts three weeks after Finn’s death, with both old and new members of New Directions coming together for a private memorial to Finn. The supposed leap in time from the last episode makes one wonder why this wasn’t the first episode of the present season, as it would have made more sense given the summer break. Even so, this was played to perfection…mostly. The teen audience was told that there was no right time or right way to deal with grief when someone close to you passes away, and that is something of a valuable (and rarely mentioned) lesson.
The sequence near the beginning of the episode where Kurt returns home and he and his Dad and step-Mum (Finn’s mother) start to go through Finn’s things, deciding what to keep and what to not keep, was superb. Romy Rosemont gave a stunning, heartbreaking performance, and the writing was spot-on as those of us who have been in similar situations will know all too well. Amber Riley’s vocal performances reminded us of just what a fine singer she is. Perhaps the big mistake was affording so much screen time to Puck – Mark Salling’s acting was never exactly stellar, but seems to have got worse since he has been away from the show, and his performance seemed to be the only weak link in the episode. The show didn’t forget it was a comedy at heart either, and there were some unexpected but welcome comedic moments (most notably when Tina goes to grief counselling). It’s hard to imagine how the episode could have been dealt with better, especially remembering this is, primarily, a show for teens. It would have been all too easy to pull at the heartstrings every thirty seconds but, oddly, the whole episode seemed less manipulative than normal – and that was a welcome surprise.
Leave a comment Posted in TV Tagged Glee, supernatural (TV series)
Well, the blog has been running for a while now and “Silent and Classic Movies” didn’t really work as an overarching title for my waffling, and so the name has been changed to Beyond Boundaries. Rather awkwardly the url remains the same – but you can’t have everything. This will also allow me to merge the not-very-active music blog with this one, and so all my posts on the arts, culture and, occasionally, more personal issues/thoughts are now under the same roof (for better or worse) – and in the same date order as when originally published. Thanks to those of you who follow the blog for your support.
Leave a comment Posted in Uncategorized
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We’re freakin at the freakers ball…
Posted in Editorial, Transsexual Theory by Kay Brown on March 24, 2012
♫♫Where all the fags and the dykes, they’re boogyin’ together
The leather freaks are dressed in all kinds of leather
The greatest of the sadists and the masochists too
Screaming “Please hit me, and I’ll hit you”♫♫
-Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show
Last summer, I had dinner at a restaurant in the City with a transactivist friend of mine that I hadn’t seen in nearly a decade. It was pleasant enough, until she started on a rant about Anne Lawrence, with whom we have both been acquainted for many years. My friend wanted me to agree with her that Anne was doing the “community” a horrible disservice, “She’s trying to turn us all into paraphiliacs!” I replied, quite honestly and ironically, “No, she isn’t…” But left the rest of my droll thought unsaid: “… she can’t make you be what you already are.” But, although I didn’t voice my real opinions, she kept up her rant. She argued that Anne was wrong because it would harm the community. She never asked me about this blog, nor did I volunteer that I was writing it. She seemed to take it for granted that I, as a long time transactivist, would agree with her that we should all fight against Dr. Lawrence’s work, ignoring my personal history, and what that might mean regarding my personal views on the subject. What struck me later about the evening’s discussion, that while always friendly, despite our not agreeing, was that my friend, though a biological scientist herself, never once tried to argue her point based on the science, but rather on the politics. That it was wrong to do the science, if the science itself would lead to certain knowledge that most transwomen were autogynephilic, and that autogynephilia was the cause of their gender dysphoria and cross-gender identity, as that would lead to the public no longer seeing MTF transsexuals as “women in men’s bodies”. I countered that science is what it is, and the truth is what it is. I made it clear that I support science, and that the truth is always a good thing to know. I came away with the certain knowledge that among the transactivist community, it was very well understood that the science did, and would continue, to support the Freund / Blanchard two type taxonomy of MTF transsexuality.
There are several elements to this story. First, is Anne Lawrence really demonstrating that non-homosexual transsexuality is a manifestation of a paraphilia, to wit, autogynephilia? Second, is autogynephilia a “mental disorder”? Third, is that really so bad?
First, is Lawrence demonstrating that non-homosexual transsexuals are autogynephilic? Yes, but her work is largely redundant to the science that has been so meticulously done by Freund, Blanchard, and even, if unintentionally, Nuttbrock. Further, one of the best documentations that autogynephilia is the root cause of non-homosexual transsexuality was done by Doctor and Prince, who showed that cross-gender identification was most commonly preceded by years of autogynephilic cross-dressing, that transvestism and non-homosexual transsexuality are both a continuum and a progression.
Among our subjects, 79% did not appear in public cross dressed prior to age 20; at that time, most of the subjects had already had several years of experience with cross dressing. The average number of years of practice with cross dressing prior to owning a full feminine outfit was 15. The average number of years of practice with cross dressing prior to adoption of a feminine name was 21. Again, we have factual evidence indicative of the considerable time required for the development of the cross-gender identity.
So, MTF transactivists can hardly blame Lawrence for merely adding to what has already been very convincingly demonstrated. The real value of her work has been to expand on the theme, adding weight to the need for compassionate therapeutic and surgical intervention to allow AGP transsexual women to live fulfilling lives.
Does Lawrence consider autogynephilia, and by extension, autogynephilic transsexuality a paraphilia? Again, Yes, as her 2004 paper states that explicitly in its title, “Autogynephilia: A Paraphilic Model of Gender Identity Disorder”, and in the text,
…Blanchard’s autogynephilia theory helps explain why transvestism and transsexualism are often associated with other unusual erotic interests. Sexual scientists have observed for decades that unusual sexual interests— sadomasochism, bondage, autoerotic asphyxia, interest in leather and rubber, exhibitionism, voyeurism, infantilism, pedophilia—frequently do not occur in isolation, but instead tend to co-occur. Males who have one unusual sexual interest are far more likely to have one or more other unusual sexual interests than would be expected simply by chance (Abel & Osborn, 1992; Wilson & Gosselin, 1980). And other unusual erotic interests are very common among transvestites and some MtF transsexuals. Wilson and Gosselin (1980) found that 63% of their sample of transvestites and transsexuals also described fetishistic or sadomasochistic interests. Blanchard and Hucker (1991) reported that transvestism accompanied many cases of autoerotic asphyxia. Abel and Osborn (1992) documented the co-occurrence of transvestism and transsexualism with other paraphilias. If transsexualism and transvestism are purely gender-identity-based phenomena, then these associations makes no sense. But if transsexualism and transvestism sometimes represent unusual sexual interests—as Blanchard’s autogynephilia theory proposes—then their association with other uncommon sexual interests does make sense.
So, I believe that Lawrence convincingly demonstrates, from prior studies, that autogynephilic transsexuality is most definitely a paraphilia. But is it a “mental disorder”? Again, from another, more recent paper from Lawrence,
Does the desire for sex reassignment in autogynephilic MtF transsexuals represent a mental disorder? I contend that it does. To meaningfully address the question, one must attempt to define the term mental disorder, an obligation that writers who discuss this topic — including Meyer-Bahlburg (2010) — too often neglect. For purposes of discussion, I will use the definition proposed by Wakefield and First (2003), in an article cited by Meyer-Bahlburg; similar definitions have recently been proposed by Stein et al. (2010) and First and Wakefield (2010). According to Wakefield and First, a mental disorder is “a ‘harmful mental dysfunction,’ with harm being determined by social values and the word dysfunction referring to the failure of a mental mechanism to perform its natural (i.e., evolutionarily selected) function” (p. 28). Wakefield and First recognized that an evolutionary analysis created potential epistemological challenges but argued that often “one can judge with some plausibility the functions and dysfunctions of a [mental] mechanism (or at least that a function or dysfunction likely exists), with no need for detailed direct knowledge of the evolution of the mechanism.” (p. 39). They added that, in many cases, “one can make such inferences without knowing anything about the actual mechanisms. . . . Indeed, many of the DSM’s categories (e.g., sleep disorders, sexual and gender identity disorders) clearly correspond to types of inferred designed mechanisms that have gone wrong.” (p. 36). Wakefield and First considered a dysfunction to be harmful if it carried significant “negative implications for the individual’s overall well-being” (p. 34), or perhaps sometimes for the well-being of others (p. 41). They also emphasized that the dysfunction must be “in the individual” (p. 34) and “cannot be due only to social deviance, disapproval by others, or conflict with society or others” (p. 34). Although Wakefield and First’s definition may not be perfect, it provides a starting point for discussion, and the analysis that follows is not highly dependent on its specific details.
In autogynephilic MtF transsexuals, it is reasonable to infer that the mental mechanism responsible for accurately “locating erotic targets in the environment” (Freund & Blanchard, 1993, p. 558) has failed to perform its natural function: Specifically, there has been a partial or complete failure of the evolutionarily selected mechanism that keeps heterosexual erotic interest (i.e., gynephilia) directed toward erotic targets external to the self. Autogynephilic MtF transsexuals experience a powerful erotic interest in turning their own bodies into facsimiles of their preferred erotic targets (females), an interest that competes with and sometimes completely overshadows erotic interest directed toward external female partners (Blanchard, 1992). It is easy to understand why evolutionary selection might favor the development of a mental mechanism that would keep gynephilic men’s erotic interest focused on external female partners. When a gynephilic man’s erotic interest is instead directed primarily toward his own feminized body, one can reasonably infer that this putative mental mechanism has wholly or partly failed. If the foregoing analysis is correct, then the desire for sex reassignment in autogynephilic MtF transsexuals — that is, in many or most nonhomosexual MtF transsexuals — represents a genuine mental dysfunction.
Again, Lawrence convincingly argues that autogynphilic transsexuality is a “mental disorder”? But is this a “bad thing” in and of itself? That is to say, it it morally reprehensible? Who is harmed? No one. As Cantor poignantly states regarding all human beings with paraphilic sexualities,
It is here that I must draw an important, but usually unmarked, distinction: I personally agree wholeheartedly that everyone with atypical sexual interests deserves respect and full recognition of all their civil rights; however, I disagree that answers to scientific questions can be identified by presuming the desired outcome and then backwards-engineering one’s interpretation of the research data to guarantee arrival at that outcome. Moreover, and perhaps more importantly, questions of rights fall outside the purview of science. People deserve respect and civil rights regardless of the scientific classification of their sexual interests.
Herein lies an important point, an atypical sexuality, per se, should never be the cause of unreasoning stigma or discrimination. But, it often does. In point of fact, homosexuality itself, though generally not thought of as either a paraphilia nor a mental disorder, has still a very negative stigma and even legal sanctions against it. So, whether a phenomena is officially, or unofficially, recognized as a paraphilia has no bearing on whether it will or will not be stigmatized. Transsexuality, like homosexuality, is stigmatized regardless of whether it is understood to be a paraphilia or a mental disorder.
Anne Lawrence, and all of the scientists and clinicians working to better understand the transsexual phenomena, are not responsible for the stigma and discrimination. But, hopefully, with better understanding of our two, separate, conditions, both autogynephilic and homosexual transsexuals will each be better off, with appropriate and compassionate medical care.
Essay on Co-occurance of Paraphilias
Lawrence, A., “Autogynephilia: A Paraphilic Model of Gender Identity Disorder”
http://www.annelawrence.com/autogynephilia,_a_paraphilic_model_of_GID.pdf
Lawrence, A., “Do Some Men Who Desire Sex Reassignment Have a Mental Disorder? Comment on Meyer-Bahlburg (2010)”, Archives of Sexual Behavior (in press)
http://www.annelawrence.com/desire_for_sr_a_mental_disorder.html
Cantor, J., “Is Homosexuality a Paraphilia? The Evidence For and Against”
http://www.springerlink.com/content/00311501070l6321/fulltext.pdf
Tagged with: Autogynephilia, transsexual
Comments Off on We’re freakin at the freakers ball…
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Moral Foundations of Capitalism
rebeccasachs
This winter quarter, the Ethics and Society program will be offering a new class entitled, “Moral Foundations of Capitalism”. Taught by part-time professor Dr. John McCaskey, the seminar has been widely publicized and enjoyed enthusiastic support from students. The class assesses various 20th century defenses of capitalism, and, according to McCaskey, focuses on the question, “How it is that Americans have defended free enterprise as good and morally right.”
After coming up with the topic of the class last year, McCaskey bounced the idea off colleagues and students and found demand for a seminar focusing on the foundations of capitalism. What McCaskey didn’t anticipate, however, was just how high that demand would be. After strategically advertising to members of economic, religious, and conservative clubs on campus, passing out fliers at Activities Fair, and talking to current students about the seminar, McCaskey created hype around the class that surpassed its capacity.
Within the first 12 hours of registration opening, all fifteen spots had been filled. Axess didn’t properly cap registration, so enrollment rose to twenty-seven before the glitch was corrected later that day. These additional twelve class members will not able to participate in the class. One class member, Autumn Carter ’11 recalled registering at 2 AM, while another, Dakin Sloss ‘12, was relieved he was only the fourteenth person to register on Axess at 6 AM.
McCaskey believes that the primary reason Moral Foundations of Capitalism has gained so much attention from students is because of its interdisciplinary nature. “It is not an economics class, nor is it is not a literature class, it is not a history class, and it is not a philosophy class,” he warns, but rather a way to look at the aforementioned “together in some way.” Furthermore, the course’s placement in the Ethics and Society Department has drawn attention from students looking for a class that applies to different areas of study. For instance, Autumn Carter says, “I signed up for the class mainly because I enjoy wrestling philosophy when it is placed in the context of politics and economics.”
The high student interest for the class can also be linked to the seminar’s setup and the way it examines the different arguments for capitalism. Instead of debating capitalism vs. socialism or the pros and cons of capitalism, the class looks at multiple defenses of capitalism and evaluates whether or not they are compatible or equal. For instance, “a religious argument might say, well, on altruist grounds, capitalism is good- it helps a lot of people and I have a religious obligation to help people. This will however open up some challenges that one may not be comfortable with. It is not an argument based on individual rights; it is an argument based on the collective good. Does this mean that if there are cases where violating capitalist principles would serve the common good that we should do them? Some schools [of capitalist thought] would say no, the principles of individual rights are inviolate, and others would say yes, ultimately the goal is for the biggest good for the most people. Two individuals who say they are capitalists in fact may value and judge a policy very differently,” states McCaskey, giving a preview of the type of discussions that will take place in the class. “Our goal is to analyze the ethical arguments and schools, not to promote one or the other,” he concludes.
The website Coursework describes the class as an “interdisciplinary examination of alternative and largely incompatible twentieth century defenses of the morality of capitalism.” Starting with a reading of “the father of capitalism”, Adam Smith, the class quickly moves to historical readings from early critics of capitalism like Karl Marx and Herbert Hoover. The purpose is to set the context and present topics that were in the air when defenders of capitalism in the late 20th century had to marshal their arguments.
The rest of the seminar is split among three different defenses of capitalism: economic arguments, focusing on Austrian and Chicago School economists, late 20th century religious defenses, and the Objectivist philosophies of American author Ayn Rand. The seminar is heavy on outside reading and class time is spent evaluating the premises, holes, attributes and implications of the different defenses of capitalism. At the end of the quarter, class members take issues like healthcare and the subprime mortgage crisis and consider how the three different schools of capitalist thought would evaluate these policy issues.
McCaskey first decided to teach this class because of applicability of the topic to current events. Participants agree that the debates dividing Washington, such as healthcare, environmental regulations, and fixing the economy, will fuel class discussions. Dakin Sloss, the head of the Stanford Objectivists Society, claims, “The class is so popular because people are looking for answers right now… In general, this is a pivotal time in our history where we are choosing between big government and capitalism. This class will offer people a different and rather unique perspective on how to evaluate that choice morally.”
Questions Abound from Senator’s Departure
Whether a seat on the ASSU Senate will be waiting for Daniel Limón ’12 when he returns to Stanford University remains a “tough issue,” admits
Fencing Seeks to Remain Varsity
Faced with the daunting task of raising over $5 million in operating costs and an endowment, Stanford Fencing looks to preserve its history and ensure
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TAT News
Volunteering @ TAT
Alt Course Map
Mini Payout Cards
Mini Payout Calc
Texas Army Trail News
Posted on: Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Texas Army Trail DGC newsletter for 7/11/11
7/1/11 ALL 18 BASKETS ARE INSTALLED!
6/26/11 Texas Army Trail DGC newsletter for 6/26/11
6/20/11 Even par wins the first Sunday Double Mini.
6/17/11 Texas Army Trail Weekend Schedule for 6/11/11
6/12/11 15 people played in the mini this weekend
6/5/11 Texas Army Trail DGC newsletter for 6/5/11
5/31/11 Wow, 31 disc golfers played the Memorial Day mini
5/22/11 Change in payout for our Sunday Mini's
48 Played Doubles Sunday at 5. All the new faces Sunday night provided fun for everyone as 16 teams played "bring you own partner", and another 8 teams were formed from random draw doubles. Wow if this mini gets any more popular, we're going to have to start earlier! 9 folks showed up for the Saturday evening mini at 5.
Results for Sunday night will be up soon.
The big news is that Precinct 3 work crews come out during the week to work on the course. They shredded the 4 stacks of branches around the detention pond, some of the stacks between 6 and 7, and a big pile along the path to hole 8. They also bulldozed the road to hole 7's fairway, smooth out some of hole 7's fairway, and worked on the road from hole 7 to hole 8. Hopefully they will be back this week to work on hole 8's fairway and shred some of the piles next to hole 9's fairway.
The TAT work crew spent Saturday and Sunday cutting up some trees around hole 18's fairway. We also spread some the shredded limbs along the path from hole 1 to 2 and around hole 18's scenic bench.
How well do you shoot on each hole? Here is a break down of the July 4 mini.
hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 72.07692
Average 2.75 3.32 2.94 3.92 4.72 4.4 4.65 3.6 5.2 4.8615 4.68 3.11 3.18 4.31 4.4 3.92 4.57 3.554 72.07692
Birdy 2 21 4 16 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 1 14 12 0 0 1 0 6 79
Par 3 39 38 40 18 8 11 11 33 1 3 4 35 34 14 13 17 8 27 354
Bogey 4 5 21 6 35 22 25 23 18 16 24 28 12 15 24 23 35 23 22 377
Double Bogey 5 0 2 3 11 20 20 15 9 27 24 16 3 3 21 20 10 26 10 240
Triple bogey 6 0 0 0 1 11 6 12 2 13 9 14 1 1 5 8 2 6 0 91
Quad Bogey 7 0 0 0 0 3 2 2 0 7 4 2 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 23
Quint Bogey 8 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 4
Hex Bogey 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Average 2.7 2.93 2.67 3.59 4.41 4.1 4.26 3.37 5.15 4.3704 4.44 2.96 2.93 4.07 4.19 3.89 4.15 3.444 67.66667
Birdy 2 9 4 9 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 1 7 7 0 0 1 0 3 44
Par 3 17 21 18 13 5 4 5 16 1 2 3 14 16 9 5 8 7 12 176
Bogey 4 1 2 0 12 11 14 13 6 6 15 12 6 3 10 14 13 11 9 158
Double Bogey 5 0 0 0 2 8 6 6 3 13 8 5 0 1 5 6 3 8 3 77
Triple bogey 6 0 0 0 0 1 2 3 0 4 2 6 0 0 3 2 2 0 0 25
Quad Bogey 7 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5
Average 2.69 3.38 3 4.08 4.77 4.3 4.46 3.46 4.85 4.8462 4.46 2.69 2.92 4.08 4.62 3.77 4.69 3.231 70.30769
Par 3 7 8 9 4 2 4 4 6 0 0 0 9 9 3 2 4 1 6 78
Bogey 4 1 5 2 5 3 4 4 5 6 5 8 0 0 6 3 8 3 5 73
Double Bogey 5 0 0 0 3 4 3 1 1 3 5 4 0 1 4 6 1 8 0 44
Average 2.84 3.72 3.2 4.2 5.04 4.7 5.16 3.92 5.44 5.4 5.04 3.48 3.6 4.68 4.52 4.04 4.96 3.84 77.76
Par 3 15 9 13 1 1 3 2 11 0 1 1 12 9 2 6 5 0 9 100
Bogey 4 3 14 4 18 8 7 6 7 4 4 8 6 12 8 6 14 9 8 146
Double Bogey 5 0 2 3 6 8 11 8 5 11 11 7 3 1 12 8 6 10 7 119
© 2021 Texas Army Trail DGC. All rights reserved.
Texas Army Trail Disc Golf Course is located in Bud Hadfield Park west of Telge Park
Address: 11961 Telge Road, Houston, Texas 77429 - Email: info@texasarmytrail.com - www.texasarmytrail.com
We welcome your suggestions - email them to info@texasarmytrail.com
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Railroad Heritage Center
Palestine: Railroad Heritage Center
Repeats every week every Monday and every Tuesday and every Wednesday and every Thursday and every Friday and every Saturday until Sun Jan 31 2021.
July 3, 2020 - 9:30am to 4:30pm
Relish the romance of the rails as depicted by the Domis Model RR and enjoy the various exhibits that illustrate many facets of railroading.
Operated by the non-profit Texas State Railroad Society, the Railroad Heritage Center exists to celebrate Palestine's railroad history and encourage participation in the many facets of railroading. Our prime attraction is the 37' by 17' HO scale model railroad, the masterpiece of the late Paul A. Domis of Dallas, on which several trains can run at once. Trains reflect a Texas heritage. Evolving exhibits focus on the development of transport in Texas, an appreciation of the "Traquero" or track worker, the engineering importance of Texas & Pacific 610 stored at the Texas State Railroad and railroad art, as well as interactive railroad experiences.
Open Monday – Saturday 9:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Hours may be changed or extended to cater to railroad interests when trains are running at the Texas State Railroad. Please call 903-586-7141 to verify.
808 W. Oak St
Palestine Visitor Center
$3 donation
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Home / Getting started / Dances We Teach / Latin Dance
American Rhythm vs. International Latin
Unlike the ballroom dances which share similar techniques between American and International Style, the two different styles of Latin dancing each have their own technique. Most importantly, the hip motion differs: in American style you step onto a bent leg, while in International style you step onto a straight leg.
The International-Style Latin dances (Cha Cha, Rumba, Samba, Paso Doble and Jive) are also more disciplined and technical, while the American-Style Rhythm dances (Cha Cha, Rumba, Swing, Samba, Mambo, Bolero and Merengue) have a greater variety of patterns, making them well-suited for social dancing.
Bolero originated in Spain in the late 18th century as a moderately slow tempo dance performed to music which is sung and accompanied by castanets and guitars.
In the United States, Bolero combines the patterns of Rumba, with the rise and fall technique and character of Waltz and Foxtrot. The music is 4/4 time, and is danced to the slowest rhythms of the Latin ballroom.
Frederic Chopin wrote a bolero for solo piano, and Maurice Ravel's Bolero is one of his most famous works, originally written as a ballet score but now usually played as a concert piece. Additional good choices are "Emotion" by Destiny's Child, and "Con Los Años Que Me Quedan" by Glorai Estefan.
The term cha-cha comes from Haiti, where it referred to a component of a bell-type instrument which made a "cha-cha" noise when it was rubbed.
The music of cha-cha-cha, however, evolved from mambo. In the late 1940s, mambo was wildly popular across the United States, but it was very fast and difficult to dance to. Orchestras slowed down the mambo, and cha-cha-cha was the result.
Although a Latin dance, Cha-Cha can be danced to both Latin and non-Latin music, and is oftentimes done to music which is played for West Coast Swing dancers. "Light My Fire" by Shirley Bassey or "Smooth" by Carlos Santana would be examples of such songs.
The more traditional "El Diablo Anda Suelto" by Rey Ruiz or "Cama y Mesa" by Orquesta la Palabra would also be great choices.
Suitable contemporary music would include "Yellow Polka Dot Bikini" by Brian Highland, "Just Dance" by Lady GaGa, and "Oye Como Va" by Carlos Santana.
Mambo is a Latin dance originating in Cuba. In 4/4 time the Mambo resembles a fast paced Rumba. The music was invented during the 1930s in Havana but it moved quickly to Mexico and beyond. It had a huge following during the 40's and 50's in the United States, particularly in Miami. Salsa later took over its crown, but Mambo still has a draw for many.
The name is thought to derive from the American-Spanish "mamboo", a wooden cane percussion instrument.
Tito Puente has long been the Mambo king, and much of his music is ideal for this great Latin dance.
Merengue is a type of lively, joyful music and dance that comes from the Dominican Republic. Meaning whipped egg whites and sugar, just as it does in the English language, it likely was named this because of its frothy, whipped-up feeling. It was promoted by Rafael Trujillo, the Dominican Republic president in the 1930s, and became the country's national music and dance style.
Merengue is very popular in Latin dance clubs throughout the United States and is danced to very fast music: music too fast for Salsa.
World famous Merengue singers include Juan Luis Guerra, Wilfrido Vargas, Johnny Ventura, Fernando Villalona, Cuco Valoy, The Freddie Kenton Orquestra and Conjunto Quisqueya. Other artists popular in the Dominican Republic as of 2004 include Krispy, Tono Rosario, and Tulile.
The literal meaning in Spanish of "paso doble" is "double-step". Paso Doble is an International style competition dance, not typically danced socially, with its origins in Spain and Portugal. It has a march-like style, and is danced almost exclusively to the music typically played in bullfights — during the bullfighters' entrance to the ring (paseo) or during the passes (faena) just before the kill. It is very dramatic dance, with a heavy flamenco influence, and mirrors the drama and excitement of the bullfight, with the leader dancing as the matador while the follower dances alternately as the bull and as the cape.
"España Cañi" by Hugo Montenegro is the most reconizable tune for Paso Doble. Also try "Malaguena" by Edmundo Ros.
Sometimes called the grandfather of the Latin dances, the Rumba traces its origins to African-Cuban rural dances which emphasized the movements of the body rather than the feet. First seen in the United States around 1920, its unique styling and unusual musical rhythms immediately captured the fancy of ballroom dance enthusiasts.
