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Navy Christens Amphibious Transport Dock Ship New York
The Navy will christen the newest San Antonio class amphibious transport dock ship New York (LPD 21) at 10 a.m. CST on Saturday, March 1, 2008, during a ceremony at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding facilities in New Orleans, La.
The ship is named New York in honor of the state, the city and the victims of Sept. 11, 2001. A unique characteristic of the ship is the use of 7.5 tons of steel salvaged from the World Trade Center wreckage that was incorporated into the construction process. The steel was melted and formed to make the bow stem of the ship. Use of this steel symbolizes the spirit and resiliency of the people of New York. The official motto of New York is: “Never Forget.”
Four previous ships have been named New York. The first, a gondola that served in 1776; the second, a frigate that served 1800-1814; the third, an armored cruiser that served 1893-1938; and the fourth, a battleship that served 1914-1946.
Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England will deliver the ceremony’s principal address. His wife, Mrs. Dotty England is serving as the ship’s sponsor. The ceremony will be highlighted in the time-honored Navy tradition when she will break a bottle of champagne across the ship’s bow to formally christen the ship.
Designated LPD 21, New York is the fifth amphibious transport dock ship in the San Antonio class. As an element of future expeditionary strike groups, the ship will support the Marine Corps “mobility triad,” which consists of the landing craft air cushion vehicle (LCAC), the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) and the Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft (MV-22). New York will support amphibious, special operations and expeditionary warfare missions.
Cmdr. F. Curtis Jones, of Binghamton, N.Y., is the ship’s first commanding officer and will lead a crew of 360 officers and enlisted Navy personnel and three Marines. The ship is capable of embarking a landing force of up to 800 Marines.
Built by Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, New York is 684 feet in length, has an overall beam of 105 feet, a navigational draft of 23 feet and displaces approximately 24,900 tons. Four turbo-charged diesels power the ship to sustained speeds of 24 knots. Upon commissioning in 2009, New York will be homeported in Norfolk, Va., as a part of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet.
For additional information about this class of ship, please visit the Navy Fact File: http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=600&ct=4 .
New York sails to war
Ship honors 9/11 sacrifice
By JOSEPH CALLO
Last Updated: 12:59 AM, March 21, 2012
Posted: 10:25 PM, March 20, 2012
At the end of this month, USS New York will sail east from her home port in Norfolk, headed for waters in extremely unstable and threatening areas of the world. She’ll operate in and around the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
With tons of steel from the Twin Towers forged into her bow, the ship is a unique symbol of America’s resistance to the twin evils of tyranny and terrorism. Her motto is “Strength Forged Through Sacrifice. Never Forget.”
Commissioned in New York City on Nov. 7, 2009, USS New York’s special connection with her namesake town has been particularly meaningful for the city’s 9/11 families; many see the ship and the men and women who serve in her as a tangible expression of their deep personal reactions to the unspeakable brutality delivered upon their loved ones on that day.
Chad Rachman/NY Post
USS New York at dock in Staten Island during last year’s Fleet week.
New York is one of a new class of amphibious ships. Her crew has spent the months since commissioning training in complex operations, as she’ll operate as an airport for sophisticated aircraft as well as a seagoing base for a variety of state-of-the-art amphibious landing craft. She has also been training with US Marines to project the kind of power that protects our nation and brings credibility to America’s voice in peace and war.
For all or most of her coming deployment, New York will be part of a Navy Amphibious Ready Group — a force that is the modern expression of the ancient military concept of expeditionary warfare. In blunt terms, New York’s job is to deliver heavily armed Marines at times and places that are inconvenient to those who would do harm to America.
In this role, she is an extremely powerful and useful piece in the Navy/Marine Corps strategy of forward deployment in unstable areas. The fundamental idea is to deter, if possible, those intent on doing harm to the United States and its citizens — and to answer violence and aggression with appropriate strength when and where necessary.
That New York will inevitably also support others who are willing to stand against tyranny and terrorism is particularly relevant to the connections between the ship and the city. She will join other elements of US power that speak firmly of our determination to not only defend ourselves, but to advance human liberty and self-respect.
On the occasion of the ship’s commissioning at Pier 86, her first commanding officer, then-Commander Curt Jones, wrote to the friends and family of his crew:
“Sept. 11, 2001 will forever be a day that stands in the minds of those who experienced it. On that day, all the citizens of the United States became New Yorkers. An act that was meant to tear us apart and show our weakness brought us together as a nation and made us stronger.
“With 7.5 tons of steel recovered from the World Trade Center site and forged into the bow of this ship, the crew of USS New York will ensure that the world will never forget that day.
“The spirit of those who have gone before us inspires us each day. We draw strength from their sacrifice and have placed the mantle of their memory upon our shoulders.”
With those words in mind, we can face the sea on which New York’s crew and embarked Marines will sail, salute and repeat the words of Dotty England as she broke the bottle against the ship’s bow: “May God bless this ship and all who sail in her.”
Page Last Updated: Mar 21, 2012 (10:55:38)
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The Anywhere lamp by Greta Von Nessen
By CYNTHIA TROPE | May 1, 2018
BORN IN MALMÖ, SWEDEN, in 1898, Greta Von Nessen was the daughter of an architect. She graduated from the School for Industrial Arts in Stockholm, and later married German industrial designer Walter Von Nessen. The couple immigrated to the United States in 1925. Settling in New York, they opened their own design firm, Nessen Studios, Inc., in 1927, specializing in designing and fabricating electric lighting. Walter gained recognition for creating innovative Bauhaus-inspired modernist designs, combining functionalism with new materials, while Greta seemed to stay in the background. This changed after Walter’s death in 1943 when in his mid-fifties. Greta closed the business soon thereafter, but reopened it in 1945.
Greta Von Nessen (1898–1978) ANYWHERE LAMP Manufactured by Nessen Studios, Inc. Enameled sheet steel, aluminum, molded Bakelite, and rubber cord 1951
She revived the production of many of the firm’s designs, and went on to introduce inventive new lamps of her own. The Anywhere lamp of 1951 is one of these. With its smooth, curved form made of industrial materials, and its minimal use of color, the lamp is a prime example of postwar modernism applied to lighting design. This highly functional form is composed of three basic elements: a domeshaped enameled metal shade over a bulb-housing mounted on a curved tubular metal base. The shade and housing pivot, allowing the light to be directed. Greta’s versatile lamp can be positioned in a variety of ways—to be placed “anywhere”; it can sit on a table or desk, be mounted as a wall sconce, or suspended from the ceiling. The lamp, offered in a variety of colors, was included in the Museum of Modern Art’s Good Design exhibition of 1952, and the exhibition catalogue noted that it was available at such retailers as Georg Jensen for about $29.50. The utility and elegant simplicity of the Anywhere lamp preserve the legacy of Greta Von Nessen, a strong mid-twentieth-century designer and the subject of a 2011 postage stamp featuring the lamp, part of the US Postal Service’s “Pioneers of American Industrial Design” series. As a further testament to Von Nessen’s abilities, the firm survives to this day, known as Nessen Lighting.
Cynthia Trope
Associate Curator, Product Design and Decorative Arts
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum,
Related ItemsAnywhere lampcooper hewitt smithsonian design museumCurator's EyeGreta Von NessenLighting designNessen Studios Inc.
Lords of Design: Richard Clarkson
Curator’s Eye: Cloud Lamp by Susi and Ueli Berger
New Zealand Designer David Trubridge
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Mayor & Aldermen
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Notice of Election-Open Filing Dates
Written by Dpty Collector
NOTICE OF ELECTION
Notice is hereby given to the qualified voters of the City of Marshfield, Webster County, Missouri, that the Annual City Election will be held on April 6, 2021, for the following purposes:
To vote the election of:
East Ward Alderman . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . 2-year term
West Ward Alderman . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 2-year term
Opening date for filing is Tuesday, December 15, 2020 and closing date for filing is Tuesday, January 19, 2021. City Hall will be open from 8:00 to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 to 5:00 p.m. on both of those days. City Hall will be open from 8:00 to 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday on all days between opening and closing dates, except City Hall will be closed on the following dates: December 24, 2020, December 25, 2020, January 1, 2021 and January 18, 2021.
Requirements to run for office include: Must be 18 years of age or older, a citizen of the United States, and must be a resident of Marshfield one year prior to filing, at the time of filing and for the duration of their term in the Ward in which they are serving.
In response to the Coronavirus pandemic and pursuant to the City of Marshfield Executive Order to abide by social distancing requirements, Candidates will be asked to use the drive-thru window for filing purposes.
Declaration of Candidacy forms can be obtained and filed at Marshfield City Hall, 798 S. Marshall St., Marshfield, MO 65706.
Karen Rost, City Clerk
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Free Sacred Sheet Music
Come check out our 2020 Sheet Music Competition Winners!
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Quote: "The song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads." D&C 25:12
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Nicole Biggs (1 Free Arrangements)
Nicole Biggs made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2006, and has performed in China, Italy, England, Austria, Israel, and the United States. She is a winner in several piano competitions and is a recipient of the Yamaha-In-Residence fellowship. She has a doctoral degree in piano performance and pedagogy from the University of Oklahoma, a masters degree in piano performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and an undergraduate degree in piano performance from the University of North Texas. She has published in journals such as the Piano Pedagogy Forum, American Music Teacher, the CMS Newsletter, and has presented at CMS conferences, MTNA national conferences, and the Seminar for Piano Teachers. Dr. Biggs is a former assistant professor and coordinator of class piano at Bowling Green State University. Her solo recording Lyricality can be found on iTunes. Dr. Biggs resides in Anchorage, AK with her family and serves as a primary music leader and ward music chairperson.
Contact Nicole Biggs if you'd like to send a personal note.
See composer song statistics here.
My Heavenly Father Loves Me/Whenever I Hear the Song of a Bird
2 part…, Primary…, Youth Choir… By: Nicole Biggs Topics: Earth/Nature, Easter, Gratitude…, Happiness…, Heaven…, Heavenly Father, Love
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Feminism, Social Issues
"God and the Gay Christian" by Matthew Vines
I’ve posted Matthew Vine’s video “The Gay Debate” before, and I’m planning to watch it with my small group this Thursday. The first time I watched it, I was deeply compelled by the idea he opened his talk with: that a good tree cannot bear bad fruit. To me, the idea was remarkably similar to something Augustine said:
Whoever, then, thinks that he understands the Holy Scriptures, or any part of them, but puts such an interpretation upon them as does not tend to build up this twofold love of God and our neighbor, does not yet understand them as he ought.
I appreciated this emphasis on the consequences of what we believe and teach, and I’ve tried to incorporate it as I’ve been delving into my theology. If my “theology tree” would result in harm and damage to people, then I really need to re-think it and maybe go and plant another tree.
I did feel, however, that the video, while effective, wasn’t complete. There are limits to what a videotaped talk can do, and it left with me more questions than I had answers. I started looking into what Vines’ opponents had to say in response, and while their counterarguments were lacking, they did raise some important points.
When I found out that Vines would be writing God and the Gay Christian (set to release April 22), I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I knew that a book was a much better format for his argument, and I thought it might answer some of the questions I still had.
It’s a well-researched book, but obviously not exhaustive– or exhausting. While a book like Torn helps illuminate the reality of being both a Christian and gay, God and the Gay Christian moves just beyond that and gives a substantive argument for why the two are not just compatible, but healthy and good. By the time I set it down, I was absolutely convinced: being gay is not a sin. Being gay and being in a relationship is not a sin. Sex between same-sex partners is not inherently sinful, although Vines takes the traditional evangelical stance of reserving sex for marriage.
One of the most interesting things about reading this was the approach he took– very often, people who believe that God doesn’t condemn a gay person who wants to be in a relationship are accused of “dismissing” or “ignoring” the Bible. It happened here on my blog last week– I was told that I was “cherry picking” Bible verses because I was obviously ignoring what the Bible had to say about homosexuality. I insisted that I was not ignoring the presence of those passages, but that I did not agree with the “typical” interpretation of those passages. Vines could never be accused of not taking the Bible seriously or of ignoring the passages (although I’m positive some people will still try to say exactly that), since the book is devoted to those verses.
But, more importantly than that, Vines has something I certainly don’t: a traditional evangelical “high” view of Scripture as inspired and inerrant. I lost that a long time ago, so it was fascinating to watch him unfold his argument from that perspective– and it helped me feel more comfortable with those who also believe in inspiration and inerrancy. It helped reassure me that just because someone believes that the Bible is “inerrant” it doesn’t mean they’re going to fling it around like a weapon.
I think the one issue that I have with the book is that I personally feel that it participates in bi erasure. Just like there are only so many things you can do in a video, there are also only so many things you can do in a book, but I think one element of his argument is troubling, and since it’s a rather core part of his argument, it’s worth mentioning.
Vines points out that, historically speaking, sexuality wasn’t understood in terms of orientation, and that ancient societies tended to perceive sexuality as a matter of appetite. Men who had sex with other men weren’t gay– they were seeking “more challenging” experiences in order to satiate an enormous appetite for sex. Vines argues that was a central part of what Paul, especially, was writing about: not orientation, but excessive and uncontrollable (possibly abusive or exploitative) appetites.
In the midst of presenting all of that, however, he spends a lot of time talking about how ancient Greek society saw everyone as being capable of wanting sex with opposite-sex and same-sex partners, and how that was generally understood to be a result of excess. In bringing that up, he does nothing to mention that bisexuality, just like gayness, doesn’t correspond to that model. Being bisexual is just as much a matter of orientation as being gay or lesbian, and it has absolutely nothing to do with being “greedy”– which is a common misconception hurled at bi people.
He doesn’t actively lump in bi people with that historical conception, but that conception lingers today, and he didn’t address it at all. I personally felt that he did what straight people commonly do; being bi isn’t a part of his lived experience, so he . . . just forgot. This is not an egregious failing and I still think his book needs to be read and shared and discussed, but it bothered me.
There is, however, something I really appreciated about Vines’ approach. I just finished reading Boyd’s Benefit of the Doubt, and one of the central focuses of the book is reading the Bible not as a legal contract but as an illustration of the covenantal, trust-based relationship God wants to have with us. I think God and the Gay Christian is an excellent example of how to do that– even with his “high view of Scripture,” he wrote out a way for us to stop seeing the Bible as a legal contract to constrain our behavior and put boundaries on our relationships, but as the open, loving, give-and-take conversation with God that it was intended to be.
That all said, I think God and the Gay Christian needs to go on every Christian’s to-read shelf. I think that the biggest reason why bigotry seems to be such an integral part of the evangelical cultural experience is simply because many people have never encountered what Vines argues. Not everyone is going to be convinced, of course, but at least they’d be more aware– hopefully they’d even stop telling people like me that we’re “clearly ignoring the Bible” and understand that there is more than one way to interpret the Bible, even when it comes to LGBTQIA persons and their lives.
*edit: I talked to Vines, and he said that one of the things he tried to correct in the final version was about my concern here– I only have the ARC, so I haven’t read the final version.
Convergent BooksGod and the Gay Christianhomophobiahomosexuality in the BibleLGBTLGBTQLGBTQIAmarriage equalityMatthew Vinessame-sex marriageThe Gay Debate
April 7, 2014 by SamanthaField
PCC starts backtracking
repentance and transformation as a progressive Christian
a new normal: the aftermath of recovery
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Dynamite launches new ‘Swords of the Swashbucklers’ series
Marc Guggenheim to write the new series, which starts in December.
After successfully funding a collection of the original Swords of the Swashbucklers series published by Marvel’s Epic Comics line in the 1980s, Dynamite Entertainment has announced an ongoing series featuring new stories about the space-faring pirates.
Swords of the Swashbucklers by Bill Mantlo and Jackson Guice began life as a graphic novel from Marvel back in 1984, followed by a 12-issue series. It’s about a teenage girl whose parents are kidnapped by an alien empire, so she joins up with a crew of space pirates to try and save them.
The new series will be written by Marc Guggenheim, current writer of X-Men Gold for Marvel. “Swords of the Swashbucklers has long been a favorite of mine and it remains one of the great high concepts in all of comics, which is unsurprising when you consider that Bill Mantlo and Butch Guice were the creative forces behind it. I’m humbled to continue their work and looking forward to introducing this remarkable comic to a whole new audience,” he said in a press release.
The new series will kick off in December, with an as-yet-unnamed art team.
“I am both humbled by and extremely grateful for the tremendous outpouring of support the Swords of the Swashbucklers Kickstarter launch received earlier this year, and am excited to see these characters being published again for fans old and new,” Guice said in the release. “My participation in telling the adventures of Raader, Domino and the gang hold a very special place in my memory, and it is extremely gratifying to discover they are so fondly remembered by others as well. Thank you to everyone who has had a hand in putting this launch together, and thank you to the many people who have helped make this revival happen.”
Author JK ParkinPosted on July 19, 2017 July 18, 2017 Categories Comic BooksTags Bill Mantlo, CCI 2017, comic books, Dynamite Entertainment, Jackson Guice, Marc Guggenheim, Swords of the Swashbucklers
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A performing arts blog and occasional podcast of CD reviews, news and interviews from the world of stage, screen, cabaret, classical music, and related places.
The Soul of Wit
If you weren't already familiar with the work of cabaret legend Steve Ross you might expect his show To Wit: Ross on Wry - Funny Songs Throughout The Ages to be somewhat lacking in variety. After all, how much range can there really be in the “novelty song” subgenre?
The answer, as the audience at the Kranzberg Center discovered this past week (October 1st through 4th), is “quite a lot, actually” - especially when someone with Ross' impeccable taste and graceful style is at the helm.
Over the course of around 90 minutes, Mr. Ross showed just how wide a range of material is encompassed by the phrase “funny songs.” The evening included two dozen numbers that ranged from British music hall classics such as “Don't Go in the Lion's Cage Tonight” (a hit originally for Beatrice Kay and later for Julie Andrews) to a medley of Flanders and Swan gems to Portia Nelson's “Confessions of a New Yorker” (in which she admits to being “in hate/love” with the town). Coward and Porter were well represented, as you might expect, but so were lesser-known songwriters such as Murray Grand (“The Spider and the Fly”) and the team of Hugh Martin and Timothy Gray (“Home Sweet Heaven”, a name-dropping extravaganza first sung by Tammy Grimes in the 1964 musical High Spirits).
Mr. Ross even treated us to a comic monologue, “Prinderella and the Cince”, which seems to have undergone some metamorphoses and elaborations since comic Frederick Chase Taylor (a.k.a Colonel Stoopnagle) first published this classic collection of Spoonerisms in 1946. The original can still be found on line at stoopnagle.tripod.com/prinder.htm, among other places. One look will explain why Mr. Ross was obliged, atypically, to work from a script for this item.
As is so often the case with Mr. Ross' work, it's difficult to anoint any particular collection of songs with the title “highlights”. Personally, I was the most delighted by the half dozen pieces I'd never heard before, such as “The Unrequited Love March” (in which typically languishing lyrics are coupled with a rousing Sousa-esqe melody), Dorothy Shay's twisted “Say That We're Sweethearts Again” (“I never knew that our romance had ended / Until you poisoned my food”) and Brown and Henderson's “Ladies and Gentlemen, That's Love”, which was written as a satirical response to Porter's “What Is This Thing Called Love?” (“When a hippopotamus / Does what no one dare discuss / Ladies and gentlemen, that's love”).
I'd be less than honest, however, if I didn't cop to being equally happy to hear favorites like Ivor Novello's “And Her Mother Came Too” and Coward's caustic “Mrs. Worthington”. And what a pleasure it was to reacquaint myself Rogers and Hart's “At the Roxy Music Hall” - a song I haven't heard since I performed it myself an undisclosed number of decades ago in a revue for the now deceased City Players.
The more discerning among you have probably noticed by now that I've not had much to say about Mr. Ross' actual performance. That's due, in part, to the ease and grace which characterize his work. He makes himself transparent, so to speak, to the music, creating the illusion that the songwriter is communicating with us directly.
It's also due to my inability to come up with novel ways of stating the obvious: the Mr. Ross remains one of cabaret's leading lights. Indeed, simply to say that he is Steve Ross is probably praise enough.
Mr. Ross' show was the first one I've seen at the new Kranzberg Center's cabaret space, and I must say the room itself looks and sounds good. The stage is raised just high enough to give everyone a good view of the artist but not so much that it distances the performer from the audience - as the stage in the Sheldon's more cavernous Savoy Room does. The amplified sound is clear and undistorted and the lighting grid looks substantial enough to meet the needs of any cabaret act I've ever seen. With the unexpected demise of the Flim Flam Room at Savor this past summer, the Kranzberg would appear to be the new first choice for cabaret.
Next at the Kranzberg: Lee Lessack with a Johnny Mercer tribute October 29th through November 1st. Between now and then Cabaret St. Louis, the new organization that sponsored Mr. Ross' appearance, will bring us classical soprano Sylvia McNair with a Great American Songbook program October 16th and 17th at the Sheldon and local cultural icon Fran Landesman with an evening of songs and stories October 22nd through 25th at the Gaslight Theatre on North Boyle. For information on these and other upcoming Cabaret St. Louis attractions, visit their web site at cabaretstl.org.
Posted by Chuck Lavazzi at 5:42 PM No comments:
Enter, Stage Left
Chuck Lavazzi
Saint Louis, MO, United States
Aside from the distinction of being St. Louis’s least-known veteran broadcaster (over three decades and counting), Chuck has been active in theater in St. Louis, Houston, and Terre Haute since the late 1960s. He's been mostly an actor and sound designer, with the occasional foray into directing and (recently) cabaret performance. Chuck has also been writing theater and classical music criticism for nearly as long, and is currently the senior performing arts critic at KDHX-FM, and the producer of the KDHX Arts Calendar. Chuck is a member of the St. Louis Theater Circle and the Music Critics Association of North America, as well as the local correspondent for Cabaret Scenes magazine and a performing arts blogger for OnSTL.com
Chuck's posts and reviews at 88.1 KDHX
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Blog Stars
The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre
'Twas a Year Full of New Line, 2020 Pandemic Edition - 'Twas a year filled with New Line, well, okay, not "filled;" Our season chopped off at the knees, Covid killed. Our *Urinetown* canceled, and our *Something...
Siesta - *One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship.* ― *George Or...
Judy, Act II
Shakespeare Inspires an Offbeat Show in Forest Park - Social distance is the opposite of theater. Theater is all about connections between flesh-and-blood people – and not just the ones on stage.
St. Louis Theatre Snob
ANGELS IN AMERICA PART TWO: PERESTROIKA • The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis - “If the snake sheds his skin before a new skin is ready, naked he will be in the world, prey to the forces of chaos.” This is a line delivered by the “old...
From Todd's Mind
I’ll tell you about my last day – just Lima alone - As part of my post trip evaluation for Journey Latin America, I suggested that they make the second overnight stay in Lima (at least for those coming from ...
Subscribe To Stage Left
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MÖTLEY CRÜE's TOMMY LEE: 'At Some Point The Band Just Stopped Making New Music'
In a brand new interview with Billboard.com, MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee once again spoke of his disappointment over the way things ended between him and his bandmates after the conclusion of the group's final show.
"We had a super, super crazy afterparty, but none of the other guys came to it," said Lee. "It was interesting. I asked around, like, 'Hey, where are the guys at?' and they're like, 'Oh, they left.' 'Whoa! Okay...' Very disappointed, but in the same breath I kinda knew that was gonna happen, so I was prepared for it, y'know? And after a nearly two-year-long tour, I didn't blame them for wanting to just get the fuckin' out of there and go home. It's all good." Lee added that he hasn't spoken with bassist Nikki Sixx or frontman Vince Neil since the show, though he's in frequent contact with guitarist Mick Mars.
Even though MÖTLEY CRÜE has not officially broken up, "There won't be any new music or anything like that," Lee said. "It's clear that at some point the band just stopped making new music, and what are you supposed to do? Keep going around the country playing the same old songs? No way. In a world that was changing rapidly in all senses, musically and business and style and everything, people need to be really open and not really follow but forge ahead and make something new. That's a big challenge and you have to have a lot of open minds for that stuff. I can remember experimenting on a couple of our last CRÜE album efforts and getting resistance from other band members, saying things like, 'Well, our fans, if it's a Harley-Davidson they know they're going to get a Harley-Davidson, and you can't give them a beefed-up weird version of that. And I just don't believe in that. So there was nowhere to go, really, except to stop."
The "Mötley Crüe: The End" concert movie will screen in theaters June 14. The 140-minute film includes footage from the CRÜE's farewell show on December 31, 2015 at the Staples Center along with "exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes footage of the last week of the tour."
Tags: motley crue, tommy lee
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Jens Deffner
Roundtable: A Time to Reminisce (Part 3)
Over the last couple of days (catch up with Part 1 and Part 2), we’ve looked back at the nine-book Star Trek: A Time to… series, which bridged the gap between the movies Insurrection and Nemesis, chronicling a time of…
by Jens Deffner and Dan Berry
It’s over a decade since the ambitious Star Trek: A Time to… series was published. The nine-book Next Generation saga set out to provide context for events that feature film Star Trek Nemesis had introduced without explanation – the marriage…
In the early 2000s, Star Trek’s future was beginning to look uncertain. New television spinoff Enterprise was already struggling in the ratings, and when the cast of the more successful The Next Generation reunited for a fourth feature film together…
Doctor Who: The Monsters Inside review
The Monsters Inside, written by Stephen Cole, and one of the first few Ninth Doctor New Series Adventures released in 2005, leads the Doctor and his companion Rose to the Justicia system. Unaware that the planet they have landed on…
by Jens Deffner
Doctor Who: Winner Takes All review
Jacqueline Rayner’s Winner Takes All, part of the first batch of Ninth Doctor New Series Adventures released in 2005, leads the Doctor and Rose back to contemporary England to pay a visit to Rose’s mother after an uncommonly short phone…
Star Trek: Crisis of Consciousness review
In Crisis of Consciousness, Dave Galanter‘s latest contribution to the line of Original Series novels, Captain Kirk and the Enterprise are dispatched to ferry the ambassador of the Maabas — normally a rather xenophobic race — back to his home…
Doctor Who: The Stealers of Dreams review
The Stealers of Dreams, written by Steve Lyons, is one of just six New Series Adventures featuring the Ninth Doctor as portrayed by Christopher Eccleston. It leads the Doctor, Rose, and Jack Harkness to Colony World 4378976.Delta-Four. At first it…
Star Trek: Q Are Cordially Uninvited review
In Q Are Cordially Uninvited, written by Rudy Josephs, Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his wife, Beverly Crusher, show two of their fellow officers and friends the holorecording of their wedding in La Barre, France. But Worf and Geordi La Forge…
Star Trek: Lust’s Latinum Lost (and Found) review
Lust’s Latinum Lost (and Found), written by Paula M. Block and Terry J. Erdmann, is the first Deep Space Nine entry in the series of exclusive eBook novellas. When business is down in Quark’s bar on the new DS9, the…
Doctor Who: Engines of War review
Engines of War, written by George Mann, is a “War Doctor” novel, featuring the long-forgotten incarnation of the Doctor as played by John Hurt in Doctor Who‘s fiftieth anniversary special. The war between the Time Lords and the Daleks has…
Star Trek: The Light Fantastic review
The Light Fantastic, written by a returning Jeffrey Lang, is a follow-up to David Mack’s Cold Equations trilogy, which itself was a follow-up to Lang’s own 2002 novel Immortal Coil. At the end of the Cold Equations trilogy, Data decided…
Keith R.A. DeCandido interview
When we last spoke to Keith R.A. DeCandido, at the start of 2010, he had recently received the Faust – the Grand Master prize at the International Association of Media Tie-In Writers’ annual Scribe Awards – which recognises writers for…
Leverage: The Bestseller Job review
The Bestseller Job by Greg Cox, the final of the three Leverage novels published in 2013, leads the Leverage crew into the worlds of both book publishing and assassins and black ops. When an old friend of Eliot, who has…
Star Trek: Protectors review
Protectors, Kirsten Beyer’s fifth novel in her ongoing Star Trek: Voyager saga, is the first one to deal with the repercussions of Admiral Kathryn Janeway’s return from the dead in the preceding novel The Eternal Tide. While Janeway is recalled…
Star Trek: A Choice of Futures review
A Choice of Futures, Christopher L. Bennett’s first Star Trek: Enterprise novel, is set a couple of years after the end of the Romulan War. With the Enterprise decommissioned, the former crew has settled into new positions. While some of…
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Blacks vs. Police
Let’s throw out a few numbers so we can put in perspective the NFL players taking a knee during the playing of the national anthem. Many say they are protesting against police treatment of blacks and racial discrimination. We might ask just how much sense their protest makes.
According to The Washington Post, 737 people have been shot and killed by police this year in the United States. Of that number, there were 329 whites, 165 blacks, 112 Hispanics, 24 members of other races and 107 people whose race was unknown (http://tinyurl.com/zyz2tpq). In Illinois, home to one of our most dangerous cities — Chicago — 18 people have been shot and killed by police this year. In the city itself, police have shot and killed 10 people and shot and wounded 10 others. Somebody should ask the kneeling black NFL players why they are protesting this kind of killing in the Windy City and ignoring other sources of black death.
Here are the Chicago numbers for the ignored deaths. So far in 2017, there have been 533 murders and 2,880 shootings. On average, a person is shot every two hours and 17 minutes and murdered every 12 1/2 hours (http://tinyurl.com/o36cqfc). In 2016, when Colin Kaepernick started taking a knee, Chicago witnessed 806 murders and 4,379 shootings. It turns out that most of the murder victims are black. Adding to the tragedy is the fact that Chicago has a 12.7 percent murder clearance rate. That means that when a black person is murdered, his perpetrator is found and charged with his murder less than 13 percent of the time.
Similar statistics regarding police killing blacks versus blacks killing blacks apply to many of our predominantly black urban centers, such as Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Orleans, St. Louis and Oakland. Many Americans, including me, see the black NFL player protest of police brutality as pathetic, useless showboating. Seeing as these players have made no open protest against the thousands of blacks being murdered and maimed by blacks, they must view it as trivial in comparison with the police killings. Most of the police killings fit into the category of justified homicide.
NFL players are not by themselves. How much condemnation do black politicians, civil rights leaders and liberal whites give to the wanton black homicides in our cities? When have you heard them condemning the very low clearance rate, whereby most black murderers get away with murder? Do you believe they would be just as silent if it were the Ku Klux Klan committing the murders?
What’s to blame for this mayhem? If you ask an intellectual, a leftist or an academic in a sociology or psychology department, he will tell you that it is caused by poverty, discrimination and a lack of opportunities. But the black murder rate and other crime statistics in the 1940s and ’50s were not nearly so high as they are now. I wonder whether your intellectual, leftist or academic would explain that we had less black poverty, less racial discrimination and far greater opportunities for blacks during earlier periods than we do today. He’d have to be an unrepentant idiot to make such an utterance.
So what can be done? Black people need to find new heroes. Right now, at least in terms of the support given, their heroes are criminals such as Baltimore’s Freddie Gray, Ferguson’s Michael Brown and Florida’s Trayvon Martin. Black support tends to go toward the criminals in the community rather than to the overwhelming number of people in the community who are law-abiding. That needs to end. What also needs to end is the lack of respect for and cooperation with police officers. Some police are crooked, but black people are likelier to be victims of violent confrontations with police officers than whites simply because blacks commit more violent crimes than whites per capita.
For a race of people, these crime statistics are by no means flattering, but if something good is to be done about it, we cannot fall prey to the blame games that black politicians, black NFL players, civil rights leaders and white liberals want to play. If their vision is accepted, we can expect little improvement of the status quo.
Blacks vs. Police was published on October 04, 2017 .
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Fascism and Communism
Before the question, how about a few statistics? The 20th century was mankind’s most brutal century. Roughly 16 million people lost their lives during World War I; about 60 million died during World War II. Wars during the 20th century cost an estimated 71 million to 116 million lives (http://tinyurl.com/ya62mrqa).
The number of war dead pales in comparison with the number of people who lost their lives at the hands of their own governments. The late professor Rudolph J. Rummel of the University of Hawaii documented this tragedy in his book “Death by Government: Genocide and Mass Murder Since 1900.” Some of the statistics found in the book have been updated at http://tinyurl.com/y96tqhrl.
The People’s Republic of China tops the list, with 76 million lives lost at the hands of the government from 1949 to 1987. The Soviet Union follows, with 62 million lives lost from 1917 to 1987. Adolf Hitler’s Nazi German government killed 21 million people between 1933 and 1945. Then there are lesser murdering regimes, such as Nationalist China, Japan, Turkey, Vietnam and Mexico. According to Rummel’s research, the 20th century saw 262 million people’s lives lost at the hands of their own governments (http://tinyurl.com/lu8z8ab).
Hitler’s atrocities are widely recognized, publicized and condemned. World War II’s conquering nations’ condemnation included denazification and bringing Holocaust perpetrators to trial and punishing them through lengthy sentences and execution. Similar measures were taken to punish Japan’s murderers.
But what about the greatest murderers in mankind’s history — the Soviet Union’s Josef Stalin and China’s Mao Zedong? Some leftists saw these communists as heroes. W.E.B. Du Bois, writing in the National Guardian in 1953, said, “Stalin was a great man; few other men of the 20th century approach his stature. … The highest proof of his greatness (was that) he knew the common man, felt his problems, followed his fate.” Walter Duranty called Stalin “the greatest living statesman” and “a quiet, unobtrusive man.” There was even leftist admiration for Hitler and fellow fascist Benito Mussolini. When Hitler came to power in January 1933, George Bernard Shaw described him as “a very remarkable man, a very able man.” President Franklin Roosevelt called the fascist Mussolini “admirable,” and he was “deeply impressed by what he (had) accomplished.”
In 1972, John Kenneth Galbraith visited Communist China and praised Mao and the Chinese economic system. Michel Oksenberg, President Jimmy Carter’s China expert, complained, “America (is) doomed to decay until radical, even revolutionary, change fundamentally alters the institutions and values.” He urged us to “borrow ideas and solutions” from China. Harvard University professor John K. Fairbank believed that America could learn much from the Cultural Revolution, saying, “Americans may find in China’s collective life today an ingredient of personal moral concern for one’s neighbor that has a lesson for us all.” By the way, an estimated 2 million people died during China’s Cultural Revolution. More recent praise for murdering tyrants came from Anita Dunn, President Barack Obama’s acting communications director in 2009, who said, “Two of my favorite political philosophers (are) Mao Zedong and Mother Teresa.”