The Rumba is a slow, sensuous, romantic dance with much flirtation, relying on the age-old premise of the lady trying to conquer the gentleman by means of her womanly charms. On a slow beat the woman tries to impress and challenge the man, while the man tries to impress the woman to let her know he's interested. It is considered the most sensual of the Latin dances, "the dance of love", because of the interaction, emotion and the soft rhythm between the partners.
Though classified as a Latin dance it is often danced to non-Latin music like "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green and "Careless Whisper" by George Michael, as well as lovely Latin pieces such as "Cuando Pienso En Ti" by Jose Feliciano.
The spicy Salsa is one of today's hottest club dances, with mass followings all over the world. There are Salsa dance clubs in most major cities, and it is a great place to for beginners to introduce themselves to the exciting world of Latin music and dance.
Salsa has many roots and emerged as a blending of many Latin and Afro-Caribbean dances, eventually taking on its own unique flavor through a blend of Cuban and Puerto Rican music that emerged from immigrants in New York. The word "salsa" refers to a spicy sauce and it is a perfect metaphor for this lively dance.
Try Willie Bobo's "Piccadillo" or "Otra Oportunidad" by Jimmy Bosch for a great Salsa groove.
Samba originated on Brazilian plantations where African rhythms mixed with European music. It was a lively, rhythmical dance with rapidly moving hips and quick transfers of weight. The Samba music rhythm has been danced in Brazil since its inception in the late 19th century. There is actually a set of dances, rather than a single dance, that define the Samba dancing scene in Brazil; thus, no one dance can be claimed with certainty as the "original" Samba style.
Today, in Brazil, the Samba is a solo dance danced at Carnival. But for ballroom dancers, Samba is a partner dance characterized by a bounce and rolling hip action, with little to no resemblance to its Brazilian roots. Ballroom Samba typically travels around the room, but when danced socially the traveling patterns are frequently omitted, the steps become smaller, the style more relaxed, and it is instead danced mostly as a spot dance.
For some great contemporary-sounding American Sambas, check out "Macarena" and "Sexo" by Los Del Mar, "Bailamos" and "Rhythm Divine" by Enrique Iglesias, "Shake Your Bon-Bon" by Ricky Martin, "Whenever, Wherever" by Shakira, "Can't Touch It" by Ricki-Lee, and the surprising "I Wanna Be Like You" by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.
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Vanora Bennett
Vanora Bennett’s fascination with Russia, which became an obsession, began at the age of three when she invented an “imaginary friend” with a Slavic-sounding name. She learnt Russian at school and later improved it at a language course in Leningrad. When she joined Reuters as a graduate trainee journalist “it was Moscow or bust”. But her postings were to Paris, south east Asia, southern Africa and the Balkans before she finally reached Reuters’ Moscow bureau. “I had the most exciting four years of my life,” she said. After leaving in 1996 she worked briefly as the Los Angeles Times Moscow correspondent and a leader writer at The Times and won two journalism awards. She has published two non-fiction books on Russia and six novels. The novels, which she says started off properly English, have ended up being about Russians. As extra thorough research for a recent one, set among violin makers during the Russian revolution, she made a violin. She brought it - inscribed Vanorissima, Cambridge 2013 - for Society members to see (photo) but did not play. The obsession, which she cannot shake off, continues. One of her next books will include a volume to coincide with the centenary of the 1917 revolution. ■
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Eric Hutchinson voted very strongly for tighter means testing of family payments
How Eric Hutchinson voted compared to someone who believes that the federal government should target family payments to low and moderate income households, to the exclusion of higher income households.
2nd Sep 2014 – Representatives Minerals Resource Rent Tax Repeal and Other Measures Bill 2014 - Consideration of Senate Message - Agree to the amendments
The majority voted in favour of a motion to agree to the amendments made in the Senate,(Read more about the amendments here. ) which means that the bill will now become law. This is because the Senate had agreed to the bill, subject to their amendments being accepted by the House of Representatives, which had previously agreed to the bill.(Read more about the stages that a bill must pass through to become law here. )
This bill was introduced following the Minerals Resource Rent Tax Repeal and Other Measures Bill 2013 (No. 2) being laid aside because it could not "be progressed in its current form".(Read more about this bill being set aside here. The division which resulted in that bill being laid aside is available here. )
This bill repeals the Minerals Resource Rent Tax as well as related measures such as the low income superannuation contribution, the income support bonus and the schoolkids bonus. The bill also revises the capital allowances for small business entities and the superannuation guarantee charge percentage increase.(Read more about the changes made in the bill in the explanatory memorandum. ) Under the previous Labor government, the superannuation was set to increase to 12 per cent by 2019 (as of 1 July 2014, it is at 9.5 per cent).(Read more about superannuation in Australia here.) However, this bill will push that rise up until 1 July 2025.
Yes Yes Passed by a small majority
1st Sep 2014, 1:59 PM – Representatives Minerals Resource Rent Tax Repeal and Other Measures Bill 2014 — Third Reading — Read a third time
The majority voted in favour of a motion to read the bill for a third time.(Read more about the stages that a bill must pass through to become law here. ) This means that the bill is passed in the House of Representatives and that it will now be sent to the Senate for their consideration.
1st Sep 2014, 1:52 PM – Representatives Minerals Resource Rent Tax Repeal and Other Measures Bill 2014 — Consideration in Detail — Agree to the bill
The majority voted in favour of a motion to agree to the bill.(Read more about the stages that a bill must pass through to become law here. ) This means that the majority agreed with the bill and that the House of Representatives can now decide on whether to read the bill for a third time and therefore pass it in the House.
1st Sep 2014, 1:27 PM – Representatives Minerals Resource Rent Tax Repeal and Other Measures Bill 2014 — Second Reading — Read a second time
The majority voted in favour of a motion to read the bill for a second time.(Read more about the stages that a bill must pass through to become law here. ) This means that the majority agreed with the main idea of the bill and that the House can now discuss it in more detail.
24th Jun 2014, 10:07 PM – Representatives Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (2014 Budget Measures No. 1) Bill 2014 and related bill - Third Reading - Read a third time
The majority voted in favour of a motion to read these bills a third time.(Read more about the stages that a bill must pass through to become law here. ) This means that the majority agree with the bills and want to pass them in the House of Representatives. The bills will now be sent to the Senate for their consideration.
Background to the bills
The Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (2014 Budget Measures No. 1) Bill 2014 and the Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (2014 Budget Measures No. 2) Bill 2014 were introduced to implement a number of budget measures. These measures include pausing indexation on certain government payments, ceasing certain payments and changing the requirements for certain payments.(Read about these changes in more detail in the explanatory memorandum for the former bill (2014 Budget Measures No. 1) here and latter bill (2014 Budget Measures No. 2) here. )
Although several of these welfare measure were to become effective from 1 July 2014, Social Services Minister Kevin Andrews has said that it is unlikely that they will pass through Parliament by then.(See ABC News for more information.) In the meantime, the government payments will continue unchanged.
24th Jun 2014, 10:03 PM – Representatives Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (2014 Budget Measures No. 1) Bill 2014 and related bill - Consideration in Detail - Agree to the bills
The majority voted in favour of a motion to agree to the bills.(Read more about the stages that a bill must pass through to become law here. ) This means that the majority agree with the bills as they stand during the consideration in detail stage and will now decide whether to read them for a third time and therefore pass them in the House of Representatives.
24th Jun 2014, 9:13 PM – Representatives Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (2014 Budget Measures No. 1) Bill 2014 and related bill - Second Reading - Read a second time
The majority voted in favour of a motion to read these bills a second time.(Read more about the stages that a bill must pass through to become law here. ) This means that the majority agree with the main idea of the bills and that the House will not discuss them in more detail.
MP voted with policy 7 70 70
Agreement score = MP's points / total points = 70 / 70 = 100%.
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January 5,
The Cuba Five. Kingsmill Massacre. Death of Tip O’Neill.
January 5: TODAY IN IRISH HISTORY (published by IrishmanSpeaks)
1871: British authorities release over thirty Fenian prisoners including John Devoy and Jeremiah O’Donovan Rossa. The conditional amnesty of 1871 required those released not to return to Ireland for the term of their respective sentences for treason. Devoy, O’Donovan Rossa and three others: Charles Underwood O’Connell, Henry Mulleda, and John McClure boarded the S.S. Cuba bound for New York where the “Cuba Five” were greeted as heroes by their Irish brethern.
The Cuba Five: Devoy, O'Connell, Mulleda, Rossa, McClure
1976: The Kingsmill Massacre. 10 Protestent men are shot dead returning home in a mini-bus from a textile factory in Bessbrook. The attack took place near the village of Kingsmill, carried out by a group calling itself the South Armagh Republican Action Force, almost certainly consisting of Provisional IRA members. The men were targeted purely because of their religion and in retaliation for the murders of six Catholics by the UVF the previous day.
1994: Thomas “Tip” O’Neill, former speaker of the house dies. Along with Ted Kennedy, he was one of the last truly liberal politicians in Washington and like Kennedy, a great fried of Ireland. On his death, Senator Bob Dole, often an arch critic of O’Neill said of the gregarious Massachusetts representative certainly will go down in history as one of the great political leaders of our time.”
Born to Catholic parents of Irish descent (Mallow, Co. Cork) in a working class area of Cambridge, he first became active in politics when working for the failed presidential election campaign of Al Smith, (the first Catholic to seek that office) in 1928. “All I knew was that Al Smith was an Irish Catholic and we had been suppressed all our lives,” he said. O’Neill succeeded John Fitzgerald Kennedy to what was then the 11th Congressional District, when Kennedy became Senator in 1953.
O’Neill regularly butted heads with fellow Irish-American pol Ronald Reagan. “I never forgot from where I came. He kind of forgot,” O’Neill wrote, but they were also amiable acquaintances. “Until six o’clock, I was the enemy and he never let me forget it,” wrote Reagan in An American Life. A strong supporter of John Hume he worked with Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Ted Kennedy and Governor Hugh Carey to reduce US funding for IRA activities in Northern Ireland and helped build a bipartisan peace process.
Friends & Enemies: Reagan and Tip O'Neill
O’Neill’s autobiography written with William Novak Man of the House is a fine read on American politics and its characters.
Editor of Today in Irish History, Conor Cunneen is just the 63rd person in the history of Toastmasters International to be awarded Accredited Speaker designation. As a Chicago based professional speaker, this Irishman’s client base ranges from Harley-Davidson to Helsinki, from Memphis to Madrid as he Energizes, Educates and Entertains his audience to grow their business, people, teamwork and productivity. Here is a clip of Conor speaking about the importance of vision that might just get you thinking (and laughing) as we move into the New Year.
This history is written by Irish author, business keynote speaker and award winning humorist IrishmanSpeaks – Conor Cunneen. Conor Cunneen is just the 63rd person in the history of Toastmasters International to be awarded Accredited Speaker designation. If you spot any inaccuracies in these posts or wish to make a comment, please don’t hesitate to contact us via the comment button.
Visit Conor’s YouTube channel IrishmanSpeaksto Laugh and Learn. Tags: Best Irish Gift, Creative Irish Gift, Unique Irish Gifts, Irish Books, Irish Authors, Today in Irish History. Toastmasters Accredited Speaker Program.
Posted in Today in Irish History | 4 Comments »
Tags: Chicago Motivational Speaker, john devoy, Kingsmill massacre, o'donovan rossa, ronald reagan, the cuba five john devoy, tip o'neill, toastmaster accredited speaker
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Donald Trump says AMERICA to plant flag on Mars.
President Donald Trump has promised the United States would soon again send men to the moon, and go beyond to “plant the American flag on Mars.”
He made the promise Thursday in a rousing speech marking the 243rd July 4 Independence anniversary.
He sang the praises of the US military and American heroes of the past two and a half centuries, skirting politics as expected by critics.
“What a great country,” Trump exclaimed in an address saturated with patriotism and exceptionalism, after critics accused him of hijacking the annual celebration.
“For Americans, nothing is impossible,” he said.
Combat aircraft, including the rarely-seen B2 stealth bomber, flew overhead as Trump scrolled through myriad events of US history, from groundbreaking inventions to battlefield victories. He drew cheers of “USA! USA!” from an enthusiastic rain-soaked audience of tens of thousands on the National Mall in Washington.
“We will always be the people who defeated a tyrant, crossed a continent, harnessed science, took to the skies, and soared into the heavens, because we will never forget that we are Americans, and the future belongs to us.”
Trump spoke in front of a massive statue of a seated Abraham Lincoln, the heroic 19th century president, where civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr gave his “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963.
Trump used the traditionally politics-free holiday to deliver shoutouts to each arm of the military, as well as singling out first responders and the controversial Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement agencies that have been criticised for their treatment of migrants.
But he disappointed critics who had warned that Trump, the first president in decades to make a keynote speech on the July 4 holiday, was hijacking the celebration to bolster his own political standing and attack Democratic rivals.
Instead, in a trickling rain, he uncharacteristically avoided talking about himself and his political detractors. He repeatedly ascribed a singular greatness to the country, declaring it “the most exceptional nation in the history of the world.”
“Today, we come together as one nation with this very special Salute to America. We celebrate our history, our people, and the heroes who proudly defend our flag — the brave men and women of the United States military!” he said.
“Our nation is stronger today than it ever was before. It is its strongest now,” he said.
The July 4 celebrations usually draw hundreds of thousands of people to the National Mall for picnics and twilight fireworks, and dousings from thunderstorms did not keep away either Trump’s supporters — wearing red caps — nor protesters.
Tags: Donald Trump, MARS, United States
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Implement your commitments: BASIC Ministers to Developed world
Developed countries should implement their commitments developing countries on climate change in accordance with their historical responsibilities: BASIC Minister
the Joint Statement issued at the 18th BASIC Ministerial Meeting on Climate Change held in New Delhi, India on 7-8 August 2014 asked the Developed countries should implement their commitments developing countries on climate change in accordance with their historical responsibilities . The meeting was attended by H.E Mr. Prakash Javadekar, Minister of State (IC) of Environment, Forests and Climate Change of India, H.E. Ms. Edna Molewa, Minister of Environmental Affairs of South Africa, H.E. Mr. Xie Zhenhua, Vice Chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission of China and H.E. Dr. Francisco Gaetani, Deputy Minister of Environment of Brazil.
The Ministers emphasized that the developed countries should take the lead in addressing climate change in accordance with their historical responsibilities, the latest available scientific evidence on climate change trends and the IPCC AR5. They urged developed countries to implement their commitments under the Convention towards developing countries for provision of finance, technology and capacity-building support and highlighted the importance and relevance of Article 4.7 of the Convention in this regard.
They also underscored the need for finalization of the elements for a draft negotiating text for the 2015 outcome by the COP in Lima. They reiterated that the six core elements for the 2015 outcome have been identified in paragraph 5 of decision 1/CP.17 and that these should be addressed in a balanced and comprehensive manner through an open and transparent, inclusive, party-driven and consensus-building process.
Despite the massive scale of development challenges still faced by them, the governments of all BASIC countries are undertaking extensive and ambitious voluntary mitigation actions to pursue low carbon pathways including through the development and deployment of renewable energy, improving energy efficiency through improved technologies, REDD+, etc. It was noted.
The Ministers stressed that the 2015 outcome to be adopted at the COP in Paris should be comprehensive, balanced, equitable and fair in order to enhance the full, effective and sustained implementation of the Convention. The Ministers affirmed that the BASIC countries are ready and willing to play their part in this process and extended their full support to the Government of Peru for a successful COP in Lima, which would be central to the 2015 outcome. They also stressed their full support to the Government of Venezuela for the Pre-COP to be held this year.
The Ministers reaffirmed that the process and outcome of the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP) must be in full accordance with all the principles, provisions and structure of the Convention, in particular the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.
The Ministers also stressed that in accordance with the Convention principle of differentiation, the commitments of the developed countries to be included in the INDCs should be quantified economy-wide emission reduction targets for mitigation and provision of finance, technology development and transfer as well as capacity building support to developing countries for their mitigation and adaptation actions. They reiterated that the INDCs of developing countries will be in the context of their social and development needs and will also be premised on the extent of financial, technological and capacity-building support provided by developed countries.
The Ministers reiterated that the Kyoto Protocol remains the essential and legally binding basis for addressing pre-2020 mitigation ambition and called for the expeditious ratification of the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol and emphasized the importance of revisiting and significantly increasing ambition of QELROs in 2014 and in line with what is required by science, and comparable pledges in the same timeframe by those Annex I Parties, who have not participated in the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol till now. The Ministers expressed their serious concern on the low level of mitigation ambition of developed countries and called for necessary arrangements to be made for the 2014 Revisit for increasing the emission reduction targets by all developed country parties.
The Ministers noted with concern that the pre-2020 ambition gaps exist not only in mitigation but also in adaptation and finance, technology and capacity-building support to developing countries. They reiterated that the contribution of developing countries to mitigation efforts is far greater than that of developed countries and could be further enhanced if developed countries effectively implement and significantly increase their commitments of providing finance, technology and capacity building support to developing countries.
The Ministers underscored the importance of adaptation measures required to address the impacts of climate change, especially for the developing countries, which requires international support from developed countries on issues relating to risk reduction, management and resilience. They drew attention to the fact that since climate change impacts are global in nature, adaptation measures required also need an international response. The Ministers welcomed the Warsaw COP decision on setting up a Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage.
The Ministers expressed disappointment over the continued lack of any clear roadmap for providing US$ 100 billion per year by developed countries by 2020. They urged developed countries to honour their obligations to provide new, additional and predictable financial support to developing countries in a measurable, reportable and verifiable manner. They reiterated that public financial sources should be the mainstay of climate finance and that private finances could only be expected to play a supplementary role.
The Ministers reaffirmed the importance of multilateralism in addressing climate change in accordance with the principles and provisions of the Convention and reiterated their strong opposition to any unilateral measures such as in aviation or shipping.
The Ministers welcomed the Outcome Document of the Santa Cruz Summit of the Group of 77 and China held in June 2014 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Group. They noted the achievements of the Group, in articulating the concerns and interests of the developing countries in various fora , including the UNFCCC, over the last five decades and expressed the confidence that the Group will continue to work for an equitable and successful outcome in Paris. In this regard, the Ministers extended their full support to Bolivia during its current Chairmanship of the Group of 77 and China.
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LQ La Quinta Inn & Suites Trademark Details
Lq La Quinta Inn & Suites was registered on Tuesday, December 7, 1999 and is currently owned by La Quinta Worldwide, LLC under the registration number 2298693 . This mark is alive with a status of Registered and Renewed. The last case file activity for this mark occured 11 years ago on Friday, July 17, 2009, according to the United State Patent & Trademark Office
Lq La Quinta Inn & Suites
La Quinta Worldwide, LLC of New York, NY
View all trademarks for La Quinta Worldwide, LLC
Other Trademarks for La Quinta Worldwide, LLC
La Quinta Inns, Inc. of Needham, MA
View all trademarks for La Quinta Inns, Inc.
Other Trademarks for La Quinta Inns, Inc.
Kay Lyn Schwartz
Gardere Wynne Sewell LLP
1601 Elm Street, Suite 3000
Statement(s): Column 2, "Registration limited to hotel and motel services, except within a 37-mile radius around the main lobby of the La Quinta Resort and Club in La Quinta, California, but excluding the areas within the city limits of Twenty Nine Palms, Banning, and San Jacinto, California (the "Excluded Cities"). The exclusion of the area within the city limits of the Excluded Cities shall encompass changes to such city limits (enlargement or diminishment) as such changes may occur over time. The area will always be deemed to include the premises of the existing La Quinta Resort & Club in La Quinta, California, even if those premises would otherwise fall outside the definition due to expansion of the Excluded Cities. Pursuant to decree of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Case No. 03-9577DSF (SSx), filed January 24, 2005. Concurrent registration with Registration No's 2147965, 2342039, 2397149 and Serial No. 78280589." Is inserted.
Disclaimer with Predetermined Text
"Inn & Suites"
Hotel and Motel Services
Order Restricting Scope or Claim of Registration
Registration limited to hotel and motel services, except within a 37-mile radius around the main lobby of the La Quinta Resort and Club in La Quinta, California, but excluding the areas within the city limits of Twenty Nine Palms, Banning, and San Jacinto, California (the "Excluded Cities"). The exclusion of the area within the city limits of the Excluded Cities shall encompass changes to such city limits (enlargement or diminishment) as such changes may occur over time. The area will always be deemed to include the premises of the existing La Quinta Resort & Club in La Quinta, California, even if those premises would otherwise fall outside the definition due to expansion of the Excluded Cities. Pursuant to decree of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Case No. 03-9577DSF (SSx), filed January 24, 2005. Concurrent registration with Registration No's 2147965, 2342039, 2397149 and Serial No. 78280589.
Translation of Words in Mark
An English translation of "LA QUINTA" is "country house".
042 — Class 42 includes mainly services provided by persons, individually or collectively, in relation to the theoretical and practical aspects of complex fields of activities; such services are provided by members of professions such as chemists, physicists, engineers, computer programmers, etc.
Examiner's Amendment Mailed
Approved For Pub - Principal Register
Notice of Publication
Published For Opposition
Noa Mailed - Sou Required From Applicant
Use Amendment Filed
Statement of Use Processing Complete
Allowed Principal Register - Sou Accepted
Registered-Principal Register
Registered - Sec. 8 (6-Yr) Filed
Paper Received
Registered - Sec. 8 (6-Yr) Accepted
Assigned To Paralegal
Concurrent Use Proc. Instituted No. 999999
Concurrent Use Dissolved
Ttab Release Case To Trademarks
Concurrent Use Terminated No. 999999
Notice of Design Search Code Mailed
Attorney Revoked And/or Appointed
Teas Revoke/appoint Attorney Received
Applicant/correspondence Changes (non-Responsive) Entered
Teas Change of Owner Address Received
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4-5 September
Finolab
Hiroyasu Hirayama
P05 technologies, Inc.
Hiroyasu Hirayama, CEO, P05 Technologies, Inc.
Hiroyasu works as a CEO for P05 Technologies, Inc. After having worked as head of FX at Deutsche Bank, BNP Paribas, RBS and RBC., he set up Subak Technologies Inc., where he developed credit scoring models based on machine learning algorithms.
Daigo Honda
Linea Co., Ltd
Daigo Honda is the manager of the Mathematical Engineering Group in Linea Co., Ltd., where he has been responsible for the products utilizing financial engineering and machine learning. Since he joined the company in 2014, he developed and managed solutions in the following fields: pricing and risk measurement of derivatives and structured products, credit risk modeling utilizing machine learning, behavioral option modeling of core deposits and loan prepayment, etc. He holds a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from the University of Tokyo.
Fumio Ishizaki
chief researcher
AI Finance Application Research Institute
Fumio Ishizaki is the Chief Researcher for AI Finance Application Research Institute. He worked at universities for more than twenty years. He has published papers in the area of applied probability, communication networks and so on. He received Dr. Eng. from Kyoto University.
Shunsuke Ohkoda
Linea Co., Ltd.
Shunsuke Ohkoda is the Chief Engineer for Linea. Co., Ltd. He has engaged in application development using financial engineering, and AI projects in finance since he joined the company in 2015. Recently he has been responsible for research and development of earnings forecast modeling and economic network analysis with machine learning and AI.
He holds a Doctor’s Degree in theoretical physics from the University of Osaka.
Yutaka Sakurai
Director-general
Yutaka Sakurai is data science and AI expert with a strong background in Financial theory and practice. After more than twenty years' experience of fund manager, trader and quant in Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi and Sony Bank, he became a managing director of Research and Pricing Technology Inc. in 2010. He started AI Finance Application Research Institute in 2017. He published a number of books on Finance and AI.
Makoto Shibata
Head of FINOLAB, Chief Community Officer
Mr. Shibata is currently in charge of FINOLAB community operation. In his former position at The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, he was leading R&D initiatives in emerging technology and online/mobile financial service. He also held positions in corporate planning, accounting, corporate finance and retail customer services at the bank. He is one of the founders of FINOVATORS and Executive Fellow at Japan Digital Design. He holds a Bachelor of Economics from University of Tokyo and a Master of Science in Development Economics from University of Oxford.
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Top Things To Do In New Delhi, India
March 6, 2020 June 30, 2020 by Megan Jones
I spent 3 weeks exploring New Delhi, India and had so many amazing adventures. Here are some top picks for if you have 1 day to see the best that New Delhi has to offer. From temples to shopping, there’s so much to do.
Also check out my post for the Top Things To Do In Old Delhi for more inspiration.
Sightseeing In New Delhi
Today was my second day in India and day 2 of our orientation week. The plan for today was to head out into New Delhi and see as many of the sights as we could. I was really excited to finally get out and explore!
We had a quick breakfast at our homestay before setting off for the day – it was a savoury pancake type thing and tasted delicious (as did all the food here). We then set off from our new home in a little minibus where we drove around New Delhi to see the famous sights.
The first stop was Qutub Minar. The Qutub complex is a historical site that contains many monuments and buildings that were originally built in the Delhi Sultanate (an Islamic empire based in Delhi between 1206 and 1526). One of the main points of interest is an enormous tower called the Qutub Minar. The site is pretty old and the Qutub Minar was actually completed in 1368! This victory tower was magnificent to look at and as you got up close to it, you realised how tall it actually was (73 metres).
All around this grand tower was many other interesting things to look at, a lot of it in ruins. This included the ruins of a mosque that was originally built after destroying 27 Hindu and Jain temples and the pillars from the original temples were actually used to build the mosque.
One other structure that I found particularly interesting was the Alai Minar. This was originally supposed to be a huge tower, at least twice the size of the Qutub Minar however construction stopped very early on so all that was built was a mound of rubble. As you get up close to a lot of the monuments here, you can see they are decorated with intricate inscriptions.
Our guide around New Delhi was Mohit, a lovely Indian man who told us so many stories of his life in India (some heart-warming and some heartbreaking). One of the first things he told us was that when an Indian person says they’ll be 10 minutes, they usually mean 20 minutes. It seemed to be some sort of joke that everyone was late in India, so when Mohit told us to meet him back at the coach in 1 hour, we arrived 10 minutes late. This was mainly due to the site being so interesting that we wanted to see more of it, but as we arrived back at the coach everyone seemed to be waiting for us so I guess not everyone is always late!