Recall the campus demonstrations of the 1960s, in which campus radicals, often accompanied by their professors, marched around singing the praises of Mao and waving Mao’s Little Red Book. That may explain some of the campus mess today. Some of those campus radicals are now tenured professors and administrators at today’s universities and colleges and K-12 schoolteachers and principals indoctrinating our youth.
Now the question: Why are leftists soft on communism? The reason leftists give communists, the world’s most horrible murderers, a pass is that they sympathize with the chief goal of communism: restricting personal liberty. In the U.S., the call is for government control over our lives through regulations and taxation. Unfortunately, it matters little whether the Democrats or Republicans have the political power. The march toward greater government control is unabated. It just happens at a quicker pace with Democrats in charge.
Fascism and Communism was published on December 20, 2017 .
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Is Disagreement with Obama Racism?
Former president Jimmy Carter said, “I think an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man.” That’s from a man who earlier referred to Obama as “This black boy” on the Jim Lehrer “News Hour.” New York Times social critic Maureen Dowd said, in reference to Rep. Joe Wilson’s shouting “Liar” during Obama’s address on health care before the joint session of Congress, “Some people just can’t believe a black man is president and will never accept it.” Washington Post’s Howard Kurtz said he “began to suspect that race was a factor for at least some critics when I heard them shouting about ‘the Constitution’ and ‘taking our country back.’” Kurtz asked whether the massive tea parties and other public protests reflect a “distinct discomfort with the country’s first black president.” House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, New York Gov. David Paterson, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews, and other leftists claim that racism is behind criticism of President Obama.
For these people, it is inconceivable that many Americans are outraged by the president’s spending policies, budget deficits, industry takeovers, not to mention the appointment of Czars, a term that ought to be alien and offensive to American values whether used by a Republican or Democratic president.
Obama’s presidency is truly a remarkable commentary on the goodness of Americans and how far we’ve come in resolving matters of race. Obama convincingly won votes in states with insignificant black populations, such as the New England states, Iowa and Minnesota. For the nation as a whole, he managed 53 percent of the popular vote and 365 of the Electoral College votes when he only needed 270 to win. So now Jimmy Carter, Dowd, Rangel and other race-carders want us to believe that the massive discontent with Obama is racism.
I say nonsense!
Speaking for the president, Robert Gibbs, White House spokesman, in no uncertain terms said that the president did not think the criticism directed at him and his policies was based on the color of his skin. President Obama refused to answer a reporter who queried him about Carter’s comments. When Obama did respond, and much to his credit, he insisted that the “biggest driver” of the vitriol was distrust of government. His response was not only correct but the nation is better off as a result of it. We don’t need the kind of divisiveness that would surely arise if Obama himself played the race card.
Race is no longer the problem that it once was. That doesn’t mean there are not white and black bigots and that every vestige of racial discrimination has been eliminated. What little racial discrimination remains is nowhere near the insurmountable barrier it once was. For the most part, white bigots are no longer respected among whites and I look forward to the day when black bigots are no longer respected among blacks.
When one says that race is no longer the problem it once was, it is not the same as saying that there are not major problems that confront a large segment of the black population. Grossly fraudulent education is a major problem but it has nothing to do with racial discrimination as evidenced by the fact that the worse education received is in the very cities where blacks dominate the political structure. Crime is a major problem but it has nothing to do with racial discrimination, particularly in light of the fact that blacks commit most of the violent crime in America and well over 90 percent of their victims are black. The fact of a 70 percent illegitimacy rate and only 35 percent of black children raised in two-parent homes is a major problem but it has nothing to do with racial discrimination.
Americans should disavow and not fall prey to the racial rope-a-dope being played on us by the nation’s race hustlers.
Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University. To find out more about Walter E. Williams and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
Is Disagreement with Obama Racism? was published on September 30, 2009 .
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The Emperor and House Hawkwood
Revision as of 14:42, 8 February 2010 by P (talk | contribs)
At the end of the Emperor Wars were all and done - after Alexius crowned himself, after Jericho, and when the period of consolidation had really begun - the Emperor let it quietly be known that he intended on being an Emperor for all people, not just the nobles of the House of his birth.
Since then, he has been remarkably even-handed in distributing the spoils of war. While House Hawkwood has recieved a few choice positions - the Lord High Admiral of the Imperial Navy, for instance - many of the key posts in Alexius' empire have been filled by members of other Houses, including House Decados and the Hazat, the losers of the Wars. In fact, by some measures House Hawkwood has been one of the Houses to benefit the least from the Emperor Wars, despite taking some of the heaviest losses on the side of the victorious alliance.
The reason for this is obvious. While the string of military victories orchestrated by Alexius and his brother Alvarex were important to his success, it was the Emperor's prowess as a diplomat that sealed his throne and ended the Emperor Wars. He is aware that he rules not a unified Empire but a coalition of often fractious noble houses, guilds, and sects, and the only way for him to find a place in this mess unopposed by any of the power blocs already present is to rise above them - to occupy a level on the political hierarchy superior to any Prince or archbishop. To do so, he has to transcend his former position as Prince of House Hawkwood so that his victory increases no one faction's share of the power at the expense of another.
At the same time, he cannot risk alienating House Hawkwood. With six elector rods, the Hawkwood have more rods than any other House besides the Decados (with whom they are tied) and are second only to the Church in the number of rods they control - and the Patriarch only determines how a fraction of the Church's rods are cast. Given the strong emphasis on family placed by the nobility in general and the traditionalist House Hawkwood in particular, the Emperor has to walk a very fine line between being too partisan for House Hawkwood - and alienating the other Houses, collapsing the delicate coalition of peace - and turning his back entirely on his family, which would be as equally destructive to his political future.
This leaves him uniquely vulnerable to moves made against him by his House of birth, as his reaction to them must be carefully nuanced: if he reacts as Emperor to a vassal, then he turns his back on his family once and for all, but if he reacts as Prince disciplining his own then he proves his partisanship to the rest of the Known Worlds.
This difficulty is aggravated by a growing opposition to the Emperor from within his own House. This anti-Alexius faction is motivated by a frustration with the Emperor for not returning some of the spoils of victory to his own kin, and the cabal of nobles who lead it claim as their idol none other than Duke Alvarex, the Emperor's own younger brother and a great military leader during the Wars. Their desire for spoils is also not just petty: it stems from a very real disagreement with the pro-Imperial faction about the course of future events. Alexius' plan is rooted in a gamble: if he can cement his position as an Emperor who is above the internecine politics of the House, he can carve out a place for the Imperial throne that will last, bringing with it peace and a hope that humanity can struggle out of a thousand years of the New Dark Ages. There are very good reasons to believe, however, that he will fail.
Alexius's is the third attempt during the New Dark Ages to unify the Known Worlds, and all those before him - Vladimir Alecto, the first Emperor, and Halvor Li Halan, who declared himself Theocrat - have failed. Additionally, the larger scope of human history seems to indicate that such unifying endeavors can never succeed; the First Republic was destroyed by corporate infighting in the beginning days of the Diaspora, and the Second Republic grew corrupt and bloated before it, too, was torn apart from within by the same noble families who developed from those First Republic zaibatsu. It is still the same nobility who rule the Known Worlds today, and the anti-Alexius Hawkwoods reason that they have not changed - and that consequently, this Imperial experiment is doomed to fail.
Alvarex and his company - much like the hawkish parties in every House - would argue that there is only one war to end the chaos of human history, and that is not the current Empire of compromise and coalition but one of conquest, where one House sets it up as unquestioned ruler by might of arms. Towards this end, they would advocate that holding the Imperial throne by election is merely a step on the road towards true rulership, and that is an opportunity that must be used to fortify the House as best as it can. After all, the other Houses will soon enough restart their bids for power, and when that happens House Hawkwood must be prepared. To that end, the anti-Alexius Hawkwoods argue that by denying his house its just rewards Alexius is not just trying to rise above the fray but is actively obstructing the future of House Hawkwood, as at the end of the larger struggle for power there will be one House that is dominant and four others that are extinguished and shattered remnants of what they once were - and, they argue, it would be an ignoble end indeed if House Hawkwood came to pass finally into the night as a gelded housecat rather than a lion whose final roar echoed from the burnt-out cores that once were stars.
Retrieved from "http://wiki.fadingsuns.org/index.php?title=The_Emperor_and_House_Hawkwood&oldid=95"
The Nobility
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[friday, november 15, 2013]
show: all posts | rants & reviews | interviews | ratings | video
Video: Extended Trailer Unveiled for TNT's "Mob City"
The six-episode series will air in two-hour blocks over three consecutive Wednesdays (December 4, 11 and 18).
Video: Epic New Trailer for "The Spoils of Babylon" - Coming to IFC Jan 9 at 10PM
Tobey Maguire, Jessica Alba, Will Ferrell, Jellybean Howie, Val Kilmer, Haley Joel Osment, Tim Robbins, Michael Sheen, Steve Tom and Kristen Wiig star in the project.
Video: Red Band Trailer for FX's "Chozen"
The cable channel's new animated series premieres Monday, January 13 at 10:30/9:30c.
Video: Watch "The Greatest Event in Television History" Now!
You can be absolutely sure there will never be another show like it... until January 23, 2014 when Adult Swim airs the next one.
Video: "Almost Human" - View a Very Special PSA about Life in 2048
The series launches with a special two-night event on Sunday, November 17 and Monday, November 18.
Video: Watch a New Full Episode of "The Birthday Boys" Before It Airs - Featuring a Special Guest Star - Available Now on IFC.com & Additional Platforms
The episode titled "Rock and Roll" is available now on IFC.com, HULU, TVE and VOD.
Video: Watch the First Eight Minutes of Tomorrow's All-New Episode of "Sleepy Hollow"
Said installment features guest star John Noble as the mysterious Henry Parrish.
Video: Lightning-Fast Talker Tries to Set a New World Record on truTV's "Guinness World Records Unleashed"
The series returns with new episodes on Thursday, November 7 at 8:00/7:00c.
Video: TBS Reveals Premiere Date for "Cougar Town" Season Five
The Cul-de-Sac Crew is back with new episodes on Tuesday, January 7.
Video: Watch Eight Minutes of the "Almost Human" Series Premiere!
Then stay tuned for the two-night premiere event on Sunday, November 17 and Monday, November 18.
Video: "True Detective" - Trailer #2
The series, starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, launches Sunday, January 12 at 9:00/8:00c on HBO.
Video: South Beach Tow's "Tow Yo" Music Video Featuring NFL Star Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson
Season three of "South Beach Tow" premieres this Wednesday, October 30 at 10:00/9:00c.
Video: Watch the First Promo for "Rake," the Bold, New Legal Series, Starring Greg Kinnear
Look for the two-night premiere event Sunday, January 19 and Thursday, January 23 on FOX.
Video: "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey" - Watch the First Promo Which Debuted During the World Series!
The series will premiere globally in spring 2014 on FOX and National Geographic Channel.
Video: Watch the Musical Recap of "Raising Hope" from the Chance Family and Friends Before the Season Four Premiere!
The show's fourth season kicks off with back-to-back episodes on Friday, November 15 at 9:00/8:00c.
Video: Watch the Season's First Promo, Featuring the Fan-Chosen Winning Tagline for "American Idol XIII"
FOX's flagship series returns with a new season in January.
Video: Two All-New Previews and New Teaser Art for "The Following!" - Returns January 2014 on FOX!
Check out a pair of first looks at the Kevin Bacon-led show's sophomore run.
Video: MTV Debuts New Docu-Series "Scrubbing In" on Thursday, October 24 at 10:00 PM ET/PT
The 10-episode series, follows a group of young travel nurses assigned to work at two Orange County, CA hospitals for three months.
Video: Footage of "Sleepy Hollow" at New York Comic Con 2013
Check out a sizzle reel for the series from this past weekend.
Video: Exclusive Clip Powers Up Interest for "Person of Interest" at New York Comic Con
Check out an intense clip from the show's upcoming October 22 episode.
Video: Meet the Inquisitor, the New Face of Evil in Star Wars Rebels!
"Star Wars Rebels" is scheduled to premiere in fall 2014 as a one-hour special telecast on Disney Channel followed by a series on Disney XD channels around the world.
Video: Starz Debuts All-New "Black Sails" and "Da Vinci's Demons" Trailers from New York Comic Con
"Black Sails," from executive producer Michael Bay, will premiere in January; while "Da Vinci's Demons" will return in the spring.
Video: TNT's "Mob City" New Promo
The six-part series launches Wednesday, December 4 at 9:00/8:00c on the cable channel.
Video: "Falling Skies" Season 4 Sneak Peek
Check out the first look at the new season, unveiled at New York Comic Con today.
Video: New York Comic Con Fans Check Out the Future of "The Tomorrow People"... Today!
Check out a sneak peek at footage from the show's first eight episodes.
Video: "King of the Nerds" - "The People's Nerd" Winner Revealed
The show's second season kicks off on Thursday, January 23 at 10:00/9:00c.
Video: Check Out MTV's "Girl Code" Hilarious Season Two Trailer Here
Season two premieres Tuesday, October 29 at 11:00/10:00c on the cable channel.
Video: Aziz Ansari, Anna Kendrick, Rashida Jones & More Make the Set Shine On IFC's "Comedy Bang! Bang!"
The series returns with an all-new episode Friday, October 18 at 10:00/9:00c featuring guest star Rainn Wilson.
Video: Watch a Sneak Peek at Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro's Opening Sequence of "The Simpsons'" Annual "Treehouse of Horror XXIV"
Said installment premieres this Sunday, October 6 at 8:00/7:00c on FOX.
Video: "Mythbusters" Zombie Special Airing October 17 on Discovery
Said installment features Michael Rooker from "The Walking Dead."
Video: First Look at MTV's New Docu-Series "Scrubbing In"
The newcomer premieres Thursday, October 24 at 10:00/9:00c on the cable channel.
Video: Watch a New Full Episode of "The Birthday Boys" Featuring Bob Odenkirk Before It Airs
The episode titled "Skewered" is available now on IFC.com, iTunes, Amazon, HULU, YouTube, Facebook, TVE and VOD.
Video: "The Simpsons" Spoof Cable's "Homeland" in the 25th Season Premiere Episode Airing This Sunday
Watch the animated veteran's take on the Showtime series' title sequence.
Video: MTV's Outrageous BFF Duo, "Snooki & JWOWW" Are Back for a Third Season
The first of 12 new episodes will roll out beginning Tuesday, October 22 at 10:00/9:00c.
Video: Bob Odenkirk Wants a Rowdy Frat Kicked Off Campus on IFC's "The Birthday Boys" - New Series Premieres Friday, October 18
Odenkirk and Ben Stiller are the executive producers of the upcoming sketch series.
Video: ABC Declassifies "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Comedian and pop culture commentator Brett Erlich as host takes a new approach to the "previously on" with comedic recaps.
Video: "Scandal 101" Web Video Now Live with All the Most Shocking Twists and Turns from Last Season's "Scandal"
Josh Malina will take viewers on a deeper dive during the one-hour special, "Scandal: The Secret is Out," on Thursday, October 3.
Video: First Look at "Bonnie & Clyde" - Four-Hour, Two-Night Event Simulcast on Lifetime, A&E and History in December
Holliday Grainger and Emile Hirsch star in the project, premiering Sunday, December 8 and Monday, December 9.
Video: Extended Teasers for FX's Original Miniseries, "American Horror Story: Coven"
The franchise's third installment premieres Wednesday, October 9 at 10:00/9:00c.
Video: "Falling Skies" Starts Production on Season 4
Check out this behind the scenes sneak peek from the first day back on set.
Video: BBC America Presents "Burton and Taylor" First Online Look
The Helena Bonham Carter/Dominic West-led film premieres Wednesday, October 16 at 9:00/8:00c.
Video: "South Park" Wins Fifth Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program; Releases First Promo for New Season
The series returns for its 17th season with 10 all-new episodes beginning on Wednesday, September 25 at 10:00/9:00c.
Video: First Promo for TBS's "Ground Floor"
The new comedy premieres Thursday, November 14 at 10:00/9:00c on the cable channel.
Video: MTV Releases Trailer for Fall Premiere of Hit Comedy Series "Awkward"
The 10 episodes will conclude the second half of its expanded 20-episode third season.
Video: Watch the Series Trailer for MTV's New Series "Big Tips Texas" Premiering Wednesday, October 9 at 10:00 PM ET/PT
The series "documents the lives of a group of fun-loving girlfriends serving up southern hospitality at a popular Texas watering hole while hoping to make their dreams a reality."
Video: "True Detective" - Official Trailer (HBO)
Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson star in the series, premiering in January.
Video: Showtime(R) Releases Official Trailer for the Highly-Anticipated Third Season of Its Emmy(R) and Golden Globe(R)-Winning Series "Homeland"
The series returns Sunday, September 29 at 9:00/8:00c on the pay channel.
Video: TNT's "Cold Justice" Sneak Peek
The reality series launches Tuesday, September 3 at 10:00/9:00c on the cable channel.
Video: First Teaser for FX's "American Horror Story: Coven"
The anthology series returns in October with an all-new season.
Video: Watch the Trailer for the Netflix Series "Derek"
The Ricky Gervais-led comedy launches Thursday, September 12 on the distributor.
next page of results >>
[november 2013]
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DUO/TRIO/BAND
TRIBUTE TO GETZ/GILBERTO
FRENCH TRIO
Véronique Joly
Parisian born Véronique started performing live at the age of 17 and paid her dues on the Paris music scene before moving to London in 1992. In the 10 years she was in London, she studied classical vocal technique, formed an artists’ collective, performed and recorded a CD with contemporary pop group L'Orange, wrote and performed several multimedia theatre pieces and sang at many of the capital’s music venues. She has been involved in many diverse projects co-writing and recording a song for the BBC programme Rick Stein: French Odyssey, adapting a song into French for Tony Coleman's drum n' bass label, Hospital Records and providing vocals for the movie Nightdragon. She sings in English, French and Portuguese. Her latest projects are collaboration with master vibes player Roger Beaujolais plus her new Getz/Gilberto bossa nova project with saxophonist Terry Quinney.
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HUMAN MOBILITY: A FRONTIER FOR NEW EVANGELISATION
VATICAN CITY, 15 MAY 2008 (VIS) - This morning in the Vatican, the Pope received participants in the plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, who have been meeting over the last few days to reflect upon the theme: "The emigrant and itinerant family".
Benedict XVI recalled how during his recent visit to the United States, he had encouraged people "to continue their commitment to welcoming those brothers and sisters who arrive there, usually from poor countries", and had given particular emphasis to "the serious problem of the reunification of families".
"The Church's solicitude towards emigrant families does not diminish her concern for itinerant families", he noted, highlighting how families of whatever condition "represent the original cell of society which must not be destroyed but courageously and patiently defended". The family is "the community in which, from infancy, we are formed to adore and love God, learning the grammar of human and moral values, and discovering how to make good use of freedom in truth. Unfortunately, in no small number of situations this is difficult to achieve, and especially in cases of people affected by the phenomenon of human mobility".
Pope Benedict then went on to examine the "profound bond" between the Sacrament of the Eucharist and that of Marriage, noting how "the liturgy places the celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage at the heart of the celebration of the Eucharist. ... In their daily lives, couples must draw inspiration for their behaviour from the example of Christ Who 'loved the Church and gave Himself up for her'", he said. "This supreme gesture of love is presented anew in each celebration of the Eucharist; and it is appropriate for the pastoral care of families to refer back to this sacramental fact as a reference point of fundamental importance.
"People who go to Mass - and the celebration of Mass must also be facilitated for migrants and itinerant peoples - find in the Eucharist a powerful allusion to their own family, their own marriage; and they are encouraged to live their lives from the point of view of faith, seeking in divine grace the strength to succeed", the Pope added.
The Holy Father concluded by pointing out that "human mobility represents, in today's globalised world, an important frontier for new evangelisation". In this context, he encouraged the members and consultors of the pontifical council "to continue your pastoral commitment with renewed zeal".
AC/EMIGRANT ITINERANT FAMILY/CON-SM VIS 20080515 (420)
Published by VIS - Holy See Press Office - Thursday, May 15, 2008 0 commenti
CONSECRATED VIRGINITY: A LUMINOUS AND FRUITFUL CHARISM
VATICAN CITY, 15 MAY 2008 (VIS) - Five hundred women, members of the "Ordo Virginum" who have come to Rome on pilgrimage to participate in an international congress being held by their order, were received in audience this morning by Benedict XVI.
In his remarks to them the Pope, quoting the theme chosen for the congress, pointed out that consecrated virginity is "a gift in the Church and for the Church". And he invited the women "to develop, from day to day, their understanding of a charism which is as luminous and fruitful in the eyes of the faith as it is obscure and futile in the eyes of the world".
"The Order of Virgins represents a particular form of consecrated life which flowered anew in the Church after Vatican Council II", the Holy Father explained. "However, it has ancient roots that go back to the beginnings of evangelical life when, in an unprecedented novelty, the hearts of certain women began to open to a desire for consecrated virginity: in other words, the desire to give one's entire being to God, which had had its first extraordinary fulfilment in the Virgin of Nazareth and her 'yes'".
"Your charism must reflect the intensity, but also the freshness, of its origins", said Benedict XVI noting how, "when it came into being, the charism did not involve a particular way of life. Little by little, however, it was institutionalised, finally becoming a full public and solemn consecration conferred by the bishop through an inspirational liturgical rite that made the consecrated woman 'sponsa Christi', an image of the Church as bride".
"Your vocation", he told the women, "is profoundly rooted in the particular Church to which you belong. ... From the diocese, with its traditions, its saints, its values, limits and difficulties, you open up to the scope of the Universal Church, sharing particularly in her liturgical prayer. ... In this way your prayerful 'I' progressively broadens out, until in the prayer there is nothing more than a great 'we'. ... In your dialogue with God, open yourselves to dialogue with all creatures".
"The choice of virginal life", the Pope concluded, "is an allusion to the transitory nature of earthly things and an anticipation of future good. Be witnesses of vigilant and industrious hope, of joy, of the peace that belongs to those who abandon themselves to the love of God. Be present in the world, yet pilgrims on the journey to the Kingdom".
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HOLY SEE ADHERES TO OZONE PROTECTION TREATIES
VATICAN CITY, 15 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy See has adhered to the Convention of Vienna for the Protection of the Ozone Layer, and to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.
Archbishop Celestino Migliore, Holy See permanent observer to the United Nations in New York, deposited the document of adherence before the U.N. Secretary General on 5 May.
In English-language remarks, Archbishop Migliore explained that with this gesture "the Holy See desires to encourage the entire international community to be resolute in promoting authentic co-operation between politics, science and economics. Such co-operation, as has been shown in the case of the ozone regime, can achieve important outcomes, which make it simultaneously possible to safeguard creation, to promote integral human development and to care for the common good, in a spirit of responsible solidarity and with profound positive repercussions for present and future generations".
"The Holy See, by means of the solemn act of accession, intends to give its own moral support to the commitment of States to the correct and effective implementation of the treaties in question and to the attaining of the mentioned objectives. To this end, it expresses the wish that by recognising 'the signs of [an economic growth] that has not always been able to protect the delicate balances of nature', all actors will intensify the aforesaid co-operation and strengthen 'the alliance between man and the environment, which must mirror the creative love of God'".
DELSS/OZONE CONVENTION/U.N.:MILGIORE VIS 20080515 (260)
VATICAN CITY, 15 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:
- Three prelates from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Thailand, on their "ad limina" visit:
- Cardinal Michael Michai Kitbunchu, archbishop of Bangkok.
- Bishop Lawrence Thienchai Samanchit of Chanthaburi.
- Bishop Francis Xavier Kriengsak Kovithavanij of Nakhon Sawan.
- Bishop Gerhard Ludwig Muller of Regensburg, Germany, accompanied by an entourage.
This evening he is scheduled to receive in separate audiences two prelates from the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Thailand, on their "ad limina" visit:
- Bishop John Bosco Panya Kritcharoen of Ratchaburi.
- Bishop Joseph Prathan Sridarunsil S.D.B. of Surat Thani.
AL:AC/.../... VIS 20080515 (110)
VATICAN CITY, 15 MAY 2008 (VIS) - The Holy Father:
- Appointed Msgr. Alceste Catella of the clergy of the diocese of Biella, Italy, vicar general, as bishop of Casale Monferrato (area 970, population 103,000, Catholics 99,000, priests 115, permanent deacons 12, religious 172), Italy. The bishop-elect was born in Tavigliano, Italy in 1942 and ordained a priest in 1966.
- Appointed Fr. Adolfo Bittschi Mayer, pastor of Incahuasi, Bolivia, as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Sucre (area 49,975, population 604,292, Catholics 527,016, priests 96, permanent deacons 1, religious 275), Bolivia. The bishop-elect was born in Ingolstadt, Germany, in 1950 and ordained a priest in 1977.
NER:NEA/.../CATELLA:BITTSCHI VIS 20080515 (110)
CONSECRATED VIRGINITY: A LUMINOUS AND FRUITFUL CHA...
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Doug Heslep
Cindy Jane
“Think of the new river basin as a canvas,” Assistant City Manager Marc Collins urged the Fort Myers Public Art Committee in June of 2012. “Rather than a place for one piece of art, the new basin will be the site for multiple artworks; an economic engine to incorporate arts into the entire downtown. And not just the visual arts. It will be a public space that can be used by dancers, musicians and performers from the Florida Repertory Theatre.”
To help Public Art Committee members Ava Roeder, Sharon McAllister, Janet McCormack, Gwen Middlebrooks, William Taylor, David Acevedo and Patricia Collins envision the possibilities, Collins flashed a number of artists’ renderings across the monitors stationed in front of each of them. The drawings depicted a 1.8 acre inlet of water extending from the Caloosahatchee River all the way to Bay Street, lined on three sides by a 10-foot wide sidewalk edged by a wire cable railing anchored by 48 concrete pedestals that have smooth faces designed for murals, frescoes or perhaps bas reliefs.
“There will also be four monuments on Edwards Drive,” points out Don Paight, Executive Director of the Fort Myers Redevelopment Agency. “They will be 13 feet high and there will be an opportunity to place artwork on them that’s visible from the street.” Public art will be needed for the gateway that will be constructed at Hendry and Bay to mark the transition from the riverfront into Fort Myers’ historic downtown district.
While Collins and Paight are thinking in terms of 2-dimensional art, artists will be invited to submit proposals for the basin project that could certainly opt instead to use the stanchions and monuments as pedestals for either free-standing, spiral or wraparound sculptures made from Corten, stainless steel, aluminum or even dicroic-coated panels containing solar-powered luminaries that light up after dark. Their only restrictions will be budgetary and the need to use materials that won’t rust or corrode in the hot, wet environ of the water feature.
Ultimately, it will be up to the Public Art Committee to determine the project’s parameters and scope when they issue their call to artists in the coming weeks. And that’s when the fun really begins.
N.B.: The last time the Public Art Committee issued a call for qualifications, 162 artists responded to the Art Committee’s call. The Committee winnowed that pool of talent down to three finalists, with David Black winning the competition with his proposal for Fire Dance, the newest addition to the city’s public art collection.
Fort Myers new river basin discharges city’s obligations as stewards of the Caloosahatchee’s health
Since the day Brevet Major Ridgely of the 4th U.S. Artillery sailed up the Caloosa River and landed on the site of the ruins of long-abandoned Fort Harvie with orders to build a new and expanded military outpost, Fort Myers has enjoyed a special relationship with the Caloosahatchee River. Fort Myers’ first settlers, Manuel A. Gonzalez and his son, came by boat. Tarpon fishing and the river’s scenic beauty were what attracted early developers like Ambrose and Tootie McGregor to the fledgling town. These factors were also important to Thomas Edison, who liked to wet a line himself from time to time.
“Until the railroad came in 1904, most goods and supplies came to Fort Myers via boat,” notes historian Gina Taylor of True Tours. Beginning with the fort, a series of piers were built across the shoals in order to facilitate unloading the boats that plied the Caloosahatchee’s wide waters. Even Thomas Edison built a pier when he purchased his acreage on the river so that workers had a place to off-load his pre-cut house, The Seminole Lodge, when it arrived by schooner from Maine.
But the city not only owes its existence to the river, it has a duty as its steward to preserve and protect the Caloosahatchee’s waters. And those waters are sick. Not just sick. Endangered. In fact, American Rivers named the Caloosahatchee in 2006 as the 7th most endangered river in the nation.
“The scale of the damage to water quality, aquatic habitat, fish and wildlife … [is] a national level ecological tragedy,” said American Rivers, noting that intense algae blooms have severely depleted oxygen levels in the Caloosahatchee, resulting in the decimation of the river’s commercial seafood and sports fishing species. Since 2000, there have been 570 days when the algae has been so bad that health officials have been compelled to issue orders prohibiting swimming in the river.
Five National Wildlife Refuges depend on the Caloosahatchee River for water, including J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, Caloosahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, Island Bay National Wildlife Refuge, Matlacha Pass National Wildlife Refuge, and Pine Island National Wildlife Refuge. Many are showing signs of impaired ecosystems as a result of the polluted waters of the Caloosahatchee. Estuaries at the river’s mouth have suffered devastating damage. Hundreds of square miles of the Gulf of Mexico are also adversely impacted by the freshwater plume emanating from the Caloosahatchee River.
Much of the damage is attributable discharges from Lake Okeechobee. During the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons, for example, heavily-polluted releases were discharged into the Caloosahatchee to prevent flooding around the lake. But that only accounted for 40 percent of the pollutants found in the river and its fragile gulfside estuaries. The other 60 percent was attributable to stormwater runoff, with the River District being a major source of contaminants.
And that’s what gave rise to the River District’s new 1.8 water basin. While the inlet will bestow numerous business, historic and artistic opportunities, its primary purpose is to improve water quality in the Caloosahatchee River by serving as a stormwater detention pool that collects and filters water from the surrounding 15-acre downtown area. Percolating fountains aerate the water while plants absorb fertilizers and other nutrients that don’t belong in the Caloosahatchee.
“I equate it to a pool filter,” analogizes Don Paight, Executive Director of Fort Myers Redevelopment Agency, who notes that these environmental benefits also helped the city secure about $900,000 in grants from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Funding also included about $2.5 million left over from bond money the city borrowed for the Streetscape project.
But just as the need to screen cars in the Lee County Justice Center Parking Garage from public view gave rise to New York artist Marylyn Dintenfass’ 30,000-square-foot Parallel Park public art installation that has the whole nation calling Fort Myers an art center, the basin too will give rise to opportunities in a number of different sectors.
The next phase of the redevelopment project includes tripling the size of Harborside Event Center and adding an adjoining 12-story, 220-room convention-quality hotel that will overlook the basin and a wide swath of the Caloosahatchee River. Walkways and shops will ultimately surround the new basin, with as many as four new restaurants making the basin their new home. And as Assistant City Manager Marc Collins told the Public Art Committee in June, the basin will ultimately provide space for upwards of a hundred new pieces of public artwork, thereby firmly establishing Fort Myers as a locale where “the arts mean business.”
Once completed, the combined riverfront/River District will be poised to attract conventions, business meetings, tourists and new residents. In fact, Aquest Realty, the city’s lead planner for the Riverfront Redevelopment Plan, estimates that the redevelopment could generate $376 million in spending and 3,000 jobs, with ongoing operation generating 780 jobs and $4 million in tax revenue each year. And by engrafting a public art component on the new aesthetic landscape, the community’s nonprofit arts and cultural organizations will be even better equipped to build upon the 2,000 jobs, 522,000 out-of-town cultural tourists and $68.3 million in revenues they currently contribute to the area’s economy each year.
As with Parallel Park, necessity can spawn invention. At its heart, the basin affords the city of Fort Myers with the opportunity to reinvent itself as a convention destination, an arts and cultural center, and a shining example of how people and businesses can flourish when city leaders and planners address ecological problems with imagination and foresight.
Fast Facts.
Long ago, the Caloosahatchee River and Lake Okeechobee were separate bodies of water.
In the 1890s, a Philadelphia businessman and real estate developer by the name of Hamilton Disston had a canal was constructed connecting Lake Okeechobee to Lake Hicpochee, from which the Caloosahatchee springs. In order to make the river navigable and keep Lake Okeechobee from flooding its southern perimeter, Disston also had the river channelized to remove its many oxbows.
Releases of water from Lake Okeechobee into the river totalled approximately 855 billion gallons in 2005. That’s 44% of the total Lake Okeechobee discharge volume from 1996 to 2005.
A South Florida Water Management District study found that from 1993 to 2003, Lake Okeechobee was responsible for nearly 40% of the nutrient input the Caloosahatchee River received. This number may have been even higher in the very wet 2004 and 2005 years.
The high levels of nutrients, especially nitrogen and phosphorous, that come from Lake Okeechobee contribute to algae blooms. The discharges also contain high levels of sediments that can smother sea grass beds.
The other 60% of the nutrients the Caloosahatchee receives comes from its own watershed where urban and agricultural run-off and inputs from densely-developed areas dependent on septic systems. Stormwater from these areas also represents a significant source of pollution for the river.
Rivers in Florida have been named to American River’s endangered list 5 times in the past 21 years: the Everglades in 1992 and 1993, Chattahoochee River in 1998, Apalachicola River in 2002, and the Peace River in 2004. The purpose of this list is to heighten awareness among the public and the local, state, and national officials in an effort to prompt action.
River basin first step in rebranding Fort Myers convention and tourist locale -1 (12-09-12)
Born of necessity, new river basin gives Fort Myers chance to reinvent itself (11-30-12)
Fort Myers river basin provides opportunity for dozens of public artworks (06-22-12)
Study says Lee’s arts industry generated $68 Million for county in 2010 (06-08-12)
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IntelliSense for jQuery in WebMatrix | Using FrontPage 2003 to Bulk Rename Images Using VBA
Not that it will make any difference...
27. June 2013 Bob Rants Comments (0)
I am a big fan of movies; and to be honest, I am mostly a fan of classic movies. I have slowly collected a large number of classic movies over the years from several of my favorite actors/actresses: Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers, Jimmy Stewart, Katharine Hepburn, Errol Flynn, etc., etc., etc.
That being said, I am generally not a big fan of recent movies; more often than not the creative team is too short-sighted, and they frequently fall short of creating a truly great movie. Sometimes the problem is writing, sometimes it's direction, and other times it's the acting. But to be fair, sometimes the problem isn't with any of those contributors - sometimes it's a problem with post-production, and this is why I love to buy "Director's Cuts" for many films. Quite often there is a level of depth that is missing from the movie that was part of the director's original vision, and it makes the movie so much better when you add that detail back.
Here's a case in point: I actually like the movie Far and Away with Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. Once you get past their bad Irish accents, the movie is a somewhat-acceptable dramedy.
But there are a few scenes that were cut from the film, and unfortunately the DVDs that have been released have never added those scenes to the media. Without theses scenes, parts of the plot have abnormal jumps in the storyline, and it's too bad that a Director's Cut has never been released.
Here are some examples of what I mean:
Near the beginning of the movie was an extended sequence near the piano in the Christie's house where Stephen Chase has a private conversation with Shannon Christie. We see Stephen's character soften a little; we learn that he truly cares for Shannon, and that Stephen is not a complete jerk - he's just an arrogant by-product of elitist class.
Likewise there was a hilltop scene in Ireland after Shannon and Joseph Donnelly have left for America where Stephen is emotionally destroyed, and he expresses his sentiments to Daniel Christie. Once again this softens Stephen's character a little, and this adds a great deal of conflict to the movie as a spectator - you want to hate Stephen, and you feel like you should hate Stephen, but now you can't. That was a great piece of filmmaking that should have stayed in the movie because it added so much depth.
There was an extended scene later in the movie when Joseph was working for the railroad. The shortened scene that was kept simply shows Joseph in a job with no future, whereas the original scene showed Joseph as near-suicidal; Joseph believed not only that he had lost Shannon for good, but that Shannon might not have survived her gunshot wound. Because of this, Joseph was known as the "Crazy Mick" and sent on all of the dangerous missions - because Joseph no longer cared if he lived. This added a whole new dimension to the scene when Joseph discovers Shannon in Oklahoma, because it wasn't mere coincidence to him, he felt as if he was seeing a ghost.
There was a brief scene when Joseph and Shannon first arrive in America where they pass under a bridge and they see scores of homeless Irish living in squalor. Later in the movie this comes full-circle when Joseph and Shannon are tossed out in the streets, because they find themselves living in that same squalor, and we get to see just how far they have fallen.
There was another scene after Joseph and Shannon are tossed out in the streets where workers were needed for ditch-digging; Joseph volunteers so that he can earn money for the two of them, yet when he turns around at some point he sees Shannon working beside him digging in the ditch. This scene was extremely important to see how the two of them were truly becoming one unit in their struggles together, and it adds a great deal of depth to the scene later in the movie when Joseph and Shannon attempt to hide in the house they thought was unoccupied.
The last two deleted scenes that I described show the many months that Joseph and Shannon suffered together, instead of the awkward jump in the theatrical release between the scene when Joseph and Shannon were thrown out of their apartment (with Joseph beat to a pulp) and the scene when Joseph is begging to help someone load firewood (with Joseph now healed and exclaiming that they haven't eaten in days). Without that detail, the theatrical release is missing a great deal of its emotional impact.
Unfortunately, none of the scenes that I have described have ever been released on a DVD, so they are somewhat lost to the world. My descriptions of these additional details won't bring them back, and it's too bad that Imagine Films won't release these scenes in some format. If anyone knows Ron Howard, you might want to suggest that he release a 25th Anniversary Edition of Far and Away when that date eventually rolls around, but in the meantime - my lamentations won't make a bit of difference.
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Tags: Movies
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Autoimmune disorders are any of a number of disorders caused by a reaction of the body’s immune system against its own cells and tissues. Such disease-producing processes, known as hypersensitivity reactions, are similar to the reactions that occur in allergy, except that in autoimmune disorders the hypersensitivity response is to the body itself rather than to an external substance.
The immune system normally distinguishes “self” from “nonself”. Some lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) are capable of reacting against self, but these lymphocytes are generally suppressed. Autoimmune disorders occur when there is interruption of the normal control process, allowing such lymphocytes to escape from suppression, or when there is alteration in a particular body tissue meaning that it is no longer recognized as self and is attacked. Bacteria, viruses, and drugs may play a role in initiating an autoimmune disorder in someone who already has a genetic (inherited) predisposition, but in most cases the trigger is unknown.
Autoimmune processes can have various results, such as the destruction of a particular type of cell or tissue, stimulation of an organ into excessive growth, or interference in an organ’s function. Autoimmune disorders are classified into organ-specific and non-organ-specific types. In organ-specific disorders, the autoimmune process is directed mainly against one organ.
Examples include Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (thyroid gland), pernicious anaemia (stomach), Addison’s disease (adrenal glands), and type 1 diabetes mellitus (pancreas). In non-organ-specific disorders, autoimmune activity is towards a tissue, such as connective tissue, that is widespread in the body. Examples of such disorders are systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis.
Initial treatment for any autoimmune disorder is to reduce the effects of the disease by, for example, replacing hormones, such as insulin, that are not being produced. In cases in which the disease is having widespread effects, treatment is also directed at diminishing the activity of the immune system while maintaining the body’s ability to fight disease. Corticosteroid drugs are most commonly used for this purpose but may be combined with other immunosuppressant drugs.
Autoimmune disorders in more detail - non-technical
Autoimmune disorders are conditions in which a person’s immune system attacks the body’s own cells, causing tissue destruction.
Autoimmunity (see: autoimmunity for a detailed technical article) is accepted as the cause of a wide range of disorders, and it is suspected to be responsible for many more. Autoimmune diseases are classified as either general (systemic), in which the autoimmune reaction takes place simultaneously in a number of tissues, or organ specific, in which the autoimmune reaction targets a single organ. According to the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association, 50 million Americans have an autoimmune disease. Individuals may, and often do, have more than one autoimmune disorder. Autoimmune diseases are more common in women than in men.
Autoimmune disorders include the following:
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). A general autoimmune disease is one in which antibodies attack a number of different tissues. The disease recurs periodically and is seen mainly in young and middle-aged women.
Rheumatoid arthritis. Occurs when the immune system attacks and destroys the tissues that line bone joints and cartilage. The disease occurs throughout the body, although some joints may be more affected than others.
Goodpasture’s syndrome. Occurs when antibodies are deposited in the membranes of both the lung and kidneys, causing both inflammation of kidney glomerulus (glomerulonephritis) and lung bleeding. It is typically a disease of young males.
Grave’s disease. Caused by an antibody that binds to specific cells in the thyroid gland, causing them to produce excessive amounts of thyroid hormone.
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Caused by an antibody that binds to cells in the thyroid gland. Unlike in Grave’s disease, however, this antibody’s action results in less thyroid hormone being producing.
Pemphigus vulgaris. A group of autoimmune disorders that affect the skin.
Myasthenia gravis. Acondition in which the immune system attacks a receptor on the surface of muscle cells, preventing the muscle from receiving nerve impulses and resulting in severe muscle weakness.
Scleroderma. Also called CREST syndrome or progressive systemic sclerosis, scleroderma affects the connective tissue.
Autoimmune hemolytic anemia. Occurs when the body produces antibodies that target red blood cells.
Autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura. Disorder in which the immune system targets and destroys blood platelets.
Polymyositis and dermatomyositis. Immune disorders that affect the neuromuscular system.
Pernicious anemia. Disorder in which the immune system attacks the lining of the stomach in such a way that the body cannot metabolize vitamin B12.
Sjogren’s syndrome. Occurs when the exocrine glands are attacked by the immune system, resulting in excessive dryness.
Ankylosing spondylitis. Immune system induced degeneration of the joints and soft tissue of the spine. Vasculitis. A group of autoimmune disorders in which the immune system attacks and destroys blood vessels.
Type I diabetes mellitus. Appears to be caused by an antibody that attacks and destroys the islet cells of the pancreas, which produce insulin. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Also called Lou Gehrig’s disease. An immune disorder that causes the death of neurons, which leads to progressive loss of muscular control.
Guillain-Barre syndrome. Also called infectious polyneuritis. A rare disorder that sometimes occurs after an infection or an immunization, Guillain-Barre syndrome affects the myelin sheath that covers nerve cells. It causes progressive muscle weakness and paralysis.
Multiple sclerosis. An autoimmune disorder that may involve a virus, it affects the central nervous system, causing loss of coordination and muscle control.
Celiac disease (sprue). A disease in which the body’s reaction to gluten (most commonly found in wheat) causes damage to the intestines that results in poor absorption of nutrients.
Wegener's granulomatosis A rare disorder in which granulomas (nodular collections of abnormal cells), associated with areas of chronic tissue inflammation due to vasculitis (inflammation of the blood vessels) develop in the nasal passages, lungs, and kidneys.
Causes and symptoms
To further understand autoimmune disorders, it is helpful to understand the workings of the immune system. The purpose of the immune system is to defend the body against attack by infectious microbes (e.g., bacteria, viruses, fungi) and foreign materials (e.g., chemicals, poisons). When the immune system attacks a foreign invader, it is very specific—a particular immune system cell will only recognize and target one type of invader. To function properly, the immune system must not only develop this specialized knowledge of individual invaders, but it must also learn how to recognize and not destroy cells that belong to the body itself.
Every cell carries protein markers on its surface that identify it in one of two ways: what kind of cell it is (e.g. nerve cell, muscle cell, blood cell, etc.) and to whom that cell belongs. These markers are called major histocompatability complexes (MHCs). When functioning properly, cells of the immune system will not attack any cell with markers identifying it as belonging to the body. Conversely, if the immune system cells do not recognize a cell as ‘‘self,’’ they attach themselves to it and put out a signal that the body has been invaded. This in turn stimulates the production of substances such as antibodies that disable and destroy the foreign particles. In case of autoimmune disorders, the immune system cannot distinguish between ‘‘self’’ cells and invader cells. As a result, the same destructive operation is carried out on the body’s own cells that would normally be carried out on bacteria, viruses, and other such harmful foreign material.
The reasons why immune systems become dysfunctional and fail to recognize the body’s own cells is not well understood. However, most researchers agree that a combination of genetic susceptibility, environmental, and hormonal factors play a role in developing autoimmunity. Researchers also hypothesize that autoimmunity may be triggered by several different mechanisms as follows:
A substance that is normally sequestered in one part of the body, and therefore not usually exposed to the immune system, is released into the bloodstream where it is attacked.
The immune system may mistake a component of the body for a similar foreign component.
Cells of the body may be altered in some way, either by drugs, infection, or other environmental factors, so that they are no longer recognizable as ‘‘self’’ to the immune system.
The immune system itself may be damaged, such as by a genetic mutation, and therefore becomes dysfunctional.
The symptoms of autoimmune disorders vary. See specific disorder topics for more complete information.
A short summary of symptoms is as follows: include:
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus). Symptoms include fever, chills, fatigue, weight loss, skin rashes (particularly the classic ‘‘butterfly’’ rash on the face), vasculitis, polyarthralgia, patchy hair loss, sores in the mouth or nose, lymph-node enlargement, gastric problems, and, in women, irregular periods. About half of those who experience lupus develop cardiopulmonary problems, and some may develop urinary problems. Lupus can also effect the central nervous system, causing seizures, depression, and psychosis.
Rheumatoid arthritis. Initially this disorder may be characterized by a low-grade fever, loss of appetite, weight loss, and generalized pain in the joints. The joint pain then becomes more specific, usually beginning in the fingers, then spreading to other areas, such as the wrists, elbows, knees, and ankles. As the disease progresses, joint function diminishes sharply and deformities occur, particularly the characteristic ‘‘swan’s neck’’ curling of the fingers.
Goodpasture’s syndrome. Symptoms are similar to that of iron deficiency anemia, including fatigue and pallor. Symptoms involving the lungs may range from a cough that produces bloody sputum to outright hemorrhaging. Symptoms involving the urinary system include blood in the urine and/or swelling.
Grave’s disease. This disease is characterized by an enlarged thyroid gland, weight loss without loss of appetite, sweating, heart palpitations, nervousness, and an inability to tolerate heat. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. This disorder generally displays few symptoms.
Pemphigus vulgaris. This disease is characterized by blisters and deep lesions on the skin.
Myasthenia gravis. Characterized by fatigue and muscle weakness that at first may be confined to certain muscle groups, but then may progress to the point of paralysis, myasthenia gravis patients often have expressionless faces as well as difficulty chewing and swallowing. If the disease progresses to the respiratory system, artificial respiration may be required.
Scleroderma. This disorder usually is preceded by Raynaud’s phenomenon. Symptoms that follow include pain, swelling, and stiffness of the joints, and the skin takes on a tight, shiny appearance. The digestive system also becomes involved, resulting in weight loss, appetite loss, diarrhea, constipation, and distention of the abdomen. As the disease progresses, the heart, lungs, and kidneys become involved, and malignant hypertension (high blood pressure) causes death in approximately 30% of cases.
Autoimmune hemolytic anemia. May be acute or chronic. Symptoms include fatigue and abdominal tenderness due to an enlarged spleen.
Autoimmune thrombocytopenic purpura. Characterized by pinhead-size red dots on the skin, unexplained bruises, bleeding from the nose and gums, and blood in the stool.
Polymyositis and dermatomyositis. In polymyositis, symptoms include muscle weakness, particularly in the shoulders or pelvis, which prevents the patient from performing everyday activities. In dermatomyositis, the same muscle weakness is accompanied by a rash that appears on the upper body, arms, and fingertips.Arash may also appear on the eyelids, and the area around the eyes may become swollen.
Pernicious anemia. Signs of pernicious anemia include weakness, sore tongue, bleeding gums, and tingling in the extremities. Because the disease causes a decrease in stomach acid, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, weight loss, diarrhea, and constipation are possible. Also, because vitamin B12 is essential for the nervous system function, its deficiency brought about by the disease can result in a host of neurological problems, including weakness, lack of coordination, blurred vision, loss of fine motor skills, loss of the sense of taste, ringing in the ears, and loss of bladder control.
Sjogren’s syndrome. Characterized by excessive dryness of the mouth and eyes. Ankylosing spondylitis. Generally begins with lower back pain that progresses up the spine. The pain may eventually become crippling.
Vasculitis. Symptoms depend upon the group of veins affected and can vary greatly.
Type I diabetes mellitus. Characterized by fatigue and an the inability to break down glucose, resulting in abnormally high level of glucose in the blood (hyperglycemia).
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. First signs are stumbling and difficulty climbing stairs. Later, muscle cramps and twitching may be observed as well as weakness in the hands making fastening buttons or turning a key difficult. Speech may become slowed or slurred. There may also be difficulty swallowing. As respiratory muscles atrophy, there is increased danger of aspiration or lung infection.
Guillain-Barre syndrome. Muscle weakness in the legs occurs first, then the arms and face. Paresthesia is often present. This disorder affects both sides of the body and may involve paralysis of the muscles that control breathing.
Multiple sclerosis. Like Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, the first symptom may be clumsiness. Weakness or exhaustion is often reported, as well as blurry or double vision. The individual may experience dizziness, depression, loss of bladder control, and muscle weakness so severe that the patient is confined to a wheelchair.
Celiac disease. Damage to the lining of the small intestine causes immediate difficulties in digesting food that result in diarrhea, gas, and cramps, and long-term symptoms of vitamin and mineral deficiencies, anemia, osteoporosis, and weight loss.
A variety of tests are involved in the diagnosis of autoimmune disorders, depending on the particular disease such as blood tests, cerebrospinal fluid analysis, electromyogram (measures muscle function), and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain. Usually, these tests determine the location and extent of damage or involvement. They also are useful in charting progress of the disease and as baselines for treatment.
The principle tool, however, for authenticating autoimmune disease is antibody testing. Such tests involve measuring the level of antibodies found in the blood and determining if they react with specific antigens (protein triggers) that would give rise to an autoimmune reaction. An elevated amount of antibodies indicates that a general immune reaction is occurring. Since elevated antibody levels also are seen in common infections, infections must be ruled out as the cause for the increased antibody levels.
Antibodies can also be typed by class. There are five classes of antibodies, and they can be separated in the laboratory. The class IgG is usually associated with autoimmune diseases. Unfortunately, IgG class antibodies are also the main class of antibody seen in normal immune responses.
The most useful antibody tests involve introducing the patient’s antibodies to samples of his or her own tissue, usually thyroid, stomach, liver, and kidney tissue. If antibodies bind to the ‘‘self’’ tissue, this is diagnostic for an autoimmune disorder. Antibodies from a person without an autoimmune disorder would not react to ‘‘self’’ tissue.
Treatment of autoimmune diseases is specific to the disease, and usually focuses on alleviating or preventing symptoms rather than correcting the underlying cause. For example, if a gland involved in an autoimmune reaction is not producing a hormone, for example insulin, administration of that hormone is required. Administration of a hormone, however, will not restore the function of the gland damaged by the autoimmune disease.
The other aspect of treatment is controlling the inflammatory and proliferative nature of the immune response. This generally is accomplished with two types of drugs. Corticosteroid compounds (e.g., prednisone) are used to control inflammation. There are many different corticosteroids, each having undesirable side effects, especially with long-term use.
The proliferative nature of the immune response is controlled with immunosuppressive drugs (e.g., azathioprine, chlorambucil, cyclophosphamide, methotrexate). These drugs work by inhibiting the replication of cells and, therefore also suppress nonimmune cells, leading to side effects such as anemia (too few red blood cells). In addition, other drugs may be used to treat symptoms of specific disorders.
Another approach is the use of drugs such as entanercept (Enbrel), imflixmab (Remicade), and adalimumab (Humira) that block the action of tumor necrosis factor (TNF). TNF is a substance that can cause inflammation in the body. These drugs have proved very effective in relieving symptoms in people with rheumatoid arthritis. However, in June 2008, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began investigating whether these drugs, especially when administered long term to younger patients, caused an increase in cancer, especially lymphoma (cancer of the lymph tissue). As of 2009, the data on potential cancer risks related to these drugs was confusing and difficult to assess because many patients who developed cancer were taking other drugs in addition to TNFs.
Prognosis depends upon the pathology of each autoimmune disease.
Though the mechanisms involved in how these diseases affect the body are known, it is still unclear why the body turns on itself, thus most autoimmune disorders cannot be prevented. Since more women than men are affected by some of these disorders (e.g., lupus), some researchers are looking into hormones as a factor that may be controlled to prevent or slow certain autoimmune disorders. This, gene therapy, and drugs that target specific immune system cells may help prevent or treat autoimmune disorders in the future.
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UN Fears Sri Lanka ‘War Crimes’
March 13th, 2009 - by admin
BBC News – 2009-03-13 09:19:18
(March 13, 2009) — Actions by Sri Lanka’s government and the Tamil Tiger rebels may amount to war crimes, the United Nations says.
UN High Commissioner of Human Rights Navi Pillay called on the two warring sides to suspend hostilities immediately in the island’s north-east.
Describing the level of civilian deaths as “truly shocking”, she warned it could reach “catastrophic” levels. The government said it was “very disappointed” at the UN commissioner’s “unprofessional statement”. There has been no immediate reaction from the rebels.
The army has pressed the rebels into a shrinking area amid heavy fighting. The military say they are on their final offensive to capture the last Tamil Tiger strongholds.
This is the UN’s strongest message on the conflict so far, BBC Sri Lanka correspondent Anbarasan Ethirajan reports.
‘Thousands Dead or Injured’
“Certain actions being undertaken by the Sri Lankan military and by the LTTE [Tigers] may constitute violations of international human rights and humanitarian law,” said Ms Pillay. She accused government forces of repeatedly shelling safe zones set up to protect civilians.
Tamil Tigers, she said, had reportedly held civilians as human shields and fired on those who tried to flee. “The brutal and inhuman treatment of civilians by the LTTE is utterly reprehensible and should be examined to see if it constitutes war crimes,” she continued.
According to what the UN called credible sources, more than 2,800 civilians may have been killed and 7,000 others wounded in the fighting over the last two months. Hundreds of children are believed to have died, Ms Pillay said, and more than a thousand have been injured.
The Sri Lankan minister for human rights, Mahinda Samarasinghe, said the government was surprised at the UN using what he called unsubstantiated figures about civilian casualties.
“We have very clearly stated that we have not at any time fired at the no-fire zone,” he added. “We are very disappointed and we are very surprised that this kind of unprofessional statement has been issued.”
While there was no immediate response top the UN report from the Tigers, pro-rebel news website TamilNet accused government forces of killing 30 civilians and wounding 60 inside safe zones on Thursday alone.
The assertions could not be verified independently.
Separatist War
The Tigers, who are proscribed as a terrorist group in many countries, started fighting in the 1970s for a separate state for Tamils in Sri Lanka’s north and east. They argued that the Tamils had been discriminated against by successive majority Sinhalese governments.
After army advances in the east in 2007 and progress in the north in 2008, most of Sri Lanka is now under government control.
But despite the army’s commanding position, the rebels have shown on innumerable occasions their capacity to fight a guerrilla war through the use of suicide bombings, assassinations and even aerial attacks carried out by planes operating from secret jungle bases.
The conflict has killed an estimated 70,000 people, displaced thousands more and held back the island’s growth and economic development.
Both the military and the Tigers have been regularly accused of gross abuses of human rights by organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
© BBC MMIX
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Surgified Iraq
April 13th, 2009 - by admin
John Little / After Downing Street – 2009-04-13 12:00:34
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/41671
In recent months the world has been hearing more and more about a sharp increase of vendetta style torture and killing by the current Iraqi government against those leaders of Sunni tribes who were partners with the US during the infamous surge of 2007 and 2008, namely the Sons of Iraq aka, the Awakening Councils.
Prior to the official launching of President Bush’s surge in early 2007, a deal was secretly worked out between the US military, headed by General Patraeus, and the Awakening Councils which were comprised of many small Sunni tribes.
The plan promised these tribes would be handsomely paid if they drastically reduced their violence overall and stopped targeting US troops. In effect, this is nothing more than a modern version of “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.” In large part because of this, Bush’s surge was hailed as a military victory of immense proportions.
This wasn’t the first time the US military used lots of money to influence major leaders in Iraq to stop attacking American forces. Before the war even started US dollars were being lavishly thrown at key elements in the Iraqi military to do the very same thing. On Saturday, May 24, 2003, the Independent news media out of the UK published an article entitled, “US army chief says Iraqi troops took bribes to surrender.”
The article describes how these Senior Iraqi military officers “of key Iraqi cities were bribed not to fight by American special forces.” It then went on to say, “General Tommy Franks, the US army commander for the war, said these Iraqi officers had acknowledged their loyalties were no longer with the Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, but with their American paymasters. As a result, many officers chose not to defend their positions as American and British forces pushed north from Kuwait. ‘I had letters from Iraqi generals saying: ‘I now work for you’, General Franks said.”i
This tactic worked to perfection. During the invasion portion of the war, Coalition forces encountered very little if any hostility in town after town. One can only guess at the number of Coalition and Iraqi lives this plan saved. Within a month American and allied troops had reached Baghdad. Who can forget the infamous video of a lone American tank touring the empty streets of the capital, on April 9, 2003, and finding no resistance, thus signaling the actual end to hostilities?
At that point of the war, many people around the world had concluded that the end was near and the US would be able to demonstrate to the rest of the world how a modern war is fought and won. Retired General Jay Garner arrived in Baghdad on April 21, 2003, to take the war victory to an even higher level and restore peace and tranquility across the nation. Unfortunately, one of his first phone calls upon arrival was from Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld who basically told General Garner that his mission had been terminated and his services were no longer needed.
His crime?? He refused to follow President Bush’s 101-page Plan for Iraq after the war. Garner later told independent journalist Greg Palast, “My preference was to put the Iraqis in charge as soon as we can and do it in some form of elections … I don’t think [Iraqis] need to go by the U.S. plan, I think that what we need to do is set an Iraqi government that represents the freely elected will of the people.” He added, “It’s their country … their oil.” He wanted to set up elections within 90 days.ii
But that’s not part of the Bush plan. His plan instead, proposed a detailed schedule for selling off “all [Iraq’s] state assets” — and in Iraq, that’s just about everything — “especially,” said The Plan, “the oil and supporting industries.” Especially the oil. iii
Garner’s replacement, Ambassador Paul Bremer, arrived soon thereafter to make sure that The Plan was quickly implemented. In only his second directive after arriving, “Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) Order Number 2, Dissolution of Entities,” Bremer fired all the police, all the military and practically all ministries.iv The Ministry of Oil was left intact.
This directive alone drove Iraqi unemployment through the roof. Even if the CPA allowed most of these people to go home with their weapons, it still sent the rate to over 70%. At this point, Iraqis were facing a total raping of their museums, cultural centers, ministry offices and other government buildings which had been left completely open and abandoned by these ex-government officials and unguarded by US troops. Almost instantly, Iraq went from a conquered nation with most of its government still intact, to a lawless, jobless, mob-ruled country more reminiscent of the American Wild West than an orderly modern society.
Months, then years went by with almost no relief for these former state employees, no job in sight and very few options available to improve their lot and the lot of their families. The only two known and steady resources of employment were joining the newly forming police academies, or becoming an insurgent. Unfortunately, either choice meant risking one’s life on almost a daily basis.
In the beginning, most Iraqis who joined the police force hid their faces and refused any and all contact with inquisitive reporters. The penalty for showing ones face or giving ones actual name to reporters meant the kiss of death for the cadet and his family. On the other hand, becoming an insurgent and taking up arms against the occupying army had its obvious deadly detractions as well.
After years of wallowing in the middle of a hot festering wound, and on the heels of a Democrat Party resurgence in the 2006 elections, the Bush Administration departed from their standard fare of, “stay the course,” and decided to take a completely radical and different approach to pacifying those areas of Iraq that remained the hotbed of insurgent activity. Giant concrete cinder blocks soon walled off entire sections of Baghdad forcing citizens to crawl in single file between them just to get from one side of the street to the other, or else endure a tremendous walk to the end of the barriers and then walking all the way back on the other side. As expected, Baghdad violence decreased substantially, even if the end result practically paralyzed the entire capital.
Another main component of the surge was to create a truce between former insurgents, mainly Sunnis, and the US military. Taking a page out of its own playbook, the military decided to bribe their way to peace in the deadly Sunni triangle area. By offering millions of dollars to the leaders and fighters of these small Sunni tribes, known as the Awakening Councils, the military could bask in the glory of its new found bribed and walled surge strategy. The US military was willing to let bygones be bygones and hire these groups who, up to that point, were responsible for hundreds or thousands of US soldiers’ deaths. The Surgified Iraq was finally emerging and the level of violence was definitely on its way down.
To the world, it appeared that Bush had finally got something right in his pet war, and the light of the tunnel showing the end to this morass was at hand. But they would be proven wrong yet again. To the American military, these tribes were making life a lot easier for the boots on the ground in Iraq, but to many Iraqis, especially the Shiites and Kurds, these same tribes had switched sides and were now part and parcel of the US-led coalition. They had become, basically, the Benedict Arnolds of Iraq.
As long as the US military presence was strong in Iraq, they had little to worry about. But as the US draws down its troop strength, the foreseeable backlash from the Iraqi government and other groups rise in intensity and frequency. A New York Times article on March 23, 2009, reported, “’The Iraqi Army considers us members of Al Qaeda, not Awakening Council leaders,’ said Sheik Awad al-Harbousi, who lost a son, a father and four other close relatives to Al Qaeda, and who still leads the council in Taji, just north of Baghdad. ‘We sacrificed to kick out Al Qaeda, and this is their thank-you?’
“He said his members voted Saturday to leave the Awakening movement, though they would keep their posts. ‘This is a message to the prime minister,’ he said, suggesting that the move was only symbolic so far. The United States military says that only 164 Sons of Iraq members have been arrested in the past year, ‘many of them for good reason,’ said Col. Jeffrey Kulmayer, who runs the program under General Ferriter. Awakening members, however, complain that the real number is much higher. Mahmood Abdullah al-Jbouri, security chief for the Awakening Council in Madaen, said in that district, there were arrest warrants out for hundreds of Awakening members, ‘including me.’ He was in hiding and reached by telephone.”
An even more recent report shows the alarming descent into sectarian hell that looms just around the corner. In a March 30, 2009, interview on The Real News Network, Leila Fadel, Baghdad Bureau Chief of McClatchy Newspapers, states that leaders of these Awakening Councils are being systematically rounded up, arrested, tortured and killed by the Maliki government.vi
Could all of this have been avoided? (You betcha.) But from the very outset of the occupation phase of this war, the US government has methodically chosen the route of more war, more bloodshed, more death and more chaos.
Now, as the full effects of Bush’s surge slowly rise out of the hot, desolate, war-torn nation of Iraq, we can plainly see that his strategy has finally put the kibosh on any hope Iraqis may have had of returning to peace and normalcy once the occupiers had left. The final tally sheet of dead, wounded, displaced and disenfranchised won’t be written for many years to come and may never truly be known. Like the proverbial bull let loose in a china shop, it may take decades for the Iraqis to find and fix all the broken pieces of their society and finally move on.
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Leaking Sarin Rocket Discovered at US Military Depot
August 16th, 2010 - by admin
Global Security Newswire / Nuclear Threat Initiative – 2010-08-16 23:32:39
http://gsn.nti.org/gsn/nw_20100812_6237.php
Leaking Sarin Rocket Discovered
At Kentucky Depot
(August 12, 20100 — The US Army said Tuesday a leaking sarin nerve agent-filled rocket had been discovered during inspections of chemical weapons storage structures at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky (see GSN, June 3).
“The low-level agent vapor was confined to the interior of the [shipping and firing] tube and no agent vapor was detected within the igloo atmosphere,” according to a press release. “The rocket, enclosed in the shipping and firing tube, will be overpacked in a leakproof container. It will then be moved to another igloo containing overpacked [sarin] munitions as soon as possible.”
The depot stores 523 tons of mustard blister agent and sarin and VX nerve agents. Chemical disarmament work at the site is projected to end in 2021 (US Army Chemical Materials Agency release, August 10).
Kentucky Chemical Weapons Disposal
Work Stays on Schedule
(June 3, 2010) — A US lawmaker last week successfully removed language from legislation that could have pushed back the beginning of chemical weapons disposal at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Kentucky by as much as two years, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, May 7).
An initial version of the House of Representatives 2011 defense authorization bill contained a measure that would have drastically altered the terms of a contract with the firm constructing a neutralization facility that would be used to eradicate chemical warfare materials housed at Blue Grass.
The company, Bechtel-Parsons Bluegrass, would have been obligated to pay the costs of a variety of unanticipated expenses at one fixed price. Under the terms of the present contract, the firm can be paid back by the government for moderate contingencies when they surpass cost projections.
An amendment to the bill by Representative Ben Chandler (D-Ky.) removed the measure.
“We’ve been dealing with delay after delay for decades, and it is time to stop the setbacks and broken promises,” Chandler said in a statement.
It was not clear with whom the language had originated, AP reported. Altering the contract could have led to a suspension of work at the site or even driven the company to abandon the project, said Craig Williams, head of the Kentucky-based Chemical Weapons Working Group. Company officials did not provide a comment on the matter.
“For some reason, it seems to be the whipping boy of some people’s agendas,” Williams said of Blue Grass. “Previously we’ve had all sorts of problems with funding requests coming to Congress from the Pentagon.”
The Obama administration also “strongly” objected to the proposed wording, writing in an accompanying document to the bill that “pursuit of a fixed price contract at this time would result in protracted negotiations and substantial delays in completing construction.”
Blue Grass stores 523 tons of mustard blister agent and the nerve agents sarin and VX.
Chemical disposal operations at the depot are projected to be completed in 2021. A proposed five-year spending request from the Obama administration would provide $1.3 billion to fund disarmament work in Kentucky (Jeffrey McMurray, Associated Press/State Journal, June 2).
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Charles Wallace India Trust Fellowship, Wales
Aberystwyth University in Wales
Mid-September to Mid-December 2016
Aberystwyth University has a long-standing literary connection with India through the two initiatives based at the Mercator Institute for Media, Languages and Culture: Literature Across Frontiers (LAF) and Wales Literature Exchange (WLE) which have been jointly running literary and translation projects in India and with Indian writers and translators since 2009.
Literature Across Frontiers (LAF) – European Platform for Literary Exchange, Translation and Policy Debate is based at the Mercator Institute for Media, Languages and Culture within the Institute of Literature, Languages and Creative Arts which offers teaching at undergraduate and post-graduate level in creative writing and translation and hosts the interdisciplinary Centre for Cultural Translation.
Literature Across Frontiers is pleased to launch a Translation and Creative Writing Fellowship, supported by the Charles Wallace India Trust, for literary practitioners from India who combine the discipline of literary translation and writing. Translators who also write in any genre including prose, poetry, drama, essay and non-fiction or writers who are also practicing translators are invited to apply for the 2016 Fellowship. The successful applicant will be given the opportunity to spend three months at Aberystwyth University in Wales in the autumn working on a literary project of their choice combining translation and writing. While their project will form the focus of their stay with us, they also encourage Fellows to engage in the academic, cultural and social life of the faculty.
Established in 1872, Aberystwyth University boasts a long history as the oldest higher education institution in Wales. Aberystwyth is located on the coast of Mid-Wales and is the home of the National Library of Wales and the Aberystwyth Arts Centre which belongs to the University. In addition to being a legal deposit library, the National Library of Wales purchases material of special interest, including collections in and about Indian languages. Being an attractive and lively university town makes Aberystwyth an ideal place for a residency – stimulating enough while not as distracting as a large city would be.
The Mercator Institute is a research institution running projects in the fields of literature, languages, media and publishing, and has hosted initiatives such as LAF and WLE for over fifteen years, as well as hosting shorter term projects, supported from EU and other sources. It is located within the Institute of Literature, Languages and Creative Arts (ILLCA), and its Director, Professor Elin Haf Gruffydd Jones, is also in charge of the newly established Centre for Creative Translation and Master of Art in Professional Translation Studies. Taking into consideration the India-related activities of Literature Across Frontiers headed by Alexandra Büchler, the Institute is in an ideal position to offer a stimulating and rewarding working environment to the CWIT Fellow.