This was my first big public outing in India and as we walked around the sites, lots of people started coming up and asking to take a photo with me. I was getting used to the constant stares but being asked for photos made me feel like some sort of celebrity! As we walked around Qutub Minar, I took a photo with a large family of around 10 people who were all so excited to meet me and later on a man asked if I’d take a photo with his wife and she excitedly put her arm around me for a photo. I’m not sure what it was they found so interesting – probably my blonde hair and blue eyes.
Next we took the coach to Humayun’s tomb, as the name suggests, this is a tomb built for the Mughal emperor named Humayun. It was built by his wife who had been so distraught following his death that she wanted to build the most magnificent memorial for him by the Yamuna River in Delhi.
The tomb itself is a magnificent building, built of red sandstone. It stands in the centre of a spacious garden, dotted with palm trees, fountains and other notable buildings. The gardens were divided up into many sections with pathways connecting them all, you could have spent hours exploring the site.
Mohit told us that his building, completed in 1572, was actually the inspiration behind the Taj Mahal. The more I looked at it, the more I saw the similarities in the designs. The alluring architecture of these buildings was so compelling and I really enjoyed seeing them.
You could also climb up a steep staircase at the foot of the tomb and walk upon the 2nd floor of the building – it was definitely worth the walk as you got an epic view of the surrounding gardens and could see far into the distance. From above, you could see that the gardens were very symmetrical and had been divided into equal squares.
After exploring Humayun’s tomb, we jumped back onto the bus and ate the packed lunch we’d been given in the morning. At our homestay, there was a man that worked there as a cook and he made the most delicious food. Today he prepared us some chapatti wrapped up in foil alongside a delicious curry – I have no idea what was in it, all I know is that it was one of the tastiest things I ate on the trip.
The next stop was something I’d been quite excited about visiting after reading about it online. This was the Lotus Temple. We arrived and parked up the coach in the car park. At this point, we could only see the temple in the distance and had to walk along a lengthy path, leading up to the temple itself.
The Lotus Temple was shaped as the name suggests – like a lotus flower. It was comprised of many colossal marble petals that pointed upwards towards the sky. The building itself was so striking, the way that the petals glimmered in the sunlight was just beautiful. The temple was also surrounded by a number of radiant blue pools.
I also found the concept of the temple to be very intriguing. It is a Baháʼí House of Worship which means that it’s doors are open to anyone of any religion to come and worship. I found this idea to be really progressive and welcoming – the idea that many different people with different beliefs can all come to one place to worship was quite heart-warming.
When we got close to the temple, it loomed over us and once again I was captivated by the sheer enormity of it! We had to take our shoes off as we drew closer and leave them outside. Before entering the temple, we had to queue in single file and wait to enter. The queue wove around one of the blue pools which stood beside the temple itself.
After a short while, we finally entered. It was quiet inside and as people entered they filled up the rows of seats within. We sat for a while inside the temple, soaking up the atmosphere. Most people seemed to be silent, in thought, however one woman sat in the row in front of us decided she wanted to take a photo of me. It was actually quite funny watching her pretending to take a selfie but actually holding her phone to the side, trying to get me in it, no doubt to show her family later. It did feel a little odd.
As we left the temple, again I seemed to be getting a lot of attention. Lot’s of people started taking photos of me and staring. I was getting used to it by now and I did ask Mohit about it when we were waiting for the others to come out of the temple. Mohit said it was because of my blonde hair, he also told me that apparently I was the whitest person in India which made me laugh. He then told me to stand right next to him because nobody would bother me if I stood with him. Unfortunately, he was wrong as 2 minutes later a teenage boy came up to us to ask me to take a photo with him.
After leaving the temple, we were taken to an emporium. I was really impressed when we arrived as it was so luxurious and much posher than I’d expected. They had so many elegant items that were hard to resist – dresses, sarees, lehengas, scarves etc. The store was filled with rich colours and everything was bedazzled with glittering gems and jewels or decorated with intricate designs.
We sat down in the middle of the store on one of the long sofas and the staff began to pull down exquisite materials from the shelves. There seemed to be an endless supply of designs and the shelves were stacked from floor to ceiling with various vivid colours.
After leaving the emporium, we begged Mohit to take us to a mall as we just were not ready to go home yet. He agreed and took us to the Crown Interiors mall, close to our homestay.
I was fascinated by the mall as it was the opposite of what I had expected. It was extremely modern, clean and bright. It felt like I’d just stepped into an American movie and I even started to see chains that I recognised for the first time in India – McDonalds, Domino’s, Dunkin Donuts and more. After seeing the streets of New Delhi and visiting the makeshift, authentic markets that were a bit chaotic, it was really surprising to see an impeccable mall where everything was neatly arranged.
After slurping some drinks and eating some ice cream, we headed home and ate dinner – even after snacking at the mall, there’s always room for curry, right? This time it was chapatti with a butternut squash curry and, as usual, it was totally delicious.
Click here to read about the time I went to an Indian cinema to watch a Bollywood movie completely in Hindi!
Getting Henna in India and Going To A Night Market For The First Time
Travelling to New Delhi, India: My Experience
Seeing A Bollywood Movie In India As A Foreigner
india new delhi travel
3 thoughts on “Top Things To Do In New Delhi, India”
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Jeju Air and Sabre Corporation affirm long-term relationship as the carrier ramps up route resumption
Sabre Corporation has announced the renewal of its long-term distribution partnership with Korea’s largest Low Cost Carrier (LCC), Jeju Air. The renewed agreement means that Sabre will continue to distribute Jeju Air’s content to hundreds of thousands of travel agents, and the travelers they serve, through its extensive, worldwide travel marketplace.
Jeju Air typically operates scheduled domestic services between cities across South Korea as well as between Seoul and international destinations including Japan, China, Russia, the Mariana Islands, and a number of key destinations across Southeast Asia. Distributing its air content through Sabre’s Global Distribution System (GDS) will remain an important part of the carrier’s distribution strategy as the travel industry continues to strategize for recovery and growth amid the current pandemic.
“Jeju Air is a long-standing and valued Sabre customer and we’re thrilled they have affirmed our long-term relationship with this latest renewal,” said Rakesh Narayanan, Vice President, Regional General Manager, Asia Pacific, Travel Solutions Airline Sales. “As the industry continues to deal with the impact of Covid-19, it is clear that LCC’s are playing a vital role in the recovery of the travel ecosystem, and we’re pleased to be able to support Jeju in its strategic aims. This latest renewal is testament to Jeju’s confidence in Sabre’s extensive distribution network and to our shared resilience and commitment to driving recovery in the South Korean market and beyond.”
“We have already seen strong recovery in South Korea’s domestic market aided by our position on the world’s top domestic route from Seoul to Jeju Island and have re-commenced flights to other key markets,” said MyungSub Yoo, Managing Director, Commercial Division, Jeju Air. “We know that old patterns in passenger preferences and behaviors are likely to continue to change and we needed the right travel technology partner to provide the intuitive solutions needed so we can adapt and grow. Continuing to be part of Sabre’s GDS will enable us to grow reach, target new geographic markets and reach high yield customers as we ramp back up to previous levels while preparing for the new post-COVID-19 new normal by planning our return to large-scale operations.”
Daredevil completes heart-stopping high-wire walk across Ala Moana Hotel towers
Daredevil completes heart-stopping high-wire walk across Ala Moana Hotel towers World-renown high-wire walker, Blake Wallenda, from The Flying Wallendas family, made history on 17 February when he completed a skywalk between two […]
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Rebuke of Trump’s Census Plan Gives Immigration Activists Hope
Activists look on during a press conference to announce a multi-state lawsuit to block the Trump administration from adding a question about citizenship to the 2020 Census form, at the headquarters of District Council 37, New York City's largest public employee union, April 3, 2018, in New York City.
Drew Angerer / Getty Images
Marisa Franco,
Concrete, steel or transparent barriers — President Trump doesn’t care how the wall is built, as long as he can continue to build walls on the US-Mexico border and between Americans. Now his attempt to build a wall around the immigrant community that already resides within the country is backfiring as a New York federal judge shot down his proposed citizenship question for the 2020 census.
By seeking to deter undocumented immigrants from participating, the Trump administration is rigging the census in a blatant attempt to gerrymander districts to support his racist, anti-woman, anti-LGBTQ vision of the United States. The citizenship question — which is still to be considered by the Supreme Court in February — is also a signal to immigrants that they are being watched, tracked and hunted. Borrowing from war tactics used throughout the centuries, the Trump administration’s proposed citizenship question is an insidious attempt to encircle and isolate immigrants, walling them off from the support of their neighbors and larger community.
The census is just one of many battlefronts. The Trump administration is continuing its march on communities of color through a barrage of racist policies and tactics designed to inspire fear and treat Black and Latinx communities as criminals. Indeed, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s adoption of a zero tolerance approach through Operation Streamline provides the administration cover to criminally prosecute migrants en mass — trying up to 70 people at one time.
Get the latest news and thought-provoking analysis from Truthout.
Migrant children, young people and families from Central and South America are doing what any of us would do in life-threatening circumstances. They’re traveling thousands of miles to find themselves denied, torn apart from each other and abused. Indeed, despite preaching to us about “law and order,” the Trump administration is in fact breaking the law by denying entry to asylum seekers. Now, President Trump is holding the country hostage and has threatened to declare a state of emergency in order to circumvent the legal process through which our federal budget is approved.
Through these policies and Trump’s constant attacks on migrants, the administration has pushed Latinx and immigrant communities into a position of fear and panic. For those already wary of strangers knocking on their doors, census workers would be seen as an outright threat rather than as civil servants.
Trump is not upholding the law; he is breaking it. In order to get his way, he is manufacturing a crisis that is impacting millions of people. By urging the US public to turn its back on migrants, refugees, asylum seekers and the Latinx community at large, President Trump is asking the nation to once again betray our stated fundamental values.
Thankfully the New York federal judge’s decision has given us hope that at least, in this one attempt to attack immigrants, the Trump administration may not be successful.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.
Marisa Franco
Marisa Franco is the director and co-founder of Mijente, a digital and grassroots organizing hub for Latinx and Chicanx people. Launched in 2015, Mijente seeks to strengthen and increase the participation of Latinx people in the broader movements for racial, economic, climate and gender justice. Follow the organization on Twitter: @conmijente.
Trump Endangers Democracy by Adding Citizenship Question to 2020 Census
“This administration is now using the census as a weapon against immigrants.”
Jake Johnson,
Immigrant Families Demand to Be Counted on the 2020 Census
We will not retreat to the shadows again.
Yatziri Tovar,
Human Rights Politics & Elections
How the US Census Historically Whitewashes Non-White Populations
We must resist this demographic genocide.
Roberto Rodriguez,
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Tag Archives: muscle
Design Fiction, Graphic Novel
Why are the bodies so perfect in this graphic novel?
November 1, 2012 lghtstrm Leave a comment
Now that the first chapter of the graphic novel is up at Kickstarter, this topic has surfaced a few times in conversation and in critique. “Why are the bodies so beautiful or so developed?” Usually, this kind of commentary is reserved for how women are often depicted in comics as overly voluptuous with images that pander to the stereotypical adolescent male reader. In the case of The Lightstream Chronicles, however there is no discrimination between males and females. All the men are just as muscularly perfected, and their body suits just as tight fitting as their female counterparts.
There is no obesity in the 22nd century, male or female.
There are actually numerous reasons for the choice of body style. First and probably most important is that it is story appropriate. The design fiction future of The Lightstream Chronicles has been built in equal parts, on what exists today, what is projected for tomorrow and then some healthy speculation. How we will behave and what will we wear when everybody has “the perfect body?” According to Barbara Cohen, PhD. (1984), “We are a culture nearly addicted to individual control and the notion seems to exist in our society that fatness means a loss of self-control – which is considered the ultimate moral failure in our culture, and perhaps the most frightening of all fears” (1). In the story narrative, through genetic engineering, and continuous monitoring and augmentation of body chemistry, the society of 2159 has enabled the sculpting of any body shape, musculature, and proportion, (in addition to gene splicing and species blending). Hence, the story contains a visual proliferation of ideal bodies as a direct result of technological advancements in medicine and body design. The plot then, serves to drive body exaggerations in this context and provides the opportunity to examine the perfect body phenomenon in the cultural context of the narrative.
Andrew Curry (2010) examines this idea in The 1910 Time Traveler, asking what a 1910 Edwardian might think of 21st century London. He thinks many of the technologies may well be conceivable. The bigger changes may be in the quality and realism of content, the disappearance of industry and cleaner air. “The bigger changes, though, would almost certainly be about values.” The society is more international, more politically civil, the role of women has changed dramatically, and then there is: “Casualness of dress and social etiquette generally: both Edwardian men and women tended to travel well covered up, even at the beach. In contrast, our informality of clothing, and the casualness of our language – even rudeness – along with the end of most visible signs of etiquette, would be a profound change… But there’s perhaps an underlying story here. When we think about long-term change with the benefit of hindsight, the things we think are unfathomable are usually the technology – planes, cars, computers. But it is at least as likely that the things that time travelers would most struggle with are the shifts in social values, which are almost invisible to us because we swim in them constantly and adapt ourselves to them as they change.”
If an Edwardian would be shocked at a 21st century bikini, I imagine that we would be equally aghast at body suits that show off every detail of the ideal physique.
There is also another, more subtle rationale as homage to the superhero genre. There are two aspects to this objective: 1.Dramatic effect. Comics historian R.C. Harvey (1996,35) calls to mind the name of Burne Hogarth who drew Tarzan for a period in the 1940s. Remarking on Hogarth’s unique and, “minute attention to musculature,” Harvey says, “This treatment gave dramatic emphasis to the actions being depicted: Hogarth’s character, their muscles shown in bold relief, appeared to strain with the effort of their endeavors. The effect was to add a visual intensity to the drama of the narrative” 2. Heightened realism. Detail in anatomy adds visual excitement. In discussing the artwork of comic artist Jack Kirby, Harvey, refers to his realistic style. “Realistic rendering helps make it all seem possible, and Kirby’s skillful deployment of the medium’s resources makes the action so exciting that we overlook the impossibilities. We can’t help concluding that super heroics are possible—but we must add, only in the comics” (40). To aficionados of the classic comic genre, as well as to game enthusiasts (who are certainly targeted consumers of the graphic novel) superhero depictions, with exaggerated anatomy and operatic movement are an expected part of the presentation.
Not that I hold a candle to Jack Kirby, but it’s the thought that counts.
Cohen, Barbara A. Ph.D. (1984). The Psychology of Ideal Body Image as an Oppressive Force in the Lives of Women. Available: http://www.healingthehumanspirit.com/pages/body_img.htm. Last accessed 22 Oct 2012.
Curry, Andrew. http://thenextwavefutures.wordpress.com/2010/09/04/the-1910-time-traveller/
Harvey, Robert C., The Art of the Comic Book: An Aesthetic History. The University Press of Mississippi, 1996.
Burne Hogarthdesign fictionfuturistgenetic engineeringJack KirbykickstartermusclephysiqueR.C. Harveyscience fictionsocial moresThe Lightstream Chronicles
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Posts About "James van Riemsdyk"
Philadelphia Flyers' 3 Worst Contracts for 2020-21
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3 Bold Seattle Expansion Draft Picks From the Eastern Conference
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Van Riemsdyk Scores Twice as Flyers down Senators 5-4 in Shootout
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James van Riemsdyk Scores 2, Flyers Rout Eichel-Less Sabres 6-1
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James van Riemsdyk Scores 2, Flyers Beat Blue Jackets 7-4
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← Are Miley Cyrus And Liam Hemsworth Getting Back Together?
Bud Light Slogan Causes Controversy →
Mariah Carey Shuts Down Reporter
Credit: MorgueFile
Grammy award winning singer Mariah Carey is getting ready to release her greatest hits album “Mariah #1 to Infinity” featuring her new single “Infinity” and all of her 18 number one hits. The singer is also getting ready to start her residency in Las Vegas at The Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace which has hosted stars such as Cher, Celine Dion and Bette Midler. The singer will start her residency on May 6th and so far has scheduled 18 performances through July.
While promoting her shows in Vegas, a reporter asked the singer “As far as vocals, are there going to be any kind of backup tracks? And there was some speculation here in Vegas that’s just required because there’s so much going on onstage.” and the singer quickly fired back saying “I mean, I have so many overlapping parts and background vocalists and background things. There’s always some confusion and something about it, but I mean like, if there’s any confusion they’re welcome to come to my house and sing in the shower with me. It’s not a problem.”
Carey says she is preparing to start working on a new album that has yet to be given a title.
This entry was posted in Blazing Topics, Entertainment, Entertainment News, Music and tagged Ceasar's Palace, Las Vegas, Mariah Carey, Residency. Bookmark the permalink.
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← 2014 Primetime Emmy Nominations
Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin sentenced to 10 years in prison →
Elizabeth Hasselbeck Dishes On Rosie’s Return To “The View”
Everyone knows that Elizabeth Hasselbeck hasn’t been a fan of Rosie O’Donnell’s since the two co-hosted together on The View.
The super-conservative, who has been on The View for ten years, went on record to tell how she really feels about O’Donnell’s surprise return.
During Barbara Walter’s retirement special, all of The View co-hosts from the past and present came together to support her exit. Hasselbeck reported that O’Donnell revealed to her that she actually produced the show. The 37-year-old spoke candidly to her co-workers on her new show, Fox & Friends.
“I do believe this has been in the works for a long, long time. [For O’Donnell] to have such ease the day of Barbara’s goodbye show was shocking to me. Would you think that the woman who left the way she did would be producing [Walter’s] goodbye show? Here’s the shocker: It was actually [O’Donnell’s] hello show.”
The outspoken comedian left in 2007 after one season, when she blamed Hasselbeck for not defending her against conservative critics. They argued heatedly on air until Joy Behar cut to a commercial break.
Hasselbeck continued her rant, saying:
“I know Rosie very well. We worked quite closely. Talk about not securing the border. Here comes to The View, the very woman who spit in the face of our military, spit in the face of her own network and really in the face of a person who stood by her and had civilized debates from the time that she was there.”
She even commented on how Whoopi Goldberg, the only remaining co-host, would react when O’Donnell returns.
“Anybody who is going to be in that seat…will have to be fully approved by Rosie. Whoopi is not going to let anybody control her. She is the leader on that show. I am going to be very interested to see how that goes.”
It seems like the feud between the two hosts with opposing viewpoints hasn’t ended and is just beginning.
What do you think about Hasselbeck exposing O’Donnell that way?
This entry was posted in Entertainment, Entertainment News, Hot Trending Topics and tagged Comedian, Conservative, DISH, Elizabeth Hasselbeck, Expose, Feud, Hosts, Rosie O'Donnell, Talk Show, The View. Bookmark the permalink.
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Doctor Who: The Awakening (Review)
Posted on December 30, 2013 by Darren
To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the longest-running science-fiction show in the world, I’ll be taking weekly looks at some of my own personal favourite stories and arcs, from the old and new series, with a view to encapsulating the sublime, the clever and the fiendishly odd of the BBC’s Doctor Who.
The Awakening originally aired in 1984.
The Awakening was the third and final of Peter Davison’s smaller two-part adventures, taken once in each of his three seasons in the title role. Much like Black Orchid and The King’s Demons, it feels like a light and refreshing breather, especially in a final season that was becoming gradually darker and more somber. While Black Orchid allowed the cast and crew to take a somewhat relaxing break before the tragedy of Earthshock, The Awakening feels conspicuously grimmer, but still seems a relatively casual affair when measured against the stories that were to follow.
Malus aforethought…
Filed under: Television | Tagged: arts, Awakening, bbc, Black Orchid, Doctor (Doctor Who), DoctorWho, Jon Pertwee, King's Demons, List of Doctor Who serials, Malus, Peter Davison, science fiction, tardis | 1 Comment »
Doctor Who: The Ice Warriors (Review)
Posted on October 16, 2013 by Darren
The Ice Warriors originally aired in 1967.
It’s strange that the Jon Pertwee era tends to attract so much criticism for adhering so rigidly to formula, with Barry Letts and his team rigidly working within well-defined lines and trying hard to produce television that doesn’t suck. Outside of the political criticism of the Pertwee era, there’s a train of thought that suggests the show became a little too formulaic, a little too predictable, failing to really push its own boundaries, with a few scattered exceptions.
And yet the Patrick Troughton era was arguably just as much a slave to routine and formula. The Troughton era is defined by its “base under siege” stories, so massively influential that they’ve become a Doctor Who subgenre unto themselves. Episodes like Earthshock and The Almost People arguably serve as homages to the genre that peaked during the late sixties. Indeed, allowing for some measure of flexibility, six of the seven adventures in this season could be described as “base under siege” stories.
I can’t help but wonder if the destruction of so many Troughton-era stories has led many Doctor Who fans to become blinded by nostalgia reflecting on the era. The Tomb of the Cybermen is, after all, much more exciting as the sole surviving “base under siege” story of the fifth season than it as the first of six adventures loosely adhering to the same structure and conventions.
Ice to meet you…
Filed under: Television | Tagged: Barry Letts, bbc, Brian Hayles, doctor who, Enemy of the World, Ice Warrior, JAMIE, Jon Pertwee, List of Doctor Who serials, patrick troughton, second doctor, terrance dicks, Victoria, Warrior, Web of Fear, William Hartnell | Leave a comment »
Doctor Who: The Rebel Flesh (Review)
Posted on May 21, 2011 by Darren
I love Matthew Graham. After all, the writer who gave us Life on Mars is surely something of a British national treasure. however, his track record on Doctor Who seems just a little bit spottier, with his previous contribution being the somewhat… poorly received Fear Her way back at the end of the second season. So, perhaps giving Graham a two-parter, especially the two-parter directly before the cliffhanger before the break in the season might have seemed like a bit of a gambit. Fortunately, The Rebel Flesh is a much stronger entry than Fear Her, even if it’s not quite as spectacular as last week’s episode.
Flesh and bone?
Filed under: Television | Tagged: bbc, cloning, doctor, doctor who, horror, Hungry Earth, life on mars, List of Doctor Who serials, matthew graham, neil gaiman, review, rory williams, sci-fi, tardis, Television, the rebel flesh | 14 Comments »
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UA Little Rock employee giving breaks record in 2016
University of Arkansas at Little Rock employees gave more than ever during the university’s 2016 annual giving campaign. Continue reading “UA Little Rock employee giving breaks record in 2016” →
UALR hosts $10 Alumni Night Aug. 27 at Dickey-Stephens Park
Campus homepage News
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will host Alumni Night Saturday, Aug. 27, at Dickey-Stephens Park.
Continue reading “UALR hosts $10 Alumni Night Aug. 27 at Dickey-Stephens Park” →
UALR alumna elected president-elect of American Pharmacists Association
A University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate has been elected as the future president of the largest association of pharmacists in the United States.
Continue reading “UALR alumna elected president-elect of American Pharmacists Association” →
UALR receives Bank of America grant for Summer Bridge Academy
A recent award from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation will help fund a University of Arkansas at Little Rock program that prepares incoming freshmen for college-level work.
Continue reading “UALR receives Bank of America grant for Summer Bridge Academy” →
Anonymous donor gifts UALR with $300,000 for student success initiatives
An anonymous donor has given the University of Arkansas at Little Rock a $300,000 contribution toward student success initiatives in the College of Education and Health Professions.
Continue reading “Anonymous donor gifts UALR with $300,000 for student success initiatives” →
Elaine Eubank honored as 2016 UALR Distinguished Alumni Award winner
A woman who has spent nearly four decades working in the public health sector and with nonprofit organizations recently received the 2016 University of Arkansas at Little Rock Distinguished Alumni Award.
Continue reading “Elaine Eubank honored as 2016 UALR Distinguished Alumni Award winner” →
Paul Nolte named 2016 UALR Presidents Award winner
Paul Nolte, a veteran entrepreneur of the election industry and a dedicated volunteer of the UALR Alumni Association, recently received the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s 2016 Presidents Award.
Continue reading “Paul Nolte named 2016 UALR Presidents Award winner” →
UALR to honor Distinguished Alumni, Presidents award winners May 13
Featured homepage News
A woman who has dedicated her life to helping underserved populations in Arkansas gain access to better health care, education, food, and community-based services is the 2016 recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
Continue reading “UALR to honor Distinguished Alumni, Presidents award winners May 13” →
Davis hired as new director of planned giving
Keli Jacobi
Campus Community News
Jan Davis has been hired as the new director of planned giving at UALR’s Office of Alumni and Development.
Davis pr eviously worked as director of planned giving for the University of Central Arkansas in Conway. Her numerous achievements at UCA included the implementation of a planned giving program that resulted in more than $7,000,000 in secured gifts.
While at UCA, Davis also partnered with local attorney to host estate planning seminars for local alumni and redesigned the Legacy society to include documented commitments in the area of wills and trusts
She has served as project manager in research and development Acxiom Corp. in Conway and was human resource manager for the ALLTEL Corp. in Little Rock prior to her work in higher education.
She is a member of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Council for Advancement and Support of Education, Partnership for Philanthropic Planning, Arkansas Charitable Gift Planning Council board member and member of Faulkner County Leadership Institute, Class of 2006.
Davis earned a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication from UCA in August 1998.
‘Childhood playground’ becomes family legacy for donor
The moment Charliss Russ lost her father in January 2013, it crystallized for her the urgency of doing something she had set out to do some time ago.
“I always had in the back of my mind what I would set aside financially and where it was going to go,” Russ said.
Contemplating her own eventual passing, Russ said there were several places she had considered leaving her own estate. Then it occurred to her she might meet the greatest needs by looking no further than her own former backyard.
“UALR was my childhood playground,” said Russ, explaining the home of her youth was located at the corner of 29th and Taylor Streets, near the UALR campus.
Eventually, UALR represented not just a “playground,” but a place for learning. Professors at what was then called Little Rock Junior College taught the nursing students at St. Vincent Infirmary.
“My mother was a nursing student at the St. Vincent Infirmary School of Nursing, Class of 1951,” said Russ.