The Institute of Literature, Languages and Creative Arts offers courses in creative writing and translation and they would aim to offer the CWIT Fellow an opportunity to lead seminars for post-graduate students, present papers and discuss work in progress with writers and translators.
To be eligible the applicant must
be an Indian citizen, domiciled and resident in India
be an author as well as practicing translator of fiction, poetry or creative non-fiction
have completed university-level education in the field of humanities, literature and/or literary translation, and/or have between five and seven years of professional experience manifested in published work
have a clear proposal stating what they plan to do during their residency and how they hope to use the experience on their return to India
have not been given a Charles Wallace India Trust Writing or Translation Fellowship grant within the previous five years.
Contribution towards international travel costs up to £600
Monthly living grant of £1400 for the duration of the fellowship to cover accommodation and subsistence costs
Choice of accommodation in town at different price levels
Structured programme of academic and literary engagement with a focus on interdisciplinary research
Facilitation of research and literary contacts
Opportunity to travel in Wales for research purposes and to connect with its literary and translation scene
Dedicated staff who will provide support for the CWIT Fellows during their stay
Applications for the Fellowship will include the following:
a clear and concise proposal (no longer than 1000 words) of what you plan to achieve during the residency and how you will use this in your work once you return to India
two references from referees who know your work very well
examples of both your creative writing and translation (which will not be returned)
photo and full CV
Attachments must be in PDF, Word or JPEG format and should not be larger than 3MB.
Download application and reference forms: http://www.lit-across-frontiers.org/resources/charles-wallace-india-trust-fellowship-wales/
Please do not send any supporting material such as books by post as such material cannot be taken into account in assessing your application and we will not be able to return it to you.
Your application should also include two completed reference forms from referees who know your work very well. This form should be completed by your referee, who should return it directly to LAF at the address below.
Any further enquiries can be made to info@literature-across-frontiers.org and applications and references should be emailed to the same address as well as carys@lit-across-frontiers.org.
Applications are closed.
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Difference between revisions of "The Durov Dynasty"
Djando (Talk | contribs)
(→Suggested Reading)
(→Image Gallery)
File:Yury_Durov_(c.1960).jpg|Yury Vladimirovich Durov (c.1960)
File:Vladimir_Grigorevich_Durov.jpg|Vladimir Grigorevich Durov (c.1960)
File:Vladimir_Durov_Train_Station.jpg|Vladimir Grigorevich Durov]]
File:Vladimir_Durov_Train_Station.jpg|Vladimir Grigorevich Durov
File:Yury_Yurievich_Durov.jpg|Yury Yurievich Durov (c.1985)
[[Category:Artists and Acts|Durov Dynasty, The]][[Category:Animal Trainers|Durov Dynasty, The]][[Category:History|Durov Dynasty, The]]
1 Clowns, Animal Trainers
2 Vladimir Durov’s Line
2.1 A. Vladimir Vladimirovich Durov (1888-1912)
2.2 B. Natalia Vladimirovna Durova (1889-1918)
2.3 C. Yevgeny Vladimirovich Durov (1893-1917)
2.4 D. Anna Vladimirovna Durova (Sadovskaya) (1900-1978)
2.5 B.1. Yury Vladimirovich Durov (born Orlov) (1910-1971)
2.6 B.1.1. Natalia Yurievna Durova (b. 1934)
2.7 B.1.2. Yury Yurievich Durov (b. 1954)
3 Anatoly Durov’s Line
3.1 A. Maria Anatolievna Durova (1891-?)
3.2 B. Anatoly Anatolievich Durov (1894-1928)
3.3 C. Evlampiya Anatolievna Durova (Schvenchenko) (? - ?)
3.4 D. Elena Robertovna Durova (1873-1967)
3.5 A.1. Tereza Vasilievna Durova (1926-2012)
3.6 C.1. Vladimir Grigorevich Durov (born Schvenchenko) (1909-1972)
3.7 A.1.1. Tereza Gannibalovna Durova (b. Oct. 3, 1953)
4 Suggested Reading
6 Image Gallery
Clowns, Animal Trainers
By Dominique Jando
The brothers Vladimir (1863-1934) and Anatoly Durov (1864-1916), who became iconic figures of the Russian circus before and during the Soviet regime, originated one of Russia’s most important circus dynasties. Their name still resonates today in Russian lore and culture, and Moscow has even a street named after them.
To the circus historian, however, finding one’s way into the intricacy of their expanded genealogy tree is not an easy task; several descendants of both Vladimir and Anatoly share the same first name: Vladimir or Yury for the men, Natalia or Tereza for the women. Furthermore, the Durov line was kept alive principally through the women—two of whom never officially married her common-law husband—and therefore many Durovs were given, or adopted, the famous moniker even though it was not their birth name.
To make matters even more complex, nearly all of the Durovs were animal trainers, and the men worked in the same costume as their forebears, Anatoly and Vladimir—who were originally clowns and developed their animal acts as such. Although only a few of Anatoly and Vladimir’s descendents were actually clowns themselves, most of them presented their acts in the clown costume made famous by both brothers (who worked in exactly the same style), replete with an Elizabethan ruff and a short cape. To some extent, during the Soviet regime, most Durov acts seemed interchangeable.
Note: A few descendents of the Durovs didn’t pursue an artistic career in the circus. They have been omitted in the following survey.
Vladimir Durov’s Line
A. Vladimir Vladimirovich Durov (1888-1912)
Vladimir Vladimirovich, born January 19, 1888, was the son of Vladimir Durov, from his marriage to Natalia Ignatievna Karnaukhova (1870-1924). Vladimir Vladimirovich began performing an act similar to his father’s in 1907. His career, unfortunately, didn’t last: He died prematurely at age twenty-four, on February 14, 1912.
B. Natalia Vladimirovna Durova (1889-1918)
Vladimir Durov’s daughter, Natalia, also died prematurely. She had a short career as a variety artist (with the Bi-Ba-Bo Variety Theatre), where she distinguished herself as one of the first female conferenciers (a mixture between a stand-up comedian and an MC), as well as a movie actress. She was married to Prince Vladimir Nikolaevich Orlov (1873-?), Chief of the Imperial Funeral Office. She met a tragic death by sword in a political street uprising in Moscow during the Russian civil war.
C. Yevgeny Vladimirovich Durov (1893-1917)
Sadly, like his siblings, the second son of Vladimir Durov met with a premature death: A Cavalry Cadet, he died during the Soviet Revolution.
D. Anna Vladimirovna Durova (Sadovskaya) (1900-1978)
Born May 25, 1900, Anna Durova was the daughter of Vladimir Durov and his third wife, Anna Ignatievna Karnaukhova (Feb. 1, 1878-March 3, 1950), the sister of his first wife, Natalia Ignatievna (see above, A). An animal trainer who worked with her father at Durov Corner, Anna created there the Durov Animal Theatre in 1933. She was its Artistic Director until her death in 1978. Her niece, Natalia Yurievna Durova (see below, B.1.1) succeeded her.
Anna Durova had married Prov Mikhailovich Sadovsky, a famous actor of the Maly Theatre in Moscow. Their son, Prov Provovich Sadovsky (1926-1992), continued in his father’s footsteps, and became himself a celebrated actor at the Maly Theatre. Anna Durova died in Moscow on March 2, 1978. She had been named National Artist of the Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic in 1965.
B.1. Yury Vladimirovich Durov (born Orlov) (1910-1971)
Born on January 12, 1910 to Prince Orlov and Natalia Vladimirovna Durova (see above, B), Yury Durov was adopted upon his mother’s death by his grandfather, Vladimir Leonidovich Durov, and started working with him at Durov Corner as a child, from 1918 to 1928. He began his adult professional career as an actor in Yury Zavadsky’s Studio. In 1936, he took over the animal act of Leonid Ivanov (1889-1936) upon the latter’s death, and began a brilliant career as an animal trainer, donning the traditional Durov clown outfit. In February 1971, he was taken ill during a performance at Brussel’s Cirque Royal in Belgium, and died a few days later, on February 22. After his death, he was named National Artist of the USSR.
Yury Durov married twice: First to Zinaida Timofeevna Borodina (1912-1953), the granddaughter of the famous chemist Aleksandr Borodin; after Zinaida’s tragic death in a car crash, Yury re-married with Lola Khodzhaeva (b. 1923), an equestrienneA female equestrian, or horse trainer, horse presenter, or acrobat on horseback.. From Midkhat Begbudi, her first husband, Lola had a son, Sarvat Begbudi, who became a famous juggler on horseback and animal trainer—and is, by alliance, part of the Durov dynasty.
B.1.1. Natalia Yurievna Durova (b. 1934)
The daughter of Yury Vladimirovich Durov (see above, B.1) and his first wife, Zinaida Borodina, Natalia Durova was born in Moscow on April 13, 1914 and made her debut in the ring at age 5, in 1939, in her father’s animal act. In 1952-54, she worked as an animal trainer for the Central Circus Management (predecessor of SoyuzGosTsirk, the Soviet state circus organization), then, in 1956, she began to work at the Durov Animal Theatre.
In 1954, she had married Mikhail Panteleimonovich Bolduman (1898-1986), an actor at the Moscow Art Theater. In 1961-73, Natalia Durova worked for SoyuzGosTsirk, presenting an unusual animal act that featured a sea-lion, a walrus and a monkey. Finally, in 1978, she took over the Durov Animal Theatre, succeeding her aunt, Anna Durova (see above, D). Natalia Durova and Mikhail Bolduman had a son, Mikhail Mikhailovich Bolduman (b.1967), who is a biologist. In 1989, Natalia was made National Artist of the USSR.
B.1.2. Yury Yurievich Durov (b. 1954)
Born October 11, 1954 to Yury Vladimirovich Durov (see above, B.1) and his second wife, Lola Khodzhaeva, Yury Yurievich worked with his father before taking over his act upon Yury Vladimirovich’s death in 1971. Yury Yurievich married a former showgirl, Vera Dmitrievna Buslenko, with whom he had a daughter, Natalia Yurievna Durova (b.1987). In 1993, Yury Yurievich Durov was made National Artist of the Russian Federation.
Anatoly Durov’s Line
A. Maria Anatolievna Durova (1891-?)
Maria Anatolievna Durova was born on January 1, 1891 of the union (no marriage) of Anatoly Durov and Tereza Stadtler (1866-1934 or 35?). Tereza Stradtler was the daughter of Johann Stadtler, a German equestrian, and was herself an equestrienneA female equestrian, or horse trainer, horse presenter, or acrobat on horseback. who had run a circus in Bavaria, worked as a clownesse, and then as an animal trainer with Anatoly Durov.
Maria made her circus debut at age 6, in 1887, in a musical act with her sister, Evlampiya (see below, C). She later worked as her father’s assistant in his mnemonic act, then as assistant to her brother Anatoly (see below, B). She married Vasily Vasilievich Milva (1884-1962), a hand-balancer, who later trained animals for his brother-in-law, Anatoly Durov. She died in Odessa.
B. Anatoly Anatolievich Durov (1894-1928)
The second child of Anatoly Durov and Tereza Stadtler, Anatoly Anatolievich was born on November 26, 1894. He made his circus debut in 1914 as a clownGeneric term for all clowns and augustes. '''Specific:''' In Europe, the elegant, whiteface character who plays the role of the straight man to the Auguste in a clown team.-satirist, like his father. While working at Circus Nikitin in Moscow, he made anti-war jokes that resulted in his being sent to a camp for political prisoners in Siberia. Back to Moscow in 1917, after the Soviet Revolution, he returned to the circus and began working as a trainer, with a large animal act.
He married Annette Yurievna Geld, a woman wrestler and circus strongwoman. Together they raised Vladimir Grigorevich Schvenchenko (see below, C.1) upon Vladimir’s mother’s death. Anatoly Anatolievich Durov died on November 19, 1928 in a hunting accident.
C. Evlampiya Anatolievna Durova (Schvenchenko) (? - ?)
The third child of Anatoly Durov and Tereza Stadtler, Evlampiya made her circus debut in a musical act with her sister Maria Anotaolievna (see above, A), and served as her father’s partner in his mnemonic act. She married Grigory Efimovich Schvenchenko (? - ?), a pharmacist, with whom she had a son, Valdimir Grigorievich Schvenchenko (see below, C.1).
D. Elena Robertovna Durova (1873-1967)
Elena Durova was born of the second union (no marriage) of Anatoly Leonidovich Durov with Elena Robertovna Gertel (1873-1967), a swimmer in Circus Shumann’s water pantomimes in Berlin, then at Circus Salamonsky in Moscow. She worked as Anatoly’s partner in his mnemonic act. Upon Anatoly’s death, she performed with small animals, before becoming the custodian of the Durov House (Anatoly Durov's former home) in Voronezh. Later, she married Carlo Giovanni Faccioli, an acrobat.
A.1. Tereza Vasilievna Durova (1926-2012)
The daughter of Maria Anatolievna Durova (see above, A) and Vasily Vasilievich Milva, Tereza Vasilievna Durova (née Milva) was born on September 7, 1926 in Voronezh. She started her career as an animal trainer at age 16, in 1942, and became famous as an elephant trainer—although she had also trained all sorts of exotic animals, from zebras to pelicans, in a series of spectacular mixed-animal acts. She was named National Artist of the Russian Soviet Federal Socialist Republic in 1980.
Her first husband, Gannibal Vladimirovich Nadjarov was a circus musician. Together, Gannibal and Tereza had a daughter, Tereza Gannibalovna (see below, A.2.1). Her second husband, Viktor Ivanovich Kocherzhlenko (b.1939), whom she married in 1976, was sixteen years her junior. He was originally an acrobat, but upon his marriage with Tereza Durova, he participated in her act. Tereza Durova retired from performing in 2004, and died in Moscow on July 29, 2012. The State Circus of Penza, in Russia, has been re-named after her.
C.1. Vladimir Grigorevich Durov (born Schvenchenko) (1909-1972)
Born Vladimir Grigorevich Schvenchenko on April 16, 1909, Vladimir Grigorievich Durov was the son of Evlampiya Anatolievna Durova (see above, C) and Grigory Efimovich Schvenchenko. Upon his mother’s untimely death, he was raised by Anatoly Anatolievich Durov (see above, B) and his wife, Annette. Vladimir Grigorevich, who was not originally destined to a circus career, studied at the Agricultural Academy, and then, probably responding to his Durov genes, studied drama at Meyerhold’s Experimental Theater.
In 1928, upon the accidental death of his surrogate father, Anatoly Anatolievich Durov, Vladimir Grigorevich took over his act. He made his debut in the ring with it at the Circus of Izhevsk (west of Kazan). Two years later, in 1930, he changed his name officially to Durov. Vladimir Grigorevich had a soft and gentle style, which included many theatrical elements. Starting in 1958, he traveled extensively outside Russia with various editions of the Moscow Circus. He was perhaps the best-known Durov outside the USSR.
Vladimir Grigorevich Durov was a member of the Editorial Staff of the circus magazine, Sovietsky Tsirk. He had married Regina Vasilievna (whose maiden name is not recorded), born in 1922. He died in Moscow on March 14, 1972. In 1967, he had been named National Artist of the USSR.
A.1.1. Tereza Gannibalovna Durova (b. Oct. 3, 1953)
Born on October 3, 1953 to Tereza Vasilievna Durova (see above, A.1) and Gannibal Nadjarov, Tereza Gannibalovna is known, like her mother, as Tereza Durova. She began to work with her mother as an animal trainer in 1966, and presented elephants and other exotic animals with her until 1977. In 1977, she entered the GITIS Institute (Theatre Institute) in Moscow, and graduated as a circus director two years later.
From 1979 to 1988, she worked as an artistic director at the State College for Circus and Variety Arts in Moscow, where she had among her students such artists as Elena Panova, Nikolai Chelnokov, and Marina Golovinskaya. From 1989-90, as the Soviet Union was falling apart, she became director of Yury Kuklachov’s collective, Moskva. Then, in 1993, she created the Moscow Clown Theatre, known today as the Theatrum. She married the former journalist and author Sergey Aleksandrovich Abramov—today a successful financier—with whom she had a son, Artiom Sergeyevich Abramov.
Natalia Durova, Your Turn (Moscow, Progress Publishers, 1980 — English version)
Анатолий Дуров (текстологическая полготовка В. В. Бойкова), В жиӡни и на арене (Moscow, Искүсство, 1984)
Biographies: Vladimir Durov, Anatoly Durov
Video: Yury Vladimirovich and Yury Yurevich Durov, mixed animals attraction, in Russia (1965)
Yury Vladimirovich Durov (c.1935)
Yury V. and Natalia Durov (c.1950)
Vladimir Grigorevich Durov & Karandash (c.1950)
Natalia Yurievna Durova and her Walrus (c.1953)
Natalia Yurievna Durova (c.1955)
Vladimir Grigorevich Durov (c.1955)
Vladimir Grigorevich Durov
Yury Yurievich Durov (c.1985)
Retrieved from "http://www.circopedia.org/index.php?title=The_Durov_Dynasty&oldid=16652"
Animal Trainers
Content is available under a Creative Commons Attrib.-Noncom-No Deriv. Works 3.0 US License unless otherwise noted.
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Global warming linked to spread of zika virus
Countries Where The Zika Virus Is Spreading. Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pan American Health Organization
Scientists believe that record average temperatures may be helping to create an environment that has led to big increases in the number of disease-carrying mosquitoes.
By Jan Rocha, Climate News Network
The Zika virus, transmitted by the same mosquito as dengue fever, has spread with alarming speed throughout South and Central America – and scientists in Brazil suspect that global warming is exacerbating the problem.
Although the virus, named after the Ugandan forest where it was first identified, usually causes only mild symptoms and often passes undetected, it has been associated with a surge in the number of cases of babies born with microcephaly, which can cause brain damage.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has now declared the situation an international public health emergency.
The numbers are alarming. Until last year, while dengue fever claimed many victims, Zika was unknown in Latin America. Since first detected in April 2014, there have been over 4,000 births of babies with suspected microcephaly in Brazil, compared with a previous yearly average of 154.
Twenty-four countries in South and Central America have reported cases of microcephaly, and the rapid spread of the virus is being attributed by some scientists to global warming.
Abnormal warming
Last year was the hottest on record, with temperatures for the first time about 1°C above pre-industrial levels. But in some parts of Brazil, average temperatures rose by between 3° and 5°C, according to data from the Centre for Weather Forecasting and Climate Studies at Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research. The abnormal warming of the Pacific caused by El Niño contributed to this.
Studies by Brazilian scientists show that the Aedes egypti mosquito has spread to 80% of the country, an area of 6.9 million sq km (2.6 million square miles) − four times larger than a decade ago.
Paolo Zanotto, a virologist at the University of São Paulo’s Biomedical Sciences Institute, is co-ordinating a network of laboratories studying the Zika virus.
He says: “The number of mosquitoes is increasing, their area of activity is increasing, and contact with populations who have never before had contact with dengue is increasing. Global warming is probably collaborating with its spread to previously free areas.”
Other scientists agree. Christovam Barcellos, a geographer at the Fiocruz Institute in Rio de Janeiro, says: “We have noticed that dengue has spread to areas that were previously too cold for it, like the south of the country.”
In colder regions the mosquito has a shorter life, but it can still spread dengue and Zika.
However, Oliver Brady, an Oxford University epidemiologist and co-author of a research paper recently published by The Lancet on the potential export of dengue from Brazil by travellers, is more cautious, warning that the connection between global warming and the spread of Zika is still speculative.
“What is clear is that 2015 and 2016 present an increased risk, because of the high temperatures and rainfall that have been observed, but we don’t know yet if this will be confirmed as a long-term tendency,” he told the newspaper O Estado de São Paulo.
Brazilian specialists believe that the spread of dengue and Zika has also been facilitated by successive governments’ failure to provide basic sanitation and clean water to the poorer part of the population. Only 58% are connected to the sewage system, and 15% lack running water.
Breeding places
Added to these factors, the drought of 2015, which affected both the semi-arid zone of the Northeast and the urban conglomerations of the Southeast, caused severe water shortages and led to a big increase in the informal storage of water.
This provided many more potential breeding places for the mosquito, and dengue fever cases reached 1.5 million, with 863 deaths.
The government has declared war on the insect, drafting in 220,000 soldiers to reinforce health agents in a campaign to visit every residence in Brazil and clear away anything where mosquito larvae breed − including old tyres, empty bottles, badly-closed water tanks, plant containers, and even the leaves of Bromeliad plants.
Free mosquito repellent is being distributed to women on welfare programmes. The WHO decision to declare a public health emergency will make it easier to get funding for the urgent work of developing a vaccine.
Another possible solution is the “good mosquito”, a transgenic mosquito developed by the UK firm Oxitec. When it breeds with normal mosquitoes, it leaves them sterile.
It is now being trialled in Brazil, Panama and the Cayman Islands. In the town of Piracicaba, São Paulo state, it was reported that the release of thousands of “good mosquitoes” led to the death of 82% of the Aedes population. –
International climate solidarity is more than plan...
Building common cause for social movement events
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// essays //
Swimming to Croatia
Tina Musa
It takes about an hour to swim to Croatia, if you're not pushing too hard and you're going with the current.
The swim had been Jesus's idea. We were sitting on the rocky beach in Neum, on the border of Bosnia-Herzegovina, drinking beer and basking in the sun. Jesus wasn't his real name, but with his long hair and gaunt frame, he resembled the mainstream image of Jesus so much that we had taken to calling him that. This Jesus was more of the "jump into water," rather than the "walk on water" type—he was always proposing adventures. Together with his sister Diana, and Aaron, one of our staff members, I joined Jesus on what became our last adventure in our journey through the Balkans.
It was a quiet crossing, our silence extending to the bottom of the Adriatic, as we attempted to fill some very large gaps with very small talk. During the hour of our swim, we crossed an international border without hassle, passports, or questioning, and before I knew it, we were on the other side, sitting inCroatia looking across the sea to Bosnia-Herzegovina.
We were in a different country, yet it looked just about the same. The sun was still scorching, the beach in Croatia was just as rocky as the beach in Neum, and I couldn't help feeling a little disappointed. I had wanted to feel changed.
At some point, sitting on the beach, the reason I didn't feel changed hit me: I was an American. Confronting the privilege that my American citizenship provides me was a constant occurrence throughout the trip. At each border crossing, members of the group who came from countries in the Balkans had a significantly more difficult time traveling than those of us who were lucky enough to be American citizens.
Crossing borders had always seemed basic. It's true that as a Palestinian-American I have had more than my fair share of trouble at the airport. But I've only been hassled, and never (yet) excluded. On the beach in Croatia, I found myself angry at this privilege, angry that I could so easily cross a border that was thousands of miles away from my home, while people living within miles of it could not. By luck of my birthplace, I had more access to the Balkans than some of the people who lived there.
Unlike Bosnians, who are forced to remain within the boundaries of their country, we enclose ourselves in countries, or houses, or communities in which we can unite and define ourselves by our boundaries. What we often don't stop to consider are the people our borders keep out. In our communities, who do we deem "undesirable?" To whom do we not grant figurative citizenship? The Balkans reminded me to remember the borders—to recognize those who walk across them without thinking twice, and those who have to fight much harder for their right to cross.
My five weeks in the Balkans on a trip with Jewish and Palestinian students was a sort of personal experiment in crossing borders. There are lines between us—Jews and Palestinians—that exist because of our histories. Often, unspoken or suppressed tensions found their way into our discussions. We had to break through our own borders by challenging one another to look deeper than the politics, to find out what these conflicts really do to us, and to examine how we relate to one another because of them.
Conflicts can run deep in a person, and do in the residents of the Balkans. You could see the impact of the Balkan wars in the face of every person we spoke to on our trip, just as you can now see bits of them in the faces of our Vision members. We internalize the conflicts we throw ourselves into, and so, in breaking apart the borders that these conflicts create within ourselves, we manage to end up broken as well.
I eventually swam back across the sea, back to Bosnia-Herzegovina, and back to a place in which I was legally allowed to be. I sat back down on that familiar beach, but I sat back down in a more appreciative manner. I returned to that beach, and refused to be disappointed by its rocks or its crowdedness, and reminded myself that I was lucky just to be there.
// TINA MUSA is a Columbia College sophomore.
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::"Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D
Yankovic::weird Title::album First::style Parody::jeopardy Praitb::number Weirdal::songs
Unknown extension tag "indicator"{{#invoke:Category handler|main}}
{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}{{#invoke:Category handler|main}} "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D (often referred to simply as In 3-D) is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on February 28, 1984, by Rock 'n Roll Records. The album was one of many produced by former The McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Recorded between October and December 1983, the album was Yankovic's follow-up to his modestly successful debut LP, "Weird Al" Yankovic.
The music on "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D is built around parodies and pastiches of pop and rock music of the mid-1980s. Half of the album is made up of parodies, featuring jabs at Michael Jackson, Men Without Hats, The Greg Kihn Band, The Police, and Survivor. The other half of the album is original material, featuring many "style parodies", or musical imitations that come close to, but do not copy, existing artists. These style parodies include imitations of specific artists like Bob Marley and The B-52s. This album marked a musical departure from Yankovic's self-titled debut, in that the arrangements of the parodies were now closer to the originals and the accordion was no longer used in every song, now only being featured where deemed appropriate or wholly inappropriate for comedic effect. "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D is also notable for being the first album released by Yankovic to feature a polka medley of hit songs. These pastiches of hit songs, set to polka music, have since appeared on nearly all of Yankovic's albums.
"Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D was met with mostly positive reviews and peaked at number seventeen on the Billboard 200 and number sixty-one in Australia. The album also produced one of Yankovic's most famous singles, "Eat It" (a parody of Michael Jackson's "Beat It"), which peaked at number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100. This song was Yankovic's highest charting single until "White & Nerdy" from his 2006 album Straight Outta Lynwood peaked at number nine in the October 21, 2006 Billboard charts. "Eat It" also charted at number one in Australia, making it Yankovic's only number one single in any country. The album also produced two minor US hits, "King of Suede", which peaked at number sixty-two, and "I Lost on Jeopardy", which peaked at number eighty-one. The album was Yankovic's first Gold record, and went on to be certified Platinum for sales of over one million copies in the United States. "Eat It" won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Performance Single or Album, Spoken or Musical in 1985.
"Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D sections
Intro Production Reception Track listing Credits and personnel Charts and certifications References
PREVIOUS: Intro NEXT: Production
Retrieved from "http://www.concepts.org/index.php?title=%22Weird_Al%22_Yankovic_in_3-D&oldid=684479403"
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Correspondence chess 1755 B1947
Last move : 1-0 2007 October 6 20:50:25
[Event "FICGS__CHESS__RAPID_A__000027"]
[Site "FICGS"]
[White "Singh,Arun"]
[Black "Law,John"]
1.e4 c6 2.Nf3 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.d4 Nf6 5.Be2 Bg4 6.O-O e6 7.Bg5 Nc6 8.Nbd2 Qc7 9.c3 Bd6 10.h3 1-0
This is the last move in a Chess game played by J. Law at FICGS.
The 6 games most recently played are :
Elo average opponents : 1941
Results : 0 % With white : 0 % With black : 0 %
John Law has currently 0 running correspondence chess game(s), won 0, lost 6 and drawn 0 other games against an average elo of 1941, does not play advanced chess (fast time controls), does not play big chess, does not play Go (wei-ch'i, baduk), and does not play poker, finally John finished a total of 6 games and is not playing any game right now.
Please register or login to see the complete list of tournaments played by John. Law.
Last connection : 2007 December 13
Hello, I'm 60 years old,been learning chess for 51 years.I haven't held an official rating for over 25 years but,still play tough.
Member # 2549 Birthdate : 1947 February 15
A few other games played recently by John Law
[White "Law,John"]
[Black "Whitman,Roger"]
1.c4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.e4 c5 4.d5 d6 5.Be2 Nf6 6.Nc3 O-O 7.Nf3 e6 8.O-O exd5 9.exd5 Re8 10.Re1 Bg4 11.Bg5 Nbd7 12.h3 Bxf3 0-1
[White "Godat,Terry"]
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e5 5.Nb5 a6 6.Nd6+ Bxd6 7.Qxd6 Qf6 8.Qd1 Nge7 9.Nc3 O-O 10.Be3 d6 11.Qd2 1-0
Last move : 0-1 2007 October 6 20:50:8
[Black "Hoppenstein,Michael"]
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 c5 4.Nf3 Bg4 5.dxc5 e6 6.Bb5+ Nc6 7.b4 Nge7 8.O-O a5 9.c4 axb4 10.Nbd2 Ng6 0-1
[Black "Riha,Josef"]
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Bf4 Bg7 4.e3 d6 5.Nc3 O-O 6.Be2 Nbd7 7.O-O c5 8.dxc5 Nxc5 9.Rb1 Bd7 10.Bg5 Rc8 11.Bh4 Re8 12.Nd4 Nfe4 13.Nxe4 Nxe4 14.f3 Nc5 15.Bf2 d5 16.Qd2 Qb6 17.Nb3 Ba4 0-1
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Brazil continue to make mark on World Grand Prix
USA coach Hugh McCutcheon gives out the orders as his side secure the win over Thailand on Saturday
Lausanne, Switzerland, August 21, 2010 – Defending champions Brazil put their stamp on the 2010 FIVB World Grand Prix with an emphatic win over Chinese Taipei as Italy, the Netherlands, USA, Poland and China all clinched victories on the second day of the third weekend of the competition on Saturday.
Brazil, Poland, USA, Japan and Italy all secured their place in the Final Round on Friday as all sides looked to maintain momentum ahead of the next stage in Ningbo, China next weekend.
The Dominican Republic and the Netherlands began proceedings in Tokyo as the European side scored a 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-20) win over the Caribbean team. Manon Flier was the top scorer for the Dutch with 17 points, while Lisvel Eve topped the scorers for the Dominican Republic with 11. Both sides started poorly, making many errors in their game. However the Dutch found their rhythm and eventually stole the set and went on to pick up the win.
“I'm very happy with the team's performance,†Avital Selinger, Dutch coach said. “I think the key for the win was the determination of the team to stick together after the disappointment of yesterday and to really show the real Volleyball we can play.â€
The USA scored a convincing 3-0 (25-16, 25-16, 25-16) win over Thailand in their match as they strive towards the Final Round. The American’s height was a clear advantage as they controlled the match from the off.
Poland clinched their second win of the weekend with a straight sets (25-20, 25-20, 25-14) victory over hosts Chinese Taipei at home. Despite an intense start Chinese Taipei couldn’t match the skill of the Europeans as they still strive to clinch their first win of this year’s tournament..
China secured their second win of the weekend with a straight sets (25-14, 25-19, 28-26) win over Germany in front of 10,000 fans in Hong Kong. The visitors never found their rhythm in the first set and although they put up a fight in the second and third they eventually went down to the hosts.
2009 FIVB World Grand Champions Cup winners Italy overcame Japan in four sets (25-23, 27-25, 21-25, 25-23) continuing their preparation for the final round. Despite Japan’s fight back in the third set Italy managed to control the game to clinch the victory.
“It was a very hard game today because we had to fight for every ball, but I think it was a very good game for us,†Italy captain Eleonora Lo Bianco, Italy captain said.
In the day’s final match Chinese Taipei fell to Brazil in straight sets (25-15, 25-17, 25-16) at home as the host side continue to search for their first win of the tournament. Despite passionate support from the home fans Brazil saw off the hosts as they continue a dominant display in the tournament.
Sunday will see the Dominican Republic v Italy, Germany v Thailand, Brazil v Poland, China v USA, Japan v the Netherlands and Chinese Taipei v Puerto Rico.
3/08/2010 World Grand Prix makes first Asia stop
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Posted by Political Quarterback 17pc on July 17, 2012
In 2008, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) made history when he chose then-Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his presidential running mate, making her the first woman on a national GOP ticket.
But, just four years and a great deal of media fallout later, experts question whether Palin poisoned the well for another female Republican vice presidential candidate in 2012.
Several high-profile female politicians have reportedly been in the running, including Sen. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (Wash.) and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
But as the vice presidential vetting process continues, experts agree the women trail behind male front-runners, including former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, Sens. Rob Portman (Ohio), John Thune (S.D.) and Marco Rubio (Fla.) and Rep. Paul Ryan (Wis.).
Ford O’Connell, chairman and co-founder of CivicForumPAC and a GOP strategist, concurs.
“Is there a chance of a female candidate? There’s always a possibility, but it doesn’t seem at this juncture to lean that way,” he told The Hill.
Up-and-comers like Ayotte, Haley and Martinez could appeal to Beltway insiders, O’Connell noted, but Romney’s vice presidential pick really comes down instead to providing potential voters with a level of comfort.
“In such a tight race, they don’t want to risk anything,” he said.
O’Connell noted that Palin’s status as a game-changing candidate ultimately had less to do with her sex and more to
do with her background and abilities, something Romney’s campaign will focus on moving forward.
“I think the whole Sarah Palin situation makes [longtime Romney adviser] Beth Myers and Team Romney think twice about anybody they pick,” he said. “And I think a lot of that goes to making sure you’ve dotted your I’s and crossed your T’s with respect to vetting and also with respect to candidate comfort.”
O’Connell noted that many of the potential female VP candidates are “relatively unknown to a lot of people” because they have either never held office (Rice) or, much like Palin, haven’t been in office very long (Ayotte, Martinez, Haley).
“I’m not saying that they couldn’t go with a game-changer at the last minute, but I think whoever they go with is going to be well-vetted and somebody they feel comfortable with given what happened last time around [with Palin],” O’Connell said. “That’s what makes them cautious, not the fact it’s a female.”
Read more from Debbie Siegelbaum at The Hill
Vice President Female VP Mitt Romney Sarah Palin The Hill Ford O'Connell in-print
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Armored car (military)
Title: Armored car (military)
Subject: Armoured fighting vehicle, Royal Thai Army, Latvian Land Forces, Lithuanian Land Force, Armoured Carrier Wheeled Indian Pattern
Collection: Armoured Cars, Armoured Fighting Vehicles by Type
Eland Mk7 light armoured car at the South African Armour Museum, Bloemfontein.
A military armored (or armoured) car is a wheeled light armored vehicle, lighter than other armored fighting vehicles, primarily being armored and/or armed for self-defense of the occupants. Other multi-axled wheeled military vehicles can be quite large, and actually be superior to some smaller tracked vehicles in terms of armor and armament.
Armed car 1.1
First armored cars 1.2
World War I 1.3
World War II 1.4
Military use 2
Armed car
F.R. Simms' Motor Scout, built in 1898 as an armed car.
The Motor Scout was designed and built by British inventor F.R. Simms in 1898. It was the first armed petrol engine-powered vehicle ever built. The vehicle was a De Dion-Bouton quadricycle with a mounted Maxim machine gun on the front bar. An iron shield in front of the car protected the driver.[1]
Another early armed car was invented by Royal Page Davidson at Northwestern Military and Naval Academy in 1898 with the Davidson-Duryea gun carriage and the later Davidson Automobile Battery armored car.
However, these were not 'armored cars' as the term is understood today, as they provided no real protection for their crews against any kind of opposing fire. They were also, by virtue of their small capacity engines, far less efficient than the cavalry and horse-drawn guns that they were intended to complement.
First armored cars
At the beginning of the 20th century, the first military armored vehicles were manufactured, by adding armor and weapons to existing vehicles.
F.R. Simms' 1902 Motor War Car, the first armored car to be built.
The first armoured car was the Simms' Motor War Car, designed by F.R. Simms and built by Vickers, Sons & Maxim of Barrow on a special Coventry-built Daimler chassis[2] with a German-built Daimler motor in 1899.[2] and a single prototype was ordered in April 1899[2] The prototype was finished in 1902,[2] too late to be used during the Boer War.
The vehicle had Vickers armour 6 mm thick and was powered by a four-cylinder 3.3-litre[2] 16-hp Cannstatt Daimler engine, giving it a maximum speed around 9 miles per hour (14.5 km/h). The armament, consisting of two Maxim guns, was carried in two turrets with 360° traverse.[3][4] It had a crew of four. Simms' Motor War Car was presented at the Crystal Palace, London, in April 1902.[5]
The earliest French armored car - the Charron-Girardot-Voigt 1902.
Another early armoured car of the period was the French Charron, Girardot et Voigt 1902, presented at the Salon de l'Automobile et du cycle in Brussels, on 8 March 1902.[6] The vehicle was equipped with a Hotchkiss machine gun, and with 7 mm armour for the gunner.[7][8]
The Italians used armored cars during the Italo-Turkish War.[9] A great variety of armored cars appeared on both sides during World War I and these were used in various ways.
Generally, the armored cars were used by more or less independent car commanders. However, sometimes they were used in larger units up to squadron size. The cars were primarily armed with light machine guns, but larger units usually employed a few cars with heavier guns. As air power became a factor, armored cars offered a mobile platform for antiaircraft guns.[10]
A Rolls-Royce Armoured Car 1920 pattern
The first effective use of an armored vehicle in combat was achieved by the Belgian Army in August–September 1914. They had placed Cockerill armour plating and a Hotchkiss machine gun on Minerva Armored Cars. Their successes in the early days of the war convinced the Belgian GHQ to create a Corps of Armoured Cars, who would be sent to fight on the Eastern front once the western front immobilized after the Battle of the Yser.[11][12][13]
The British Royal Naval Air Service dispatched aircraft to Dunkirk to defend the UK from Zeppelins. The officers' cars followed them and these began to be used to rescue downed reconnaissance pilots in the battle areas. They mounted machine guns on them[14] and as these excursions became increasingly dangerous, they improvised boiler plate armoring on the vehicles provided by a local shipbuilder. In London Murray Sueter ordered "fighting cars" based on Rolls-Royce, Talbot and Wolseley chassis. By the time Rolls-Royce Armoured Cars arrived in December 1914, the mobile period on the Western Front was already over.[15] As described below, they had a fascinating birth and long and interesting service.
More tactically important was the development of formed units of armoured cars, such as the Canadian Automobile Machine Gun Brigade, which was the first fully mechanized unit in the history of the British Army. The brigade was established on September 2, 1914 in Ottawa, as Automobile Machine Gun Brigade No. 1 by Brigadier-General Raymond Brutinel. The Brigade was originally equipped with 8 Armoured Autocars mounting 2 machine guns. By 1918 Brutinel's force consisted of two Motor Machine Gun Brigades (each of five gun batteries containing eight weapons apiece).[16] The brigade, and its armoured cars, provided yeoman service in many battles, notably at Amiens.[17]
The Rolls-Royce Armoured Car was famously proposed, developed, and utilised[18] by the 2nd Duke of Westminster. He took a squadron of these cars to France in time to make a noted contribution to the Second Battle of Ypres, and thereafter the cars with their master were sent to the Middle East to play a part in the British campaign in Palestine and elsewhere. These cars appear in the memoirs of numerous officers of the BEF during the earlier stages of the Great War - their ducal master often being described in an almost piratical style.
American troops in an M8 Greyhound passing the Arc de Triomphe after the liberation of Paris.
The British Royal Air Force (RAF) in the Middle East was equipped with Rolls-Royce Armoured Cars and Morris tenders. Some of these vehicles were among the last of a consignment of ex-Royal Navy armored cars that had been serving in the Middle East since 1915.[19] In September 1940 a section of the No. 2 Squadron RAF Regiment Company was detached to General Wavell’s ground forces during the first offensive against the Italians in Egypt. It is said that these armored cars became ‘the eyes and ears of Wavell’. During the actions in the October of that year the Company was employed on convoy escort tasks, airfield defense, fighting reconnaissance patrols and screening operations.
1941: A Fordson armoured car waits outside Baghdad while negotiations for an armistice take place between British officials and representatives of the Iraqi rebel government.
During the Anglo-Iraqi War, some of the units located in the British Mandate of Palestine[20] were sent to Iraq and drove Fordson armored cars.[21] "Fordson" armored cars were Rolls-Royce armored cars which received new chassis from a Fordson truck in Egypt.
Since the Treaty of Versailles did not mention armored cars, Germany began developing them early. By the start of the new war, the German army possessed some highly effective reconnaissance vehicles, such as the Schwerer Panzerspähwagen.
The Soviet BA-64 was influenced by a captured Leichter Panzerspähwagen before it was first tested in January 1942.
In the second half of the war, the American M8 Greyhound and the British Daimler Armoured Cars featured turrets with light guns (40 mm or less) mounted in turrets. As with other wartime armored cars, their reconnaissance roles emphasized greater speed and stealth than a tracked vehicle could provide, so their limited armor, armament and off-road capabilities were seen as acceptable compromises.
A preserved, World War 2, American M3 Scout Car
A military armored car is a type of armored fighting vehicle having wheels (from four to ten large, off-road wheels) instead of tracks, and usually light armor. Armored cars are typically less expensive and on roads have better speed and range than tracked military vehicles. They do however have less mobility as they have less off-road capabilities because of the higher ground pressure. They also have less obstacle climbing capabilities than tracked vehicles. Wheels are more vulnerable to enemy fire than tracks, they have a higher signature and in most cases less armor than comparable tracked vehicles. As a result, they are not intended for heavy fighting; their normal use is for reconnaissance, command, control, and communications, or for use against lightly armed insurgents or rioters. Only some are intended to enter close combat, often accompanying convoys to protect soft-skinned vehicles.
Light armored cars, such as the British Ferret are armed with just a machine gun. Heavier vehicles are armed with autocannon or a small tank gun. The heaviest armored cars, such as the German, World War II era SdKfz 234 or the modern, US M1128 Mobile Gun System, mount the same guns that arm medium tanks.
Vehicle built by railway shop workers for the Danish resistance movement, near the end of World War 2
Armored cars are popular for peacekeeping or internal security duties. Their appearance is less confrontational and threatening than tanks, and their size and maneuverability is said to be more compatible with tight urban spaces designed for wheeled vehicles. However they do have a larger turning radius compared to tracked vehicles which can turn on the spot and their tires are vulnerable and are less capable in climbing and crushing obstacles. However, when there is true combat they are easily outgunned and lightly armored. The threatening appearance of a tank is often enough to keep an opponent from attacking, whereas a less threatening vehicle such as an armored car is more likely to be attacked.
Many modern forces now have their dedicated armored car designs, to exploit the advantages noted above. Examples would be the M1117 Armored Security Vehicle of the USA or Alvis Saladin of the post-World War II era in the United Kingdom.
Alternatively, civilian vehicles may be modified into improvised armored cars in ad hoc fashion. Many militias and irregular forces adapt civilian vehicles into AFVs (armored fighting vehicles) and troop carriers, and in some regional conflicts these "technicals" are the only combat vehicles present. On occasion, even the soldiers of national militaries are forced to adapt their civilian-type vehicles for combat use, often using improvised armor and scrounged weapons.
A preserved, World War II, German SdKfz 234/4 heavy armored car (German Tank Museum, 2006)
Soviet BRDM-2
Armored bus
Armored car (VIP)
Armoring:
Aramid
Twaron
Vehicle armor
Gun truck
Tankette
Technical (vehicle)
^ Macksey, Kenneth (1980). The Guinness Book of Tank Facts and Feats. Guinness Superlatives Limited, ISBN 0-85112-204-3.
^ a b c d e
^ Armoured Fighting Vehicules of the World, Duncan, p.3
^ E. Bartholomew, p.4Early Armoured Cars
^ Gougaud, p.11-12
^ Crow, Encyclopedia of Armored Cars, pg. 102
^ Crow, Encyclopedia of Armored Cars, pg. 25
^ http://www.philatelicdatabase.com/postal-history/wwi-belgium-armoured-car-division-in-russia/
^ http://www.wio.ru/tank/for-rus.htm
^ http://www.greatwardifferent.com/Great_War/Russia/Russia_00.htm
^ Band of Brigands p 59
^ First World War - Willmott, H.P., Dorling Kindersley, 2003, Pg. 59
^ P. Griffith p 129 "Battle Tactics on the Western Front - The British Army's art of attack 1916–18 Yale university Press quoting the Official History 1918 vol.4, p42
^ Cameron Pulsifer (2007). ' 'The Armoured Autocar in Canadian Service' ', Service Publications
^ Lyman, Iraq 1941, pg. 40
^ Lyman, p. 57
Crow, Duncan, and Icks, Robert J., Encyclopedia of Armored Cars, Chatwell Books, Secaucus, NJ, 1976. ISBN 0-89009-058-0.
WWI armored cars
Modern armored vehicles
Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from July 2010
Armoured fighting vehicles by type
Egypt, Israel, Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia
World War II, Steel, United Kingdom, Armoured fighting vehicle, Design
Frederick Richard Simms
World War I, World War II, Authority control, Hamburg, Panhard
Armoured fighting vehicle
World War II, Tank, World War I, Artillery, History of the tank
Royal Thai Army
United States, Thailand, United Kingdom, Sweden, Empire of Japan
Latvian Land Forces
Germany, Sweden, United States, Soviet Union, United Kingdom
Lithuanian Land Force
Germany, Sweden, United States, Poland, Lithuania
Armoured Carrier Wheeled Indian Pattern
World War II, Canada, British India, Commonwealth of Nations, Tank
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Google Gaining Ground on U.S. Education Tech Market: First Kahoot! EdTrends Report
Insights based on the game-based learning platform’s reach of 50 million monthly active
users include trends and best practices for the education technology space
(Oslo, Norway) June 21, 2017 — Kahoot!, the game-based learning platform and one of the world’s fastest-growing learning brands, today launched its Kahoot! EdTrends Report, which addresses the latest education tech trends in the U.S. K-12 market. This new quarterly report will enable educators and administrators to stay better informed about trending educational technologies, methods, and best practices.
Key findings of the report include:
Google is getting a stronghold in U.S. classrooms, with Chrome OS growing quickly on computers, while Apple’s iOS dominates on mobile devices and tablets. Microsoft is holding its ground, maintaining share on computers in the classroom, especially among teachers.
Google Classroom/G Suite for Education is the most popular productivity suite in U.S. classrooms.
U.S. educators’ biggest incentive to adopt ed tech is to improve student productivity. Their top priorities are: to improve student learning and outcomes, to motivate students, and to encourage more engagement in class.
In the coming school year, U.S. schools will see increased use of digital platforms for teaching, learning, and assessment, as well as the rise of personalized learning.
Public school educators in the U.S. are grappling with budget restraints and lack of resources, while private school teachers’ biggest challenge is lack of training to understand and adopt new technology.
On a state level, California educators struggle with lack of training and “tech for the sake of tech,” and Texas teachers face the challenges of bureaucracy and budget constraints on adopting tech.
“We hope to better serve educators and the education market through the Kahoot! EdTrends Report, which will provide important data and insights to help educators better fulfill their educational needs,” said Erik Harrell, the CEO of Kahoot! “The report will extend our mission to make learning awesome and to unlock the deepest potential of every learner, regardless of location, age, or context.”
Other data in the report includes which hardware and software platforms educators and students are using, frequently searched subjects on the Kahoot! platform, as well as an interview with an educator and ed tech influencer about the trends he foresees in the coming school year.
Report data has been gathered from the Kahoot! platform used by 50 million monthly active users worldwide, 32 million of which are in the U.S. More than 2 million K-12 teachers in the U.S. have signed up for Kahoot!, and 25 million U.S. K-12 students (about 40% of all K-12 students in the U.S.) use Kahoot! on a monthly basis.
Report data also includes results from a survey of close to 600 U.S. educators.
Kahoot! is launching the report ahead of the ISTE 2017 conference in San Antonio, Texas, from June 25 to 28, 2017. At the event, the company will also be previewing its new mobile app with brand new features for both teachers and students. Visit Kahoot! at ISTE at booth 326 to learn more about the app and the Kahoot! EdTrends Report.
Since its launch in 2013, Kahoot! has turned game-based learning into a pop culture phenomenon. The game platform now hosts over 50 million monthly active users and a public library of over 20 million learning games, created and shared by fans in more than 180 countries. Kahoot! is on a mission to make learning awesome by unlocking the deepest potential of every learner—regardless of location, age or context. Kahoot! is a global company with offices in Oslo, London, and Austin. Let's play!
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Irish Name Game for the Sikorsky S-92® Helicopter
The Irish Coast Guard turned to the people of Ireland when it came to choosing names for the S-92® helicopters that recently joined the fleet. The agency held a naming contest and asked residents to come up with names fitting the helicopter’s mission, Search and Rescue. The winners have been selected and will be honored this week.
The winning names are in Irish Gaelic, recognized as the first official language of the Republic of Ireland. Declan Geoghegan, Manager of SAR Operations, provided a translation.
“Banríon na Spéire (Queen of the Sky)
“Cara na Mara” (Friend of the Sea)
“Slánaitheoir” (Saviour)
“ Lonrach Solas” (Shining Light)
The Coast Guard sponsored the naming contest to help bring attention to its “Safety on the Water” campaign. “ We had a number of deaths from drowning last summer, “ Geoghegan said. “This contest gave us the chance to remind people who and where to call in the event of an emergency on the water.”
The Irish Coast Guard has completed integration of five S-92s into its fleet. The helicopters are being leased as part of a package, which includes operations crews, from CHC Helicopter. The new aircraft replace the Coast Guard’s previous SAR helicopter, a Sikorsky S-61™, which had given 20 years of unbroken service.
The S-92 is the helicopter’s industry standard. It leads the way by being the most compliant with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and European airworthiness safety standards and meeting or exceeding oil and gas industry requirements. These helicopters perform search and rescue (SAR) missions, head of state missions, as well as a variety of transportation missions for offshore oil and gas crews, utility and airline passengers.
In 2013, the Irish Coast Guard responded to 2,627 incidents involving fishing craft, leisure vessels, and mountaineers. It also performed 253 aeromedical missions and 159 offshore medical evacuations.
The new helicopters allow the Coast Guard to expand its role in providing emergency lifts for Irish health services (HSE), including transporting patients for organ transplants to London.
The new S-92’s are based in Dublin, Waterford, Shannon and Sligo. Winners of the naming contest will visit the base closest to their home and take a short flight in the helicopter they helped name.
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Just About Write
It's not wrong -- it's just about write.
TV Reviews & Recaps
Book Reviews + Author Interviews
The Community Rewatch Podcast
Wanna Write For Us?
10 Shows and Movies That Have Brightened Up Quarantine Life
As we navigate a global pandemic, here are 10 shows and movies that might bring some much-needed joy into the mundane.
Getting Rid of the Stigma: Mental Illness in Young Adult Fiction by Megan Mann
In this piece, Megan brilliantly discusses the stigma of mental illness in literature and how some young adult novels are helping to change the landscape for this discussion.
Jenn's Pick: Top 15 Jeff/Annie Moments
In 2013, Jenn put together a list of the 15 best Jeff/Annie moments. Revisit and discover those memories!
1x07 "Introduction to Statistics" (Britta, Batman and Slimcalves... Oh My!)
9:22 AM community, s01.07 1 comment
"Introduction to Statistics"
Original Airdate: October 29, 2009
I've explained what I love about Community throughout the course of these blog-reviews. The praises range from things such as continuity and character development to humor and wit. One of my most frequented compliments, however, revolves around the show's ability to take an episode that is seemingly focused on one character and instead use it to highlight another character's development. "Introduction to Statistics" is for me, one of the more underrated Britta episodes in the first season, and perhaps the entire series. Explicitly, the episode doesn't seem to be about her, but in fact reveals a lot more about her character than other episodes. I explained last week exactly why Britta stands out for me as a character - "Football, Feminism and You" displayed Britta's weaknesses and vulnerabilities as a character. This episode, though, really solidified her compassion for Annie, which is something wonderful to see early on (considering how their relationship gets rockier post- season finale). It's endearing, and I choose to believe that Britta only truly detested Professor Slimcalves... I mean, Slater, after the statistics teacher acted pretentious. I do think her intentions were focused solely on Annie and making sure that she looked out for the younger woman's well-being throughout the episode. Let's remember that this was - for a shorter period of time - Britta's study group. In fact, you can make the argument that at this point in the season, it still is her group. She used to be in charge as the leader and feels the need to still "protect" the good people in the study group from Jeff. Britta truly is a compassionate and good person at her core. She often has decent intentions that unfortunately (but comedically) go awry, thus making her look either incompetent or rather like a buzzkill. She wants to be needed, as I explained before, and this is one of the things we often forget about her character. We assume that because she's a little rough around the edges that she doesn't care as much as stereotypically "softer" female characters (i.e. Shirley, Annie) do. And thus, this is an episode that is just as much of a Shirley/Britta story as it is a Jeff/Slimcalves one.
If you are potentially in need of a refresher, let's recap what this episode was about. It's Halloween at Greendale, where we learn that Annie has opted to do an extra credit assignment (throwing a Spanish-themed Halloween party), and is attempting to invite everyone. It appears that the vast majority have RSVP'd with the exception of Pierce (who can't figure out how to work his phone) and Jeff "too-cool-to-be-at-Greendale" Winger (who declines the invitation). And see, Jeff is a fun character to dissect in this episode too. Britta genuinely cares about Annie and wants Jeff to show up at the party for her sake. Of course, the former lawyer has yet to learn his fair share of lessons in the value of friendship, so he declines the invitation. And Jeff intrigues me in this episode because we see a bit of continuity between the previous episode and this one in the fact that he's become guilted into "feelings" more than he realizes. And it's this unconscious change in character - a lot of us call it "growth" - that the audience doesn't fully realize until we watch season 3 and compare that Jeff Winger to this one. One thing should be noted: characters don't usually fundamentally change who they are though. Jeff will always be a selfish character in some way, shape, or form. But his perception of himself and of the people around him shifts ever-so-slightly in this episode. We'll get there momentarily, but reflect on who Jeff truly cared about in the pilot (hint: the answer is "himself only") and compare that to the end of this episode.
We learn that Jeff finds his new Statistics teacher attractive and plans to ask her out (it's kind of courteous that he runs it by Britta first, to let her refuse - which she doesn't). All right - let me ask you all this: what makes a good villain? (And I'm not calling Slimcalves a villain... necessarily, but I'll let you make your own judgments regarding her.) I had a conversation at work the other day with my co-workers that involved Harry Potter. And we agreed that, while a lot of people detest Snape and cast him as the villain, we don't. Instead, we cringe whenever we read about Umbridge or see her on screen. And that's what made J.K. Rowling such a brilliant writer - when you have the ability to make an audience cringe or ball their fists or grit their teeth every time a character comes onto screen or the page of a book, you know you have really embodied the adage "show, don't tell." You've gone from merely writing a story to creating a character. This is all to say that I didn't like Slater when she appeared on my screen. To this day, I cannot stand her character. She falls only slightly behind the annoying teenagers in "The Art of Discourse." Why is this? Well, before I tackle that question, I must first wonder if the initial intention of the writers was to make the character unlikeable. If it were so - because later she obviously returns to combat Britta - perhaps it was to make Britta more likeable in the audience's eyes. It would have been a subtle way to encourage those who may not have liked the blonde over to the "good side." Because when your options are Slater or Britta only, most people are probably bound to choose Britta. Unless you love Slater for some reason (but I've met few - Jeff/Britta or Jeff/Annie shippers and non-shippers alike - who feel this way), in which case... well, you may want to skip this review.
So initially, Slater isn't entirely villainous - she's snappy and witty, actually. However, she has an air of haughtiness around her (and that's probably why I didn't care for her character initially, thus solidifying my dislike later on). This is really all lead-in to say that Jeff's attempts to ask out Professor Slimcalves fail when she informs him that she doesn't date students. And Britta looks completely bemused by the sight of Jeff literally chasing his professor out of the classroom. And - again - I genuinely think that at this point she didn't care who Jeff dated. Let's move onto Shirley, then. We get a very nice Shirley storyline in this episode, especially piggybacking from "Football, Feminism and You" where Shirley explains vulnerability to Britta. Here, we have an episode that utilizes Britta (who is completely unconcerned with the idea of Jeff and Slater) to achieve character development for Shirley (who, despite her explanation of being excited to be free of her wedding ring at the beginning of the episode, is really bitter and justifiably distraught over the direction her life has headed - which will come back around in "Comparative Religion"). And again, this is what I love most about the show - utilizing a story that is seemingly about one character to really highlight another.
Jeff, having just been rejected by Slater, turns around in the hallway and apparently Annie - in addition to appearing out of bushes - randomly appears out of thin air and attempts to convince Jeff to come to her party (successfully, actually). This may be one of my top Alison Brie moments because she is hilarious in it. (Also, sidenote: is anyone else rather curious as to how often Annie attempted to use tears in order to get something she wanted? Just a thought). I love also that Jeff appears initially taken aback at Annie's attempts at being "formidable." It's the exact opposite of her "blowing everything off" speech next season, but Jeff seems amused in both cases. Eventually, he cracks which is something pretty nice to see in Jeff - the fact that he gives into the group, begrudgingly at first. Of course, you could make the case that he ONLY did this because Slimcalves blew him off. Nevertheless, I claim progress.
The entire group shows up to Annie's party, and it becomes apparent that Jeff only appears at the party because Slater blew him off. In fact, this becomes even more apparent when Chang informs him that Slater is at the faculty party. Seizing an opportunity to hit on the professor, he ditches Annie's party. And what I find quite hilarious to note is that Jeff's fallback these first few episodes is to bribe people with money. You know, maybe THAT is why he can't afford rent in the next episode! I bet if I tallied up how much he paid off everyone since the pilot to do things for him, I'd have a nice (large) number. Once Britta realizes that Jeff ditched Annie and her party, she goes into "protect the group" mode (by lying to Annie and roping Shirley into helping confront Jeff too). This instinct to protect the study group is something that we will eventually come to associate with Jeff, but for now, it's Britta's turn to help. And at this point, Shirley is still using an form of potential insult in order to justify her own anger. And that's how I feel Shirley's character should behave, right? She would never be purposefully hateful to someone. But the moment she is able to justify an emotion (such as using Britta to take out her own anger on Slater), she does so. I think it might numb the guilt for her a bit.
Jeff shows up at the faculty party, insisting that he "hates everyone here [but Slater]," which is of course a lie that we will come to realize later in the episode. We know for now though that Jeff will say and do just about anything to get what he wants. And then the study group barges into the party and requests Jeff's help in dealing with Annie's insecurity and Pierce's weird trip. And this is where Britta and Slater meet one another, officially. See, up until the moment that Slater opened her mouth, I thought: "Wow, Slater and Britta teaming up to tease Jeff about his cowboy outfit would be hilarious." And I'm not sure if it was intentional for Slater to come across as mean as she did when talking to Britta. Re-watching I almost feel like she assumed Britta was on par with her intellectually because of her wit, but then perhaps realized she wasn't? I can't figure out if that's what was meant to happen. Regardless, Slater opens her mouth and then becomes pretentious. And then I disliked her even more.
And here's the thing about season 1 Jeff: he doesn't just do anything possible to avoid being convicted by the group, or helping them - he's downright mean about it. In the pilot, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, he calls Abed out on his disorder in front of everyone. In this episode, he yells at Pierce, Britta, and Abed. He's literally a jerk at this point when it comes to getting what he wants.
Everyone leaves the cafeteria and Britta finds Shirley in Slater's office. And I tweeted the lovely Yvette Nicole Brown about this last night, but this is one fantastic scene. If you haven't realized yet, I am a huge fan of Shirley/Britta scenes. And - correct me if I'm wrong (always feel free) - I think that this is the first sincere heart-to-heart (regarding personal life) that we get between the pair. It's touching and perfect, because Britta doesn't know what to really say, so she does the best she can. I think this particular moment perfectly embodies the heart of the show at such an early stage in the series and it was probably my favorite scene during the re-watch.
Slater finally agrees to Jeff's advances and as they walk to his car, the study group (and all other party-goers) are gathered outside of the library and beg for Jeff to help them with Pierce (who has blockaded himself within a fort of tables and chairs). What's fantastic about this episode is that Jeff returns to the party for the person he cares for the least in the study group. It wouldn't be a huge leap in character growth for him to return for Britta or Abed. But the fact that he comes back to help the one person he loathes in the group says a lot. Clearly, his statement to Slater earlier is null and void - he DOES care about people at the school. He doesn't fully realize it yet, or exactly what that means. Also, he turns Slater down in order to accomplish this. Remember the pilot? When he basically turned human beings on one another in order to get a shot at Britta? Yes - character growth.
The episode ends with Abed-as-Batman narrating, and I love that Jeff humors him and refers to Abed as "Batman" rather than his actual name. I also find it interesting that the dance is the moment the writers thought about how Annie was really excited to be dancing with Jeff, and that this kind of is the subtle kick-start to everything else. And I love that we end exactly how we do every Halloween episode - with the study group together.
Additional de-lovely aspects about the episode:
- "If you show up, you get extra credit. Me? I don't even get paid." I miss teacher!Chang
- The voice command gag with Pierce never gets old. Or less funny.
- "The last time you did this, I saved a vial of your tears and have slowly been building up an immunity."
- "I was so unpopular in high school, the crossing guard used to lure me into traffic!"
- "YOU DON'T HAVE TO KEEP DOING THAT."
- Who noticed the oddly-looks-like-Christmas-Wizard-Duncan guy?
- Gillian's delivery of her lines in the cafeteria were brilliant.
- My favorite outtakes include Donald's ad-libs in this episode.
- "Yeah, nice and pretentious." Go Britta. :)
- "Well, when we go to floating skeletons with our problems, we get what we pay for, don't we?"
- "I'm Batman." "You sound like Cookie Monster." Danny Pudi's Christian Bale impression is always, always golden.
Next week we're kicking off 2012 with the episode that I absolutely adore - "Debate 109"! We get more of Whitman, the Dean, hilarious Britta, and an awesome Jeff/Annie story. Until then, everyone - have a safe and happy New Year's Eve. :)
1x06 "Football, Feminism and You" ("It's in Your Blood!")
9:29 AM community, s01.06 3 comments
"Football, Feminism and You"
Every fan has a moment where they fall in love with the television show they're watching. It's usually so insignificant that if I were to ask most of you exactly when a television show became your favorite, the majority of you wouldn't be able to pinpoint an episode or a scene. Most of you. Some of you can recall, though, the moment a show went from being just a show to something special. And I begin with this because when I started to stream Community, I enjoyed the first several episodes of season 1. It was a great show, full of wit and humor and heart. But I was still warming up to it - testing out the waters, if I may use that trite phrase. But the moment that I absolutely knew this show was something special was during the conversation on the football field between Jeff and Troy in "Football, Feminism and You." It was literally the first moment in the entire series where I laughed out loud. I remember, quite vividly, because I had recalled that my friend Jaime mentioned how hilarious the show was. And there was no doubt that it was a funny show - while watching on my computer with my earbuds in, I had definitely chuckled and giggled a bit. But that scene, that moment, was the first time that I literally laughed out loud. And I have never looked back since then.
In addition to holding a special place in my television-watching heart for that, "Football, Feminism and You" is ranked in my top 3 episodes of the entire series (falling behind "Remedial Chaos Theory" [#1] and "Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design" [#2]). The reason that this episode is such a stand-out to me is because it is the first episode of the series where I felt cohesion among the characters and their respective storylines. Nothing in the episode felt overwhelming, even though there were technically five different plots occurring simultaneously (Jeff/Dean, Annie/Troy, Jeff/Annie/Troy, Britta/Shirley, Pierce/Dean). There is something so natural and organic about the way that the characters interact with one another. Additionally, the character growth and development of Jeff, Annie, Troy, and Britta add to my love of the episode. We learn a lot about each of their characters throughout their stories, and those revelations set in motion the development and themes we'll see come up later on in the series. For instance, we learn that Jeff and Annie are selfish characters, but each for different reasons (which I'll explore later on, don't worry). For now, mull over this: Jeff is selfish because he can control things and people, and Annie is selfish because she cannot. Like I said, I will come back to this, but just keep that idea fermenting in the back of your minds until then.
So let's briefly discuss the plot for this episode, in case you need a refresher. The Dean is developing a new mascot for Greendale - one that is as unoffensive and all-inclusive as possible - and Pierce volunteers to assist him with this. Meanwhile, the Dean has an ulterior motive in visiting the study group one afternoon - he wants Troy to play football for Greendale, which the young athlete is evidently against, given Greendale'e less-than-adequate athletics department. Annie too is against Troy playing football - she spends the first half of the episode studying for an Astronomy test, and is enjoying all of the attention that she never received from Troy back in high school. She insists that Troy losing his scholarship to play football was the best thing that ever happened to him.
I'll pause because I took some notes regarding the beginning of the episode, and will mention them now so that we don't have to jump around later on in the review. It's amusing to watch this episode (which is a pretty early episode - the sixth of the first season) and remember that Troy and Pierce were supposed to be the original "best friend" pairing. Pierce actually references this in "Pascal's Triangle Revisited," when he asks Troy: "What happened to us?" Like I mentioned last week, I really love that they played off the natural chemistry between Donald and Danny because at this point in the series, the focus is still Troy/Pierce. And I think that Troy/Pierce works a lot in the way that Jeff/Britta does, in that the relationship highlights each individual's maturity and similarities. Both pairs are alike in ways, and that is why I think they're drawn to one another - they're attracted (whether romantically or platonically) to a person who reminds them of themselves. (Additionally, I think that's why Pierce takes to Jeff so much and strives for his acceptance - Pierce does say in the pilot that Jeff reminds him of a younger version of himself). It is interesting then, to shift the balance - to put Troy/Abed and Jeff/Annie or Troy/Britta and Abed/Shirley together for stories. These are characters we typically think are at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of beliefs, morals, emotional maturity, etc. But what's great about this show (again) is that when you have stories with these characters together, you realize they're fundamentally similar. And that is what we get our first taste of in "Football, Feminism and You" - the similarities between Jeff and Annie. But again, more on that later!
Also, this is one of my favorite Britta stories, perhaps in the entire series. It really demonstrates her as a character - how she's hard but it's because she's usually isolated from other women. And I love that when she thinks she's screwed up, she really ends up helping Annie. The irony is that in the later seasons, usually when Britta thinks that she helps, she ends up screwing up. And she's just completely oblivious in both cases to what she's really doing versus what she THINKS she's doing. Also, I love the Britta/Shirley friendship throughout this episode, but I also like that it gives us a glimpse into the Britta/Annie side of the story. As much as I love Jeff/Annie, I feel like Jeff (or perhaps the drama that occurred because of him) messed up the entire second season for Britta and Annie in terms of their friendship. And it's not like the two were ever close to begin with (Annie always seemed to be closer to the boys, in my opinion, while Shirley and Britta usually stuck together - see "Competitive Ecology" for example), but they seemed to have a wedge of animosity between them later on. And I think that perhaps people assume that Britta is harsh and abrasive to Shirley in this episode on purpose, but that's simply not the case at all. She's the kind of woman who has never been asked to be a part of traditional feminine things. She's the kind of person whose filter is relatively low when it comes to things she's passionate about. And let's face it - Britta is passionate about feminism. She likes to rant for the sake of ranting. She carries one-sided debates with herself in the bathroom mirror. And honestly, Shirley's face when she turns on the hand dryer? Hilarious.
And I love that the real reason Britta joined Shirley was to feel included and needed. I think that she did kind of feel excluded once she learned that women went to the bathroom in groups - and especially when Shirley didn't ask her. Annie is more feminine than Britta, and Britta has been left out her entire adult life from "mainstream, feminine things." Now, she finally has the chance to bond with women, and she doesn't know how to properly respond. Her story about why she always went to the bathroom alone is endearing, adorable (and funny) and it only makes Britta more likable to me. Her biggest fear in the group is being the one to bring everyone down - she feels like no one needs her around. And it's sad because we sometimes forget that even the "hard" characters get their feelings hurt sometimes. They too, want to feel needed.
Back to our plot, now that you've gotten a diatribe regarding characterization - Jeff learns that the Dean has posters and flyers around the school with his image on them. Dean Pelton agrees to not send out the flyers to the public so long as Jeff does him a favor. Namely, he wants him to recruit Troy to join Greendale's football team so that the community college will not be seen as a laughingstock. Jeff agrees, and successfully manipulates Troy into believing that joining the football team is the best thing for him. This evidently upsets and angers Annie, who (unlike Jeff) knew what football did to Troy back in high school. It caused him to become self-absorbed and egotistical to the point of delusion, and she doesn't like that. And she will have a bone to pick later on with Jeff because of it. It's nice in this scene to see Annie not completely smitten over Troy - there are lines. When he shows up in the cafeteria, acting like a jerk, she doesn't dismiss his behavior. She's genuinely upset. And this is also the first time that Annie makes her formidable face. And it's not her pretend-to-be-formidable face (like in the next episode). It's the face we see re-emerge in "Intro to Political Science." In both cases, she is legitimately upset with Jeff, and this rarely happens.