And Russ herself became a first-generation, non-traditional student at UALR who worked her way through an undergraduate and graduate degree while simultaneously working at St. Vincent.
She says she wanted to honor her parents’ memory and also the valuable education she received at UALR. Leaving the entirety of her estate to the university, she has endowed no fewer than six scholarships (two named for her father, two for her mother, and two in her own name).
With an endowment of $15,000 each, the first Russ scholarships will be awarded in fall semester 2015. The newly endowed scholarships are:
The Francis Alan “Pete” Russ Greatest Need Endowment for the benefit of Management
The Francis Alan “Pete” Russ Management Scholarship
Hazel Kriegbaum Russ Greatest Need Endowment for the benefit of Nursing
Hazel Kriegbaum Russ Nursing Scholarship
Charliss Russ Greatest Need Endowment for the benefit of Marketing and Advertising
Charliss Russ Marketing and Advertising Scholarship
“Before she passed away, I talked it over with mom, and she was so pleased,” said Russ. “I knew I had made the right decision to honor my parents with a variety of scholarships, each reflecting their lives and their passion.”
Find information about how to establish a planned gift at UALR.
More about the Russ family
Francis Alan (Pete) Russ
Feb. 4, 1925 – Jan. 7, 2013
Francis Alan (Pete) Russ dropped out of high school to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War II. His ship, the USS Goss, was a member of the fleet in Tokyo Bay when Japan surrendered to General Douglas MacArthur. After completing his military service, Russ earned his GED and began his vocation as a sheet metal worker. On Dec. 8, 1951, he married Hazel Louise Kriegbaum, and in 1954, they purchased a home on the southeast corner of 29th and Taylor streets (when Taylor Street was the western boundary of the Little Rock city limits). There they raised their two children, Charliss Marie Russ and Louis Alan Russ. He retired from Alcoa after 30 years.
Hazel Louise Kriegbaum Russ
March 23, 1931 – Aug. 18, 2013
Hazel Louise Kriegbaum Russ was a 1948 graduate of Bryant High School and a 1951 graduate of St. Vincent Infirmary, where professors from Little Rock Junior College taught the nursing students. During her professional career, she served as an office, staff, and surgical nurse, and she retired in 1989 after 38 years of devoted service to the profession she loved.
Charliss Marie Russ
Dec. 9, 1952 –
Charliss Marie Russ is a 1970 graduate of Little Rock Central High and, as a first-generation college student, attended UALR for a few semesters after high school. While working full-time at St. Vincent Infirmary, she returned to UALR as a part-time student to earn a bachelor of business administration degree in marketing in 1997 and an MBA degree in 2000. In addition to 25 years with St. Vincent, she has worked for Heifer International and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
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PA Media: Movies
British actors told not to apply for role of young Prince William due to Brexit
Alex Green, PA Entertainment Reporter
British actors have been told not to audition for the role of a young Duke of Cambridge in a forthcoming film about Diana, Princess of Wales, due to new rules faced by the country post-Brexit.
A casting invitation posted online calls for boys aged between nine and 12 to apply for the role of the prince, when he was aged 11, in the upcoming biopic, Spencer.
However, it says only European passport holders can apply and “NOT British-European due to new Brexit rules from 1st January 2021.”
pic.twitter.com/4bjzeK9LuA
— Amy Hubbard (@amyhubcast) November 25, 2020
Amy Hubbard, the casting director on the film, later said in a post on Twitter that it was common practice for key roles in films to be filled with actors who share their citizenship with the project’s financiers.
She said: “It’s not about travel. It’s common on films that the passport for significant characters needs to match that of the financiers.”
The film, which stars Kristen Stewart as Diana and is directed by Pablo Larrain, follows the princess as she spends a weekend in Sandringham during which she realises her marriage to the Prince of Wales is failing.
Kristen Stewart (Ian West/PA)
It is reportedly due to start shooting in Germany early next year.
A number of actresses have played Diana in the past, including in 2013 when Naomi Watts took up the role in a biopic titled Diana.
Oliver Hirschbiegel’s film was panned by critics.
In 2007, Genevieve O’Reilly played the royal in Channel 5 film Diana: Last Days Of A Princess.
Last year, Emma Corrin was cast as Diana in Netflix series The Crown and she made her debut this month.
Can the Pfizer and Moderna Vaccines Beat the New Coronavirus Strains?
Investors in Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) may have breathed a sigh of relief when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted the companies' coronavirus vaccines Emergency Use Authorization in December. Over the past few weeks, new strains have emerged: a strain found in the U.K., one that started in South Africa, and more recently new strains in Japan and in Columbus, Ohio. Now, the big question is whether the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines can protect against these new versions of the coronavirus.
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Member Spotlight: Donna Pearson McClish
May 13, 2020Blog, Member Spotlight
By Jeanne Janson, NFU Intern
National Farmers Union (NFU) represents a diverse group of 200,000 family farmers and ranchers and food advocates, united by the belief that strong farm families and rural communities are vital to the health, security and economic well-being of our nation. In our Member Spotlight series, we will be sharing stories about their connection to the land, to their communities, and to Farmers Union.
When you talk to Donna Pearson McClish, you get the sense that there is no challenge too large or complex for her to tackle. She’ll assure you, “My heart is set and I’m going to get it done,” a refreshingly optimistic attitude amidst the never-ending disconcerting Covid-19 news.
Donna is the owner of Common Ground Producers and Growers Inc., a mobile market in Wichita, Kansas, that brings local, farm-fresh produce directly to senior centers and low-income housing units. Improving a community’s access to healthy foods is a critical – but often overlooked – step towards improving health outcomes and increasing longevity.
Inadequate access to healthy food disproportionately affects those living in rural areas, communities of color, and low-income neighborhoods. Low-income zip codes have 25 percent fewer chain supermarkets compared to middle-income zip codes. If the closest grocery store isn’t within walking distance, driving or taking the bus isn’t always an option; in most of these communities, a lack of access to transportation is also a major challenge.
Seeing these problems in her community, Donna felt compelled to take action. “My responsibility is to feed the people,” Donna said. “I feel very strongly that that mandate has been given to our family, so that’s what we’re going to do.”
She and her family founded Common Ground in 2014, starting with 11 senior centers. They now aggregate produce from local farmers (including their own) and deliver it bi-weekly to 33 sites, mostly senior centers and public housing units. They sell the produce at prices comparable to what you’d find at a grocery store, and they accept alternate forms of payment including EBT and senior market vouchers.
The services provided by Common Ground are always important, but they will prove particularly crucial in the coming months as their clientele recovers and rebuilds from the Covid-19 pandemic – particularly because seniors and minority populations have been hit the hardest by the virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that eight out of ten deaths reported in the U.S. have been adults 65 years or older. Additionally, though African Americans comprise just 13 percent of the total U.S. population, they account for 33 percent of patients hospitalized for Covid-19. There are several reasons these communities are more susceptible to the novel coronavirus, including food insecurity and related health complications.
Donna hopes this is an opportunity to really address the root causes of these problems. “I’m sad that the circumstances are what they are, but I’m also thankful that it’s causing us to take a look at our present systems, how we do things, how people are affected behind the scenes and we never know,” she said. “Now it’s kind of all laid in the open for everybody.”
If there’s anyone who has the heart and determination to solve the complex inequities in our present systems, it’s Donna – and she’ll do it with a smile on her face while asking how you’re doing.
“Who would’ve thought that we would be here in this time and that’s what our family would’ve been prepared to do? That’s what’s so mind boggling to us. We’ve been doing this all of our lives and now we’re at this point where we know what to do and we can put it in action and implement it to feed people, to feed lots of people.” said Donna.
The Pearsons have been farming in Wichita since 1968, when Donna’s parents bought the land that she and her brothers now farm. They quickly became local food leaders, educating their neighbors on the importance of local food, starting a community garden program, and creating a farm that doubled as a space where people could gather and spend time together.
This collectivist mentality that was instilled in Donna from a young age built the foundation for Common Ground, although she may not have realized it at first. When talking to a friend and trying to trace the beginnings of the project, she had an epiphany. “It suddenly dawned on me: your dad did this way back. It’s nothing new. We’re just continuing that legacy.”
This mobile market setup is proving especially beneficial these days. While many farmers are having to adjust their business models and adapt to new supply chains, Common Ground is mostly going to be able to maintain business-as-usual, save for the additional PPE and social distancing measures. This will enable the organization to stay focused on getting local, farm-fresh produce to those who need it most right now.
“Our mission and motto is, ‘All are fed. No one is hungry.’ When we provide food, we’re providing a life substance and that’s a connector,” Donna noted. “To me it says, ‘You care about me. You care about my health. You care about my mental welfare.'”
Like what you’ve read? Join the conversation at National Farmers Union’s Facebook page.
← Farmers Market Pivot and Provide Safe, Local Food Systems
Identifying Conservation Opportunities: Resource Stewardship Evaluation Tool with Ruth Rabinowitz →
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Vancouver is a pleasant city.
Spanish Banks Beach
Grouse Mountain was named by the first recorded hikers to reach the summit in October 1894. In those days, climbing Grouse Mountain was a three or four day epic journey – there was no bridge across Burrard Inlet and no road to the base. The hardy group of hikers slogged through snow, scrambled over rock and up through the dense forest. Along the way, they hunted a Blue Grouse and honoured the plentiful game bird by calling the Peak “Grouse Mountain.”
Soon after this first ascent, Grouse Mountain attracted hundreds of intrepid hikers. Among these were Don and Phyllis Munday who built the first log cabin on the mountain. Today, the Munday Alpine Snowshoe Park bears their name in honor of their contributions to mountaineering.
Vancouver Lookout
Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Garden
The Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden is modeled after the famous Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) gardens from the city of Suzhou. When this garden was completed in 1986 in time for Expo 86, it was the first full scale Chinese classical garden constructed outside of Asia.
The Garden is situated on a site where Vancouver’s Chinatown first began. At the time, it was at the edge of False Creek and consisted of Chinese association buildings, sawmills, brothels, theatres, and until 1920 – the Great Northern Railway. In the late 1960s, plans were underway for a freeway to go through Chinatown. These plans were thwarted and part of the reclaimed land was then designated for a Chinese Cultural Centre and an adjoining park and Chinese garden. The planning and fundraising for the park and garden began in 1976 with the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Garden located just west of the public Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Park.
Dr. Sun Yat Sen (1866-1925), known as the “Father of Modern China”, was a Chinese revolutionary. He was educated in the West and became a doctor, but returned to China to unify and modernize his country. He founded the Nationalist Party and formed the first Republic after overturning the last dynasty (the Ch’ing/Qing Dynasty). He visited Vancouver three times in 1897, 1910 and 1911, not only to hide from the Empress, but to also fundraise for his campaigns. There are accounts of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen staying at the Hotel Pennsylvania (412 Carrall St) and also the Chinese Freemasons Building (5 West Pender St.) in Chinatown. In the early 1900s, Chinese people in Vancouver donated more money per capita than any other North American city. The park symbolized the friendship between the Canadians and the Chinese.
H.R. MacMillan Space Centre
REFERENCE: Google Earth
Posted on December 28, 2020 December 28, 2020 Posted in adventure, Canada, historical, museum, nature, space center, Virtual TravelTagged aquarium, beach, Canada, garden, Google Earth, historical, museum, North America, province, space, Virtual Travel By Lonestar Lady
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Dean Koontz, The "Odd Thomas" Novels, Signed Limited Edition, 8-Vol. Matching Numbered Set #57 [Very Fine]
In Stock w/Same Day Shipping
A rare collection of the Odd Thomas novels in a complete matching numbered set of 8-volumes.
Each volume has been personally signed by Dean Koontz.
Charnel House. New York. Dean Koontz. The "Odd Thomas" Series collection. Signed Limited Edition #57. Complete matching numbered set, each volume #57 and personally signed by Dean Koontz directly onto each limitation page. Each volume has been luxuriously bound in decorative cloth or premium silk. First Edition. All 8 volumes are specially bound in matching slipcases. These books have been published over a period of 11 years. Each volume is the ideal Very Fine condition without any discernible flaws.
Dean Ray Koontz (born July 9, 1945) is an American author. His novels are billed as suspense thrillers, but frequently incorporate elements of horror, fantasy, science fiction, mystery, and satire. Many of his books have appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list, with 14 hardcovers and 14 paperbacks reaching the number-one position. Koontz wrote under a number of pen names earlier in his career, including "David Axton", "Deanna Dwyer" , "K.R. Dwyer" , "Leigh Nichols", and "Brian Coffey". He has published over 105 novels, a number of novellas and collections of short stories, and has sold over 450 million copies of his work.
Eight volume collection in one shipment:
"Odd Thomas" Signed Limited Edition #57 of 500
"Forever Odd" Signed Limited Edition #57 of 300
"Brother Odd Signed Limited Edition #57 of 300
"Odd Hours" Signed Limited Edition #57 of 300
"Odd Apocalypse" Signed Limited Edition #57 of 125
"Odd Interlude" Signed Limited Edition #57 of 125
"Deeply Odd" Signed Limited Edition #57 of 125
"Saint Odd" Signed Limited Edition #57 of
Photos of actual collection.
Odd Thomas is a thriller novel by American writer Dean Koontz, published in 2003. The novel derives its title from the protagonist, a twenty-year-old short-order cook named Odd Thomas. The book, which was well received and lauded by critics, went on to become a New York Times Bestseller. Following the success of the novel, six sequels, Forever Odd (2005), Brother Odd (2006), Odd Hours (2008), Odd Apocalypse (2012), and Deeply Odd (2013), were also written by Koontz. The final novel in the series Saint Odd (2015) was released on Jan 13, 2015. Three graphic-novel prequels, In Odd We Trust, Odd Is On Our Side and House of Odd have also been released. In the postscript to the graphic novel, Koontz states that "God willing, there will be six Odd Thomas novels." A Special Odd Thomas Adventure (short novel), Odd Interlude, was released on December 26, 2012.
FOREVER ODD
Every so often a character so captures the hearts and imaginations of readers that he seems to take on a life of his own long after the final page is turned. For such a character, one book is not enough — readers must know what happens next. Now Dean Koontz returns with the novel his fans have been demanding. With the emotional power and sheer storytelling artistry that are his trademarks, Koontz takes up once more the story of a unique young hero and an eccentric little town in a tale that is equal parts suspense and terror, adventure and mystery — and altogether irresistibly odd.
We’re all a little odd beneath the surface. He’s the most unlikely hero you’ll ever meet — an ordinary guy with a modest job you might never look at twice. But there’s so much more to any of us than meets the eye — and that goes triple for Odd Thomas. For Odd lives always between two worlds in the small desert town of Pico Mundo, where the heroic and the harrowing are everyday events. Odd never asked to communicate with the dead — it’s something that just happened. But as the unofficial ambassador between our world and theirs, he’s got a duty to do the right thing. That’s the way Odd sees it and that’s why he’s won hearts on both sides of the divide between life and death.
A childhood friend of Odd’s has disappeared. The worst is feared. But as Odd applies his unique talents to the task of finding the missing person, he discovers something worse than a dead body, encounters an enemy of exceptional cunning, and spirals into a vortex of terror. Once again Odd will stand against our worst fears. Around him will gather new allies and old, some living and some not. For in the battle to come, there can be no innocent bystanders, and every sacrifice can tip the balance between despair and hope. Whether you’re meeting Odd Thomas for the first time or he’s already an old friend, you’ll be led on an unforgettable journey through a world of terror, wonder and delight — to a revelation that can change your life. And you can have no better guide than Odd Thomas.
BROTHER ODD
Brother Odd is a novel by Dean Koontz, published in 2006. The novel is the third book in Koontz's series focusing on a young man named Odd Thomas.
ODD HOURS
Only a handful of fictional characters are recognized by first name alone. Dean Koontz’s Odd Thomas is one such literary hero, who has come alive in readers’ imaginations as he explores the greatest mysteries of this world and the next with his inimitable wit, heart, and quiet gallantry. Now Koontz follows Odd as he is drawn onward, to a destiny he cannot imagine. Haunted by dreams of an all-encompassing red tide, Odd is pulled inexorably to the sea, to a small California coastal town where nothing is as it seems.
ODD APOCALYPSE
“Koontz gives [Odd Thomas] wit, good humor, a familiarity with the dark side of humanity—and moral outrage.”—USA Today
Once presided over by a Roaring ’20s Hollywood mogul, the magnificent West Coast estate known as Roseland now harbors a reclusive billionaire financier and his faithful servants—and their guests: Odd Thomas, the young fry cook who sees the dead and tries to help them, and Annamaria, his inscrutably charming traveling companion. Fresh from a harrowing clash with lethal adversaries, they welcome their host’s hospitality. But Odd’s extraordinary eye for the uncanny detects disturbing secrets that could make Roseland more hell than haven.
Soon enough the house serves up a taste of its terrors, as Odd begins to unravel the darkest mystery of his curious career. What consequences await those who confront evil at its most profound? Odd only knows.
DEEPLY ODD
The truck driver is decked out like a rhinestone cowboy, only instead of a guitar he’s slinging a gun—and Odd Thomas is on the wrong end of the barrel. Though he narrowly dodges a bullet, Odd can’t outrun the shocking vision burned into his mind . . . or the destiny that will drive him into a harrowing showdown with absolute evil. DEEPLY ODD
How do you make sure a crime that hasn’t happened yet, never does? That’s the critical question facing Odd Thomas, the young man with a unique ability to commune with restless spirits and help them find justice and peace. But this time, it’s the living who desperately need Odd on their side. Three helpless innocents will be brutally executed unless Odd can intervene in time. Who the potential victims are and where they can be found remain a mystery. The only thing Odd knows for sure is who the killer will be: the homicidal stranger who tried to shoot him dead in a small-town parking lot.
With the ghost of Alfred Hitchcock riding shotgun and a network of unlikely allies providing help along the way, Odd embarks on an interstate game of cat and mouse with his sinister quarry. He will soon learn that his adversary possesses abilities that may surpass his own and operates in service to infinitely more formidable foes, with murder a mere prelude to much deeper designs. Traveling across a landscape haunted by portents of impending catastrophe, Odd will do what he must and go where his path leads him, drawing ever closer to the dark heart of his long journey—and, perhaps, to the bright light beyond.
SAINT ODD
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY SUSPENSE MAGAZINE • Includes Dean Koontz’s short story “You Are Destined to Be Together Forever”—its first time in print!
From “one of the master storytellers of this or any age” (The Tampa Tribune) comes the stunning final adventure of “one of the most remarkable and appealing characters in current fiction”(The Virginian-Pilot)—as Dean Koontz brings the unforgettable odyssey of Odd Thomas to its dazzling conclusion.
Odd Thomas is back where it all started . . . because the time has come to finish it. Since he left his simple life in the small town of Pico Mundo, California, his journey has taken him to places strange and wonderful, mysterious and terrifying. Across the land, in the company of mortals and spirits alike, he has known kindness and cruelty, felt love and loss, saved lives and taken them—as he’s borne witness to humanity’s greatest good and darkest evil. Again and again, he has gone where he must and done what he had to do—for better or worse—with his courage and devotion sorely tested, and his soul forever changed. Every triumph has been hard won. Each sacrifice has taken its toll.
Now, whatever destiny drives him has finally steered his steps home, where those he cares for most surround him, the memory of his tragically lost true love haunts him, and one last challenge—vast and dreadful—awaits him. For Odd Thomas, born to serve a purpose far greater than himself, the wandering is done. Only the reckoning remains.
Dean and Gerda When he was a senior in college, Dean Koontz won an Atlantic Monthly fiction competition and has been writing ever since. His books are published in 38 languages and he has sold over 500 million copies to date.
Fourteen of his novels have risen to number one on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list (One Door Away From Heaven, From the Corner of His Eye, Midnight, Cold Fire, The Bad Place, Hideaway, Dragon Tears, Intensity, Sole Survivor, The Husband, Odd Hours, Relentless, What the Night Knows, and 77 Shadow Street), making him one of only a dozen writers ever to have achieved that milestone. Sixteen of his books have risen to the number one position in paperback. His books have also been major bestsellers in countries as diverse as Japan and Sweden.
The New York Times has called his writing “psychologically complex, masterly and satisfying.” The New Orleans Times-Picayune said Koontz is, “at times lyrical without ever being naive or romantic. [He creates] a grotesque world, much like that of Flannery O’Conner or Walker Percy … scary, worthwhile reading.” Rolling Stone has hailed him as “America’s most popular suspense novelist.”
Dean Koontz was born and raised in Pennsylvania. He graduated from Shippensburg State College (now Shippensburg University), and his first job after graduation was with the Appalachian Poverty Program, where he was expected to counsel and tutor underprivileged children on a one-to-one basis. His first day on the job, he discovered that the previous occupier of his position had been beaten up by the very kids he had been trying to help and had landed in the hospital for several weeks. The following year was filled with challenge but also tension, and Koontz was more highly motivated than ever to build a career as a writer. He wrote nights and weekends, which he continued to do after leaving the poverty program and going to work as an English teacher in a suburban school district outside Harrisburg. After a year and a half in that position, his wife, Gerda, made him an offer he couldn’t refuse: “I’ll support you for five years,” she said, “and if you can’t make it as a writer in that time, you’ll never make it.” By the end of those five years, Gerda had quit her job to run the business end of her husband’s writing career.
Dean Koontz lives in Southern California with his wife, Gerda, their golden retriever, Elsa, and the enduring spirit of their goldens, Trixie and Anna.
REFERENCE - https://www.deankoontz.com/about-dean
Signature Authenticity
Lifetime Guarantee of Signature Authenticity. Each volume has been personally signed by Dean Koontz directly onto the special limitation page. The autographs are not facsimiles, stamps, or auto-pens.
VERY FINE GUARANTEED. Each volume is in Very Fine condition without any flaws. There are no markings, writings, or stampings. No attached bookplates or indication of any removed. Each one is a well cared for book, protected from any potential damage. Square and tight spines. Sharp corners that are not bumped. Each volume is a wonderful bright clean copy in slipcase the same.
Signed Limited Edition #57 (8-vol set)
Hardcover in slipcase
Signature Authenticity:
Dean Koontz THE JANE HAWK SERIES, 5-Vol. Matching Numbers Set #43 of only 250 [Very Fine]
A matching numbered set of The Jane Hawk Series. Each volume has been personally signed by Dean Koontz. Charnel House. New York. 2017-2019. Dean Koontz "The Jane Hawk Series". Signed Limited Edition...
The Dean Koontz Library, Signed Limited Edition 30-Vol. Matching Numbers Set #43 [Very Fine]
A matching numbered set of 30 signed limited edition volumes, each one has been personally signed by Dean Koontz. Charnel House. New York. 2004-2018. The Dean Koontz Library consisting of 30 Signed...
Charnel House, Dean Koontz "The Good Guy" Signed Limited Edition #93/350 (Very Fine)
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Stephen King "The Secretary of Dreams" Signed First Limited Edition, Matching Numbered Set. #74/750 [Very Fine]
A Matching Numbered Set. Highly Sought After and Hard to Find.A matching numbered set in new condition, both editions #74 of only 750 produced. Both volumes are the First World Signed Edition,...
Easton Press "The Book of Psalms: In the King James Version" Leather Bound Collector's Edition [Very Fine]
A Luxurious Leather Bound MasterpieceA great work of art that is small enough to be held in your hands comfortably. The cover design is adapted by Valenti Angelo, the illustrator. Fine leather...
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[PRE-ORDER] Easton Press "Three Tales" Gustave Flaubert, Leather Bound Collector's Edition [Very Fine]
A Luxurious Leather Bound Masterpiece for Your Very Fine LibraryLimited Edition - Collector's Edition. A great unique gift for yourself or for a loved one. Part of prestigious The Collector's Library...
Easton Press "The Travels Of Marco Polo" Leather Bound Collector's Edition
Introduction by Douglas M. PainterRevised and edited with a forward by Manuel KomroffIllustrations by Nikolai Fyodorovitch LapshinMarco Polo September 15, 1254 – January 8–9, 1324) was a Venetian...
Easton Press "All the Best, George Bush" George H. W. Bush, Signed First Edition w/COA [Sealed]
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The Greenback Boogie
When you’re a big fan of something, whether it be a band, song, movie, TV show, actor, team, athlete, etc., you tend to want to know more about whatever it is you’re a fan of. When I became a Pretty Little Liars fan in March 2011, I did just that. I started learning about the show, the crew, the books, and the actresses who play Emily, Aria, Hanna, and Spencer, the show’s main characters. I learned that Ashley Benson is a huge jokester on set. I learned Lucy Hale has a dog named Jack. Shay Mitchell loves pizza and Troian Bellisario has the best taste in music (according to my definition of best). What does that have to do with anything? Well I also learned about who the girls were dating at the time and how Troian’s boyfriend, Patrick J. Adams, was actually a guest star on Pretty Little Liars in the second episode of Season 1. Not to mention, he’s just as cool as she is so I started following him too.
Shortly after his guest appearance on PLL, Patrick landed a starring role on the USA Network legal drama, Suits. The longer I followed both Troian and Patrick on social media the more I realized I should probably check Suits out, especially since Troian spoke so highly of it. Fortunately I had an unbiased friend who also watched Suits so I asked him about it. He had the same response and encouraged me to watch. I bought the first season on DVD (the show was on its second season at the time) and I was captivated from the very first episode.
Created by Aaron Korsh, Suits is about the workings of a powerful New York City law firm, Pearson-Hardman (which is now known as something else but I didn’t want to post spoilers) and how a bike messenger named Mike Ross (Adams), who has an exceptional memory of anything he’s ever seen, heard, read, etc., convinces one of the best attorneys at the firm, Harvey Specter (Gabriel Macht), to give him a position there as an associate even though he never went to Harvard Law (or any law school for that matter) and acquired a law degree. From there, drama related to every day and not-so-every day law firm life ensues, while the very few who know Mike’s secret stand to protect it and him from being figured out.