It's then that we approach one of my favorite early Jeff/Annie scenes. Remember how I said earlier that Jeff and Annie are selfish for different reasons? Jeff is selfish because of the things he can control. He's self-centered because he has power - he controls the group, he manipulates people, and he used to get paid to do it. He has leverage and very rarely finds himself at a loss for control over anything (and when he does, i.e. "Contemporary American Poultry," "Biology 101," etc. he can't deal with it). And that's why he's selfish - because when YOU can control anything, who is the one person that needs to be looked out for the most? You. Jeff is right about Annie though. She is selfish. But here's the difference - Annie is selfish because she cannot control things, people, and circumstances. We never really learn the full extent of Annie's Adderall addiction, but I assume from what we do know (we've learned about her being chubby and having acne and being unpopular and taking Adderall to help her "focus"), she took the pills as a way to try and maintain control over her life. And that's what addictions are - a lack of control. When you feel powerless, you want to grasp onto something that gives you the illusion of power. Annie is selfish because she can't control Troy, but wants to (as she admits later). She can't make life turn out the way that she planned it would in the beginning. And that frustrates her and drives her to the point of doing the things that she does in this episode. So Jeff's speech, while harsh, is accurate. But Annie is also correct - she does care about people. She wants what's best for them, but she also wants it to be what she wants. She hopes that the two will coincide (which they often do not).
(Additionally, I love that Annie causes Jeff to feel guilty. It's awesome character development from the pilot, where he virtually has no remorse for turning the group on one another.)
Britta then is sent into the bathroom by Shirley in order to console Annie (who is crying over Jeff's harsh spiel). The result is hilarious because Britta initially attempts to help someone by acting like Shirley. But she can't be. She's not the sweetie-pie-Oh-that's-nice kind of woman. She's the take-no-crap kind, and THAT is what ends up helping Annie in the end. Britta just had to be herself the entire time.
At the end of the episode, Jeff attempts to dissuade Troy from joining the football team, but he's interrupted from his speech by Troy. It's nice that Troy teaches Jeff a lesson (and it's the beginning of a very long line of lessons he'll be taught in the future). I think that this episode is the one to make Jeff realize that he needs to move forward from where he is at, not where he used to be. Both Jeff and Annie learn to let go of control - a little bit - in this episode. And it's a nice step that they both took separately. Additionally, it's also nice to see Jeff apologize to Annie (he actually says that he's "really sorry," even though it's sort of a back-handed apology). Annie though, doesn't accept this half-apology, and I love that she waits until Jeff fully admits that he was in the wrong to forgive him.
We end the episode with the first appearance of the Human Being (the creepiest mascot ever), and a nice Jeff/Annie moment. I love that this is the a) first sincere "Milady"/"Milord" interaction that we get, b) it becomes a running theme between the two, and c) it is the beginning of their friendship/mutual respect for one another. Jeff didn't really interact with Annie much before this, so I love that this is the episode that kick-starts their friendship.
- "What does a star turn into when it collapses?" "A movie of the week." I like to think that Jeff walks into random rooms with zingers already prepared.
- "Did you learn nothing from stand-up comedy in the 90s?"
- This episode features Mary's favorite Greendale professor ("No one has a pen? Why would you not bring a pen to class? Idiots.") and Kerry's favorite ginger ("Is this your first pep rally?")!
- "I think if you said 'Jump,' he'd say 'How high?' If you said 'Stop,' he'd say 'Hammertime.'"
- "Are you blackmailing me?" "...I think so?"
- "You're a football player. It's in your blood." "That's racist." "Your soul?" "That's racist." "...your eyes?" "That's gay." "That's homophobic." "That's black." "That's racist."
- "I'd tell you to do the math, but math isn't important."
- There's a poster in the background of the scene in the cafeteria that says 'Pencils and Such!'
- "I think not being racist...is the new racism."
- "They deploy things in football, right? I went for rhyme over clarity."
- The tag is awesome. Also: I like that episodes such as "Intro to Political Science" are callbacks to old episodes (Troy says "Butt Soup" in the tag).
All right, folks: next week we're moving on to our first Halloween episode with Abed-as-Batman and Professor Slimcalves - "Introduction to Statistics." :) Thank you all for reading and spending the hiatus with me, and I hope that you all have a very merry Christmas!
1x01 "Pilot" (Back to the Place Where Our Story Begins)
"Pilot"
Original Airdate: September 17, 2009
A very wise singing nun once said that to start at the very beginning is a "very good place to start." (And now that I've gotten The Sound of Music stuck in your heads, let's continue!) Perhaps one of the most entertaining and beneficial things that you can do as a viewer in order to evaluate a television show's progress is examine the similarities and differences between the pilot episode of that show and the most current episode aired. What this does is allow you to focus on the character development and progression of the show in general. As to recap your middle school or high school English class, you may recall that there are really four categories of characters. There are dynamic characters (characters who change), static characters (characters who essentially do not grow or change), round characters (developed characters), and flat characters (these are usually represented caricatures - characters who are not developed). What a re-watch of the pilot episode will help determine is whether or not the characters were dynamic, static, round, or flat to begin with and whether or not they have developed since that first episode. In case you didn't know where this was going, a re-watch of the pilot episode of Community reveals a lot about the character of Jeff Winger, in particular. We can ask the question: what has Jeff learned about his circumstances since the beginning of the series? What has he learned about others? About himself? Jeff - apart from his Winger speech and typical snark - is sort of unrecognizable in the pilot (if we compare him to the Jeff Winger from season 3, for example). Maybe though, "unrecognizable" isn't the best term to describe him. Maybe it's more... "incomplete." There's something lacking in his character, and it's something even he doesn't recognize (and perhaps the viewers don't recognize either. At least, not initially).
In case you need a refresher, let's discuss the premise of the pilot episode. We meet the character of Jeff Winger, who has recently been disbarred as a lawyer by the state of Colorado because his college degree was "less than legitimate." His desire is to cheat his way through the first year (and likely the next four years), and sleep with the hot girl from Spanish class. We come to know her later on as Britta. Initially, Jeff is presented as a bit smarmy, but sort of endearing in his attempts to get close to Britta. He makes effort to go out to dinner with her. However, when it is proving to be more difficult to do so through unforeseen complications (the introduction of five other study group members), he soon dissolves into full-on mean-spirited smarm and sleaze. This is so weirdly not the Jeff Winger in season 3, and I love that. I mean, let's review quickly: the Jeff Winger in the pilot? He's the same character who defends Abed later that semester when he's being picked on by a bully. This is the same character who tackles Annie to the ground because he thinks she's in danger. This is the same character who cried when the puppet Horsebot 3000 died in the puppet show. Oh, and did I mention that this is the same character who - later in the first season - will give up his chance of getting with Slater in order to help out a friend who he really doesn't even like that much? This is what character growth and development looks like. Jeff didn't immediately change and become a perfect person. Doing these nice things didn't negate all of the smarmy things in the pilot and throughout the seasons. But this is what should happen with characters - they need to grow organically, not drastically. (Take notes, folks. Yeah, Ryan Murphy, I'm talking to you about Quinn).
We're introduced to Abed early on in the episode, and I will pause to say that Danny Pudi perfected this neurotic, quick-paced demeanor of Abed's character in the pilot episode. Abed changes pretty dramatically in terms of how much the character becomes toned down later in the seasons. And we don't usually think of Abed as "toned down," but just watching the pilot made me realize how... normal he has become over the course of three years. I have to praise Danny because he does very well with those adjustments and making them in the necessary areas. He makes Abed more human, and it's both endearing and wonderful.
Since we're discussing character growth and development, I'll continue tracking the progression of our characters. We'll return to Jeff, because I have a short essay in regards to him:
Jeff: Jeff starts out as a self-centered, egotistical smarmy jerk. And, honestly, what else is he supposed to be? He's a recently disbarred lawyer who used to lie his way through everything. And that's worked - until now. Now he's forced into a place where all of his "real world" tactics and strategies won't help him, as Duncan advises. In fact, the very aspects of his character that people used to fawn over him and pay him for, people used to resent him for. And really, Jeff's only ambition is to look after himself. We really don't see him progress completely through this (because he's human after all) by the time we hit season 3, but one thing that we do see is dynamic growth throughout the seasons. We've seen Jeff go from a selfish jerk who has no desire to spare feelings in the pilot (calling out Abed on his disorder in front of everyone) to someone who - merely two years later - spares Britta's feelings by not telling her what "to Britta" something actually means. Jeff has a lot of issues and is one of the more complex characters. This makes sense because he is obviously the "leader" of the group, and thus the one that we tend to focus on more. He's insecure, and it's obvious at the beginning of the series that (even if they don't realize it yet) the study group needs him. They flock to him with this weird sort of dependence. I believe it's just the next episode where instead of asking Jeff to arrive on time, they all sweet talk him (Annie gives him hole-punched notes for his binder). And I'm not exactly sure where to pinpoint the moment that the group stopped needing him as much as he needed them. Honestly, I think that it's during "Early 21st Century Romanticism" though - the moment that Jeff expects the group to call him with their problems and beg him to fix them is the moment that he realized HE has been fixed by THEM. And that's when he tells them that he loves them. It's not a pivotal moment, but it's impactful because we then spend the rest of the time in our series following his dependence on them. It's amazing to me, how much I absolutely love Jeff now. Yet when I watch the pilot (as funny as I found him), it's weird to see Jeff Winger as a shadow of what he became. It's awesome.
Britta's a bit more interesting to develop. She starts off the series as someone who deflects Jeff's advances, but I'd say that she's pretty much an open book. She tells Jeff snippets of her life, and is upfront with her expectations of him and of herself. Yet in "Pascal's Triangle Revisited," she literally has developed into this guarded person. I mean, don't get me wrong - I still absolutely love Britta as a character. But the Britta in the pilot episode seemed to know where she stood on issues. She had a moral compass of right and wrong, and she was really out to protect everyone in the group - she was their watchful eye. She's really quite soft in the pilot. Everything about her is, from her wardrobe and hair to the way she inflects sentences. It's so intriguing because now I don't describe Britta as "soft" in the least bit. Britta is someone who has completely backwards views on life, but accepts herself because she knows she's flawed. And we accept her for that reason too (and love her for it). And I think she really has grown to pride herself on being imperfect - in making mistakes and being rebellious. Pilot!Britta seemed to want to protect an image - an air of having it all together, if only for the sake of protecting the good people of the study group from the Jeff Wingers of the world. I just love her so much.
Soon, we meet the five other people who will change Jeff's life. Even though Jeff set up a fake study group to meet and get close to Britta, she takes the opportunity to invite Abed, who then takes the opportunity to invite others from their Spanish class. First of all, re-watching the pilot, it's amazing how young they made everyone look (especially Alison Brie). It's also nice that we briefly were able to learn about these characters: Annie is initially skeptical of Jeff, Troy immediately wants others to do the work for him, Shirley is concerned about her kids and Pierce is... well, Pierce. It intrigues me that the original idea for the friendship pairing was supposed to be Pierce and Troy. And I only say that because Troy makes a snide comment to Abed in this episode (and really there's not a whole lot of love there in the first few episodes - a lot of frustration). But now, look at Troy and Abed - they are arguably the greatest bromance since Turk and J.D.! It's definitely neat to see how even as a writer, you have to be willing to concede your initial ideas in favor of actor chemistry. Donald and Danny had awesome chemistry together, and the writers bounced off of that (sort of like what happened post-"Debate 109" with Jeff and Annie). It's hard as a writer to part with your ideas - you want them to work because they're YOURS, but I applaud the Community writers for doing what worked, rather than what they may have wanted.
Since we're on the brief subject of my favorite character, let's take a run-down of her, Shirley, Troy and Pierce's development, shall we?
Initially, we're introduced to Annie as this adorable, naive, and more-than-slightly neurotic girl. She's the kind of person who craves attention from others, and who is meticulous and detailed in everything that she does. And even from the first episode of the season, she desires to be treated like an adult. Her desire to be treated as a woman and not a little girl makes frequent reappearances throughout the series. It's difficult for Annie because she IS the youngest in the group, and people forget that they can't treat her like a child. And to be honest, Annie only occasionally acts "girlish," if you will. Yes, she giggles about crushes (but I do too, and I'm almost 23). And yes, she has had outbursts. But honestly, she's one of the most grown-up characters in the show. She's the character that a lot of the others turn to for advice. She apologizes. She owns when she's wrong. Instead of going to Shirley for advice, Jeff unconsciously finds himself gravitating toward Annie in "Basic Genealogy." And the reason it's so hard for Annie is because she is literally trapped in the in-between. She doesn't want to lose what it means to be a child (nor do any of us, really), but she doesn't want to be seen as such. She wants people to ultimately look at her for who she is, not how old she is (and that's very similar to Shirley's character too).
Shirley, we know, had thinly veiled rage issues (as noted in the pilot and also "Debate 109"). And she does seem distraught and upset over the life choices that brought her to Greendale. It's not something that she is proud of, but it's something that she has at least accepted (unlike Jeff, who hasn't quite gotten there yet). This episode also is where Shirley gets her first "That's nice!" line. And I'd like to think that over the seasons, Shirley has become more accepting and less judgmental. I mean, sure...she has her moments, as every character does. But she's beginning to see past characters' beliefs and personal quirks and into their hearts. And that's what's lovely about her character - she's so quick to agree and (for the most part) forgive.
Troy is a lot like Jeff in the way that he's pretty egotisical in this episode. He's just like any other college freshman though - students come out of high school thinking they're all that and a bag of chips. And Troy's desire is really for others to see him in a certain way. As Jeff said, he's doing everything to please others - it's all for them. And that is exactly why people come out of high school wearing their "Class of [fill in the blank]" t-shirts to college. It's a different type of insecurity - a less overt one, if you will. But it's insecurity, no less. In the rest of the seasons, we've seen Troy accept who he is and not really care what others think about him (save for "Epidemiology" - but even then, he finally accepts who he is at the end of the episode). This is the guy who would rather spend time watching TV with his best friend than decide on a career path. He's the guy who saved Britta by dancing on stage at a recital. He's the guy who made a giant blanket fort. He's the guy who has accepted himself for who he is. Yes, he still struggles with the details (how much of a leader should he be, for instance?), but he's probably the one character who really knows himself. And that's awesome.
Pierce's desire has always been to be respected and admired. So it stands to reason, then, that the pilot is no different. And it's not. He (much like Troy) brags about who he is and what he's done for himself. And really, Pierce's desire to be accepted runs through every season we encounter. He always feels like an outsider in the group. And the reason? He drives the group away and then pities himself for it. He's not a villain - he's simply (like the rest of the group... see a running theme?) insecure. If he's not a part of a group of people, then who is he? Can he truly fall back on his former success? Will anyone care?
Jeff's first Winger speech really encapsulates the theme of a lot of his speeches. Namely, they usually have little to no significant substance to them. What's amazing about Jeff as a character though (it's really fascinating) is his ability to read and dissect people in the blink of an eye. It's what makes him admittedly both a good and bad leader of the study group. He can pinpoint a person's weakness and then use that to his advantage (like the words of praise each member of the study group wanted to hear - from listening to that conversation earlier, he recognized their insecurities). Amazing. You know what's interesting? Two things really: 1) he doesn't mention Britta in his "what makes you awesome" speech, and 2) instead of pinpointing a weakness or insecurity of Abed's, he highlights legitimately the benefit of Abed as a person (or well, maybe the benefit of his disorder - so yes, Jeff is still self-centered, in case you were wondering).
Britta though, calls Jeff out in front of the group and kicks him out for being a lying creep. Jeff (with a packet full of "answers" Duncan gave him) leaves the library, only to find that Greendale has started trying to teach him lessons. "What you have, my friend," Duncan tells him, "is a second chance at an honest life." And yet, at the end of the episode - despite all of the bad stuff he had done to the group - we realize that he isn't a terrible person after all. He's just... misguided, we should say. And the group then agrees to help him study for their test the next day. And here's the most pivotal moment in the entire series (it's the hinge that everything will swing on): the moment that Britta says "it's your study group" is the moment where a) she relinquishes control, because up until then, the group had turned to her to lead them and b) Jeff's life officially changes for the better.
Additional de-lovely aspects about this episode:
- "Abed, nice to know you and then meet you...in that order."
- Was the Dean originally supposed to be married? He wears a wedding ring and this intrigues me a lot more than it probably should. But I have to know!
- Okay... seriously, what was going on with the blazer/track pants combination on Jeff?
- "Abed, I see your value now." "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."
- "I'm a student." "...well that cannot be an inspiring journey."
- "Interesting. It's just the average person has a much harder time saying 'booyah' to moral relativism."
- "Pierce! Let's discuss this creepiness."
- "You know, bluffs this weak are how your people lost the colonies."
- "You have become something unstoppable. I now pronounce you... a community."
- "Woah, you just wrinkled my brain, man."
- "The funny thing about being smart is that you can get through most of life without ever having to do any work." PREACH.
- "Can you guys hear me? Am I deaf?"
Thank you to all of you who participated in my live-tweet re-watch of the pilot last night! I seriously had a blast, and can't wait to continue these throughout the hiatus. Next week, we'll be watching my favorite episode of the first season - "Football, Feminsim, and You." This is literally the episode where I officially fell in love with the show. Milady/Milord does Thursday Night Re-Watches as well (we're doing "Comparative Religion" next Thursday). So join us there between 8 and 8:30. Then around 9:15, hop onto Twitter (@notajenny) and bust out those season 1 DVDs to join me in our 1x06 re-watch!
Thanks, as always, for reading. :)
3x10 "Regional Holiday Music" (Better Than Some Journey Medley)
11:13 AM community, s03.10 6 comments
"Regional Holiday Music"
Original Airdate: December 8, 2011
This may surprise you (and it may appall you), but there was a time in the not-so-distant past where I was obsessed with Glee. In fact, I once wrote an entire essay-length blog post about how Community drastically shifted that viewpoint. Regardless, I do still watch Glee semi-faithfully each Tuesday night. Instead of watching it with rapt attention and sincere awe, Glee is my Gossip Girl - a show that is full of so many plot holes and gaping inconsistencies, and whose content is not meant to inspire deep thought, but is pure and unadulterated entertainment only. I accept the show for what it is, and understand that (because of that) I shouldn't expect too much. The same doesn't hold true for Community, in case you were wondering. Dan Harmon's show is held to a higher standard than Glee - so high that they actually exist within different dimensions - because it has consistently proven to be a smart, witty comedy, where the musical dramedy about McKinley high has proven to be fluff, on its best days. Here's the thing about parodies (and gentle jabs at pop culture): in order to do a parody right, you have to capture what the show, person, event, etc.'s most unbelievable and laughable qualities are. You have to highlight these, and assume that your audience notices these qualities too, otherwise the parody falls flat. Why a sketch like The Miley Cyrus Show makes me laugh so much on SNL is because Vanessa Bayer does a fantastic job in exaggerating the already laughable qualities that make Miley Cyrus who she is. And I like watching her poke fun at Miley, because I can sit there and point to the television and say: "Yes! That is so true!" And this is why last night's episode of Community hit such a high note (pardon the pun) with me as it jabbed Glee. I'll pick out my favorite jabs throughout the review, so no worries there. But let's first discuss the plot of the episode.
"Regional Holiday Music" is the most bittersweet episode of the season, and perhaps the series in general. Obviously under normal circumstances, we would be lamenting the lack of Community on our televisions, but would know that - come January - the study group would faithfully return to Greendale. Since this is unfortunately not the case this year, it was a dark episode for a lot of us. And speaking of dark references, this is what Abed enters the cafeteria at the beginning of our episode confirming. The film student has bought a copy of the holiday episode of Inspector Spacetime (I love that they have holiday episodes! I'm more than a lot excited for the new Doctor Who Christmas special), and wants to watch the movie over Christmas break. Sadly though, the study group already has plans solidified, which leads Abed to disappointment. Jeff, however, informs him: "I think what we've learned, Abed, is that attempts to make the holidays brighter lead to a certain darkness." And I can't exactly argue with Jeff there - their first two Christmases proved to be a little dark in their own rights - but the most important thing that Jeff failed to mention was that in spite of the darkness, the group always finds its way back to each other in the end. At the end of both "Comparative Religion" and "Abed's Uncontrollable Christmas" (and at the end of this episode too), the study group realizes that they need each other to get through the dark times. The darkness then, isn't this bleak sort of darkness that you would assume it to be - it's the kind of darkness where life gets rough, and you feel like giving up, but then you see six faces looking back at you and realize you can't.
At any rate, Abed's discussion about their dark times this season is interrupted with the entrance of the (five) glee club members into the cafeteria. And if Greendale's glee club is the representative face of college glee clubs around the television nation, New Directions should just call it quits now. There is one common straw between Glee and Community - everyone hates the glee club. (However, unlike Glee, Greendale doesn't magically acquire ten new members when they need to compete at Sectionals. Just saying.) And no one hates the glee club more than Jeff, remember? As the five members start to perform a terrible mash-up, the study group recalls when they filled in for the absentee club last year (because that club got hit by a bus and died), and wonder if they were truly as awful as the current glee club is. Jeff - in his crafty jack rabbit-y ways - has filed an anonymous tip that the glee club is using copyrighted materials to perform. Just as the study group celebrates, the glee club dissolves into an uncontrollable meltdown. And, rightfully so, the study group sneaks out of the cafeteria.
Dean Pelton and Mr. Cory Radison (played by the extremely talented Taran Killam) confront the study group and attempt to convince them to replace the club once again for the holiday pageant that week. The group rightfully declines the offer, and throughout the scene, the Glee-seque acapella background music plays. (Here's the original music, and you can compare for parody's sake):
Additionally, Taran Killam does a fantastic job throughout the episode as "Mr. Rad" (an obvious parody of the sweater vest-wearing, insanely optomistic and clean-cut "Mr. Schue"), and I sincerely hope that he returns in the future. After the study group agrees not to let Mr. Rad convert them to the dark side by joining the glee club, Abed finds himself drawn to the cafeteria by the sound of a piano playing. Mr. Rad is, of course, at the instrument and manages to convince Abed to get the study group involved with the Christmas pageant. Now, typically, Abed is the last person you'd expect to be sucked into Mr. Rad's schemes - we've spent the past few seasons, after all, attempting to be convinced that Abed is either a) a robot, or b) insane. Even though both of these are refuted, we usually believe that Abed is devoid of any emotion whatsoever because he never seems to have any emotional attachment to individuals. But as we learned in last year's Christmas episode, this time of year is difficult for him, and he is thus vulnerable. In a way, his drive throughout this episode mirrors Annie's in "English as a Second Language." Both of their drives are to keep the study group together because they are afraid they'll fall apart otherwise.
We then proceed to a musical duet between Mr. Rad and Abed, which continues to highlight the eccentricities of Glee (how DOES the piano keep playing the song? Why is everything cooler when cameras are spinning?), and ends with Abed telling the choir director that he will recruit his friends for the pageant. Excelsior! In his apartment, Abed manages to convince Troy to join forces with him, and the two perform an awesome rap (I wondered if they'd ever have Donald actually rap on the show). One interesting and fun element to note is when Abed raps the line "If years were seasons," this awesome clock appears:
(Notice the clock spans significant episodes in the seasons? Brilliant show is brilliant)
The rap ends with Annie entering the room and realizing exactly what has happened. Rightfully so, the young woman backs out of the blanket fort in fear. This leaves us with Pierce, Annie, Britta, and Jeff as un-converted. However, this will soon change. As the study group enters their room, we are met with the second-greatest jab at Glee this episode. The study table has been removed, and choir risers have been put in its place. Elsewhere, across the room, OUR BEARDED ACCOMPANIST BRAD (it's not really Brad, the accompanist character in Glee) is at the piano. Hilariously, Pierce asks: "Can everyone else see him?" (Because Brad is typically joked at as being invisible and unimportant by Glee characters). Troy and Abed can't understand why the group is so against joining glee club. "Glee literally means...glee," Troy explains (which is also a nice callback to the musical show - if you remember before season 1, FOX aired a few different "What is Glee?" commercials to promote the show).
Troy and Abed interestingly target Pierce to join the group next. And it's intriguing how each member of the study group is lured, and who they are lured by. Let's take a rundown quickly:
Abed is lured by Mr. Rad, who appeals to his desire to unite his friends for fun during a dark semester
Troy is lured by Abed, who appeals to Troy's desire to do everything with his best friend
Pierce is lured by both Troy and Abed, who appeal to his vanity (and also I think to a desire to have fun with them - we've seen how Pierce is jealous this season of their friendship)
Annie is lured by Mr. Rad, Troy, and Abed, and she's practically cornered
Jeff is lured by Annie, who appeals to his weakness for her
Shirley is lured by singing children, who appeal to her desire as a Christian to maintain the sanctity and truth of the season
Britta is lured by Jeff who... well, we don't really know how Jeff lured her. Potentially by assuring her that if he can be in glee club, so can she.
At any rate, once Pierce is lured, the next one to become converted is Annie. And the young woman uses her powers of seduction (or...well, we'll get to that) in order to lure Jeff into the club. She emerges in a little sexy outfit and Jeff's reaction is hilarious because his jaw pretty much drops and he sputters: "Whaaaaa?" Alison Brie then does a fantastic job at channeling Lea Michele-as-Rachel Berry (the inflections in her voice, and her gestures were spot-on), before she delves into what her idea of "sexy" is - a Betty Boop-esque number. It's hilarious because Annie's idea of seduction is to look and sound as young as possible (even though clearly Jeff thinks she's sexy because she's "an intelligent woman"), which then spirals completely into exaggeration (also a nice shout-out to the suspension of disbelief that Glee numbers often have). At the end of the performance, Annie hasn't actually managed to convince Jeff to join the glee club. So it begs the question: if that didn't convince him, what did?
Everything about Shirley's luring is perfect. And when I say everything, I literally mean it. After Shirley is lured, that leaves Britta as the last man standing, so to speak. She still believes Jeff is glee-free, so she confronts him (and obviously he manages to convince her to join). Now, the only issue that I had with this episode was mentioned by @misssara11: Regionals never come before Sectionals in Glee. That is the one and only minute tidbit that I had issue with. We learn that Mr. Rad isn't satisfied with merely keeping the study group for the pageant - his intention is to keep them in glee club... forever. And it's then that Abed realizes he is definitely the sane one in this situation.
In order to save his friends and Christmas (again), Abed convinces Britta (who we all know cannot sing, and who he knows full well) to take over his role in the pageant and sing whatever is in her heart. And I love that this year everyone has been sparing Britta's feelings, but at the same time acknowledging that she's the worst. Jeff didn't tell her in "Horror Fiction and Seven Spooky Steps" what "to Britta" something actually meant, just like Abed didn't tell her that he really wanted her to perform because she'd ruin the pageant. It's funny because in a weird way it's like...family. No one is allowed to pick on your sibling but YOU. And no one is allowed to call Britta "the worst" except for the study group.
Since Britta cannot sing, she manages to ruin the pageant and cause Mr. Rad to become enraged. This leads to a startling confession - he is responsible for murdering the first glee club! Gasp! In a hilarious attempt to evade everyone, he points into the distance and exlaims: "Look! Kings of Leon!" which is literally the best Glee jab in the history of Glee jabs. (And if you didn't catch the reference, here's the story behind it). So put that in your juice box, and suck it, Ryan Murphy.
Abed, disappointed with how the episode ended dark even though all of his intentions were for it to end otherwise, genuinely shows emotion at the end of the episode. This is terrific nuanced acting from Danny Pudi because normally, as Abed, he has to be very precise and meticulous in his facial expressions. But he softened his expressions a lot for that scene, and it made the audience (and the study group) realize that Abed is, indeed, human. But as Abed returns home to settle in - by himself - and watch the holiday episode of Inspector Spacetime we hear the soft singing of "The First Noel." It is heartwarming and precious that we end this Christmas episode with everyone together. It's also nice to mirror how sincere they are when singing "The First Noel" to Abed (as opposed to when they are performing at the pageant). Sometimes I feel like the study group realizes that they have one another to lean on, but never really comes to terms with what that means. They often get so caught up in their individual pairings or their small groups, or tangled in their intra-group issues that they forget to enjoy one another... to cherish one another. And the ending to this episode is perfect because it reminds them of this.
(Additionally, I cried. I can't help it.)
The episode ends with a little choir of children singing: "We'll see you all after Regionals." Which are when? Vaguely sometime in March or April? (And while the children's choir was sweet, it was also creepy because the last time I remember an episode ending with children singing was "Closing Time" in Doctor Who - and that clearly didn't end too well. I'm happy this one did!) And there's this nice parallel of the study group sitting in front of the television, much like we saw their reflections IN the television at the end of last year's Christmas episode. They're together, all together, and that's what makes it perfect.
- The end tag is FANTASTIC.
- "They're THIS CLOSE, Pierce."
- Taran Killam needs to return to the show. I'll bribe him. With everything.
- "That guy's like human fro-yo."
- "It's all a weird, happy, musical fog."
- "He is equal parts Hanson and Manson."
- "Glee is the answer when questions are wrong!"
- Joel (I knew from watching recent episodes of The Soup) shaved and got a haircut. Baby-face McHale is different. But applause, wardrobe department, for locating a green ensemble for him. Green is great.
- "Good point. Sing about it?" "NO!"
- "There's also Britta." "Britta's adooooooorable."
- "I realize the stakes aren't actually that high, but somehow that makes it extra scary."
- Although Jeff doesn't seem convinced at the end of Annie's performance, he does subtly check her out still. Just something to note.
- Apparently the study group already knew about Jeff seeing a shrink. I wonder how that happened.
All right, readers, now it's your turn. See that comments section below? Follow my Twitter? Then you get to dictate what episodes we watch over hiatus! (Or in the very least, dictate which ones you'd like me to write about). Every week, I'll select a few episodes, and you can choose which one you'd like to read about for the following week. For next week, your choices are as follows:
1x01 - "Pilot"
1x04 - "Social Psychology"
1x06 - "Football, Feminsim, and You"
Drop me a tweet, a DM, or a comment and let me know which one you'd like to read first! (Chances are I will end up doing them all at some point). Thank you ALL for being amazing readers, and even more amazing Community fans! We'll get through this hiatus together. :) Until next week, then!
3x09 "Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism" (Partners in Crime)
"Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism"
One of my favorite episodes of Doctor Who is the first episode of the fourth series titled "Partners in Crime." Though Rose Tyler is my favorite companion of the new era of the show, Donna is a close second. For those who don't watch the show, basically the premise of the episode is that the Tenth Doctor is reunited with Donna after they have a series of hilarious near-run-ins throughout the first half of the episode. What I love so much about the Tenth Doctor/Donna dynamic is that they don't have a whole lot in common, and yet they really understand each other. Donna can never really understand the pain that the Doctor feels - she's a human, after all, and he is a Time Lord - but she still empathizes. She represents simultaneously the best and worst of humanity. And whenever the two are together, you can really feel the genuine partnership between them and how deep that friendship and platonic love runs.
The reason I mention this now is because last night's Community seemed to parallel partnerships within the show that don't get a whole lot of screentime - Jeff/Shirley and Troy/Annie/Abed. But the best thing about these pairings is that they truly understand one another. If I had to choose a theme for this episode, it'd be forgiveness and acceptance, and loving in spite of imperfections. I'll get to that momentarily though. Let's talk about the plots for the episode first, shall we?
We open with our study group hanging out in the student lounge - a place that is not their typical hang-out spot, but I actually like seeing them outside of the study room for a change, personally. We learn that this episode Britta will be off-screen, volunteering at an animal hospital where her cat, David, got his surgery. This leads to a discussion between Jeff and Britta regarding her cat, and also her new (can I assume it's new? What happened to her blue and white one?) terribly ghetto cell phone (that sparks and catches on fire). Meanwhile, in the background of the scene, three Europeans are loudly playing foosball, which has begun to irritate Jeff. And let me pause here. I loved this episode immensely. Honestly in my mind, there has yet to be an episode of Community this season that I dislike (or even one that I only sort-of like). So I loved this episode worlds more than I loved "The Art of Discourse." In fact, that episode is the only one in the entire series that I cannot stand (my apologies to Dan Harmon and company). The teenagers in the episode are insanely grating (which I suppose was the point), but Jeff and Britta aren't exactly likeable in the episode either. It's funny when Jeff gets competitive, because he's the type of person (as Abed says in "Debate 109") where things bother him more than he lets on. And this episode is another example of that happening.
The raucous cheers and jeers of the Europeans starts to annoy Jeff, so he leaves the group and approaches the foosball table. Initially, Jeff attempts to Winger his way out of playing foosball with the Europeans, before he obviously gives in (and loses swiftly). Let's remember - Jeff's pride is of utmost importance to him. In our other storyline for the evening, Troy and Abed acquire a special expensive "Dark Knight" DVD (with exclusive bonus features. Oh, and it's signed by Christian Bale). Needless to say, Abed is extremely protective of the DVD, and warns Annie not to try and do anything absurd (like clean it). If Pierce or Britta are your favorite characters in the show, say goodbye to them - they'll be back for the last scene this episode, but that's it.
As it turns out, Annie just can't let the whole "not cleaning" thing go in the apartment. So Ms. Edison, being not the brightest bulb in the shed (see what I did there?), steps on Abed's "Dark Night" DVD accidentally and breaks it into little pieces. Oops. This episode solidified for me that we need more Troy/Annie/Abed stories, as well as more Jeff/Shirley stories. I think what's great about this cast is that they can work together in any combination, and the stories are essentially flawless, as is the chemistry. What's difficult though about having a cast of seven fantastic actors is that there will always be pairings that tend to get more stories and screentime than others (still hoping for another decent Pierce/Shirley story or a Troy/Shirley one). Jeff, being the lead of the show, usually gets the most screentime of course, but I really do enjoy seeing the other characters interact. Each character brings out different qualities in the others and... well, we'll get to that.