Suits is now in its 5th season and has been renewed for a 6th season. Through its run on USA Network, Suits has received several award nominations and has garnered positive reception from critics and fans alike. For me, it’s one of those shows that you need to pay attention to. If you don’t, you could miss something since much of the drama involves legal practices. However, it’s doesn’t go above your head if you know nothing about law. Plus, there are plenty of funny moments in the show that keep it from being all drama all the time. Fans of the show have come to love the movie line banter between Harvey and Mike, Harvey’s awesomely confident and clever secretary, Donna Paulsen (Sarah Rafferty), the strange and sometimes annoying antics of Louis Litt (Rick Hoffman), another top attorney at Pearson-Hardman, and the mystery of what exactly the can opener ritual is. Like in any good drama, there’s also the element of romance. The chemistry between Mike and fellow co-worker/paralegal Rachel Zane (Meghan Markle) is some of the best I’ve seen on television. Their scene in the copy room at the end of Season 2 is one of the show’s most memorable.
Suits really has it all. It can be serious, nerve-racking, funny, sad, sweet, and totally badass all in one episode. For those interested in legal dramas, this isn’t one to miss. Even with five seasons in the books, it won’t be difficult to catch up because the story will hook you. Suits currently airs on USA Network, Wednesday nights at 9 p.m. ET. Watch and be prepared because at some point you’ll get Litt Up!
Posted in Entertainment, Television and tagged Aaron Korsh, Daniel Hardman, Donna Paulsen, Entertainment, Gabriel Macht, Gina Torres, Greenback Boogie, halfadams, Harvey and Mike, Harvey Specter, Ima Robot, Jessica Pearson, legal drama, Litt Up, Louis Litt, Meghan Markle, Mike and Rachel, Mike Ross, Patrick J. Adams, Pearson Hardman, Pearson Specter, Pearson Specter Litt, Pearson-Spector, pretty little liars, Rachel Zane, Rick Hoffman, Sarah Rafferty, sleepinthegardn, Suits, Suits TV Show, Suits USA, Television, television drama, the can opener, Troian and Patrick, troian bellisario, tv, TV drama, USA Network on August 4, 2015 by prostreetcross. Leave a comment
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the way of improvement leads home
reflections at the intersection of American history, religion, politics, and academic life
April 12, 2019 April 11, 2019 / johnfea
Believe it or not, Thomas Massie has two degrees from MIT. His comments here make me wonder if he took any humanities courses.
Congress, Uncategorized
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48 thoughts on “Video of the Day”
Well, Alex did say that creation care will be the only concern of the church in heaven. That’s a far cry from the beatific vision of orthodox Christianity.
I did locate my N.T. Wright book you suggested. Just doing an introductory scanning was interesting and this week will be an appropriate time to read it. The style is layman-oriented, so I should be able to finish it quickly.
I suppose that a red flag went up when I pulled the book off the shelf. My hardback copy, published by Harper One, has five endorsers on the backside; not a one of them is without heterodox or heteroprax tendencies. It gives me cause to wonder If Bishop Wright was unable to line up any traditional theologians to recommend his book.
johnfea
I don’t think Wright or Alex is “equating creation with deity” and if you go into this book with such a mindset you will miss Wright’s central message.
I think I have an unread copy in my library. Will attempt to take a look at it this week. You have inspired me.
If N.T. does indeed equate creation with deity, he will fall a couple of notches in my estimation.
With that being said, I have not always previously agreed with him. When he was Bishop of Durham, I wrote him about something in one of his other books and never got an answer. He obviously was a very busy man but one would like to think he had a secretary who could at least respond with a form letter to serious inquiries. Maybe I am naive.
It is both. Read NT Wright *Surprised by Hope*
Your perception of heaven is rather creation-centered rather than Creator-centered. Most orthodox theologians would view that as a serious misplacement of emphasis.
Maybe I am missing something but I still don’t follow the point about greater than 100% of the warming being man-made.
Jim in STL,
If you have ever been around a major military headquarters, you will see mega-multiple staff officers running around pushing papers up, down, and laterally. You can even stand in the hall with a bullhorn and yell, “Hey Colonel” at which time half of the office doors will fly open. In other words, the military has uniformed bureaucrats orchestrating responses for every scenario under the Sun. The pyramidal structure of the tactical units will only allow for so many field officers so the others are sent to do all manner of paper dills and studies.
As far as John Kerry’s knowledge of science and his value testifying on a scientific matter, we will just have to disagree, Jim. His opinions on diplomacy are welcome, albeit in an alternate venue.
I agree with most of what you say in the final paragraph about science, but please allow me to expand upon it. You rightly state that, “Science is not a debate about opinions, but a debate about the validity of the data and how that data is interpreted…”. Why stop with science here? For example everyone in the court agreed that O.J. had a cut on his hand. One faction saw the cut as the result of a glass breaking in the bathroom while another faction believed that O.J. cut his hand while murdering two people. Obviously, scientific data is greater than one cut, but the basic principle of interpretation still holds.
As far as debating, it strikes me as cowardly for an official or a private citizen to holler endlessly about a controversial subject while steadfastly refusing to engage in an honest, open, moderated debate. If a man does not have the confidence to defend a position, he ought not be vocal about it. I always had a lot of respect for the late Caspar Weinberger who went to the Oxford Debating Society and won a formal debate about U.S.-Soviet moral equivalency at the height of the Reagan military build-up.
Alex Waardenburg
If you don’t think destroying God’s creation and killing his children is relavent to our witness, relavent to loving God and our neighbor, or relavent to glorifying God and enjoying him forever than I don’t see any reason you should reply to my comments in the future. I also want to you to consider if Eden is any indication of what heaven will be like then creation care will be the only concern of the church in heaven. Better prepare your heart for an eternity of creation care.
It’s not a statistic. It’s a quantity. If I give you $10 and you spent $1, you’d have $9. What percentage of your wealth have I contributed? I contributed $10 of your $9 of wealth. $10/$9=111%. Like I said, natural forcings are actually working to cool the Earth.
Jim in STL
In the end our government is by the people and for the people. In that sense, an informed John Kerry is as qualified to represent the climate change scenario as anyone in congress is qualified to hear it and to make informed decisions. His “job” was to convey the strong scientific consensus. Committees have had top qualified scientists testify before congress in the past and I hope that they will continue to do so. Deniers seldom seem to find their testimony any more credible. You have to ask yourself why the US military takes climate change seriously and are planning accordingly.
A face to face debate is hardly the realm to settle a complex issue. But deniers of every stripe seem to see them as the holy grail. There is a much larger debate that has occurred in public view and that is the one that is happening right now and in writing by scientists at the heart of climate change study. And that debate is dominated by scientists that predict dire consequences from the effects of detrimental man-made climate change.
Of course, the way to discredit them is to call them names and make up wild conspiracy theories about their motives. Which would be exactly the outcome of any Al Gore or John Kerry debate.
PS: It’s not hard to find skeptical and contrarian scientists as science is all about challenging the dominant theory. For instance, they are still testing Einstein’s work and it still seems to be holding up. Science is not a debate about opinions but a debate about the validity of data and how that data is interpreted and this always leads to some amount of contention within a discipline as well as across disciplines but a strong consensus based on the high probability of outcome is a pretty good indicator that that outcome is something to take seriously. It’s not the absolute certainty that some people like but it works better than guessing or blind skepticism or consulting witch doctors and sooth sayers. Every year that a data-based model is refined and modified to account for ever more complex scenarios is a step toward greater reliability and more certain predictability. It’s a lot like rocketry where a few decades ago they could barely get one off the ground without exploding and now we’re exploring the farthest reaches of the galaxy. If I only had a dollar for every “rocket scientist” that said that they’d never work.
I respect the fact that you are sensitive to various animals and to the place of science in the world. I don’t believe in cruelty to animals either and am very supportive of science. That is, however, not the main theme of the Bible nor has it been the principle concern of the historic Church.
How is it possible statistically to have “over 100%” of anything?
You are getting back to that whole peer-reviewed abstract statistical figure again. As far as the 80% of “internal documents” figure, where was that one? I couldn’t locate it in your link.
I admire you for stating “It’s just that I do a good bit of reading and have never taken the time to really dig into this climate subject. There are simply other matters which I consider more interesting and vital.” I should state that this applies for me in any topic other than science. Science is how I worship. Engineers can learn about other engineers by studying their work. And the more I learn about God’s creations the more I’m in awe of God. When an animal goes extinct, it kinda feels like losing a verse from the Bible. But science is only what got me aware, it’s not why I speak out.
Last week I was unable to shake the image of my son drowning in a storm, and starving in a droubt, and dying in a war. It was like something new every day. And I thought I was crazy because logically I know my kids will have the resources to avoid the deadly consequences of climate change. But then this week I realized it wasn’t my children, it was God’s children, and I cried. And I haven’t had the feeling since. What am I supposed to do with that??
All due respect, but your conspiracy theory is ridiculous. Are you suggesting a multi-trillion dollar industry doesn’t have funds for research grants to protect their business? We are
Talking about all of the largest companies in the world. Exxon and BP and the like actually employ arguably the best climate scientists in the world! It’s very valuable knowing when new regions of the Arctic will be available for drilling, they need to know how to make their infrastructure adaptable for climate change and sea level rise, and a significant amount of their Arctic sea infrastructure is built using the sea ice as temporary land during the winter. It’s worth noting there’s a consensus among climate scientists employed in the fossil fuel industry, who’s research is funded by the fossil fuel industry. They all also publicly state climate change is man-made. Check out the website of any of the supermajors.
Specifically Exxon climate scientists from 1977-2014: “83% of peer-reviewed papers and 80% of internal documents acknowledge that climate change is real and human-caused”
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=exxon+scientist+consensus+on+climate+change&hl=en&as_sdt=0&as_vis=1&oi=scholart#d=gs_qabs&u=%23p%3DuMV55fKEfmMJ
According to Katherine Hayhoe the prevailing understanding is that over 100% of the warming is man made. The Earth had been cooling for millennia and natural forcings should be making it cooler still. Keep in mind natural forcings happen at a rate slower than 0.1C per centry. What we’re seeing is 10C per century. The rate of change is unprecedented in human history and is totally unnatural.
I will give you that Rep. Massie might have laid the Bachelor of Arts degree ambush for Secretary Kerry. If you want to call it showboating, I am sure you would not be alone. By the same token, the larger question should be, “Why was John Kerry testifying on the science of the matter.” He certainly has a place testifying regarding his diplomatic reasons for advocating the Paris Peace Accord. If he had spoken on that very subject, Rep. Massie would have had no cause to question Kerry’s academic credentials.
The link posted here did not show the secretary’s other testimony. He might well have spoken of his opinion on the accord’s value in our diplomatic world. That would have been appropriate. He is, however, not qualified to delve into the hard science. I fault the committee for inviting him if he was supposed to be appearing in that latter role.
Have you ever seen Al Gore or John Kerry actually debate an opponent of the man-made position, Jim? Maybe there is a formal debate on YouTube but I am given to understand that Mr. Gore, at least, has refused offers to defend his position in formal debates. It’s easier to make movies where he can control the content. These offers, incidentally, were not from talk radio hosts but rather from scientists.
By the way, wasn’t Mr. Gore telling us in the 1980s that we were going to have a climate apocalypse in ten or fifteen years? When it didn’t occur, he said that we made the requisite changes which forestalled the death of the Earth, but then he set new dates. (These elastic dates are eventually going to run out.) Some might agree with him while others might call that “moving the goalpost.” It is the same sort of thing people like Alex Jones are wont to do, albeit when dealing with other types of conspiracies.
There are lots of skeptical scientists who believe that the climate is changing. That’s not the issue. Those who believe that it is changing but that it is not necessarily man-made can can be divided into three groups: unknown causes; natural causes; questioning the causes. I am sure there are links to these groups and I will attempt to locate them, Alex. I don’t know of a specific site right off the top of my head simply because the subject holds little interest for me. Please don’t think I am trying to be snarky here. I am not. It’s just that I do a good bit of reading and have never taken the time to really dig into this climate subject. There are simply other matters which I consider more interesting and vital.
“That doesn’t mean, however, that the grandstanding is necessary.”
I assume that you are referring to Thomas Massie. Kerry was called to testify which he was attempting to do. Whether premeditated or off the cuff, Massie was showboating for the base to Kerry’s consternation.
Kerry was correct, Massie was no longer being serious in an attempt to discredit the witness and was derailing a serious subject of inquiry.
I briefly examined your link. Thank you for supplying it and I realize you have strong convictions on this matter. I need to read it in greater detail—perhaps tonight or tomorrow.
From what I could glean on a cursory review, the sample only takes into consideration those with published extracts. If this is true, that gives me greater cause for alarm. As you probably know, this type of academic research generally requires funding and an academic umbrella of some sort. Very few grants are awarded to proposals which hint at skepticism of man-made global warming. Researchers know they can obtain grant funding if they toe the accepted line. Furthermore, there is a McCarthyism of sorts toward climate skeptics in the academy. Distinguished scientists have been blackballed for suggesting that we might need to rethink this whole thing. (The Army Air Corps went mercilessly after Billy Mitchell for suggesting that air power could be used effectively against large warships. He was ultimately proven correct against the general consensus of military experts but suffered greatly because he was not a part of the groupthink of his period.)
The study also denigrates the work of Dr. Tol, who is hardly a tool of global oil. All Tol was saying was that the equation of climate change with fossil fuels or other man-made factors was far from established by current science.
As you know, the climate has changed before. I think you mentioned that you live in PA. One doesn’t have to go far in your state, especially in the northern parts to see the effects of the retreating glaciers. Unarguably, this melting occurred long before the invention of the internal combustion engine, aerosols, or other allegedly villainous products.
The IOP has an agenda just like most organizations. Our job is to weigh their analysis against other studies, polls, and findings. Didn’t the IOP attempt to defend the bogus data coming out of the East Anglia University data security breach several years ago? Even if they didn’t, many within the climate change community did try to defend the doctored statistics.
In any case, Alex, please give me time to read your link once more in depth.
You are correct that politicians translate information into statute. That doesn’t mean, however, that the grandstanding is necessary. It seems to be even worse if these guys and gals know that the camera is rolling. That gives them a chance to make the cable or the nightly news. I had to chuckle back in the 1980s when Democrats and others accused Ronald Reagan of being “an actor.” The fact is that most politicians of all parties are actors and actresses with varying skill levels.
As far as John Kerry’s specific comments, he undoubtedly had those prepared by staff members and was essentially reading off a cue card of some sort. His GOP interlocutor was probably doing the same thing until he decided to go off script and challenge the academic qualifications of Secretary Kerry. This unprecedented action threw Kerry off balance. The standard pro forma hearing template was broken.
Please don’t conflate politics and science. Science is very important to our christian faith because we need science to understand the consequences of our actions to know if we are being loving to our neighbor and God. For example, giving your moody teenager a lobotomy today would be a sin. Giving your moody teenager a lobotomy in the 1960’s was not a sin. Science is the difference.
Now please find a scientific foundation or scientific organization who denies that climate change is real and caused by human activities.
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/11/4/048002
What’s interesting about this peer reviewed study is that because they studied multiple prior peer reviewed studies they actually show that there’s a correlation between expertise and consensus. Said another way, the dissenters fall away as the definition of “climate scientist” requires more expertise.
“…who qualifies as a ,climate scientist?'”
The correct answer is the scientists who professionally study climate science. Thanks for asking. “John Kerry, Al Gore, and certain others” have made themselves informed by taking seriously those that professionally study climate science and ignoring the fox news ignoramuses, the “Uncle Rustys” of outrage radio, and the Alex Joneses of the extremoshere, and et al.
I am dismayed that so many Christians have defined ourselves and others by political ideas. I admit I don’t grasp the science of climate, but I don’t see how an opinion on the subject ine way or the other is critical to where we stand as Christians.
James – You do realize that they are in the political arena? You know, where politicians do things like translate information into policies and laws? Plenty of scientist are employed by the government that will back up what Kerry is advocating. Plenty of non-governmental scientists will back up what Kerry is advocating. Plenty of scientists will testify to the validity of Kerry’s position if invited. I assume that you would not be satisfied with the outcome.
Please cite a disinterested, comprehensive poll which also details an objective measurement for the title of “climate scientist.”
First, there have been numerous peer reviews studies of the consensus. There have been so many that someone even wrote a study showing there is a unanimous consensus that there is an overwhelming consensus.
Second, here’s another statistic for you: 0%. That’s the percentage of scientific foundations and scientific organizations who deny that climate change is real and caused by human activities.
Unicorn,
Good insight from you on John Kerry.
But I would guess that his nuanced answers and purposely ambiguous statements endear him to the folks who are chauffeured to the Brie and Chablis affairs which Secretary Kerry likely attends.
The 99% figure you use would be difficult to prove. I realize it is bandied about by many voices in this debate, but it’s highly questionable. First of all, who qualifies as a “climate scientist?” As far as I know there is no national or state certification for this professional title. Second, even if there were such a designation, no disinterested pollster has surveyed them objectively.
By the way, I agree with your statement that liberal arts does stimulate critical thinking. That still does not make John Kerry, Al Gore, and certain others correct in their analysis of the climate matter.
If you are correct, then maybe both men need to step aside and let two more studied authorities hash these problems out. Politicians of both parties are pretty good at grandstanding.
RM Green
Ha! My diploma says I’m a doctor too, but when the flight attendant gets on the PA system and asks if there is a doctor on board, I won’t be ringing the call button.
Andrew Dyrli Hermeling
“Intelligence: 18 Wisdom: 3” is my new favorite thing ever.
John Haas (@haas1235)
Hey everyone, my diploma says I’m a doctor and a lover of wisdom, so if anyone needs an organ removed or some propositions implanted, have your people call my people and we’ll set something up. Have your payment ready, please.
John, you are right about the humanities. Although mine are science degrees I took an abundance of humanities courses from philosophy, to religion, history, literature and the arts. And all the courses emphasized critical thinking about ideas and information. I think that I’m both a better science thinker and a better person for the humanities.
When climate science comes up around evangelicals they often act and approach the topic just like Rep. Messie. Aside from the fact that politics is the only source of climate denial, that unique demeanor and approach to science is how I know evangelicals are getting their climate science from politics. Kind of like how plants prefer a specific isotope of carbon, and so by tracking the concentration of carbon isotopes in the atmosphere we can know very precisely how much of the increase of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is coming from fossil fuels (dead plants) and how much is coming from geological sources. Spoiler alert, all of it. All of the increase of CO2 in the atmosphere has come from fossil fuels.
Side note, *before* Rep. Massie got into politics he installed solar panels on his house.
Headless Unicorn Guy
Back when I was in college (Majoring in IT with a secondary major in Dungeons & Dragons), we used to call this “Intelligence 18, Wisdom 3”, i.e. Maxed-out Intelligence coupled with Minimum Wisdom on how to use it.
And with all today’s emphasis on STEM and “Learn to Code”, it’s only going to get worse.
John F Kerry is a cartoon of himself.
As well as an obvious JFK Celebrity Impersonator.
I’m surprised he never appeared on South Park.
Two observations from the time he ran for Prez:
1) His much vaunted “nuance” sounded more like “Analysis Paralysis” to me, i.e. “But on The Other Hand… But on The Other Other Hand… But on The Other Other Other Hand… But on The Other Other Other Other Hand… etc ad infinitum”. I recognize the symptoms because I am very prone to it myself.
Confirmed when in one statement from a campaign-interview he said something about his favorite restaurant having “only one special” so you didn’t have to decide. This is also a corollary of Analysis Paralysis — when your mind is thrashing between “But on The Other Other Other Other Other Hand…” and “But on the Other Other Other Other Other Other Hand…” ad infinitum, you want somebody else to actually make the decision, be told Exactly What to Do, Exactly What To Think, just to make the thrashing stop.
2) Did You Know John F Kerry Served in Vietnam(TM)?
This always reminded me of the fortysomething loser from Married With Children always telling everyone he meets over and over about how “I was a Football Star in high school; once I scored three touchdowns in one game!”. Not much of a stretch to “Did you know I Served In Vietnam? Once I scored a Bronze Star and three Purple Hearts in one tour!”
So when Trump warns of cancer causing windmills and the like……?
Actually, a liberally educated person is not an expert on everything, but they know how to think critically about sources and understand where to go for sound information. In this case, Kerry is on board with 99% of climate scientists. Finally, Massie represents everything that is wrong with American discourse right now. He made a fool of himself here.
I see this all the time Gregory. Smart people who went to MIT but seem to be incapable of understanding how to function in a democratic society. I can’t think of a better case for humanities and liberal arts education.
Kerry does not need academic credentials in the sciences to ably and accurately represent the scientific consensus on global climate change and its consequences. If you want to make that argument, Massie has insignificant academic credentials (engineering) to understand or advocate for anything to do with climate science or geological processes. And boy, does he sound like a dolt trying to regurgitate the anti-global climate change line. And, your academic credentials are?
Gregory P Cooke
Makes me wonder whether MIT provides any liberal arts foundation at all. “…self-proclaimed authority on a subject in which he has no academic credentials,” – much like our president and his cabinet…
My impressions were a bit different. The video clip made me understand why John Kerry was never elected as president. He is a self-proclaimed authority on a subject in which he has no academic credentials.
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“Sin creates [an inclination] to sin; it engenders vice by repetition of the same acts. This results in perverse inclinations which cloud conscience and corrupt the concrete judgment of good and evil. Thus sin tends to reproduce itself and reinforce itself, but it cannot destroy the moral sense at its root.”
Para. 1865, Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1994
New: the Consequences of the Seven Deadly Sins
The Seven Deadly Sins are really attitudes that underlie sins, whether mortal or venial, first identified by St. John Cassian (360 – 435) in his Conferences and refined by Pope St. Gregory the Great (540 – 604). They provide keys to understanding our faults and the actions that result, and a framework for self knowledge. If we understood how they factor into who we have become, we would understand much more about ourselves and our effect on others. The Seven Deadly Sins never occur as a list in the Bible, but occur many times individually.
Before even beginning a discussion of the Seven Deadly Sins, also known as “capital sins,” it may be useful to discuss a few differences among Christians on this subject. Some people feel it is better to take a more positive approach to faith and not dwell on sin. Others believe all sin is equally repugnant to God, and so any classification of sins is wrong. Still others just want to forget the whole thing since they are saved and God loves them and really doesn’t care about all this “stuff.”
Inscribed in ancient times at the Oracle at Delphi: “Know thyself.” Self-knowledge follows closely behind the knowledge of God, and self-knowledge for anyone means knowledge of sin. “My own heart shows me the way of the ungodly.” Scripture says we are all sinners, and we don’t mind as long as the sins are nameless and faceless. When we name a sin found in ourselves (by Grace) it is as though we are confronted in the back alleys of our souls with furtive saboteurs and muggers who seek to prevent our union with God. The sudden self-revelation of a serious fault is one thing: the discovery of a deadly sin which we hate very much in others is worse. It is like finding out a spouse is unfaithful, or worse, that we have been blindly unfaithful to the Spouse of our soul.
The following pages on the deadly sins may lead to horrible discoveries. Bear in mind:
Friends will almost never volunteer this information.
If they do, we will not accept it.
God forgives anything, even repeatedly, so do not be afraid.
A combination of good spiritual reading (nothing too recent), nearly constant prayer, and reflection on the repetitive patterns of life works well for naming our sins. Remarks made in job performance reviews and conversations with people who dislike us are especially revealing (Aristophanes). Our enemies usually lack the false charity to deny our sins. No wonder we are called to love them.
The human capacity for self-delusion is nearly limitless. We have all seen people claim great spirituality but do evil things and then ignore or rationalize them. Somehow we think we are immune to this phenomenon.
The Seven Deadly Sins – A List of Capital Sins
The table below lists The Seven Deadly Sins (vices) in the traditional order with the virtues against which they are sins. The history of this list goes back at least to Pope St. Gregory the Great and St. John Cassian, but while the list itself is not strictly biblical, the Bible proscribes all seven. If one or more of these doesn’t seem like a big sin to you, it almost certainly means you have already rationalized it. Work on that one first. By the way, there is no set list of virtues corresponding to these, what follows below reflect our choices.
If you need additional information on Dante’s views of these, it is after the table.
Deadly Sin * **
Opposing Virtue
(1) (18%) Humility Seeing ourselves as we are and not comparing ourselves to others is humility. Pride and vanity are competitive. If someone else’s pride really bothers you, you have a lot of pride.
Avarice/Greed
(5) (5%) Generosity This is about more than money. Generosity means letting others get the credit or praise. It is giving without having expectations of the other person. Greed wants to get its “fair share” or a bit more.
(2) (5%) Love “Love is patient, love is kind…” Love actively seeks the good of others for their sake. Envy resents the good others receive or even might receive. Envy is almost indistinguishable from pride at times.
Wrath/Anger
(3) (20%) Kindness Kindness means taking the tender approach, with patience and compassion. Anger is often our first reaction to the problems of others. Impatience with the faults of others is related to this.
(7) (31%) Self control Self control and self mastery prevent pleasure from killing the soul by suffocation. Legitimate pleasures are controlled in the same way an athlete’s muscles are: for maximum efficiency without damage. Lust is the self-destructive drive for pleasure out of proportion to its worth. Sex, power, or image can be used well, but they tend to go out of control.
(6) (8%) Faith and Temperance Temperance accepts the natural limits of pleasures and preserves this natural balance. This does not pertain only to food, but to entertainment and other legitimate goods, and even the company of others.
(4) (13%) Zeal Zeal is the energetic response of the heart to God’s commands. The other sins work together to deaden the spiritual senses so we first become slow to respond to God and then drift completely into the sleep of complacency.
* Numbers in parenthesis indicate position in Dante. ** Percentages indicate results of our poll as of October 25, 2009.
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MTV did a special in August 1993 on the Seven Deadly Sins which involved interviewing various well-known entertainers from the music and television industry. They pretty much all agreed these were not vices and the list was “dumb.” (Sigh) Oh well.
(Details: The MTV title was “Seven Deadly Sins: An MTV News Special Report”; PBS showed it as “Alive TV.” First aired on MTV on August 11, 1993. PBS first aired it on August 20, 1993. If you have a copy, please
Additional information (based on requests from readers):
Which one of the Seven Deadly Sins is most popular?
Of the seven deadly sins, this ONE is my biggest failing:
Lust 35%
Anger 18%
Pride 12%
Sloth 10%
Envy 10%
Gluttony 9%
Greed 6%
The Seven Deadly Sins never occur as a formal list in the Bible. Some people say they can all be found in Matthew’s Gospel (chapters 5 through 7), but they are not in a simple list there. Others submit Proverbs 6:16-19, but this is a different list, covering pride, lies, murder, evil plans, swiftness in sin, lies again, causing conflict. Clearly not the same.
These sins were identified as a group around the same time as the Bible was being translated into a single language. Rather than these sins being identified in a single place in the Bible, they are found all through it, from Genesis to Revelation. The letters of the New Testament mention all of these, and many others as well. The Catechism has many Scriptural references in the section that lists the “Seven Deadly Sins.” It is well to remember that the Scriptures come from the Jewish and Christian Churches, not the other way around. In both cases, faith preceded the writing.
Lent is a special time of self-examination and thought about how we live. More on Lent.
Dante Alighieri (1265 – 1321) was a Catholic layman who wrote “The Divine Comedy,” which is really three epic poems in Italian: “Inferno,” “Purgatorio,” and “Paradiso,” which are about Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven/Paradise, respectively. In “Purgatorio,” Dante places each of the seven sins on a level, with the higher levels closer to Paradise and the lower ones closer to Hell. The numbers in parentheses, in the above table, indicate the level where they are found in “Purgatorio.” Dante considers these sins as offenses against love, and groups them accordingly:
Perverted Love: Pride, Envy, Wrath/Anger
Insufficient Love: Sloth
Excessive Love of Earthly Goods: Avarice/Greed, Gluttony, Lust
Dante seems to have had a well-formed conscience. His emphasis on love, in the sense of Christian charity, is impressive. That is not to claim some sort of sainthood, but his ideas were very much in keeping with the teaching of the Catholic Church at a time when the practice of the clergy often fell short of the doctrine.
The Dao
The Dao – A little article considering the The Seven Deadly Sins from a somewhat Daoist perspective.
The Reverend Barthlolomew de la Torre, O.P. wrote the following on August 22, 2003:
“Thank you for your excellent web page on the Seven Deadly Sins. A principal classical text not to be omitted is that of St. Thomas Aquinas’s Summa Theologiae.
http://www.newadvent.org/summa/208404.htm
Pax et fides.
Fr. Bartholomew de la Torre, O.P.
St. Dominic dedicated himself to promoting “pax et fides”, “peace and faith”, because without peace, the faith cannot flourish, and he described himself as pursuing this goal by “singing and gentleness, preaching, imploring and weeping” (cf. M.-H. Vicaire, O.P., St. Dominic and His Times, pp. 62 and nt. 7, 146, 147 and nt. 80).”
Thank you so much for providing the link! For those unacquainted with Catholic orders, O.P. indicates the “Ordo Praedicatorum” (Latin) or “Order of Preachers”, otherwise known as the Dominicans, founded by St. Dominic. St. Thomas Aquinas joined the Dominicans in 1244. It is worth noting that St. Dominic’s approach to heresy (false teaching), was to teach and debate, rather than take up arms. The text linked above shows how St. Thomas Aquinas argued various points about Pride and the other Seven Deadly Sins. It is worth reading it all, but is of a style rarely seen. It takes patience.
Bishop Sheen spoke on a television show, Life is Worth Living, in the U.S. from 1951 to 1957, and the “Bishop Sheen Program” from 1961 to 1968. He wrote 96 books and a very large number of articles and columns, including entries in encyclopedias. In his book, The Seven Capital Sins (alba–house.com), he made a connection between the Seven Deadly Sins and the last words of Jesus on the Cross. These assignments are listed here in the order set by Bishop Sheen in addresses from February 26 to April 7, 1939. The connection is not always obvious, so the book is highly recommended for further reading.
Words from the Cross
Wrath/Anger “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
Envy “This day you shall be with me in Paradise.”
Lust “Woman, behold your son… son, behold your mother.”
Pride “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Gluttony “I thirst.”
Sloth “It is finished.”
Avarice/Greed “Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit.”
C.S. Lewis might well be considered a modern-day Dante. Try reading “The Great Divorce,” a short little book, and compare it to “The Divine Comedy.” Lewis, as a professor of medieval literature, would have been familiar with Dante’s work.
Narnia and the Seven Deadly Sins – Dr. Don W. King, Department of English, Montreat College
Donna Hatsuko Reedy wrote the following on May 18, 2000:
“I enjoyed your site; it’s quite informative. Just wanted to add another text to your reading list: Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus. The entire play revolves around issues of salvation, and there’s this great scene in which the seven deadly sins are paraded for Faustus. It’ll make a great addition to your already well-supported site.”
Thank you for the suggestion! I’ve put a link to the on-line text here for our readers.
The Tragical History of D. Faustus
Edmund Spenser
Alan Sickler wrote the following on April 26, 2000:
“I was reading your page on the “Seven Deadly” sins and thoroughly enjoyed your definitions of the sins; even better though was the literary occurrences of this that you outlined. However, I was perplexed as to why you failed to mention Spenser’s “The Faerie Queene”; This work is one of the greatest Middle English / Renaissance pieces ever written, and it is maybe the greatest occurance of the seven deadly sins. I forget which book they are in, but Spenser characterizes each deadly sin as a person – using physiognomy tradition to visualize the vices, and he even models this parade of sins after the pilgrims in Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales”. Gluttony rides a fat pig which is symbolic of his nature and etc etc. I don’t know if you’ve read the Faerie Queen or not, but its maybe the most vital occurance of the seven deadly sins – a must read for an enthusist like yourself. Thanks for your time – I enjoyed your site thoroughly.”
I will read it soon, but for now I’ve posted your kind and helpful comments, as well as a link to a Spenser site and “The Faerie Queene.”
From another kind visitor:
I read through some of your sources for articulations of the 7 deadly sins. One of which was Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene. The scenario where the 7 Deadly sins are shown is FQ I.IV.1-37 (that’s FQ Book 1, Canto 4, stanzas 1-37). Thought you might appreciate this.
–Scott M. Williams>
The Canterbury Tales – http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/gchaucer/bl-gchau-can-genpro.htm
Thomas Merton wrote a prayer to ask for help against the Seven Deadly Sins. It is found on page 44 of “New Seeds of Contemplation.” Much of his focus is on the illusions we have about ourselves, and how to let God clear these away.
In the play: Getting Away With Murder (or The Doctor is Out), Patrick Phenicie says the following characters appear to represent the seven deadly sins. Here are the characters and sins:
Envy (NV)
Dossie Lustig
Pamela Prideaux
Gregory Reed
Nam-Young Voung
Dan Gerard
Chistholm
Vassili Laimorgos
As you may have noticed, the names seem to form anagrams of the sins (or contain the anagram; some are obvious, some are less so). Patrick and I were unable to figure out how the name “Laimorgos” fits into Sonheim’s naming scheme, but Christopher Sabatowich has an idea: Vassili Laimorgos can be rearranged (with some letters omitted) to form the word “sm�rg�s,” which is Norse/Swedish for “bread and butter,” as in “smorgasbord.” In English, “smorgasbord” can be applied as a “varied collection” of anything, and Gluttony does not apply (exclusively) to food.
T. Nickson writes: “Vassili Laimorgos is a Greek Name – Vassili links with the Greek word for King and Laimorgos translates literally as Glutton. Sondheim was being clever!”
Confessio Amantis
Robert Mannyng
Handling Synne
Table of the Seven Deadly Sins
George Balanchine (Dance)
CiCi Houston writes: I found this website very useful for a current project I am working on. Perhaps it would be of interest to your readers to hear how this list has crept into the arts. The New York City Ballet had a production entitled “Seven Deadly Sins.” It was originally choreographed by George Balanchine in Europe around 1933 for Tilly Losch. He restaged it in the late 50’s for Allegra Kent, and in both productions Lotte Lenya participated. The ballet focused on Anna 1 and Anna 2. Lotte (1) was the talking half, and would order around Allegra (2), the silent but dancing half. 1 would make 2 commit the sins, or set double standards. For instance, one famous picture of the ballet shows Lotte with an ice cream cone (a clever disguise for the microphone she sang into) pointing a finger at Allegra, who is on the floor pushing herself through a series of stretches and exercises under Lotte’s rule. I’m sure there is much more information than what I have access to, but I’m sure that readers interested in this will enjoy gaining the extra knowledge on a rather hidden piece of work (it was never restaged since Allegra last performed it), whether they approve of the concept or not.
Thanks again for the useful website – CiCi Houston
Thank you, CiCi!
http://www.kb.nl/kb/manuscripts/highlights/11M_uk.html
There was a movie entitled “Se7en,” starring Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt. You can read about it at IMDB.
Other Helps Toward Virtue and Peace
Description of Thomas More by Erasmus – St. Thomas More was a man of great virtue and integrated faith
Faith and Reason (Fides et Ratio) – “Know thyself”
On Spiritual Direction – How can I get help?
Lectio Divina – A way to get closer to God
Other Information About The Seven Deadly Sins
In art, a different set of seven virtues is set in opposition to The Seven Deadly Sins. These virtues did not correspond on a one-to-one basis, though, and the focus was on good art rather than spiritual instruction for combating specific vices. See “The Cardinal Virtues” and “The Theological Virtues,” below.
Pointless Controversy
Originally, the advice, “Know Thyself”, was attributed to the Greeks in a general sense. A reader complained that it was Socrates, not Plato that originated it, and that the author “should get an education before creating web pages.” I researched this and found that Socrates wrote nothing, and that Plato attributes this saying to Socrates. So it was changed to:
Plato quotes Socrates as saying: “Know thyself.”
As viewers of the movie, “The Matrix,” know, this was inscribed at the Oracle at Delphi, a sacred place dating from the 9th century B.C. to the late 4th century A.D. Another reader pointed out that it was not Plato or Socrates. I don’t know, but as many people have seen the movie, the text has been altered to the current form. Please don’t write to make corrections about who said (or carved) it first. One way to avoid personal growth is to get caught up in the medium and neglect the message. It is a good saying; think about it, and question why people are more interested in the origins of good advice than in following it.
Addendum, 27 June, 2004: Blaise Pascal said, “One must know oneself. Even if that does not help in finding truth, at least it helps in running one’s life…” Pensees, 72
More Information from the Catholic Catechism
The Seven Deadly Sins FAQ #1 – What questions do we get?
Signs & Symbols in Christian Art, by George Ferguson, has a few notes on The Seven Deadly Sins. It sometimes omits details, but is otherwise a very useful book.
There are also lists of virtues, not directly associated with particular vices: The Theological Virtues and The Cardinal (pivotal) Virtues. We don’t have pages on them yet, but they are covered well in “Mere Christianity,” by C.S. Lewis. These and other lists from the Church are described (briefly) below, or you can search.
The Theological Virtues: Faith, Hope and Charity
These are from 1 Corinthians 13:13
The Cardinal Virtues: Prudence, Justice, Temperance and Fortitude
These are from Wisdom 8:7
The Ten Commandments: With Ten Calls to Freedom
Go here for a different take on the Ten Commandments. It uses the Catholic list, but it can be adapted for other traditions.
The Evangelical Counsels: Poverty, Chastity and Obedience
From the Beatitudes and Philippians 2:8. The name means they are suggested by the Gospel, both the words and the example of Jesus.
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord.
See also the Catechism, #1831. The term “Fear of the Lord” refers to an “awesome respect” not abject or servile fear.
The Fruits of the Holy Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, and Faithfulness
These are from Galatians 5:22. The Church has a tradition of twelve also, which adds: Generosity, Gentleness, Modesty, Self-control, and Chastity (Catechism #1832)
The Spiritual Works of Mercy: Kindnesses to the spirits of others
http://www.ceeme.com/prayers/works.htm
The Corporal Works of Mercy: Kindnesses to the bodies of others
http://www.ceeme.com/prayers/crpwork.htm
The Precepts of the Church: Expectations of Catholics (it’s another list, so I put it here)
http://www.cin.org/precept.html
Mohandas K. Gandhi – Seven Social Sins
Politics without principles
Wealth without work
Pleasure without conscience
Knowledge without character
Commerce without morality
Science without humanity
Worship without sacrifice
Young India (22 October 1925); Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi Vol. 33 (PDF) p. 135 (note: scroll down to page 135)
Temp link, please ignore: http://www.rushman.org/~john (school project for a friend)
April 10, 2015 Editor Editor Articles, The Seven Deadly Sins
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By Marquis Who's Who Moderator August 31, 2018
An expert in chemical pathology and the biochemistry of medicine, Dr. David Donaldson spent many years observing proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, minerals [e.g. sodium, potassium], vitamins and water, in order to diagnose liver disorders, kidney problems, and indeed, diseases of any organ. Born in England 1936, Dr. Donaldson became fascinated with chemistry whilst at King Edward’s High School, Birmingham. This arousal served as a turning point in his life because he instantly recognized that he wanted to pursue a career in the sciences. As a result, he followed on to a Bachelor of Medicine/Bachelor of Surgery, obtaining both degrees at the University of Birmingham in 1959. Upon graduating from the university, he was appointed house physician at Selly Oak Hospital. Since then, he has built up an impressive professional structure to his life comprising consulting in the field of chemical pathology, delivering large numbers of lectures on the topic of clinical biochemistry, and serving as the clinical director of pathology for East Surrey Hospital.
A renowned leader in his field, Dr. Donaldson maintained strong ties with Crawley Hospital and East Surrey Hospital for over three decades in medical practice, serving both medical centres as a consultant from 1970-2001; he lectured, too, over this period on the M.Sc. course at the University of Surrey, Guildford. Moreover, he often presented lectures in clinical pathology at London South Bank University, from 1984-2006. His most recent position was as a chemical pathology consultant for BUPA Gatwick Park Hospital, from 1983-2006.
Dr. Donaldson has exercised passion for his profession through a multitude of affiliations, including The Royal College of Physicians, Royal College of Pathologists, Royal Society of Biology, Royal Society of Chemistry, and the Royal Geographical Society. He maintains membership with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Association for Clinical Pathology, Association for Clinical Biochemistry, Harveian Society of London, Medical Society of London, Hunterian Society and Royal Society of Medicine. From 1992-1993, Dr. Donaldson was chairman of the East Surrey’s Division of the BMA.
Since entering his field, Dr. Donaldson has earned a bevy of accolades for his accomplishments. In 2002, he received the Mori Felicitation Award from the International College of Human Nutrition and Functional Medicine. Most recently, he earned the Five-Year Voluntary Long Service Award from the National Trust’s Standen House (2017) for his piano playing. Notably, Dr. Donaldson was also named a Lifetime Achiever and recognized with the Marquis Who’s Who Humanitarian Award. He is listed in several editions of Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare, Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, and Who’s Who in the World.
Contact David Donaldson:
Categories: SciencesTags: biochemistry, consultant, medicine, pathology, sciences
By Marquis Who's Who Moderator 1 month ago
By Marquis Who's Who Moderator October 15, 2020
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(Redirected from Aboriginal Australians)
Picture of Aboriginal man in the Albert Namatjira art gallery, Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia
Indigenous Australians, also known as Aboriginal Australians, are the native people of Australia. Indigenous Australians used weapons like boomerangs sticks and spears to kill animals for food and many more. It is unknown[who?] where they came from and how they appeared in Australia[dubious – discuss] but it is estimated they have been habitants to their homeland for around 60,000 years ago or more. Aboriginal people also have their own type of art.
Many Indigenous Australians[who?] suffered when Europeans from Britain and Ireland arrived in Australia. Disease and the loss of their hunting lands are two of the reasons.
Aboriginal man playing a didgeridoo
1 History of Aboriginal Australia
2 Dreamtime
4 Urban life
5 Boomerangs
6 Land claims
History of Aboriginal Australia
Main page: Ancient Australia
The first people of Australia were nomadic people who came to Australia from southeast Asia. Scientists do not know exactly when they arrived but it is at least 50,000 years ago.[1][2][3] They travelled through the bush, hunting with spears and boomerangs (throwing sticks) and searching for food such as plants, grubs, and insects, and hunting for animals. They had few possessions and made everything they needed. This way of life does not change or harm the fragile environment of Australia. The well-being of the land, and its plants and animals are vital and sacred to the aboriginal people. Aborigines have a unique way of telling their history. They use songs and stories that are passed from generation to generation.
When the British came to Australia in 1788, they called these native people “aboriginals”, meaning people who had lived there since the earliest times. Today their numbers are increasing (data from censuses). There are now about 650,000 Aborigines in Australia.[4][5] Most live in cities, but a few thousand still follow a traditional way of life.
Main page: Dreamtime
Aboriginal Australians believe that they have animal, plant, and human ancestors who created the world and everything in it. This process of creation is called Dreamtime. There are many songs and stories about Dreamtime, which generations of aboriginal people have passed down to their children. Say someone dies they get a new life as a plant or another person.
Main page: Aboriginal art
The art of the Indigenous Australians is mostly about dreamtime and is made as part of the ceremonies celebrating Dreamtime. Paintings of the people, spirits, and animals of Dreamtime cover sacred cliffs and rocks in tribal territories. Some of the pictures are made in red and yellow ochre and white clay, others have been carved into the rocks. Many are thousands of years old.
Most aboriginal Australian live in cities & towns. Some[who?] have benefitted from government education and aid programmes and have careers as teachers, doctors and lawyers. Many,[who?] though, are poor and isolated from white society. They have lost touch with traditional aboriginal tribal ways, and because they do not fit neatly into white Australian society, they cannot share its benefits.
As well as the curved returning boomerang, aboriginal Australians use a straight, non-returning boomerang as a weapon for fighting and for hunting animals such as kangaroos.
When British people came to live in Australia, they decided that the land was empty: that nobody "owned" the land, in the way Europeans used that word. This was called "terra nullius", Latin words for "empty land".[6] Under British law, all land belongs[when?] to the king,[6] who is then able to sell it to other people.
In 1976, the Australian government agreed that aboriginal people have rights to the land where their tribes were originally located and gained the right to use the land. On 3 June, 1992, the High Court of Australia said that the idea of terra nullius was wrong, and the government brought in new laws, to set up Native Title.[6] If aborigines can prove they have always used particular land, it has not been sold, or changed by government acts, then the land could be claimed as aboriginal land.[6]
Ceremony The Djungguwan of Northeast Arnhem Land
Aborigines win 'native title' over Perth
Australia's largest circulating Indigenous Affairs Newspaper
Latest Indigenous news from ABC News Online
Indigenous Australians - State Library of NSW
Aboriginal Studies Virtual Library
Department of Indigenous Affairs (Australian Government)
European Network for Indigenous Australian Rights
Indigenous Australia - Australian Museum educational site
KooriWeb
Norman B. Tindale's Catalogue of Aboriginal Tribes
Reconciliation Australia
Australian, Bosnian and Norwagian Cross-Bred Children
↑ Hesp, Patrick A. et al 1999. Aboriginal occupation on Rottnest Island, Western Australia, provisionally dated by aspartic acid racemisation assay of land snails to greater than 50 ka. Australian Archaeology, No 49 (1999)
↑ "Stone Pages Archaeo News: Australia colonized earlier than previously thought?". stonepages.com. 2003. http://www.stonepages.com/news/archives/000236.html. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
↑ "Dreaming Online: Indigenous Australian Timeline". www.dreamtime.net.au. http://www.dreamtime.net.au/indigenous/timeline.cfm. Retrieved 2009-06-04.
↑ Australia census: Five takeaways from a changing country". BBC News. 27 June 2017.
↑ Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006 Census data
↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 "Terra Nullius" (in English). Aboriginal Victoria. Visit Victoria. http://www.visitvictoria.com/displayobject.cfm/objectid.0003A614-D962-1A88-8B4680C476A9047C/. Retrieved 2010-01-11.
Retrieved from "https://wiki.kidzsearch.com/w/index.php?title=Indigenous_Australians&oldid=5024091"
Articles with weasel words
Vague or ambiguous time
Indigenous peoples of Australia
Accuracy disputes
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Name "The World You Like Challenge"
Type Contest
Organization European Commission
EN short description The World You Like Challenge wants creative and innovative minds from across the EU to put their low-carbon initiatives to the test and inspire others to follow suit. It is a great opportunity to move beyond mere talking about climate change and other issues that affect the world we live in.
EN main content
Who is participating? However big or small, any project that is helping to lower or avoid CO2 emissions and improve people’s quality of life can be submitted. Entries are welcome from individuals, entrepreneurs, businesses, public and private organisations and can be entered in one of the following five categories: Building & living; Shopping & eating; Re-use & recycling; Travel & transport; Innovative production.
The deadline for entries has now passed. However, visitors to the campaign website will be able to vote for the most creative and inspiring initiative to create a world we like. From the ten most popular projects, a jury will select three winners that will then be invited to an award ceremony in Copenhagen in Autumn 2013.
For more information, please visit About the contest
An overview of all the projects submitted can be accessed here
Main content in original language
Website http://world-you-like.europa.eu/en/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/EUClimateAction
Twitter https://twitter.com/EUClimateAction
Language English (but also available in a range of other languages)
Contact e-mail eu-climate-action at worldyoulike.eu
Created Wednesday 26 of June, 2013 08:43:27 UTC
LastModif Wednesday 26 of June, 2013 08:43:27 UTC
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Vincent van Gogh Exhibit Coming To Michigan
I know that in this world of technology, the appreciation for art has been declining. But one artist that can not be denied admiration is Vincent Van Gogh, one of the most prolific artists of all time. The Detroit Institute of Arts has just announced a major exhibition of the work of artist Vincent van Gogh. This is important for the fact that the Detroit Institute of Arts is the first American public museum to purchase a Vincent van Gogh painting.
According to the ToledoBlade: Van Gogh in America opens June 21st and will remain on public display through Sept. 27. It is a showing of about 65 van Gogh paintings and works on paper that exemplify the early recognition of the artist’s work in America. The show includes Self-Portrait, a piece painted by van Gogh in 1887 that the DIA acquired in 1922. Van Gogh is one of the most iconic painters of all time, and was virtually unknown as an artist when he passed away 1890, at only 37 years old. 130 years later and he's still one of the greatest.
Filed Under: Detroit
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Sheriff’s Office Earns Third State Accreditation Award
The Lynchburg Sheriff’s Office has earned its third State Accreditation Award. In December, the Virginia Law Enforcement Professional Standards Commission Executive Board voted unanimously in favor of the Lynchburg Sheriff’s Office of the more than 400 law enforcement agencies across the state only 91 had achieved the distinction by the end of the year. The Sheriff’s Office has also been awarded re-accreditation status meeting 190 professional standards that Virginia accredited agencies must comply with. Lynchburg initially received state accreditation in November of 2006; reaccredited in December of 2010 now a third.
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Accused Claremont serial killer 'injured with pencil' in jail
A pencil may have been used in a prison shower attack on the accused Claremont serial killer, who was taken to a Perth hospital with a non-life-threatening injury to his right ear.
Bradley Robert Edwards was found alone by a Hakea Prison guard at 7.55am today in the shower block and a pencil was located nearby, Corrective Services Commissioner Tony Hassall said.
Authorities are yet to determine whether the injury was self-inflicted or if Edwards had been attacked by another inmate.
Bradley Robert Edwards has been hospitalised. (9news)
"He was refusing to speak to prison officers," Mr Hassall told reporters.
A police investigation is underway to determine what happened and the 22-inmate special unit is in lockdown.
A handcuffed and bandaged Edwards arrived at Fiona Stanley Hospital about 10.30am with ambulance officers and armed guards, and was discharged about three hours later.
Mr Hassall said authorities would look at whether additional security measures were required at the prison for Edwards.
"We'll have a look at what further controls we need to put around him."
Corrective Services Minister Fran Logan said Edwards was in a protective area at the time and the injury was relatively minor.
Bradley Edwards is due to stand trial before a judge sitting without a jury for an estimated nine months starting on July 22 over the murders of Ciara Glennon, 27, Jane Rimmer, 23, and 18-year-old Sarah Spiers. (Supplied)
"It occurred about 20 minutes after the prisoners were unlocked," he told reporters.
Attorney-General John Quigley said he wanted Edwards to be "in good health to face justice without delay".
"All of the victims' parents would be distraught if this trial was in any way delayed because of assaults within the prison," he told reporters.
Edwards, 50, is due to stand trial before a judge sitting without a jury for an estimated nine months starting on July 22 over the murders of Ciara Glennon, 27, Jane Rimmer, 23, and 18-year-old Sarah Spiers.
The medical emergency was revealed during a directions hearing in the WA Supreme Court today, aimed at examining the admissibility of some evidence for the trial.
The court heard Edwards had "health issues" and the matter was stood down until tomorrow.
At a hearing last week, prosecutor Carmel Barbagallo referred to evidence including a six-hour police interview, a prison call, a violent horror movie called Forced Entry which she described as "very graphic", and "extreme" pornography.
Ms Spiers was the first Claremont victim to vanish in January 1996, and Ms Glennon was the third in March 1997.
The bodies of Ms Rimmer, a childcare worker, and Ms Glennon, a lawyer, were discovered in bushland weeks after they were killed, but the body of Ms Spiers, a secretary, has never been found.
Edwards, a former Telstra worker and Little Athletics coach, is also accused of attacking an 18-year-old woman in her Huntingdale home in 1988 and raping a 17-year-old girl in Karrakatta in 1995.
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Corning Natural Gas (QX) News
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Additional Proxy Soliciting Materials (definitive) (defa14a)
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On January 13, 2021, Corning Natural Gas Holding Corporation (the “Company”) issued the following message to its employees:
330 West William Street P.O. Box 58 Corning, New York 14830-0058
Dear Corning, Pike, and Leatherstocking Employees:
The company has exciting news. We have signed a merger agreement with Argo Infrastructure Partners (AIP), a private investment firm, for approximately $150 million. This transaction is subject to shareholder and regulatory approval. Once the transaction is complete, we will no longer be a publicly traded corporation with stock or have public reporting requirements. Although other companies may submit competing offers in the next 45 days, we do not expect to receive any competing bids.
What remains the same?