Troy walks into the room just as Annie has broken the DVD, and after an initial freak-out, suggests honesty, which is a nice example of how much he's grown (you know, having lied to Pierce in "Mixology Certification" for fun, letting Jeff manipulate him in "Football, Feminism, and You," etc.) and it's Annie this time who chickens out and can't bear to tell Abed what she has done. She's like me - a people pleaser, and probably afraid that either Abed will a) never speak to her again, or b) kick her out (and then she'd literally have no place to go).
Now I'll return to our Jeff/Shirley story, which is really the "meat" of the episode. The last time these two had a story together was in the first season's "Social Psychology." And please, don't bother to correct me in the comments section - I know that Jeff and Shirley had a story together in "Custody Law and Eastern European Diplomacy," but I'm choosing to dismiss that. There are few episodes, like I said earlier, that I dislike in the history of Community, and while I don't really hate that episode, I honestly don't feel like it was a strong story for either of the characters. What is perfect, however, about 3x09 is that we get to the heart of both Shirley and Jeff as individuals and - shocker! - as friends. Because the bottom line is that we've never really seen the two of them as friends before. First season, their story together proved they could be gossip buddies (so superficial friends, if you will). The second seasons outlined their dependence on each other (Shirley depending on Jeff to manipulate people and Jeff depending on Shirley to do what's right). This is the first real glimpse of friendship between them and I absolutely love it.
Jeff, we notice, is in the student lounge practicing foosball by himself because those guys really bugged him earlier (because Jeff is really insecure and a little bit crazy at times - just take a look at "Beginner Pottery" or "Biology 101" if you need examples). This episode finds us delving into the dark side of Shirley and the heart of Jeff. We'll get there momentarily, no worries. What's funny about these interactions is that Jeff is super honest with Shirley. Jeff is never honest. I attribute this to his therapy. And then, for a moment, selfish Jeff emerges. And Shirley recognizes it (because Jeff says that Shirley "finally [has] one thing [he] actually need[s]"). And so does Jeff. Then, instead of backpedaling and attempting to guilt Shirley into helping him anyway, I really do think that Jeff feels bad and apologizes while not expecting anything in return.
A lot of people think that Jeff and Shirley are polar opposites. And in their faiths, perhaps they are. But what I love about Community is that it reveals to us that we may not be so fundamentally different from each other as we think. At our cores, we all have things tucked away that enrage us, for instance. We're not perfect. And that is something to cling to (in both storylines, I like how this is a parallel theme: forgiveness and accepting each other because we are imperfect). Also, let's not forget that Shirley has a lot of rage, and so does Jeff (even before he learns that Shirley tormented him years ago).
Back at the Trobed apartment, Abed and Troy return home to find that Annie has (unbeknownst to Abed) staged a robbery in an attempt to cover up the fact that she broke the DVD. There's a nice callback to "Conspiracy Theories and Interior Design," because the cop who investigates the robbery is the same one from that episode. Troy and Abed appear confused and intrigued when he mentions that he remembers Annie after he taught her and Jeff a lesson. I guess they didn't tell the group exactly what went down that night. Anyway, Annie elaborately lies about the break-in. But just as her conscience gets the better of her, Abed blames someone else (their landlord). And thus, the comedic tale continues. Abed emerges from the apartment's Dreamatorium dressed in his Batman costume from season 1. Since he is now convinced that their landlord stole and broke his DVD, he sets out the window to confront him. Annie and Troy decide to follow him.
Let's just get something straight, as we return to the Jeff/Shirley story: I saw the twist coming, but that's okay because I still loved it. The twist then, is revealed at a Mexican restaurant. The reason, we learn, that Shirley stopped playing foosball was because she felt guilty after making fun of a kid when she was twelve years old. The kid ended up peeing his pants and we learn that this kid was (...hold for dramatic music) Jeff. And this is a nice twist because Jeff is the one who ends up vulnerable, and Shirley is the one who is portrayed as mean-spirited. Usually we're so focused on Jeff's selfishness and Shirley's piety that we forget (again) that neither character is perfect.
Abed enters through the landlord's window in order to steal back the DVD (that doesn't actually exist because, remember, Annie broke it). The landlord reminded me a lot of that neighbor in the Happy Endings episode "Like Father, Like Gun." Go watch it - you'll see what I mean. Annie is still trying to spin her elaborate lie until the very end of the episode, and Troy keeps expressing his disapproval with her. It's quite amusing and wonderful.
Shirley and Jeff confront one another, and this is one of the few times we see Jeff get irate with anyone in the group besides Pierce, is it not? And with good reason too - Jeff blames people for the way he is now. Shirley is right though in stating that he "doesn't have a trademark on self-pity." But see, here's the thing - neither of them are really upset with one another. They both have pent-up rage inside of them that they just happen to direct at one another during this incident. Jeff blames Shirley for something that was admittedly bad, but ultimately not really her fault because she was a child, after all. And Jeff? Jeff blames his dad for a lot of things, I think, and hasn't yet come to terms with that. And maybe that's why therapy is beneficial to him at this point. Because if he does keep all of that rage pent up and keeps blaming everyone else for issues that he has yet to resolve, he'll never truly progress as a person.
(We then get a really awesome - I mean, really awesome - anime-style foosball match.)
This causes both Jeff and Shirley to realize that they can't measure their worth on something like a game of foosball. They're more than that - both to the world and to each other. And then... Jeff apologizes. And thus, the theme of imperfection comes full-circle when Annie apologizes to Abed-as-Batman for breaking his DVD. And she apologizes on behalf of all of those who are imperfect. It's lovely.
The ending of the episode is perfection. Jeff and Shirley team up to "defeat" the Europeans (they cause the ball to get stuck in the middle of the table). And yes, for the second week in a row, I teared up at the end of the episode. "Greendale is Where I Belong" plays as Jeff and Shirley stroll off arm-in-arm, and as we watch them, they become little Jeff and little Shirley.
- Alison Brie's dress was adorable. Also, Joel McHale continues to look good. And in blue. Wardrobe, are you trying to give all of the female viewers heart attacks?
- "I can't exactly buy him a cat monocle, can I? It's pretentious."
- "Foosball is like the soccer of ping-pong."
- Troy hums the song from "Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps," I believe.
- "STOP IT. THAT'S NOT A REAL OPTION." Any time Donald-as-Troy uses his "my whole brain is crying" voice, I die laughing.
- Alison Brie's Christian Bale impression is golden.
- "Ho...ly...crap."
- Jeff's European puns are pretty awesome ("Deutsch-bags," "power krauts," etc.)
- "That was so disturbing, I almost proposed on the spot."
- I spied four different Inspector Spacetime posters in Abed's apartment. Did I miss any?
- "Troy, what are we gonna do?" "NOW YOU'RE OPEN TO INPUT?!"
- Jeff refers to Vaughn, not as Annie's boyfriend or by his actual name, but as "Britta's boyfriend."
- The tag was golden. GOLDEN.
Next week is the final episode before a very dark hiatus. However, the episode (entitled "Regional Holiday Music") guest stars SNL's Taran Killam (does anyone else remember him from "Stuck in the Suburbs"?) as the glee choir director who recruits all of the study group for the holiday pageant.
Note: Next week, I'll have family in town so I will most likely not be posting the review at my regularly scheduled time. Look for it Friday afternoon or evening instead! (And be sure to tweet me - @notajenny - with suggestions for episode reviews you'd like to read in the future. I'll cover anything from seasons 1 and 2, because all of you suggested that I keep the blog going). Thanks, as always, for reading! :)
Hip-Hip Hooray: It's Turkey Day!
9:38 AM misc: shameless plug No comments
Happy almost-Thanksgiving, readers!
Since Community is on holiday hiatus for the week (unfortunately, hiatus is also a word I will have to get used to hearing more often, come December), this is the perfect time to catch up on some excellent episodes from season 3!
In shamelessly plugging this blog, should you have free time during your holiday - in addition to re-watching some fantastic episodes - you should check out their subsequent reviews:
Geography of Global Conflict
Competitive Ecology
Remedial Chaos Theory
Horror Fiction in Seven Spooky Steps
Advanced Gay
Studies in Modern Movement
Documentary Filmmaking: Redux
Thank you all for reading and commenting on all of these blogs. I'll be back on December 2nd to review "Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism"! :)
3x08 "Documentary Filmmaking: Redux" (Greendale is Where I Belong)
"Documentary Filmmaking: Redux"
Original Airdate: November 17, 2011
The latest episode of NBC's third-year comedy Community fell on the heels of some disheartening news this past week: when NBC's January line-up was announced, the show was noticeably absent from its traditional Thursday night 8PM time-slot. This caused a wave of backlash and sorrow across the fandom, and everything from petitions to creative ways to generate support for the show have since popped up across the Internet. People have hashtagged #SaveCommunity and #sixseasonsandamovie like no tomorrow - everyone from TV critics such Michael Ausiello and Meg Masters to writers for Lost, SNL, and Happy Endings have also taken to Twitter to garner support for the little show that could. So it was with nervous anticipation that thousands of us tuned into last night's episode - perhaps because we felt like "Documentary Filmmaking: Redux" had so much riding on it. And it's true, if we are being honest with ourselves: before we even watched the episode, we either consciously or subconsciously held the episode to a higher standard simply because of the week's unfavorable news. But as I have said dozens of times in these reviews, the best thing about Community is that it always exceeds my expectations, and - moreover - always exceeds expectations that I never knew I had. We've had a rough week as Community fans, and this is just the episode that we needed to talk us down from the edge. Not only was it full of laugh-out-loud humor, but also what the show's strongest suit is - heart.
So last night's plot premise was pretty simple: Dean Pelton recruited the study group to help him re-shoot a commercial for Greendale, because their current one looked like it jumped straight out of Blossom and any other late 80s/early 90s television show you could think of (complete with the awesome graphics of that era). The study group reluctantly agreed to help, because for one thing, the Dean manages to guilt them into helping, by mentioning how Greendale "mainly gives" to its students. I thought it was interesting that everyone did have the decency to look slightly guilty at this. After all, what school's Dean would let you do the things that these students have done? (Remember that time Jeff took an ax to the study room table, or when they trashed the study room looking for a pen or when a giant paint grenade exploded and destroyed the study room? You get the picture.)
The whole episode is shot as "Intermediate Documentary Filmmaking" was (in documentary-style), so naturally Abed is behind the camera the entire episode, doing what he does best - observing and filming. Jeff somehow ends up as the Dean in the commercial (and Joel deserves an Emmy on his imitation of Jim Rash-as-Dean alone), and naturally attempts to screw the commercial up by standing in front of the Luis Guzman statue so that the Dean can't use the footage. His excuse? "I'm always willing to go the extra mile to avoid doing something." Initially, the whole commercial was going to be shot in a day - the Dean didn't have high expectations of himself or his cast/crew (or even those watching), so he simply accepted things the way they were. That is, until Luis Guzman called to inform the Dean that he'd like to be in the commercial. This is the trigger for the Dean's descent into insanity.
And it's interesting - I've always thought of the Dean as kind of this comic relief character (much like Troy), in the way that he is aloof and not very serious. Or, rather, so serious in devoting himself to causes that don't matter, that it becomes comedic (so maybe a bit of Troy with Britta thrown in, for good measure). I never really once questioned what the Dean's motives were, though. I always assumed he just wanted to have a sense of pride in himself because he had never felt that way before. Regardless, I'll cover the later scenes momentarily, but the takeaway from the beginning of this episode is that once the Dean discovers that someone famous wants to be in his movie, he goes full-on crazy. And it's entertaining to see other characters (Annie, Jeff, Britta, Troy) slowly dissolve into the craziness as well. Annie, in particular, is fun to watch insofar as character degeneration - notice how her outfit and hair become more and more disheveled. (Also, take note of: her binder with stacks of Post-It notes on the front and papers spilling out from inside, as well as her lanyard of Sharpie markers).
It is now day twelve of a commercial shoot that should have taken the Dean 24 hours to create. Everyone is exhausted and borderline psychotic. Jeff - who initially detested wearing the Dean costume, complete with a bald cap - has an epiphany, which I know was meant to be played for dramatic laughs, but is really quite interesting to parallel against the Dean. Jeff says: "I've become a stranger to myself. I'm bald now. I've always been bald. I've really only dreamt of having hair. But now, the bald man's awake."
So here's the thing - the next scene that occurs is between Jeff and the Dean and is a great sense of role reversal. And I couldn't quite put my finger on why it was role reversal the first watch-through of the episode, but I think I've discovered it thanks to my re-watch. Jeff is finally beginning to accept himself the way that he is - flaws and all. We've seen him struggle so much over the course of two years with his love for the study group, and also his acceptance of actually being at Greendale. In "Football, Feminism, and You," Jeff tells Annie that he needs to make peace with being at Greendale. And you know, I don't think he truly had up until this season. It seems like Jeff has grown to accept the fact that Greendale is where he belongs. It's not where he would have chosen to end up, but it's somehow just weirdly exactly where he NEEDED to end up. What's ironic is that right as Jeff realizes this in the episode, the Dean realizes that he doesn't like who he is. He would rather pretend to be someone else than see himself for what he actually looks like. Because the truth is that he despises that man, and we've never really seen this side of him before. The Dean can't accept the image that stares back at him, so the logical thing is to change. But while Jeff's change is good in that he is learning to adapt and grow, the Dean's change is bad because it's a forced change - it's trying to shove a square peg in a round hole. You can't make someone be something they were never meant to be in the first place. Greendale is all about molding students into who they were supposed to become, not entirely different people in general. Does that make sense? Jeff comes to terms with his flaws, while the Dean asserts that Chang's hair "is reality" (and it's obviously not). It's this, again, skewed view of reality that the Dean would rather accept than face the real reason why he is so obsessed with the commercial in the first place. Remember the footnotes I have been giving about facades this season? Here's another!
(Interesting note: This is the second time in two weeks that Jeff has cried during an episode. It makes me wonder how therapy has affected him. My question is answered by the end of the episode, more fully.)
With the Dean going full-out crazy (and even Annie realizing how insane he is), the entire cast quits the commercial, which then forces the Dean into a very dark place. We've reached the Dean's breaking point by the time Luis Guzman arrives. "Of course you think that," he spits to Guzman in anger (Guzman is attempting to assure the Dean that the first commercial was good), "You went here." Now, this is a bit of a shocker because we all know how much the Dean has tried over the years to assert his school as a real school (and to compete with City College for recognition, etc.). So it's a bit of an eyebrow-raise moment when we hear him express disdain for Greendale. "Worship this place," Guzman advises. "It changes peoples' lives."
I think it's interesting that we finally see the motivation for why the Dean acts as obsessively as he does. He's trying to force change on something that's not meant to change. Greendale will never be an Ivy League school, or even a top community college, but it's not supposed to be. It's supposed to be a place that fuels acceptance and tolerance. A place where people are embraced because of their flaws. Let's face it - there are too many places out there that shun people with flaws. Shouldn't there be a school that wants you the way you are, and wants you to be the best version of yourself you can possibly be?
There's a quote by Andy Stanley that says: "A true friend is someone who accepts you just as you are, but who loves you too much to leave you that way." And I think that genuinely encompasses the whole feel of this storyline and also the season in general. Truly, the characters within this show have been changed by one another - not, again, forcibly - for better. It's what Community has done for its fans, as well.
At the end of the episode, Abed comes to the Dean's rescue by finishing up his commercial (and one thing to note about Abed is that he really always tends to rescue those who need it in the face of creative disaster). He exemplified the same humility and kindness when it came to Shirley in "Messianic Myths and Ancient Peoples." And you know, I love that it is Abed - just Abed - who does this. It's nice to be reminded that he is not a robot. At the end of the episode, Abed asks a poignant question: "Will your story acknowledge the very nature of stories and acknowledge that sometimes sharing the sad ones will make them happy?" Ponder that question for a moment.
The Dean enters the study room to apologize to the group and ask their forgiveness. And in a very un-Jeff-like manner, he forgives him. When the Dean asks why (puzzled, as we all may have been too), Jeff responds with: "Because we've all been there. It's why we're all here." Then, to further this un-Jeff-like behavior, he offers the Dean a hug. (I swear that therapy is molding Jeff in a very unique way this season). Ludwig Goransson's "Greendale is Where I Belong" (which first played during the Jeff and Annie kiss in "Pascal's Triangle Revisited") begins to play. And I will admit it: I began to cry. Because Community is something special. It's that place that we all yearn for - a place where we can be loved and accepted. A place where we belong, because we're flawed, but where we are loved all the same. That's what Greendale is. That's what Community is, to its fans.
Additonal de-lovely aspects about the episode:
- Take note: Jeff hasn't given a Winger speech since 3x03. Just something to point out.
- "Britta Perry: Anarchist cat owner."
- "Troy and I are buds. Best buds. Air buds." Troy/Britta is quickly becoming too adorable for me to handle. Their hug at the end was perfection.
- The montage of Troy and Britta's commercial hugs literally had me rolling with laughter. Donald's "STOP SAYING I'M DIFFERENT!" stole the entire episode for me.
- "I'm in Psych 101 and even I don't know what's happening."
- Joel McHale continues to look good in every episode. That green sweater was nice.
- "Okay, I don't know why, but this is the last straw."
- "Some flies are too awesome for the wall."
According to sources, episode 3x09 will be Jeff/Shirley themed and titled "Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism." Until then, folks! :)
(P.S. Since the news broke of the hiatus, I've contemplated what to do with this blog once the last episode for 2011 airs. I could take weekly requests via my Twitter, where I would do re-watch reviews of either season 1 or season 2 episodes. Drop me a comment or a tweet if you'd be interested in reading. Otherwise, I may retire this blog until Community returns to the air).
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DALET (ר):
By: Richard Gottheil, Wilhelm Bacher
Fourth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The name is evidently connected with "delet," meaning "door," and was borrowed from the shape of the letter in the Phenician (ancient Hebrew) script (see Alphabet). It corresponds to the "delta" (Aramaic pronunciation of "dalet") of the Greek alphabet, in which the original form of the letter has been very clearly preserved. In the classification of letters (consonants), as it is found for the first time in "Sefer Yeẓirah" (iv. 3), the dalet is included in the group (d, ṭ, 1, n, t), which are formed at the upper edge of the tongue. The grammarians, who classify the letters according to the organs of speech by which they are formed, designate this group as linguals (see Abu al-Walid, "Luma'," ii.; Abraham ibn Ezra, "Ẓaḥot," 11b).
According to modern phonetic terminology, dalet ("d") is the sonant dental, corresponding to which ת ("t") is the mute, and ט ("ṭ") the emphatic explosive dental (König, "Lehrgebäude der Hebräischen Sprache," i. 34). According to the Masorah, dalet belongs to the letters ( ) which have a double pronunciation: softened or aspirated, and hard or unaspirated (see under Dagesh). The aspirated dalet (ד) was most probably pronounced like the Neo-Greek δ or the soft English "th" (in "the"). In the grammatical division of the letters which has been adopted generally by Hebrew philology since Saadia, dalet is included in the eleven which occur only as root sounds and never as functional sounds. Only Dunash b. Labraṭ included the ד as well as the ט in the group of functional sounds, because in forming the "hitpa'el" of certain roots, both represent ת (see Bacher, "Abraham ibn Esar als Grammatiker," p. 58).
For the textual criticism of the Biblical books the similarity of dalet (ר) and resh (ר) is an important point, as may be seen, for example, on comparing Gen. x. 3 with I Chron. i. 6 ( and ) or Gen. x. 4 with I Chron. i. 7 ( and ). In Job xxiv. 24 is translated by the Targum as if the word were ("wait"), which was certainly the original reading. As a numeral, ר has the value 4. As an abbreviation it stands for ("page"), especially in later literature, and also for other words beginning with ר. The tetragrammaton is sometimes represented by ר, as being the second letter of .
G. W. B.
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Hate and the Three-Strikes Laws
Human beings have always needed an enemy--someone to hate or control, but mostly hate. It seems to have a primal beginning from an early age such as with playground bully and victim. We create these enemies if and when they don't appear on their own. In America, every ethnic group has at one time been hated: Originally the indigenous Native Americans. When they were driven westward, the hatred shifted to the colonists hating the English for various contrived reasons. Throughout the history of America, we cycled through hate and prejudice directed toward every ethnic group that emigrated to the United States. The emigrants often just escaping the same treatment where they came from, and we still read about ethnic cleansing in various parts of the world. The economical conditions are better here, but the hate and prejudice still exists. No one knows this better than Black Americans, who still suffer the aftermath of this hatred. Nothing as fundamentally primal as to the human need to hate ever changes--only the target of that hatred shifts to the most convenient group available.
During World War Two we hated the Japanese and Germans. The Germans hated the Jews, along with various "troublesome" factions of their own society, such as religious authorities, union members, communists, socialists, and homosexuals. Why? The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor giving us out reason to hate. The German fascists needed an enemy to justify their larger agenda of aggression. They needed the Jews' money, and their methods allowed them to accomplish both ethnic and social cleansing, while also satisfying their Aryan Superiority Complex. They created incidents such as Kristallnacht to inflame the German People against the Jews. Once they got the mob mentality rolling, from there the hatred escalated and the authorities rounded up whomever they wanted, and for whatever reason. Sound familiar again?
Following the end of World War Two, we saw fit to switch-up and now love those whom we had hated during the war. Feeling guilty, we then rebuilt Japan and Germany, and allowed the creation of the State of Israel. But--we needed a new enemy, as we must always have someone to hate. The Cold War conveniently provided new enemies, and thus fulfilled our hatred needs.
However, when the Cold War ended, our enemy base collapsed. We again needed new enemies. The international version of enemies were temporarily lacking pending our new found radical Islamic enemies following 9/11/01. Thus, we had nearly the entire 1990 decade needing someone new to hate. Much like happened following the Civil War when the hatred of black Americans peaked; and, following the Nazi fascist model, we turned our hatred inward, we found sub-groups of our own citizens to hate.
In the nineties, the concentration was on sociological hatred that was not inherently race driven, but in some cases race concentrated, as there are large numbers of ethnic minorities in the lower economic classes. The hatred was directed towards those perceived as criminals or potential criminals. Some of this was self-serving vengeance and hatred espoused by a few crime victims, when in reality the vast majority of the population had never been touched by serious crime other then the now higher taxes from getting tough on crime. Notwithstanding the actual falling crime rate, there were political gains available to those fear-monger politicians who used psychological warfare to frighten and inflame the general public into believing crime was the biggest threat in life. This new found hatred spawned Three-Strikes laws in several states, with One-Strike laws for some sex offenders, and civil commitments for possible future crimes not yet committed. California Penal Code §2962, for general crimes; Welfare and Institutions Code §6600, for sex offenders. If you think the premise of the science fiction movie "Minority Report" is make believe, you had better wake up and smell the political manure, for alas, we found new groups of people to hate--and hate them we did.
In spite of historical statistics that equate criminality and recidivism to demographics and economic factors, the average citizen, while completely ignoring prevention and rehabilitation concepts, bought the political sophistry of draconian punishment and retribution tactics as the best way to lower crime. Demographically, historical statistics show that most crimes are committed by those in the 18 to 25 year old age group. Therefore, the larger the population within that group, with no other factors, the higher the overall crime rate. Couple that to the next most important factor--economic conditions--then when the 18 to 25 year old group has a high population, and economical conditions are good, then there are jobs for these individuals which holds the crime rate down. Provided we spend the money to educate them with job skills, rather than spend all the money on prisons, Three-Strikes, and civil commitments. However, when the economy is bad, like now, the crime rate becomes directly proportional to the population numbers of the 18 to 25 year old demographic group. If the economic tanks and we have an abundance of 18 to 25 year olds, the crime rate will go up with or without Three-Strikes and the other get tough on crime laws. We can hate and create these laws, but they really don't work except to satisfy the hate need.
In the mid to late 1990's, the 18 to 25 year old group population was adequately absorbed into a booming economy, and the unemployment rate was as expected--low. Also, the Three Strikes laws were passed. Following statistical demographic history--the crime rate dropped. The Three Strikes proponents immediately claimed victory--that the Three-Strikes laws had lowered crime, while ignoring and attempting to debunk the fact that the sociologist had already predicted lowering crime rates based on demographics and economical factors.
To prove the point, states that did not enact Three-Strikes laws saw their crime rates fall more than those with Three-Strikes. Could this be because without Three-Strikes those states were able to spend more on education and less on prisons? In California, the state with the toughest Three-Strikes law had one jurisdiction, the City and County of San Francisco, that refused to utilize the law except for extreme cases. There the crime rate dropped more than the overall crime rate in California as a whole. Why? Could it be that San Francisco spent more money on social programs and education than they did on Three-Strikes prosecutions and costs?
The most despised and hated group of sub-citizens is presently the sex offender. California has One-Strike laws for sex offenders, and the prison hierarchy allows other inmates to not only hate them, but also prey upon them with impunity. The general public has developed such a hatred they say, "so be it." And for those that escape a life sentence, California and several other states simply commit their sex offenders to mental institutions, at huge expense, following completion of their prison sentences. This under the guise of needing treatment for a mental condition. Why aren't they sent to treatment instead of prison in the first place if they are mentally ill? Because society needs someone to hate. They take psychologists, who need work, essentially give them crystal balls, and ask them to predict the future while making it look scientific. They predict this person may possibly commit a crime in the future because he or she committed a crime in the past. Therefore, we will commit them to a prison like mental hospital based on predications of the future. Again remember the movie "Minority Report." Also, now consider the large number of people that will be locked-up in prison type mental hospitals for future crimes that never would have happened. And this is America? These laws are even more draconian than the Three-Strikes laws, but society can vent a lot of hate here.
Now we collectively face hard economic times. When the economy was booming, nobody was much concerned with paying for these draconian very expensive laws. With money now in short supply, someone needs to add-up the dollar numbers and compare the costs to the statistical benefits. Since, statistically, life needs to add-up the dollar numbers and compare the costs to the statistical benefits. Since, statistically, life term inmates are rarely if ever released in California, and if the demographics and economics cause the crime rate to rise, then with few prisoners being released and a new generation of 18 to 25 year olds being sent to prison under "get tough on crime" laws, we will continue to have prison expansion at a time when the State and taxpayers can least afford it.
Governor Davis, with his cronies in the prison guard union, and along with the die hard get tough on crime politicians, are all still pushing prison expansion. While they dramatize the difficulties in public over closing a projected 34 billion dollar budget deficit gap, they quietly took 350 million dollars from the General Fund to construct a new prison to be operated by the Department of Mental Health for the new and hated civil commitments, and they also have a similarly large General Fund allotment of money set aside to open, staff, and operate this new behemoth to be located at Coalinga, California, on the grounds of the Pleasant Valley State Prison. Davis also attempted to sneak through a new 250 million dollar Death Row. What else is on the secret agenda?
These draconian laws will ultimately force choosing between funding schools, social programs, or prisons. So far, in the budget talks and proposals, there has been little remorse among the politicians over the massive proposed education cuts, while at the same time proposing prison budget increases. What will be the choice of the people of California? Continue the hate, or promote crime prevention through education, social programs, and rehabilitation?
Inmate Tom Watson
Mail can be sent to:
Shasta County Jail
Watson Writings Index
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Rev. Don Erickson
Fostering Wisdom, Compassion & Peace
I was born and raised in Upstate New York, growing up in a working-class household whose parents were evangelical Christians. My first mento...
"Come On Up for The Rising"
"I left my house this morning. Bells ringing filled the air." (from "The Rising," by Bruce Springsteen) This lyric h...
Philosophy of Community
My work constantly shows me what is essential to the spiritual life. As people face their own frailty, the essence of the good news they mos...
Don Erickson
I am the new minister of the Congregational Church of Plainville (UCC) in Connecticut and the former minister of the Community Church of North Orange & Tully (CCNOT), a federated church with the Unitarian Universalist Association and the United Church of Christ. I ended my pastorship at CCNOT in July 2018. I am clinically certified in pastoral care (ACPE), receiving my residency training in 2006-2007 at Tampa General Hospital. From 2007 to 2013, I ministered full-time as a hospice chaplain, 7 years which I credit as making me the minister I am today.
Thumping Hearts & Planting Trees
"This Train...All Aboard"
Click photo for song
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Home > BOARD SPORTS > Surfing > Cloudbreak Reef, Tavarua Island
Cloudbreak Reef, Tavarua Island
/ Fiji Islands
ABOUT THE SPOT
OVERVIEW HOW TO GO GALLERY
Surfing in Cloudbreak Reef, Tavarua Island, Fiji Islands
Advanced and professional
Fiji Islands represents undoubtfully a tropical paradise, formed by volcanic activity in the South Pacific Ocean, with an archipelago consisted of more than 332 islands and more than 500 islets. Covered with thick tropical forest, warm climate most of the year round, white sand beaches and crystal clear sea, Fiji is an amazing holiday destination.
The coral reefs are worldwide known as home of the most pristine and diverse ecosystems in the Pacific Ocean. There are more than 1200 species of fish and an incredible variety of hard corals that inhabit the sea surrounding the Fiji Islands. The land, with its unique geology, covered with lush tropic trees and flowers, is home to many colorful exotic birds and animals. The combination of this amazing nature in dry land and sea, offers the visitor unlimited possibilities for an experience that can not be missed.
One of the 332 islands, is called Tavarua and has the shape of a heart. The resort island is surrounded by a coral reef and is located close to Viti Levu, the main Fijian island. Among the seven main surf brakes Tavarua has to offer, the most famous of all is Cloudbreak. It is considered to be one of the top destinations for world class surfers, with a totally epic wave quality.
The size of the swell starts working at 1.5 m/5 ft and holds up to 5 m/12 ft with regular frequency, perfect for advanced and professional surfers and the direction of the wind is coming from Southwest, West. This powerful open ocean reef, located at just a mile south of the main Tavarua Island, hosts annually the Volcom Fiji Pro competition, where top professional surfers arrive to face the legendary wave, regularly voted as one of the most challenging waves in the world.
In order to approach the Cloudbreak reef, you first have to get to Tavarua island resort with a helicopter or a boat and then take another boat to take you to the spot, or paddle for about half a mile towards the reef. Pack up your gear and your best spirits and prepare to embrace a heaven on earth such as Cloudbreak Reef, that should be experienced at least once by everyone who loves the ocean. Surfers should be carefull of rocks and rip currents.
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School & Shops
Surfers Point, Margaret River
/ Western Australia Australia
Margaret River town is named after a river and is located in the southwest of Western Australia. The climate of the region is Mediterranean with hot summers, high winds and chilly winters. The town, also part of the wine region in the southwest Australian zone, is famous for its grape cultivations and for the very tasty and unique wine production.
Cap Saint Louis, Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer
/ Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur France
Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It lies at 42 km/21 mi in the southeast of Marseille, neighboring La Ciotat to the west, Bandol to the east and La Cadière-d'Azur to the north. The town square of Saint-Cyr contains a replica of the Statue of Liberty, donated by Frédéric Bartholdi, sculptor of the original.
Seminyak Beach, Bali
/ Bali Indonesia
Indonesia or the Republic of Indonesia is an archipelago, comprising about 17508 tropical islands. It nestles between the continents of Asia and Oceania and is washed by the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Bali is one of the most famous islands of Indonesia.
Achadas da Cruz, Porto Moniz
/ Madeira Portugal
Achadas da Cruz is a small village in the municipality of Porto Moniz, in Madeira, the Portuguese island. This place gives you the opportunity to run back to the old days, when everything was so pure and people were really close to nature.
Praia do Peixe, Ericeira
/ Lisbon and Coast Portugal
Praia do Peixe is one of the most beautiful beaches, in Ericeira, a civil parish in Mafra, on the western coast of Portugal. Next to the harbor, at the center of Ericeira, there is a path leading down to Praia do Peixe. It's the main boat launching. It's well known as the fisherman's beach. But, it's also known for its good waves.
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Hotels Near By
Lady Antebellum, Jake Owen & Maddie and Tae [CANCELLED] at iTHINK Amphitheatre
Lady Antebellum, Jake Owen & Maddie and Tae [CANCELLED] Tickets
iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre at the S. Florida Fairgrounds
EVENT CANCELLED. Please contact your ticket point of purchase to claim a refund on your tickets.
Lady Antebellum is one of America's top country acts, and the seven-time grammy Award-winning trio's live shows are nothing short of breathtaking! This past year, they've been honing their showmanship skills in Las Vegas on the Our Kind of Vegas residency, but this summer they take the show on the road once more, coming to Coral Sky Amphitheatre on Sunday 2nd August 2020 on the Ocean Tour! Expect a selection of songs from their 2019 album of the same name, plus a bunch of classic Lady Antebellum hits! Their special guest support acts for the evening will be "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" singer Jake Owen, and country duo Maddie & Tae!
Named by Billboard as “one of country’s top groups for over a decade”, Lady Antebellum was formed in Nashville in 2006 and consists of Hillary Scott (lead and background vocals), Charles Kelley (lead and background vocals, guitar), and Dave Haywood(background vocals, guitar, piano, mandolin). After featuring as vocalists on the 2007 single "Never Alone" by Jim Brickman, which peaked at number 14 on the Adult Contemporary Chart, they were signed to Capitol Nashville. Their eponymous debut album was released the following year and was an instant hit – critically acclaimed and commercially successful, it reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, making it the first album by a new duo or group to do so. To date, the group has released eight studio albums, with six of them certified gold, platinum or multi-platinum by the RIAA. They have also won a total of 51 awards throughout their career, including nine American Country Awards, eight ACM Awards, and seven Grammy Awards. Ocean, their latest album, was released in 2019.
Formerly Coral Sky Amphitheatre
Fans of iTHINK Amphitheatre
Palm Beach Opera: La Boheme 19/02/2021
Palm Beach Opera: Die Zauberflote 21/02/2021
Palm Beach Opera: Pagliacci 23/02/2021
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Terrorism in France keeps Brittany's Ferry Service on High Alert
BRITTANY Ferries says security and safety are at the "forefront" of its mind following the terrorist attacks in Paris.
The ferry company, which operates daily between Plymouth and Roscoff, in France, says it was left shocked by the Paris attacks.
The company has comprehensive security arrangements in place at all times both within its ports and on board its ships and has introduced additional security checks following the incidents in Paris.