Our subsidiaries will continue to operate under each of our utility names. Management and employees will remain the same, and we will continue to work together in the same way. The company will continue to grow and invest in system upgrades. No interruptions in service or operations are expected.
AIP believes in our mission , vision, strategy, and importantly, our team, and will be able to provide new access to capital in order to grow our utilities in both New York and Pennsylvania.
Information for Shareholders:
If you own shares in our company, you will receive a proxy statement and proxy card to vote on this proposal at the annual meeting in April. If the merger is approved by shareholders, you will receive $24.75 for every common share you own. Dividends will continue to be paid until the transaction is finalized, and a prorated dividend will be paid for any partial period prior to closing.
The merger is subject to NYPSC and PAPUC approval and is not expected to close until the latter part of 2021 or early 2022.
Who is AIP?
Argo is an independent infrastructure investment firm with a focus on utilities and other long duration infrastructure assets. Argo currently manages in excess of $3.7 billion in equity capital deployed in 11 infrastructure assets and businesses in North America. See www.argoip.com for more information.
Richard Klapow, Managing Director for Argo stated, “Argo has a substantial track record as a long-term investor in the energy and utilities sector and is excited about the opportunity to invest in Corning. We were attracted to Corning’s high quality asset base, leadership, and customer commitment. Our team’s decades of experience managing gas and electric utility investments, combined with our access to long-term capital, places us in an ideal position to support Corning’s ongoing infrastructure investment program and management’s efforts in achieving its customer service goals. We look forward to working with management and other stakeholders to ensure Corning’s continued success.”
Management Thoughts:
Mike German stated, “We have gained a new partner that shares our vision and goals for growth and that believes in our management team. Despite my advanced age, I expect to continue in my current position after the merger closes, so don’t plan a retirement party!”
We will be setting up a Ring Central virtual meeting to answer any of your questions. Watch your email for the date and time.
Mike German
on behalf of the entire management team
This communication may be deemed to be solicitation material in respect of the merger of the Company and a subsidiary of ACP Crotona Corp. In connection with the merger, the Company intends to file relevant materials with the SEC, including a proxy statement in preliminary and definitive form that will contain important information about the proposed transaction and related matters, and deliver a copy of the proxy statement to its shareholders. Investors are urged to read the definitive proxy statement and other relevant documents carefully and in their entirety when they become available because they will contain important information about the merger and related matters. Investors may obtain a free copy of these materials when they are available and other documents filed by the Company with the SEC at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov, at the Company’s website at https://www.corninggas.com/ or by writing to the Company’s Corporate Secretary at Corning Natural Gas Holding Corporation., 330 W. William St., Corning, NY 14830, or by calling the Company’s Corporate Secretary at 607-936-3755.
Security holders also may read and copy any reports, statements and other information filed by the Company with the SEC at the SEC public reference room at 100 F Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20549. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 or visit the SEC’s website for further information on its public reference room.
The Company and its directors, executive officers and other persons may be deemed to be participants in the solicitation of proxies in respect of the transaction. Information regarding the Company’s directors and executive officers is available in the Company’s proxy statement filed with the SEC on March 12, 2020 in connection with its 2020 annual meeting of shareholders. Other information regarding persons who may be deemed participants in the proxy solicitation and a description of their direct and indirect interests, by security holdings or otherwise, will be contained in the proxy statement and other relevant materials to be filed with the SEC when they become available.
By: /s/ Charles A. Lenns
Dated: January 13, 2021
Corning Natural Gas (QX) (USOTC:CNIG)
Latest CNIG Messages
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Rom - London flugticket
Transportation form City Center to Rom Airport
Things you need to know to reach to Rome Airports from city centre
Fiumicino - Leonardo da Vinci Airport
The Fiumicino - Leonardo da Vinci Airport in Fiumicino, the capital of Italy's capital, Rome, is based on the Leonardo da Vinci, one of the most famous Italian painters of the past, who also designed glider, helicopter and many other flight vehicles. The airport, about 38 kilometers from Rome, is the busiest airport in Europe. Fiumicino - Leonardo da Vinci Airport to transport a few different options can be preferred.
Ciampino Airport
Ciampino Airport is located less than 15 kilometers from the city center as less dense airport traffic than two other airports in Rome. There are several options for transport from the city center to the airport, which usually fares domestic and European charter flights.
Transportation from London Airport to City Center
Things you need to know to reach city from London Airports
London Stansted Airport, about 63 miles from the city center, is one of London's 6 airports serving international flights. The airport, which has a lower flight density compared to other airports in the city, is sometimes the reason why London's passengers are so preferred. There are four different options available to get to the city center from London Stansted Airport.
Heathrow Airport, which is the third airport in the world with the busiest flight traffic and serves as one of London's 6 airports, is 32 kilometers from the city center. Heathrow Airport, which meets a significant portion of the flight traffic in London, offers many options for transport to the city center and other destinations.
Gatwick Airport, which is about 48 kilometers from London city center, serves as the busiest and largest airport in the city. You have a lot of options to get to Gatwick Airport from the city center and other destinations in the city, which is noteworthy as the airport that flew to the most destinations in Europe and meets the most distant destinations.
Rom Departure Alternative Flights
Rom - Rotterdam
London Arrival Alternative Flights
London Popular Hotels
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Some Armed Services Panelists Feel Urgency to Complete Conference Agreement Quickly
Posted By 21st Century Partnership in BRAC September 12, 2016 0 comment
The leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services committees remain optimistic they can reach a compromise on a final version of the fiscal 2017 defense authorization bill by the end of the month despite a number of unresolved issues, including the House’s reliance on the overseas contingency operations account to augment the base budget.
The “Big Four” — Armed Services chairmen Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) and the committees’ ranking members Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) and Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) — met behind closed doors Thursday for the first of what is expected to be several meetings needed to strike a conference agreement.
After the meeting, McCain voiced hope a deal could be struck before the Senate recesses ahead of the November elections.
“We know that we’re going to likely be out of here at the end of September. That’s what everybody is saying, so time is certainly important,” McCain said, reported Defense News.
Passing a final version of the annual policy bill before voters go to the polls could benefit a handful of Republican lawmakers on the House and Senate Armed Services committees.
More than a dozen provisions in the measure would benefit Arizona, a factor that could increase McCain’s willingness to compromise on language in the bill, including reforms to the Pentagon bureaucracy, reports CQ Roll Call. McCain is in a competitive race with Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D) to retain his seat.
Similarly, Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.), chair of the Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee, has said she is responsible for more than 40 provisions in the legislation “that are important to our service members, New Hampshire and our national security.” One of those provisions would bar DOD from launching a new round of base closures.
Rep. Joe Heck (R-Nev.), chairman of the Armed Services Personnel Subcommittee, would like to tout his effort to include a 2.1 percent increase in service members’ pay as he competes for the seat being vacated by Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid. The Obama administration requested only a 1.6 percent pay raise.
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The Acaeum Forums • Collecting General
Alignment and D&D
Beyondthebreach
Location: Chandler, AZ
Wow! Looks like there was quite a bit of discussion on Neutrality and Druids that I missed. I find Druids to be quite playable and one of the more interesting classes . . . I am also a somewhat struck by the narrow & strict viewpoint many seem to have on alignment.
"True" neutrality is very narrow, yes . . . but not quite as limiting as all that.
Sure, we all have read our alignment descriptions in the Player's Handbook, but to review:
True Neutral The "true" netural looks upon all other alignments as facets of the system of things. Thus, each aspect - evil and good, chaos and law - of things must be retained in balance to maintain the status quo; for things as they are cannot be improved upon except temporarily, and even then but superficially. Nature will prevail and keep things as they were meant to be, provided the "wheel' surrounding the hub of nature does not become unbalanced due to the work of unnatural forces - such as human and other intelligent creatures interfering with what is meant to be.
This seems to be the general interpretation of "True" Neutral that has been voiced here. It is definitely restrictive, but it is NOT intended to be how "True" neutrality has to be played. That description is the "ideal" - perhaps a Greater Deity of Nature who was "True" Neutral might exhibit those qualities, but not your everyday PC (Druid).
Let's not overlook the final paragraph after all the alignment descriptions:
Naturally, there are all variations and shades of tendencies within each alignment. The descriptions are generalizations only. A character can be basically good in its "true" neutrality, or tend towards evil. It is probable that your campaign referee will keep a graph of the drift of your character on the alignment chart. This is affected by the actions (and desires) of your character during the course of each adventure, and will be reflected on the graph. You may find that these actions are such as to cause the declared alignment to be shifted towards, or actually to, some other.
This is really the key to all the alignments - overly strict interpretation can lead to boring, unrealistic and shallow characters. Most of the neutral alignments are played with at least a slight drift towards good - (or evil, depending on your campaign). This is often what motivates characters, what sets up innumerable adventures and gives cause to what they quest for. It is often the reason that a character such as a Lawful Neutral fighter might find himself on the side of "good" in most of his quests. Evil is inherently cruel and intrusive. It's goals are often so distasteful that a sane and kind person cannot help but fight against it.
The same would apply to most Druids. They are NOT 20th century protectors of forests - they are clerics of nature who draw their power from it and who, in turn, protect it. Evil is necessarily more often their target as Evil is more likely to encroach upon their domain and more cruelly burn and slaughter the flora and fauna. Though a good lord might also unjustly hunt for sport (for example) - it is often evil whose direct actions must be addressed. While it can easily be allowed to have Neutral Good or Neutral Evil Druids in a particular campaign, the rules also provide enough flexibility that a "True" neutral can exhibit these traits without a radical alignment shift.
Evil characters, as well, might not be always and thoroughly evil. Just because the local tyrant pauses in his walk through town to protect an innocent child from being beaten to death does not make him good - it was a good action, to be sure, but people (and demihumans ) are complex creatures. Even Good characters sometimes sin . . .
"Gleemonex makes it feel like it's seventy-two degrees in your head... all... the... time! "
You're not the only one who missed that discussion.
I'm of the belief that True Neutral is an impossible alignment for intelligent creatures. The reason is that in order to be totally neutral one cannot make a decision, for the act of making a decision of any kind renders someone no longer neutral. So druids in my games have to be of a neutral alignment (Lawful Neutral, Chaotic Neutral, Neutral Good, Neutral Evil). True Neutral is reserved for creatures that function on instinct.
I know I'm nowhere close to by the book on that, but that definition of true neutral has stuck with me for years, ever since it was told to me by a high school friend. But, other than true neutral, alignments are not absolutes with me, and I can see that you think in much the same way in regards to them. If I recall, alignments are but a guide, and not a strightjacket in regards to roleplay.
The Gray Book: My homage to E.G.G.
Star Trek: Alpha Quadrant: The game Mongoose failed to make.
I dispensed with alignments. I have players write down personality traits, in great detail. Works just as well for items with intelligence too. And any idiot can compare the two and see where there might be item/character conflicts.
If a character starts acting WAY out of personality, I disallow it. A gradual shift, or one due to a major occurence is fine. If a character is friendly, gentle and outgoing, and some random stranger has unwilling carnal relations with his pet dog, I would of course allow him to slay the offender and not be penalized. Or, if a character slowly begins to commit evil acts, that is fine too, but the personality sheet would be updated to reflect this shift.
FormCritic
Most of my original players wanted to start out as Neutral because they did not want to limit their options.
In the original rules...(and to some extent in the current rules)...there was almost no penalty for being Neutral, while being Good or Evil could get you zapped, drained of experience points or otherwise screwed. In my players' view (and they had a point), Good is limiting and Evil is otherwise inconvenient.
A later player in my games pointed out that Neutral, as played by player characters, actually means Chaotic Evil because in practice it means the freedom to be entirely, freely selfish. Only the label is different.
It was only after high school that the players in my game were mature enough to realize that being inconvenienced also makes for more interesting role-playing. It is the things that a character will not do...when his personal morals create dilemmas...that make a character truly memorable. Evil bastards are a dime a dozen in comparison.
What I find laughable is the idea of "Lords of Neutrality" and the idea of "preserving the balance" between good and evil. "Of course, we all know that it is possible for Good to go too far!" Riiiight....I have too much peace, unselfishness, joy, brotherly love and hope. Could someone please stop me before I do something else unspeakably kind? :?
*Speaks in high-pitched and whimpy voice* "We must not let the Lords of Good prevail! They might be nice to us!"
Neutral between Law and Chaos? Yes, certainly. Neutral between Good and Evil? No...it's just downright silly.
The concept of a Neutral defender of nature is an entirely modern, secular idea. It has very little place in a medieval fantasy setting. It has much to do with the popular modern fantasy that primitive people used to "live in harmony with nature," or that people in loincloths somehow, "speak for Mother Earth." *Makes sarcastic vomiting noises*
How was that for a rant? Ranty enough? :lol: God, I take myself sooooo seriously!
"But I have watched the dragons come, fire-eyed, across the world."
killjoy32
Location: Wallasey, Merseyside, UK
the times i played (which wasnt often as i mostly DM'd cos nobody else wanted to)....my characters were always chaotic neutral, bar for the odd time i was chaotic good. i just loved the randomness it gave and it used to throw a spanner in everyones plans all the time and i had an absolute blast with it
franks point relating to personal traits etc is superb. thats what we kinda did in the end. i used to ask ppl to detail their personalities of their character and i forced them to keep to that. worked pretty much the same way really.
Everyone is entitled to my opinion
Alan Silcock - Marathon Des Sables
MDS 2008 - Stage 6 - 1km from the finish...some thoughts - YouTube
MShipley88 wrote:
How was that for a rant? Ranty enough? God, I take myself sooooo seriously!
Mr Shipley! You are entirely correct! As I remember, the elves and sprites of medieval Britain were a very industrial lot - much more concerned with machinery and it's potential usefulness. Of course, everyone knows that a French Dryad was as much a "lady of the night" as anything. And don't get me started on Pixies - nothing more than street urchins the whole lot of 'em! :D
Badmike
Location: DFW TX
Traveller wrote: You're not the only one who missed that discussion.
I agree with Traveller, we've run our campaigns like that for almost 20 years vis a vis the Neutral alignment. For instance, druids in Azura are either NG or NE. I'm going to post my brother's essay on Alignment in D&D and specifically Azura (my campaign world). It's the results of lots and lots of discussions and years of playing AD&D and disagreeing with the original alignment rules. It really helped us codify alignment and stopped hundreds of disagreements and arguements, we've had no problems with alignments for many years. We've had plenty of druids in that time, I was quite surprised to find that a lot of groups never played them at all! They end up being some of the most powerful characters at higher level.
I'm going to post my brother's alignment essay. This was in our official rules for the campaign world we ran since about 1990 or so. I apologize for the length, I did edit it down a bit. I wouldn't have posted the entire thing except that I think he did an exceptional job codifying the arguments we'd had up until then during game play the previous 10 years. We've used them for the last 16 years with no problems at all, if anyone wants to borrow them or use them as a baseline and improve upon them, go ahead. If anyone likes or hates them I hope they provoke discussion!
ALIGNMENT IN AZURA
Ahh, alignment. The PHB and the DMG each have nothing less than an entire chapter dedicated to it and yet the subject has still been the source for many a failed campaign and many hours of argument around the game table. So what is alignment and why are there so many problems? If you were to read the prelude to Chapter 4 in the PHB you would find a definition that states alignment is "a guide to basic moral and ethical attitudes towards others, society, good, evil, and the forces of the universe in general." The definition is then followed by some reassuring lines emphasizing that alignment is meant to be a tool or guide for player characters to better classify their character's general attitudes and not a device intended to restrict the way players choose to play their characters. The attitudes that define alignment are divided into two groups: good and evil, and law and chaos. The player need only chose the combination of each of these that best suits the character he wishes to play. Now what could be more simple?
As usual however, the devil is in the details. Moving past the benign prelude in the PHB the reader is quickly engulfed in the dark abyss of five long detailed pages that describe a moral philosophy for the game that leaves the reader uncertain and confused. Although the descriptions are at times complex and restrictive there are still many questions left unanswered and loopholes big enough to fly black dragons through. The prelude suggests that the nine alignments offered "serve well to define the attitudes of most of the people in the world", but many of the alignments described are in actuality not playable at all unless a world is to be populated with madmen. Conversely, there are many personalities of characters that one could imagine that don't fall neatly within any of the alignments given. Of the alignments that are playable, some too narrowly define and restrict player's actions while others appear to be overly broad. In all cases there is overlap and gray areas between them further muddying the issue.
But fear not, there is another chapter in the DMG dedicated to straightening out these discrepancies right? Well, not exactly. Instead the chapter starts by focusing more on alignment in the big picture instead of shedding light on how to play any one in particular. Then follows a multitude of admonitions to DMs to be ever-vigilant of transgressions. There are discussions on how alignments should be secretive, can cause conflicts, can be used by DMs to manipulate actions of their players, and ultimately, harsh punishments described for those who fail to abide by the alignment "straitjacket" that the prelude in the PHB promises doesn't exist.
Naturally I have been thinking about the ramifications this flawed alignment system, created by the whims of Gygax decades ago, has upon the Azuran pantheon that has been created. After much consideration I think I have found a system that is both less restrictive and at the same time makes much more sense than the previous one. The result will hopefully be more freedom for the player to explore and develop the personalities of their players without having to rely on stale PHB examples to define who they are and without having to worry about the TSR alignment police tracking them down every time their character behaves a little differently.
Of course the most fundamental conflict within the alignment system is good versus evil. But what exactly is the definition for good and evil? The philosophy of the PHB/DMG is that good and evil are a matter of perspective and certainly there are examples of that in the fantasy world as well as the real. Below is a fantasy example:
EX 1: A group of fighters build a fort in the forest to protect the nearby villages from bandits that live there. The bandits, unlike the fighters, are able to live off the land and in harmony with their woodland surroundings. A local druid living there becomes pissed off, not at the bandits who cause no harm to the forest, but with the fighters who are causing the decimation of his forest by building a huge fort. So many trees cut down to make walls. So many squirrels killed to feed the garrison. So many dumps taken in the nearby stream. The druid can take it no more. He tells the fighters they are destroying the natural habitat in a way the bandits never have and tries to convince them to leave. But they refuse pointing out that the lives and well being of nearby villagers are more important than a few trees and woodland critters. The druid could care less about villages far away when trees nearby suffer so much so he engages in increasingly aggressive attempts to evict the unwanted garrison eventually resorting to causing them harm. Who is good and who is evil in this scenario? Is it a matter of perspective?
According to the PHB/DMG this would be a matter of perspective. A True Neutral druid could do whatever was necessary to maintain the balance in his forest between good and evil, and law and chaos. He could hinder or even destroy the fighters thereby ridding his forest of the unnatural fort or he could destroy or runoff the bandits precluding the need for a fort in the first place. He would be behaving neither evil, nor good regardless of which choice he made since he would be adhering to his primary neutral ethos which requires him to protect the woods. According to the PHB we can't hold it against the druid that he values his woodlands more than humans.
Of course in practice the above example would be fraught with contradiction and hypocrisy. There is the fiction of the druid being neutral, but how many DMs would really allow a player character druid to destroy the fort of good fighters and by default provide refuge to a band of marauding bandits? I imagine many DMs would threaten the player character druid with penalties, including penalties for alignment change, if the druid actually carried that act out. But there are seldom any penalties suggested much less imposed upon player character druids who would help a party in destroying the bandits or who otherwise act in a consistently good way. This is the problem with perspectives….they can vary.
In Azura this dilemma is greatly simplified by a single change. Instead of relying on peoples perspectives of good and evil, why not just define what good and evil is. In place of perspectives, all moral decisions about what is good and evil in Azura are made from the moral standpoint of human-kind (humans & demi-humans). To be Evil means to believe and/or act without regard for the life and well being of human-kind. To be Good is to believe and/or act in the benefit of the life and well-being of human-kind. To put it another way; evil people will harm people to advance their beliefs whereas good people advance theirs by performing acts of beneficence.
So applying the Azuran alignment model to EX1 what do we come up with? Clearly, the fighters would be good since they are acting in a way to protect the lives and well-being of the villagers even though a few trees and rabbits might get trampled in the process. Although the bandits are considerate about their treatment of the forest they live in, they are still evil because they live by preying upon human-kind. But what of the druid? Well, the druid has a decision to make. Either he can believe humans are as much apart of the natural world as any wilderness creature and therefore worthy of the same care and protection as any tree or raccoon, or he can believe that the need for preserving and nurturing the woodlands supersedes the well-being of man. Read my description of the two philosophical schools in the Faerel priesthood and you will see that druids must either be evil or good in Azura. A druid cannot remain truly neutral in the conflict between good and evil and instead must make his choice.
Law and Chaos
Besides good and evil, the other major classification for alignments is law and chaos. The PHB/DMG sometimes seem to imply that the conflict between law and chaos is as equally important as that between good and evil. But in reality it can't be. I mean, how many D&D sessions were inspired by a player's desire to role-play a chaotic character who could band with other chaotic characters to collectively strike a blow against lawfulness in the world? Not exactly the stuff of Tolkien.
Although it took the writers of the PHB a half page to describe it, I think I can better define what is meant by law and chaos in a single sentence. To be Lawful is to believe that the needs of the individual or the few are subordinate to the needs of society and to be Chaotic is to believe that the needs of society are subordinate to the needs of the individual or the few. This conflict within the alignment system is not nearly as fundamental as that of good versus evil and isn't nearly as clear cut. Instead law and chaos are merely modifiers of the more salient conflict between good and evil. After all, law and chaos aren't so much a religious attitude as they are a philosophy for social order.
EX2: A lawful (LG or LE) fighter rules a coastal city/state that enjoys prosperity so long as its sea trade isn't disrupted. However, vessels sailing to and from the city have come under the attack by a ruthless band of pirates. Unfortunately the only force nearby that is powerful enough to confront and defeat this pirate band is a CE group of mercenary adventurers who have arrived in the territory recently. They have no love for the fighter or his city and have a reputation for committing their share of atrocities in other lands far away. To entice the evil adventurers, the fighter swears an oath that he will pay a huge reward to anyone able to bring him the head of the pirate leader. The group of CE adventurers, knowing that the reputation of the lawful fighter is to keep his word, hears of the reward and goes on the hunt for the pirates. Eventually they confront and slay the pirate leader and return triumphant to the city to collect their reward. After presenting the head of the pirate the adventurers are surprised to learn that the lawful fighter refuses to pay the promised reward and instead has his private guard ambush the adventurers, taking them prisoner and slaughtering whoever resists. Is the lawful fighter guilty of acting in an unlawful way?
Remember that in terms of alignment, law and chaos are just philosophies of social order. No particular act is in and of itself lawful or chaotic. It only matters why the act was done, not how it was done. So, if we apply that to EX2 above we would come to the conclusion that the fighter wasn't necessarily acting in a chaotic manner by lying about the reward. He could arguably be good or evil but he would not have to be chaotic. A person is lawful because he believes the needs of society outweigh those of the individual or the few. Certainly it could be justified that CE adventurers would be a danger to order in any city and providing them with substantial amounts of money in the form of a reward could make them even more dangerous. The lawful fighter only did what he had to in order to ensure the safety and welfare of his city. In this case the evil adventurers were "the few" and therefore capturing or slaying them, so long as it is done for the benefit of society, could be considered a lawful act. The act of lying or of keeping one's word is neither inherently lawful or chaotic. It depends on why one is lying or keeping their word. The above explanation could justify how even a Paladin may lie, cheat or steal so long as its in the interests of the society. And even if lying, cheating and/or stealing were against the Paladin's order/ethos he would only be jeopardizing his character class, not his lawful alignment.
Good and Evil & Law and Chaos Combined
Now that we have definitions for both good/evil and law/chaos its a simple matter to put them together to come up with four very playable alignments. To be LE/LG is to perform malicious/beneficial acts upon human-kind in the interest of society over that of the individual or the few. To be CE/CG is to perform malicious/beneficent acts upon human-kind that are in the interest of the individual or the few over that of society.The non-neutral alignments (LE/LG and CE/CG) may be playable but in reality how likely is it that most of the people and creatures encountered in Azura would have such a well-developed concept of the world's social order. In truth, the vast majority of Azurans don't fall into any of these four alignments which brings us to the discussion of neutrality.
Now that we have defined good/evil and law/chaos its time to confront the concept on neutrality in the alignment system. Once again we first turn to the PHB/DMG. There we find they have taken the easiest route to obtain a definition by simply stating that neutrality is the absence of good/evil and law/chaos. However this is a very unsatisfying approach to the issue which allows the creation of some of the most unworkable alignments imaginable.
True neutral is the ultimate culmination of this flawed approach towards neutrality. According to the PHB, true neutral characters see it as "their duty to see that all of these forces (law/chaos & good/evil) remain in balanced contention". As an example, "a true neutral druid might join the local barony to put down a tribe of evil gnolls, only to drop out or switch sides when the gnolls were brought to the brink of destruction." And the writers of the PHB have the audacity to say that CN characters are "lunatics and madmen". According to them, you could never know what a true neutral person would do in any situation and could never count on the fact that they wouldn't reverse course in the middle of something. People of true neutral alignment are left wondering whether they should open this door or not. If they open it and there are already too many other doors open in the world at the same time they will have unbalanced the cosmic order of things but if they don't open it there may be too many doors closed. Why don't we just go ahead and save some time by putting this poor true neutral schlep in a strait jacket and let him bounce around a padded room deciding if he should breath or not because there may or may not be enough oxygen in the world at that moment.
To put it in Azuran game terms; no intelligent mortal creature can be True Neutral. It is not a viable alignment for any mortal man to play. Of those with intelligence, only god's can understand the complexities and manage the heavy burdens of maintaining the universal balance between good and evil & law and chaos. That awesome responsibility has mercifully not been delegated to someone like Nimnuts the true neutral 1st level druid who likes to plant dandelions and talk to chipmunks in his spare time.
So if neutrality isn't the absence of good/evil and law/chaos as the PHB/DMG asserts then what the heck is it? Well, let's approach this from a different direction. What is something that we would think should be undisputedly neutral? Maybe a squirrel or other woodland creature. Basically, natural creatures or plants without any ability to reason as human's do. So why are they neutral? A squirrel could steal the last crumb of bread from a starving family but its doing so as a matter of survival and not out of any malicious intent. Therefore to be neutral is to engage in whatever acts are necessary to ensure one's well-being and survival. However, as was stated earlier, no mortal man can be true neutral. Therefore something must modify the neutrality for those with intelligence and in Azura that modifier is good and evil. And that modifier indicates how far someone is willing to go to ensure their well-being and survival. To be NE/NG is to be willing to perform good/evil acts upon others in the interest of ensuring one's own well-being and survival. In other words if someone is willing to jeopardize someone else's life and well-being for their own personal survival they are NE, but if they aren't willing to do so then they are NG. However the good/evil modifier is not absolute when it comes to neutrality.
EX3: A neutral man cares for his wife and children by providing them with food, shelter and clothing but he cheats on his wife and sometimes beats his children when they bother him. He has become a gem-cutter to make a living so that he can give his family what they need but he regularly skims an illegal percentage off his work to do so. He is an active member of the gem-cutter's guild and helps set the criteria to keep crooks from taking advantage of others in town but uses his influence in the guild to escape punishment himself. He is a member of the town militia and has fought to defend his town and family from bandits and monsters but he has refused to fight in defense of other towns. He also pays a tax to support the building of a wall to further protect his town but refuses to pay any taxes that would go to help the poor and disabled in his community.
Although the non-neutral alignments (LE/LG & CE/CG) may be popular with player characters and villains who often times do have strong moral convictions, its important to remember that the vast majority of the common people in Azura don't have such a well-defined concept of their place in the world. Most people in Azura act upon their need to survive. Therefore most people would be classified as neutral. Sure, they may have tendencies towards good or evil but in many cases it would be ever-changing. The man described in EX3 is a perfect example of just such a person. He is neither purely good or evil. He may seem to have a tendency towards evil but at times he does act in a way that helps the well-being of the people in his town as well as his own family. He would be classified as neutral and could be NG or NE depending on what he was doing at any specific point.
The Demise of Other Non-playable Alignments (LN/CN)
So what of law and chaos as a modifier to neutrality? As described earlier good and evil have a distinct line drawn between them. There is no such thing as neutrality in regards to good or evil for any creature capable of reason. Either you are willing to cause harm to humans or human-kind for personal gratification (CE), for the benefit of your society (LE), or as a matter of your survival (NE). If not, you are good. However law and chaos are philosophies of social order which don't have as distinct a line between them and neutrality is the concept that falls in the middle of the two. Neutrality therefore is a part of the conflict between law and chaos. And since neutrality is a part of the law and chaos conflict it would make no sense to allow itself to be modified by law and chaos. Instead it can only be modified by good and evil.
Let me put it another way. Anyone who makes a choice to be lawful (asserting the welfare of society over the individual) or chaotic (asserting the welfare of the individual over society) has to make a choice of whether or not these goals of social order are to be achieved at the expense of other humans and human-kind or not. By making that choice, a person is no longer neutral by definition and is instead good or evil. Therefore in Azura, no intelligent creature can be LN or CN. As with true neutral, these alignments are not viable for any mortal man.
Alignment in Game Terms
So what does it all mean in terms of game play?
I realize that what I've written tears apart the system Gygax created and appears on the surface to seem to be a huge reworking of the alignment system. But lets face it, we never really used the alignment system as written in the PHB/DMG anyway. Were there ever any penalties for playing druids that always seemed to fall on the side of good instead of weighing the balance of the universe with every decision? The PHB defined CN characters as madmen and LN was much too rigid in many ways, so how many players would just end up saying their characters were "neutral" without specifying what exactly they believed in?
Choosing an Alignment
Under the alignment system I just described I could tell you what the alignment is for any individual in D&D without equivocation. Try to do that with the PHB/DMG rules.
It's very simple to do actually. Just ask yourself the following questions for each character (these questions work for intelligent creatures as well):
1) Would this character willingly sacrifice an innocent person's life or well-being for their own survival or to enforce their beliefs upon society? If the answer is yes, then the character is evil. If no, then he is good.
2) Does this character behave in an evil or good manner to ensure his own well-being or promote either his own personal beliefs (NE/NG); those other individuals, or small groups such as a clan, guild or order (CE/CG); or a large group such as a town, a race, or a culture (LE/LG).
Below is description for each of the alignments available in Azura:
Lawful Good: Lawful good characters regularly perform beneficial acts towards others in an effort to promote the welfare of a society over that of the individual or the few living within it. These characters believe that good is best promoted by doing those things that will bring the greatest benefit to the most people while causing the least harm. They will often make sacrifices themselves in order to promote the greater good and will try to convince or compel others to do so as well.
Chaotic Good: Chaotic good characters regularly perform beneficial acts towards others in an effort to promote the welfare of an individual or a few. These characters believe in taking a personal or "grass-roots" approach to promoting good. They commonly single out specific people, families or small groups for acts of charity and kindness with an emphasis on helping others more than themselves. As with lawful good, chaotic good characters will often make sacrifices of themselves in order to help others.
Neutral Good: Neutral good characters are willing to promote the life and welfare of others (society or individuals) so long as they too can benefit. A neutral good character will regularly perform good acts on a small scale but will only rarely endure a serious sacrifice for others when there is little to benefit from it personally. These characters will generally try to refrain from committing purely selfish or evil acts although they may do so from time to time.
True Neutral: This alignment is reserved for animals and plants of limited intelligence or god's who are charged with maintaining order in the universe. Infants, lunatics and other humans or creatures with mental deficiencies may fall into this category as well. Player characters can not be True Neutral.
**Note: Many characters who alternate between NG and NE are designated as being Neutral. Please do not confirm Neutral with True Neutral.
Lawful Evil: Lawful evil characters can justify the use of any action, no matter how ruthless, that promotes the needs of society over that of the individuals within it. These characters believe in promoting a government, a religious ethos, a social order or some other large organization, cause or hierarchy that typically allows them (and those like them) to benefit from the suffering of others.
Chaotic Evil: Chaotic evil characters are willing to perform malicious acts upon others that are in the interest of the individual or the few. These characters believe that any means are justified in their pursuit of personal pleasure and gain.
Neutral Evil: Neutral evil characters are willing to sacrifice the life and welfare of others in the interest of ensuring their own personal well-being and survival. Although some of these characters may engage in good acts frequently, they remain neutral evil because they are actually acting only on the behalf of some selfish desire or to gain some immediate personal reward. These characters live for themselves and if push comes to shove will do just about anything to advance their own needs. A typical neutral evil character would not necessarily go out of his way to commit an evil act but could be convinced to do so if the opportunity were made available and it provided some benefit to him.
True Good, True Evil and Neutral Defined
True Good: True good alignments include LG and CG. These characters regularly perform good acts to benefit others without any expectation of personal gain and sometimes at great risk to themselves.
As is human, true good characters could occasionally engage in an evil act, but if they were to remain true good then they would feel compelled to perform acts of contrition appropriate to their offense (ie. confession, donations of money or labor to charity/church, quests, or extreme sacrifice to name a few).
In game terms, true good characters would always radiate good, regardless of what act they were engaged in, and would benefit or suffer accordingly from alignment specific magic.
Neutral: Neutral alignments include NG and NE. Characters who are neutral are actually those who, like most people in the world, do some evil and some good things in the regular course of living their lives. Most people tend to have a tendency towards behaving either in a good or evil way, although there are a few can alternate frequently between the two depending on what they are doing or thinking about at any given time. This alignment is the most common for the average person or creature.
In game terms, people of neutral alignments may or may not be affected by alignment-specific magic depending on the circumstances. It would be up to the DM's discretion whether the character was behaving or thinking in a manner that was good or evil at the time. Again, most people would have tendencies towards either good or evil that could help resolve this issue most of the time, but there could always be exceptions.
True Evil: True evil alignments include LE and CE. These characters regularly perform evil acts to benefit themselves or their cause. They have little compunction about killing, destroying or causing pain to anyone or anything to acquire personal gain, or to promote their own beliefs.
Although these characters are obsessed with dark thoughts, there are some evil people and creatures who will commit good acts or limit their evil ones in order to deceive others around them of their true nature. In other words, evil characters need not act evil at all times.
In game terms, true evil characters would always radiate evil, regardless of what act they were engaged in, and would benefit or suffer accordingly from alignment specific magic.
The Priest, the Paladin, the Ranger and Alignment
For most people in Azura, changes in alignment are just a part of the journey of life. Attitudes and beliefs change over time and with experience. There may be repercussions socially when a person changes his beliefs and way of acting but nothing in the way of game penalties. Regardless of the PHB/DMG rules, no one in Azura can lose class levels, be required to obtain more experience points, or be subject to any other penalty because they changed alignment.
For characters who rely on their alignment to qualify them for the classes they play, the issue requires a bit more attention. Priests, paladins and rangers all gain spells and other magical powers as a divine favor from the gods they worship. The gods expect their followers to adhere to their ethos and if the character fails to do so they can indeed be penalized. Please note that the penalties incurred from disobeying a god are the result of transgressions against the god's ethos and not for alignment change. Take a look at the following example:
EX4: A NG druid of Faerel has dedicated his life to protecting the plants and creatures within a particular forest while living in harmony with the people living in a few small nearby villages. However as the years pass the villages continue to expand in size and multiply, becoming more and more of a danger to the welfare of the druids forest. The druid eventually has an alignment shift to NE as he begins to believe that the villagers nearby should be prevented by force if necessary from despoiling the forest further.
In EX4 the druid has made a change in his beliefs about the relation of man with nature that has resulted in an alignment change. However, this change of beliefs can be accommodated within the druid's ethos to protect the woods and he would suffer no consequences from his god for his behavior. On the other hand, if the druid were to become so prejudiced towards the villagers as to attack any person he sees without provocation, the druid could eventually be considered CE (druids can only be NG and NE) and Faerel would impose heavy penalties including the restriction of the druid's spells and powers.
Note that in Azura both Paladins and Rangers can be of evil alignments, depending on the God they worship or the ethos they follow. While Paladins must always be either Lawful Good or Lawful Evil, Rangers can be of any alignment except for Chaotic or Lawful Evil (these ethos precludes the respect for forest life over another that a Ranger would have for his powers to function). A case could be made for a Neutral Evil Ranger, as below:
EX5: A NG Ranger worshipping the Goddess Sybaris has retired to a small grove outside of town. His companions are a pair of mated black bears, who patrol the area around the local village. However, as civilization encroaches the grove, the bears find themselves more and more in contact with villagers and several frightening encounters occur between late-night traveling villagers and the bears. The Ranger goes to the town council to try and place the area around his grove off-limits to villagers or travelers, but they are un-swayed by his arguments. Soon, the inevitable tragedy happens and the bears are killed by a traveling mercenary group that are unaware of the bear's nature and feel threatened when they come upon them one evening. The group leaves and the bears are found by the Ranger, who now is filled with hatred towards both the adventuring group (who are not evil) and the town council that he feels could have prevented this tragedy. He is now an embittered, lonely man who will no longer help the town or it's villagers, although if he himself were also threatened (say, an orcish war party invades the region), he would bear arms against with the villagers against a common foe, or if an innocent (say a helpless child) was in trouble he would rescue them. However, if a member of the town council or mercenary party were attacked by a wolf or another bear he would not raise arms to assist them, feeling they were getting what they deserved. He has become NE in philosophy; although he still will assist in the war vs evil, he will now pick and choose his spots.
In the past, alignment was used by DMs as a motivational tool ("You're character HAS to help the villagers against the bandits because he's Neutral Good!) or as a straight jacket to enforce his will upon the party ("Since the Paladin is Lawful Good, he HAS to attack the Devil that has appeared in the other room, regardless of whether or not your 2nd level party will survive, and if he doesn't he and all the good characters here will lose a level") instead of a moral distinction that really should have little effect on game play. Instead, the DM and players alike should avoid bogging the game down in philosophical motivations and mystical connections between actions and suddenly losing skills in lieu of roleplaying a character that has realistic (as far as fantasy concerns can take this definition) emotions. Perhaps during the lifetime of a character the player will allow him to drift from NG to NE and back again, depending on circumstances and experiences, much like many of us sometimes adjust our moral compasses in real life. Hopefully this will occur without the added burden of looking fearfully over the characters metaphysical shoulder waiting for "The Gods" (aka the vengeful DM) to take offense and punish the character.
Again, I apologize for the length of the Alignment post, but I think it's just so damn well written! :D It's been our bible for alignment related issues for the last 16 years.
Alignment reform came about in our campaign as a result of the dreaded "Chaotic Neutral" disease infesting the campaign, as in everyone choosing CN because it basically allowed you do do ANYTHING without being punished....after all you weren't evil when you allowed that schoolteacher and her students to burn to death in the building, you were just being a "free spirit". Whatever. Every single pickup game we ever had, the newbie would bring his CN character and try to let any infraction possible fly, we eventually just banned CN as a playable alignment, which led to the manifesto.
Since then, we have had exactly zero problems with alignment. NG or NE are really the only two lineups anyone has to choose from, and the same character can fluctuate between these both many times in one campaign or even one game session. Removing the straitjackets to play helped develop memorable, complex and interesting characters that were actually easier to play. Especially the druid change, there were loads of philosophical arguments that went on when someone tried to play a druid in the early days...sometimes they also used "true neutral" as a device to escape punishment for what would instead be seen as an evil act.
AS I said in another thread, to facilitate this we also eliminated all alignment specific spells and instead changed stuf like "Protection from Evil" to "Protection from Enemies" to more accurately reflect the fact that if someone is beating on you, instead of stopping to debate you could count on the spell protecting you.
Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 5:03 am
Yes, Chaotic Neutral always seems to present a problem. I am not sure where the general consensus that it allows you to play your character as a "madman" came from, but I have never seen the alignment in that respect. Again, I try to envision the alignments as guidelines of how intelligent beings actually might behave. You average CN Thief is not supposed to be the prime material embodiment of Pandemonium! Leave that to the Slaads!
A CN Thief doesn't actively pursue good ideals, doesn't seek to throw down the evil monsters raiding a village over 50 miles away simply because he hears about it and he doesn't quest to release the "dark clouds of evil" that have blighted the castle! He doesn't slay helpless people for the joy of doing it! He doesn't overthow the weak, subjugate them and become their leader! Perhaps, he might investigate the first "good" actions I mentioned if he thought there were profit or personal gain.
He also doesn't respect the laws of society or the social conventions that may be prevalent. It does NOT mean that he is some sort of "random" force of nature - free to watch idly like a moron as a child is burned alive or risking everything he has to save a bird with a broken wing! A good (fantasy literature) example of a Chaotic Neutral personality might be Conan the Barbarian. He slays, he steals, he thinks nothing of the children of the guardsmen that might suffer as he slays their father (who was only trying to stop him from performing a robbery in the 1st place). He flauts the laws of civilization, he scoffs at the ceremony that nobility and priests expect and he wanders from land to land in search of adventure. But his actions are not a chaotic jumble that make no sense. He has a personality, he has his own values. When innocents are in imminent danger, he does not wait as they are slain without justification. He does not use his strength and prowess to suppress the weak, he doesn't steal from those who can not afford it. He has his own code of morality that he follows. I don't think anyone here would have difficulty playing Conan as a character and yet, he is easily CN. The key is taking an alignment and then molding a strong personality that embodies those alignment traits - not necessarily trying to act as if you are the spirit of CN (or whatever other alignments is too radically adherred to).
bar for the very rare occasion, my characters were always fighters and the norm was CN align.
now i didnt particularly play him as a "madman".
it was more of a case like this. i see something i want, so i run into battle, fight whatever i have to cos i just have to have it. all the parties plans for the encounter come to nothing as i trip up all forms of surprise, i think nothing of what i am fighting, because it is an impulsive action and totally at random.
there was lots more to it than that, but that was pretty much the norm of things.
additionally, we might all be in a major fight and i get really hurt, so think - thats enough for me and just leave the combat to them.
ps. just out of curiousity...two characters: one from the hobbit, Beorn...what was his alignment do you think? and in LOTR, what about Radagast the Brown?
Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 12:05 pm
beyondthebreach wrote: Yes, Chaotic Neutral always seems to present a problem. I am not sure where the general consensus that it allows you to play your character as a "madman" came from, but I have never seen the alignment in that respect. Again, I try to envision the alignments as guidelines of how intelligent beings actually might behave. You average CN Thief is not supposed to be the prime material embodiment of Pandemonium! Leave that to the Slaads!
I think Conan as CN is a good example of what someone who was an expert roleplayer with strong personality could do with that alignment; unfortunately no one I ever gamed with in 25 years used CN as anything more than an excuse to escape punishment while basically letting their character run amok. I mean, a CN character by definition wouldn't even join a group, much less an adventuring party, so how on earth could five of them band together to raid a hill giant's fortress? It was a recipe for disaster whenever someone brought a character in with that alignment. We had to ban it in our campaigns simply because the presence of a CN alignment would always entail at least one 10-15 minute argument every session over "alignment infractions" or what not. "Yeh, my thief can steal from the party because he's CN"..."Well, then my fighter can cut his throat tonight because he's CN also"...."My mage is going to fireball them both because he's CN and doesn't care". Lord save me from CN!
On the subject of Conan, he's a great example of the fluctuation a character's alignment goes through. He starts out CN with perhaps even a twist of NE mixed in. As time goes on, I he slides towards CG as more and more he's involved in forming his own outlaw/mercenary groups and fighting for innocent people, particularly when he starts working for various governments as a soldier (I don't think any army would be unconventional enough to allow a CN officer to operate in their military structure). I think by the time he becomes King Conan later in life, he is Firmly NG with CG tendencies. In the alignment scheme for my campaign world, he would be constantly sliding between NE, N and NG throughout his career, finally ending up at NG.
I could see neutrality where nations or rival causes are in conflict. Alighnment is best played out against the context of great events.
One of the things I have always liked to do is have the NPC's pull swither-oos on the party...compicating the concept of alighnment with personality and difficult moral choices:
For instance, the local Bishop of Pholtus is a crappy person, motivated by arrogance and ambition...common people do not like the bishop, but they respect and obey him because of his title...and he is also the town's main defender against a band of evil knights...
...A band of evil knights who are the last remnant of a Lawful Good crusade that went too far...but the knights know the location and how to get a major, elvish artifact that belongs to the nearby sylvan elves...
...A clan of sylvan elves who are beautiful and noble...but who are also foolishly xenophobic and infuriatingly proud...who are battling against an orc tribe...
...An orc tribe that is raiding the countryside, trying to expand their territory...they are violent and gruesome, but their king is wise and chivalrous and...they are also the feudal vassals of the local duke, to whom they are extremely useful....
...A duke who is ruthless, evil, sadistic and ignoble...but who was also the hero of The Great Dragon War, three decades ago...and who is also the local kingdom's strongest defender against the Evil Empire....
...A Lawful Evil Empire that seeks to rule all other states through force...so that they can send out crusading knights to destroy the enemies of justice and order...
...An Archbishop of Pholtus, based in the Lawful Evil Empire, who is the chief sponsor of the order of knights that went bad as well as the supreme pontif of the local Bishop of Pholtus...and who also fears the rise of the Great Dragon Powers once again....
...The Great Dragon Powers who secretly manipulate all sides and wish to bring doom upon all...possibly with the aid of the sylvan elves and the local orc tribe, both of whom have their own interests to think about...and whose plans must include the deaths of an annoying group of player characters who have stumbled upon a fraction of the real truth....
...And so on....for as many levels of complexity as are needed.
In this context, alighnment becomes more of a choice between causes and factions. Players must decide which way their characters would choose to go, since all sides have good and bad characteristics.
At some point in this campaign, a major evil NPC will choose to spare or even help the party because their interests coincide. It helps the dilemma if the NPC in question is also an interesting and likeable person who just has a few evil goals...nothing personal.
Even if the players wish to adopt a snide, modernistic, me-first attitude, their characters must still choose because they need allies and advice. Even Chaotic Neutral characters cannot simply run about and loot and burn because there are local authorities and powers to whom they must answer. The players have intrinsic motivation to join in the flow of events and take a personal interest because their actions cause them to rise in importance (or...die) as the campaign progresses.
This type of context makes paladins choose between difficult options, or even against their own order. It also forces evil or neutral characters to consider their true self-interests and possibly make noble choices. Does a cleric obey the head of his order or the head of the state? Etc...
All of these situations are distinctly medieval fantasy. It is a modern take on medieval themes...but it is still medieval. These are the high fantasy themes that my players have come to expect and demand. None of them involve an order of Neutral druids who worship fig trees and try to make sure that local chipmunks are not exploited.
Badmike wrote: Well, the druid has a decision to make. Either he can believe humans are as much apart of the natural world as any wilderness creature and therefore worthy of the same care and protection as any tree or raccoon, or he can believe that the need for preserving and nurturing the woodlands supersedes the well-being of man.
I could argue that these two aren't mutually exclusive. The need for preserving and nurturing the woodlands could be the best long-term view for the well-being of man as well as all other beings. Non-neutrals are so short sighted!
Apologies if the point has been made. But I didn't have time to read all the posts. Must go now. Trees to hug. And then I need to light a fire. It's a cold damp night in these parts.
My two cents:
1) There's three types of Neutrality.
Type a) Actively tries to seek a balance between the two poles of the axis.
Example: a NG character who thinks that Good is best promoted by a balance between Lawful and Chaotic means. A bit of both are necessary.
Type b) Considers that axis to be illusory/irrelevant, and only makes judgement on the other axis.
Example: a NG character thinks that Law and Chaos are irrelevant: when evaluating an action or a being they just measure the "Goodness"
Type c) Is unaware of the axis, and hasnt done anything either way to gain an affiliation.
2) Law and Chaos are fun concepts for a fantasy game but if you try even vauguely half-serious moral philosophising using them you can only conclude they are total bollocks.
Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2006 5:33 am
On the subject of Druids again,
Of course, there are an endless numbers of historical "flavors" that can be the model upon which a campaign is built. Certainly a Medieval theme being the most prevalent. I question, though, at what point it becomes the height of illogic for a Druid (let's say a priest of nature) to be more out of place than a Magic-user? At what point did anything remotely resembling a D&D magic-user exist as a "common" medieval ideal. From most of the medieval literature I have read, ideas of magic were little discussed and certainly the province of witchcraft and paganism. If anything, medieval magic would have been more likely to derive from Nature than from tomes, books and arcane libraries.
In fact, wasn't the whole concept of a Wizard needing to memorize his spells (thereby creating an "imprint" of the spell in his mind) influenced by a fantasy novel of some sort? (I could be completely wrong on this, but I believe I had read that somewhere - probably on these forums a long time ago . . . )
In any case, no matter how you try, D&D is NOT medieval Europe. The entire game is inundated with "faerie" or Sylvan powers. Dryads, Elves, Centaurs, Treants, Brownies, etc. The list goes on. There are dozens of sentient and intelligent races out there who are deeply and intrinsically a part of nature. It stands to reason that they would derive their power from nature and have a much greater appreciation for it than our historic medieval counterparts. Natural order vs. Civilization would be a constant battle with extreme pressures. Even when both sides were of basic good intent - encroaching on the "Great Forest" that is the lifeblood and home to thousands of intelligent beings would be adamantly opposed by those who dwell within.
It is also logical that at least some humans, being raised in a world where other sentient races espoused the powers of nature and the import of its protection, would also seek to understand, protect and learn its secrets. (when in Rome . . . )
Run any campaign you want . . . but you'll never convince me that somehow a Druid is out of place in a D&D world. I see them as the most basic and early users of magic. Then comes the Clerics as deities first began to gain strength and influence . . . and finally, Wizards as educated and more stable civilizations provided opportunity for research into the potential of magic - allowing a "common" being to take the power for himself rather than having it granted.
The magic system is based upon Jack Vance's The Dying Earth.
Of course, I missed the discussion, but I do have druids in my game for a reason, and at the same time no monks and bards. Druids fit the setting, monks don't. Bards are a specal case, in that they do exist as NPC's, but they aren't anything more than highly trained 0-level humans whose only purpose is to spread the news as the surviving PC's come back after losing two-thirds of the party in the Tomb of Horrors.
beyondthebreach wrote: On the subject of Druids again,
The medieval tomes of magic are still extant. (Although the most common books are late medieval, 15th and 16th century survivors.) Most of the ones that survive have been re-printed in perfect-bound paperback. You can even find them online for free...even more if you read Latin. They are mostly "scientific" in nature, if the invocation of angels and demons to work the wizard's will can be considered "science."
My reading of Shakespeare and Marlowe indicates to me that the members of their audiences shared common information and ideas about magic, faeries, ghosts, witches, etc. Certainly, they saw these things as satanic (and therefore a bit thrilling). They seem to have gleaned a great deal of folklore and basic magical cliches from their own traditions and meagre education.
Most of the texts I have read were written by Christian wizards, who considered themselves to be tapped into secret, divine powers...and to be guided in their studies by God's will. Dr. Jon Dee is a good example. (Queen Elizabeth's court astrologer...look him up online).
This quest for occult ("hidden") knowledge existed right beside and intertwined with the quest for new scientific knowledge...and was often practiced by the same people.
D&D is not the middle ages...it is the middle ages if magic had actually worked and if the dark monsters of Germanic imagination and popular beastiaries had actually existed.
I have two issues with druids..... 1) Their spells and powers are annoying. 2) The idea of a Neutral, rabbit-saving "defender of nature" is a modern, misguided-leftist-environmentalist invention.
Theleb
MShipley88 wrote: I have two issues with druids..... 1) Their spells and powers are annoying. 2) The idea of a Neutral, rabbit-saving "defender of nature" is a modern, misguided-leftist-environmentalist invention.
The first issue is a different strokes for different folks thing, which is fine.
I'm not sure by the second issue if you mean that Gygax created druids in that manner or if that is how you resent druids being played. Gygax is pretty much to the right politically, so I doubt "modern, misguided, leftist, environmentalist" (whatever that is :roll:) is what he had in mind. I'm not familiar with all the fantasy literature that Gygax cites in the back of the DMG, but I always thought of Radagast and Beorn from LotR as the model/inspiration for the Druid class.
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