A Brittany Ferries spokesman said: "As a French company, we are particularly shocked and appalled by the events that have unfolded in Paris, and our thoughts and prayers go out to all those affected by the attacks, their families and their friends.
"We take security and safety extremely seriously and they are always at the forefront of our minds.
"We have comprehensive security arrangements in place both in our ports and on board our ships and these arrangements are tightly controlled and governed by national and international legislation."
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CSIRO CUTS
Posted by Kim Carr 5sc on April 20, 2016
E&OE TRANSCRIPT
TV INTERVIEW
ABC LATELINE
SUBJECT/S: CSIRO CUTS
TONY JONES: Now we head back to Canberra, Senator Kim Carr, the Shadow Minister for Innovation was at that public meeting about the CSIRO. He joins us now. You've heard what the Minister just said. He's got a solution to this problem of the CSIRO sacking its climate scientists.
SENATOR KIM CARR: We'll wait and see what actually happens here. We're not hearing anything about the money. You have to bear in mind that all our scientific agencies have been cut by this Government, $3 billion has been taken out of our innovation budgets across government in the Commonwealth and, of course, the bureau is one agency, like all the other science agencies, that has been reduced. So they lost $10 million and now it's being suggested that they will take on these additional people without any money. That simply won't happen.
JONES: But nonetheless, just to briefly interrupt you there, do you generally support the idea of picking up some of these sacked climate scientists and employing them in the bureau which is clearly what's being suggested here and evidently brokered by the chief scientist?
CARR: There does not need to be sackings. I do not support the sackings of CSIRO's scientists. What we've said to the government, now that we're really into an election campaign and have been so for a little while, these measures should be stopped. We should wait until after the election because the Labor Party has a very different approach to this and there may well be a change of government after this election. And what we need now is for this government to actually intervene. There's no doubt in my mind is CSIRO is following the Government's priorities but it's now up to the Government to say this has been completely botched. This was an extremely poor idea, badly executed. And the Minister has responsibilities to stop these events occurring.
JONES: Now Dr Larry Marshall, CEO of the CSIRO, his rationale for this decision was when Government funds you, you have to do something deliverable, you have to give them something deliverable. That was translated by other managers meaning the public good is not good enough. Is there anything wrong, really, with the CSIRO refocussing on jobs and growth which is what has been suggested?
CARR: Well, the CSIRO changes all the time. But since 1949 and the act that governs it was set down, there's been a balance in terms of providing support to industry, providing support to the nation, and providing support to the Commonwealth's international responsibilities. What we are seeing now is that the balance has been upset and what we are observing is the chaos, the dysfunction within this Government as a result of the profound hostility to science, to climate change science in particular and, of course, we're now see an attitude where the CSIRO's been turned into a glorified consultancy company. Now the public rejects this. The public sees this as a bit like shooting Bambi and frankly, the Government will pay a very high price for the actions that it's taken in regard to their hostility to the CSIRO.
JONES: Do you have any evidence that the UN development program might hold back research grants to Australia because they find Dr Marshall unreliable?
CARR: The evidence that's been presented to the Senate committee does cover this issue. Whether or not that's an accurate reflection of the commentary will be matters that we will inquire into further. The Senate committee is meeting next week. We'll have the opportunity to pursue that matter. But there is evidence before the Senate committee supporting the claims that you've made tonight.
JONES: There was a big concentration of that Senate committee on following a trial of private emails among the senior managers of the CSIRO. What was that all about? What was the point of that?
CARR: There's a couple of issues about the way in which the board has not been properly engaged, the extent to which the Minister has been engaged and, of course, the processes of decision making within the CSIRO. There is enormous confusion and anxiety within the CSIRO. We're seeing scientists of 30 years' standing expressing profound dismay. They are being supported internationally by scientists all over the globe. We are seeing that there are very significant players profoundly distressed that the CSIRO is losing the capability. Dr Marshall's own acknowledgment, 50 per cent of their capability being taken from the CSIRO under these plans. Now these are hurting our international reputation and they are undermining public confidence in the capacity of the CSIRO to undertake the important public benefit research that it does.
JONES: What sort of reception do you think the Minister, Mr Hunt, will get in New York, the very city where that newspaper essentially castigated the CSIRO for that decision and Australia generally?
CARR: The CSIRO recently sent a very large delegation to the US and I think profoundly we saw that the reputation of the organisation has been affected by what's going on and I have no doubt that the Minister for the Environment will be obliged to defend Australia's reputation. It's a pity that the Minister for CSIRO not on the program tonight because I would have liked to hear from him as to what he's doing about this crisis.
JONES: We're virtually out of time. A quick answer to this one if you can. Is Labor committing in this election to reemploying all those sacked climate scientists from the CSIRO?
CARR: What we want to do is release our research policies later in the election. We have made a very strong commitment and we're saying we will do this entirely differently. We want an inquiry into the management of the CSIRO.
JONES: Sure, but are you committing to reemploy?
CARR: We will announce our policy positions on funding later in the election.
JONES: We've got to leave you there. Thank you very much. We're out of time.
CARR: Thank you.
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About Singer Gallery
Worth a thousand words
about collecting photography
I have been deeply involved with the photographic image for the past thirty years. My career in the arts began with pursuing degrees in painting and photography from Temple University,the Art Institute of Chicago and California Institute of the Arts.
From making photographs, I established a printing company specializing in duotone reproductions in catalogs for museums and galleries.
For much of my life, I have collected photographic images and in 1991, became a private dealer of photographs as a natural extension of this love. During this time I have acquired five unique photographic estates as well as numerous vital images from some of the world's best photographers.
Petaluma Argus-Courier, Wednesday, March 29, 2000
The Barry Singer Gallery offers a look at the eclectic world of photography
By Yovanna Bieberich
Argus-Courier Staff
The way a photograph can capture time, emotions, and feelings makes photography a unique art form. There's a certain magic about a photo that captivates viewers and causes them to pause in thought. It is this quality that has caused photography to become the main medium of the 20th century.
"Photographs are not static," explains Barry Singer of the Barry Singer Gallery. "You can look at the same picture and see something different each time you look. It can conjure up new feelings each time. That's the great experience of this art form. It's constantly renewing, which is why I gravitate towards it."
Barry Singer's passion for photography has led him into every area of the art form. Originally from Pennsylvania, Singer earned degrees in photography and painting from Temple University, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the California Arts Institute. After discovering it was difficult to make a living as an artist, in 1976 Singer opened up a printing company in Los Angeles. Singer Printing specialized in making duotone reproductions in catalogs for museums and galleries. "I did a lot of book printing for other photographers. That was about the time I started collecting photography myself," says Singer.
In 1981 Singer moved his business to Petaluma. and not long after that got his first taste of the photo dealing world. "In 1991, while I was running the printing business, I was offered [noted photographer] Lou Stoumen's estate. That was my first experience in photo dealing. I went to New York and sold 15 photos over the weekend. I decided that I really enjoyed doing it and began holding shows in my home. "
"Photographs have an ability to shape your vision and to create an environment."
By the end of 1997 Singer decided to expand his gallery and in 1998 was offered a space downtown in the [Gossage] building. The Barry Singer Gallery opened in March of 1998 with the "Master Visions" exhibition which included works by such masters as Ansel Adams, William Dassonville, and Robert Frank. "Great photos are made, not taken," says Singer. "All the great masters ask the question, 'Who am I?' and their photos try to answer that question.
"Photography has been the anchor of my life," says Singer. "Now I specialize in helping other people build their collections."
Although some folks may feel that collecting art is a frivolous waste of money, Singer feels quite the contrary. "It really is an act of courage to spend money on something you don't need, but collecting photography helps develop one's personality. A photograph is a reflection of the personality of the one collecting," explains Singer.
Photography is one of the few art forms that is easily collectible; often works can be purchased for as little at $250. "You can't collect the history of painting or the history of sculpture. You can however, own photography. It's affordable. Even master photos are inexpensive," says Singer.
He explains that one can put together a good collection that's worth a lot. Collectors will often purchase photos that have certain themes or that reflect personal interests.
"A collector needs to take personal inventory. What is their core interest? Some people collect photos that have Coca-Cola bottles in them, or someone else might collect photos of hands," says Singer. "A good collection can be worth a lot more than the individual pieces."
Having gone from photographer, to printer, to dealer, Singer has come full circle in the world he loves. He has found running his own gallery to be a rich and rewarding experience. "Photographs have an ability to shape your vision and to create an environment," says Singer. "It's a contest between reality and unreality and the gallery is the arena in which the game is played out."
The Barry Singer Gallery is located at 11 Petaluma Blvd. North [as of May 2001, the gallery’s new address is 7 Western Avenue]. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Admission is free.
For information, call 781-3200 or visit the gallery website at www.singergallery.com.
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The 25 Companies Spending Billions On Buybacks (ACE, AKAM, ABC, AOL, AVT, CBOE, CHTR, CSCO, COV, DISCA, DLB, XOM, CVX, HRS, HUN, JASO, JAH, NWSA, RDC, LUV, STJ, BSX, MSI, V, HPQ)
Last Updated: April 3, 2020 4:38 pm
1. Ace Ltd. (NYSE: ACE) decided that enough apparently isn’t enough… With what was about $400 million spent under its prior $600 million share buyback plan, the company’s board of directors approved another $300 million. This one is higher on the day by 3% to $61.30, but investors do need to consider that Ace has a market cap north of $20 billion today.
2. Akamai Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM) is just not a company most investors would think of as a buyback player. It is media delivery and is a cloud player but shares have been beaten worse than the proverbial red-headed step child. This week the company approved a $250 million increase in a current buyback program. This raises the total to $400 million for the twelve-month period ending in early May 2012. For conjecture, that compares to a market cap of $4.1 billion and the $22.00 share price compares to a 52-week trading range of $20.70 to $54.65.
3. AmerisourceBergen Corporation (NYSE: ABC) is trading higher after the company authorized a new $750 million share repurchase program. What is interesting is that the company completed its previous buyback plan of $500 million that has been in place just since 2010. The market cap of this pharmaceutical services company is currently about $9.9 billion and the $36.50 price compares to a 52-week range of $27.09 to $42.50.
4. AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) was smashed this week after its earnings report despite some improving metrics. After shares hit a 52-week low of $10.06 (down almost 60% from highs), the company decided that enough is enough and AOL has announced that it will buy back up to $250 million worth of its shares. Even after a 16% rise to $11.87, the market cap here is $1.27 billion.
5. Avnet Inc. (NYSE: AVT) is considered a DRAM, flash, and broad memory super-market for the world as it distributes memory from other makers all over the world. Earnings were mixed this week, but shares have risen because of a buyback announcement of up to $500 million. Even after shares have risen to almost $27.00 after trading under $24.00, its market cap is only $4.1 billion. Another hell of a buyback.
6. CBOE Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: CBOE) announced a $100 million share buyback earlier this month. At $23.00, the market cap is $2.05 billion and the 52-week range is $19.60 to $29.70. This one was expensive but has become more reasonable now and its business has undoubtedly seen an explosion of trading volumes in the market malaise this month.
7. Charter Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: CHTR) is a shocking buyback and frankly it is puzzling when you consider that the company is still leveraged after emerging back from bankruptcy protection. The cable provider approved a plan this week of up to $200 million versus what is a $4.9 billion market cap. At $44.90, the 52-week range is $31,36 to $61.15.
8. Cisco Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) has been an unsuccessful buyback leader. Its shares are under the average buyback prices but it announced Wednesday evening with its earnings that it had spent about $1.5 billion in the last quarter alone to buy back 95 million shares at an average of $15.85 per share. The company still has more than $10 billion in approved share buybacks. Too bad this is a buyback that has not worked.
9. Covidien plc (NYSE: COV), a medical devices outfit, is seeing a 6% surge to $47.45 against a 52-week trading range of $35.12 to $57.65. Thursday morning came news that the company approved a plan to repurchase up to $2 billion in ordinary shares from time to time and based upon market conditions. Its market cap is over $23 billion, but this is a substantial size.
10 . Discovery Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: DISCA) approved a new $1 billion share buyback plan early in the month and its market cap is $15 billion. At $37.41, its 52-week trading range is $34.75 to $45.81.
11. Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE: DLB) announced earlier in the month that it has added an additional $250 million for its stock repurchase program. This gives a total of $392.5 million that can now be repurchased under the new and existing combined plan. At $32.25, the 52-week range is $28.89 to $69.69 and the market cap is about $3.6 billion.
Read more: Investing, ABC, ACE, AKAM, AOL, AVT, BSX, CBOE, CHTR, COV, CSCO, CVX, DISCA, HPQ, HRS, HUN, JAH, JASO, LUV, MSI, NWSA, RDC, STJ, V, XOM, Accounting, Active Trader, Activist Investor, CEO Compensation, Corporate Governance, Dividends and Buybacks, Insider Activity, Mergers and Acquisitions, private equity, Value Investing
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Tag Archives: Funding
This Financing Model Could Make School Buses Cheaper and Greener, But No One Is Using It
By Phillip Burgoyne-Allen and Jennifer Schiess
Every day, nearly 500,000 school buses transport students to and from school in districts across the country. Many of these buses are older diesel models that release dangerous emissions, harming both the environment and student health. While cleaner and cheaper alternative fuels like propane, compressed natural gas (CNG), and electric exist, higher upfront costs prevent most districts from transitioning.
The good news: there’s an increasingly popular financial tool out there that could solve this problem.
Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) are typically used to finance programs that can generate both societal benefits and cost savings, particularly programs administered by nonprofit organizations and government entities. Under the SIB model, private investors provide initial capital in exchange for a return funded from eventual cost savings. Those investors, and not taxpayers, absorb the financial losses if these programs do not achieve projected savings. SIBs have been used to fund programs related to prisoner recidivism, high-quality preschool, and reducing common health hazards, with varying levels of success. As of 2016, nine SIBs operate in the United States, with 50 more in development, representing over $90 million in private investment.
As we describe in our recent report, “Miles to Go: Bringing School Transportation into the 21st Century,” the benefits of switching to buses that run on alternative fuels are well-documented. And they cost less to run, benefiting district budgets. However, in contrast to the public transit sector, where more than one in three buses runs on alternative fuels or hybrid technology, uptake in the school transportation sector has been limited. Of all buses sold in the U.S. and Canada in 2014, only six percent were alternatively fueled. In 2012, that figure was less than three percent.
This is largely due to the additional costs associated with shifting away from diesel. Propane buses cost about five percent more than their diesel counterparts; that figure is 25 percent for buses run on compressed natural gas. Electric buses, which offer the most cost savings and environmental benefit, are more expensive still — often costing an additional $100,000 to $120,000 more than diesel buses.
Transitioning to these buses may also require infrastructure expenditures in the form of fueling and charging stations. For example, case studies from the Department of Energy estimate that installing a propane fueling station costs between $55,000 and $250,000, depending on the station’s size and equipment.
This is where SIBs can help. For SIBs to work, projects have to attract investors by demonstrating the potential for a return on investment. A number of case studies have provided evidence of the potential cost savings of switching to alternatively fueled buses, savings sufficient to offset the higher upfront cost. A 2014 report from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory found savings of between $400 and $3,000 per bus per year associated with replacing diesel with propane, with the incremental costs of the vehicles and related infrastructure being offset over a period of three to eight years. And researchers from the University of Delaware have shown that using an electric school bus instead of a diesel bus could save a district roughly $230,000 per bus over a 14-year lifespan, with the initial investment being recovered after five years.
Alternatively fueled buses are cheaper to fuel, operate, and maintain than diesel buses. Alternative fuels cost less than diesel, and their prices remain relatively stable compared to diesel, which varies with the fluctuation of crude oil prices. There are also a variety of savings from maintenance costs. These buses use less oil and cheaper filters, and unlike their diesel counterparts, they do not require additional treatment to meet federal vehicle emissions standards, potentially saving thousands of dollars in maintenance each year.
Electric buses that use vehicle-to-grid technology — which allows vehicles to communicate and interact with the overall power grid, rather than just draw a charge from it — can even become “prosumers,” meaning they return energy to the grid. The energy stored in the buses’ batteries can be tapped to lower a facility’s electricity bill.
A SIB model for bus replacement could work as follows:
Graphic by authors
SIBs are not without criticism: they may limit the savings that governments could reap from traditional means of public investment. This is the other side of the equation when privatizing potential risk: governments also privatize some of the reward.
However, to date, most districts have not been able to invest the initial capital needed to replace their diesel fleets. Implementing a SIB model could help speed up this process without further draining district budgets. Such a program would not only benefit the environment: districts could also reinvest the savings to improve other aspects of their school transportation systems, or funnel those dollars back into classrooms. It could be a win-win.
To learn more about the current state of the school transportation sector, including how it impacts the environment, read Bellwether’s new report: “Miles to Go: Bringing School Transportation into the 21st Century.”
This entry was posted in Education Innovation, Education Policy, Education Technology, School Funding, State Education Policy and tagged clean energy, diesel, Funding, natural gas, school bus, school finance, School funding, SIBs, social impact bonds, US Department of Energy on May 16, 2017 by Phillip Burgoyne-Allen and Jennifer Schiess.
Donald Trump’s Election is a “Sputnik Moment” for Civics Education
By Phillip Burgoyne-Allen
Last week, the American Enterprise Institute hosted an event discussing the failings of civics education in America. The panelists referred to the dismal state of civics literacy as a “Sputnik moment” – a reference to when the Soviet Union successfully launched the world’s first satellite in 1957, stirring the United States to create the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and dramatically increase its space exploration efforts.
Nothing illustrates this comparison better than the election of Donald Trump. As Trump has demonstrated time and time again, he knows little about governing or policy – instead relying on divisive rhetoric and petulant Twitter tantrums. His most recent gaffe: at a White House convening of the nation’s governors, Trump said that “nobody knew health care could be so complicated.” As it turns out, many people knew.
However, if Trump can name all three branches of government, that alone would put him ahead of nearly three quarters of Americans. According to a 2016 survey conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center, only 26 percent of respondents could name all three branches, and 31 percent could not name a single one.
Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) also show poor results. In 2014 – the most recent NAEP civics assessment – only 23 percent of eighth grade students scored at or above the proficient level. The same is true of older students getting ready to vote. In 2010, when NAEP last tested high school seniors, only 24 percent scored at or above the proficient level. Neither of these results has changed significantly since 1998.
At the same time, faith in many of America’s institutions are at historic lows – even before Trump’s election. And it’s likely that his constant attacks on various institutions will only serve to worsen these numbers. This crisis of confidence only feeds into the growing level of polarization, making it nearly impossible to govern effectively. It’s no wonder that recent congresses have been arguably some of the least productive ever.
Despite these difficulties, the American people seem well aware of the problem at hand. According to the 2016 PDK poll of the public’s attitudes toward the public schools, 82 percent of Americans believe preparing students to be good citizens is very or extremely important. At the same time, only 33 percent think the public schools in their communities are doing that job very or extremely well.
So what is to be done? Continue reading →
This entry was posted in Accountability, Education Policy, Federal Education Policy, Politics of Education, State Education Policy, Student Assessment and tagged Accountability, annenberg public policy center, annual testing, assessment, Civics, Congress, curriculum, Donald Trump, Education, education commission of the states, ESSA, federal policy, Funding, gallup, NAEP, pdk poll, politics, Russia, state education policy, Trump on March 3, 2017 by Phillip Burgoyne-Allen.
In Some States, Pre-K Providers That Have the Money, Keep the Money, and That’s a Problem
By Ashley LiBetti
Charter schools should offer pre-k. Sometimes they can, and sometimes they can’t. One reason they can’t: Policies in ten states privilege existing pre-k providers. When these states allocate pre-k funding, they allocate funding first to providers that are currently serving children, leaving little — if any — funding for charter schools that aren’t existing providers, which many aren’t. So the providers that have the money, keep the money. Continue reading →
This entry was posted in Charter Schools, Early Childhood Education, Education Innovation, Education Policy, School Choice, State Education Policy and tagged #CharterPreK, California, Charter, charter pre-k, charter schools, Delaware, diverse delivery, Funding, Georgia, Head Start, Illinois, Kansas, Louisiana, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, pennsylvania, state education policy, state funding, state pre-k on August 5, 2015 by Ashley LiBetti.
Ohio Problems, Ohio Solutions
By Andy Smarick and Juliet Squire
Image from http://undergrad.osu.edu
We recently offered 10 policy recommendations to address the discouraging performance of Ohio’s charter school sector. We think the building blocks of our recommendations (e.g. strengthening the autonomy-accountability bargain, improving authorizing, creating smart incentives) are relevant to all states, and we suspect the specifics of some recommendations might fit the bill in some states.
But our report was written in response to conditions in Ohio. Several provisions in the Buckeye State’s law are unusual, and after more than 15 years of charter experience, Ohio can now see the long-term consequences of many of its policy decisions.
This entry was posted in Accountability, Charter Schools, Education Governance, Education Policy, Research, School Governance, School Transportation, State Education Policy and tagged Accountability, CMO, Facilities, Funding, Ohio on December 19, 2014 by Andy Smarick and Juliet Squire.
Rural Schools and Education Reform
By Andy Smarick
Here at Bellwether’s great new blog, I’m going to be writing regularly about rural K-12, with special attention to the important developments getting too little attention and the interesting reform work flying under the radar.
Some of these posts will be dedicated to fascinating, hot-off-the-presses research from the ROCI Task Force, a joint effort of a group of terrific scholars (led by Paul Hill), Bellwether, and the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation. Stay tuned for my first installment along these lines: a piece about Hill’s excellent introductory piece to the ROCI work and contemporary rural education reform.
But to get things kicked off, I wanted to offer just a flavor of the big stuff going on in this field. Continue reading →
This entry was posted in Common Core, Education Policy, Politics of Education, Research, School Leadership, State Education Policy, Talent and tagged Common Core, Funding, Idaho, Mississippi, Native American, rural education, South Carolina on November 25, 2014 by Andy Smarick.
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About AAI
Leadership Body
List of Global Events
AAIC 2020
RAC EUROPE 2020
RAC AFRICA 2020
Statutes of AIESEC Alumni International
Article 1.1. An international association is set up on a continuing basis called “AIESEC ALUMNI INTERNATIONAL”, hereafter referred to as the “Association”.
Article 1.2. The Association is an international association free of any profit-making aims. It is governed by Swiss Law, and specifically by:
(ii) the present Statutes
(iii) the Standing Orders.
Article 2.1. The registered office of the association will be located in the Kanton of Zug, Switzerland. The precise street and number address can be defined by the Executive Board and notified to members and other third parties as deemed necessary.
Article 2.2. It may be moved to any other location in Switzerland by decision of the Executive Board, subject to confirmation by Congress, which decision shall be published in the official means of communication of the association.
Article 2.3 The Executive Board may also dislocate operational functions within or outside the Kanton of Zug, or Switzerland or outsource them.
Article 3.1. The Association’s principal object is to contribute to international understanding and to assist its members for the purposes of their personal development. The Association links its members together over and beyond considerations of culture, race, sex, nationality, religion, economic system and sector, hierarchy or generation.
Article 3.2. The Association is international, non-political, independent and does not pursue profit-making goals.
Article 3.3. The Association’s philosophy is based on the same principles as the AIESEC’s (Association Internationale des Étudiants en Sciences Économiques et Commerciales), but it has inherent objectives separate from those of the AIESEC.
Article 3.4. Because the Association is founded on non-mercantile relations, its activities are based on having trust and personal understanding. This will serve to attain the objectives of the Association and of each individual member.
Article 3.5. To this end, the members of the Association commit to creating opportunities for continual, close, cordial relations amongst the members; to helping other members in developing their professional aptitudes and expanding their cultural horizons, and to maintaining cooperative relations with AIESEC.
4.1.1. Types of membership
Members ex officio
Current AAI Board members
Current Heads of Regional AIESEC Alumni Organizations
Regional AIESEC Alumni Organizations
National AIESEC Alumni Organizations
4.1.2. Those eligible for membership are former active members of AIESEC.
4.1.3. Membership of the Association is obtained by:
– submission of an application form to the Association – payment of the annual membership fee to the Association, which membership fee shall be paid upon joining the Association and thereafter annually at the beginning of each calendar year. An individual eligible for membership of the Association who is in compliance with the above stated requirements is hereafter referred to as a “Member”. – An Organization with which AAI has signed partnership agreement that is in full force is hereafter referred to as a “Member” as long as conditions as defined in the partnership agreement are met.
Article 4.2. Rights.
4.2.1. Members are entitled to receive full information concerning the Association, to participate in all its events and activities, to propose and implement activities within the framework of the purpose and philosophy of the Association.
4.2.2. Attendance at General Assembly and Voting Rights
All Members have the right to attend General Assembly.
Each Member ex officio has one vote.
Each Organization has one vote. National AIESEC Alumni organizations (NAA) have one additional vote per hundred individual international members of their country at the day of congress. If an NAA’s membership is lower than a hundred, it has one vote.
Article 4.3. Resignation, exclusion and suspension
4.3.1. A Member may resign from the Association at any time by notifying the Executive Board in writing.
4.3.2. A Member who acts contrary to the Statutes, who refuses to conform to decisions of the Executive Board acting within the limits of its mandate, or to decisions of the Congress, or whose conduct is considered detrimental to the interests of the Association may be excluded from the Association by a simple majority decision of the Executive Board. A substantiated decision by the Board to exclude a Member must be submitted to Congress for ratification, but suspension may be effective pending such confirmation. The Member concerned has the right to appeal against this decision at Congress.
4.3.3. No refund of the annual membership fee will be made to Members who resign or who are excluded.
Article 5.1. All Members are convened to the Congress.
Article 5.2. Congress shall physically convene at least once a year. The President of the Executive Board shall publish the convocations on the AAI website and/or on the Member’s group page on social media or send out the convocation by email at least one month before Congress together with the agenda thereof.
Article 5.3. An extraordinary Congress may be called for by one third of the Members or by one hundred (100) Members, but in no case by fewer than 15% of the Members. The convocation to such extraordinary Congress shall be published on the AAI website and/or the Member’s group page on social media or sent by email to all Members
by the President of the Executive Board at least one month before the Congress together with the agenda thereof.
Article 5.4. The Congress shall:
5.4.1. elect the Executive Board members among the members nominated by the nomination committee.
5.4.2. elect the auditors.
5.4.3. determine the annual membership fee.
5.4.4. approve the audited financial statements of the previous year and the budget of the following year.
5.4.5. approve the report of the Executive Board.
Article 5.5. Congress has full authority for the fulfillment of the purposes of the Association, including assigning responsibility for projects and activities of the Association, modifying the Statutes and dissolving the Association. It may revoke Members of the Executive Board.
Article 5.6. The quorum is composed of Members votes being present during the Congress Decisions are taken by a simple majority of the votes present or represented at the Congress.
Article 5.7. The business of the Congress shall be conducted in accordance with the Standing Orders annexed to these Statutes. Electronic vote and vote by correspondence shall be allowed, within the framework of applicable legal provisions.
Article 5.8. The minutes of the meetings of the Congress will be distributed amongst the Members by an (electronic) newsletter as well as by publication on the AAI website. Furthermore the minutes are kept in a register held at the registered office of the Association.
Article 6.1. The Association is administered and represented by an Executive Board, which shall be composed of four to twelve duly elected members. The Executive Board shall propose and Congress shall decide in the congress preceding the election procedure the actual number of Executive Board members to be elected in any election cycle. For election to the Executive Board, AAI membership is required of each candidate. These Members shall represent at least three nationalities, none of which may form a simple majority of the Executive Board. The President of AIESEC International and the duly elected and qualified presidents of Regional Alumni Associations with which AAI has signed partnership agreements that are in full force shall be invited to serve as ex-officio and non-voting members of the Executive Board. Members of the Executive Board shall receive no compensation from AAI.
Article 6.2. In case of a permanent vacancy occurring, the Executive Board may co-opt another Member to fill the vacancy.
Article 6.3. The term of the mandate of a member of the Executive Board is three years. A member shall serve no more than six consecutive years on the Executive Board. A member could be elected for the full term of three years or for a partial term of one or two years to ‘round up’ the equal number of members in each year’s class. One-third of the members shall be elected each year at the first Congress of that year. The Member shall take office with effect immediately following his or her election. Outgoing Members of the Executive Board are eligible for re-election within their term limit of six consecutive years.
Article 6.4. The Members of the Executive Board shall agree among themselves on the attribution of the functions assigned to the Executive Board by the Congress. They shall agree among themselves the person to serve as President of the Association, another one to serve as Vice-President, and yet another one to serve as Secretary/Treasurer. The other members of the Executive Board will serve in other positions.
Article 6.5. The meetings of the Executive Board can be held physically, by electronic means (e.g. video- or telephone conference) or by written resolutions. The Executive Board shall meet at least twice a year, when convened by the President or when called for by at least fifty percent of its Members.
Article 6.6. The task of the Executive Board shall be:
6.6.1. To coordinate the activities of the Association and to design and implement activities jointly with the Members to safeguard the interests of the Association, to promote its growth and to secure its future within the framework of Article 3.
6.6.2. To represent the Association and to attend to all its administrative matters, and the legal and fiscal obligations required by the Swiss legislation as well as that of the Kanton of Zug.
6.6.3. To be responsible for the management of all assets, rights and commitments of the Association. Among the rights of the Association are the intellectual property rights linked to the intangible assets of the Association, such as symbols, trade marks, commercial names, domain names, the contents of instruments such as data bases, software, designs, models, photos, all of which can be protected by copyright without the need for formal process or public announcement. The Executive Board shall be allowed to appoint management staff, determine their conditions of employment, and oversee their work. Such management staff may include an Executive Director.
6.6.4. To prepare the organization and the agenda of the next Congress.
6.6.5. To call on any other Member, or third party, to assist it as it may deem necessary.
6.6.6. The Executive Board shall establish a Nominations Committee and appoint its members. The Nominations Committee shall determine the procedure for nomination to the function of Executive Board member of the Association and shall publish this procedure on the Association’s website.
Article 6.7. A quorum of the Executive Board consists of the majority of its Members. The decisions of the Executive Board are taken by simple majority.
Article 6.8. All acts binding the Association shall be signed by two Members of the Executive Board, one of which shall be the President or his/her appointee, (or a Member of the Executive Board appointed by the President for this task), who shall not be required to prove to a third party that they have the right to do so. Individual Board Members can be held responsible only for implementing the mandate they have received.
Budgets and Accounts
Article 7.1. The fiscal year shall run from 1 January to 31 December.
Article 7.2. The Executive Board is responsible for the finances of the Association and it shall appoint a Finance Officer of the Association who shall maintain the accounts of the Association and prepare periodic financial statements for submission to the Executive Board, including the annual statements to be submitted by 31 March each year.
Article 7.3. The auditing of the accounts shall be undertaken by two auditors elected at Congress. The mandate of the auditors shall run for two fiscal years, commencing on 1 January the year following their respective election. The auditors are eligible for re-election.
Article 7.4. The Executive Board shall prepare an annual budget and shall submit it to Congress for approval.
Amendments to the Statutes
Article 8.1. All proposals to amend the Statutes or to dissolve the Association must be proposed by the Executive Board or by any Members of the Association.
Article 8.2. The Executive Board must inform all Members of the Association of any proposal to amend the Statutes or to dissolve the Association at least one month before the Congress, which shall legislate on the issue.
Article 8.3. No decision to amend the Statutes or to dissolve the Association will be valid unless voted by a two-thirds majority of the Members votes present or represented at the Congress.
Article 8.4. Amendments to the purpose of the Association as defined in article 3 of the Statutes will become valid only upon approval by two thirds of the votes of the association. Any amendments to the Statutes will only become opposable towards third parties once the necessary publication formalities have been fulfilled.
Article 8.5. The Congress will determine the modalities of dissolving and liquidating the Association. At the moment of the liquidation of the Association and once all debts have been paid and all liabilities have been fulfilled, the remaining assets of the Association will be allocated by the liquidator in accordance with the decision of the Congress in this respect. In accordance to the Law, the remaining assets will be allocated to an altruistic purpose.
Article 9. Any other matters not foreseen in these Statutes, will be handled in accordance with the Swiss Civil code and its provisions for nonprofit associations.
Rigiweg N° 13 - 6343 Holzhäusern ZG Switzerland.
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Statues of AIESEC Alumni International
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Dixon, Maynard
Born on a ranch near Fresno, California in the San Joaquin Valley, Maynard Dixon, originally named Henry St. John Dixon, became a noted illustrator, landscape, and mural painter of the early 20th-century American West, especially the desert, Indians, early settlers, and cowboys.
Maynard Dixon’s mentor, Charles Lummis, encouraged Dixon early in his painting career to leave California, and “travel East to see the real West”. Maynard Dixon did just that, traveling the many roads that crisscrossed the West: Montana, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico. Lasting weeks, to even months, these trips provided Maynard Dixon with the inspiration to create. He was forever drawn to the vistas and peoples inhabiting these remote western lands.
When Maynard Dixon first visited Arizona, at the turn of the 20th century, it was wild, open territory, inhabited primarily by Hispanics and Native Americans. In 1902, he made his first visit to Lorenzo Hubbell’s Ganado trading post, and came away with wonderful sketches he would use as inspiration for many years to come. Viewing these works, one can imagine the awe Maynard Dixon felt in the raw beauty of the landscape and its inhabitants. He would return to Arizona many times, ultimately making Tucson his final home.
The Arizona paintings represent the entire gamut of painting styles Maynard Dixon utilized during his productive career. Heavy impasto and bold colors are typical of his work in the teens. Many of these canvases depict real places and people that Dixon experienced between 1914, and 1916. By the twenties, Maynard Dixon expanded his technique, experimenting with both post-Impressionism, and Cubism. Surrounded by the landscape and people of Southern Arizona in the final years of his life, Maynard Dixon created works with a sparing use of paint and subdued color scheme. Paintings utilizing Maynard Dixon’s powerful command of light and shadow are often considered quintessential Dixon works.
Although Maynard Dixon called California home for most of his life, this state was inspiration for only a fraction of the work he produced. Many California paintings were done around his boyhood home of Refuge in the San Joaquin Valley; although many of these works look as if they could have been painted anywhere in the Southwest. Like the majority of Maynard Dixon’s work, the California paintings primarily depict remote, desert landscapes.
Maynard Dixon only visited Montana twice, in 1909 and 1917. The lush, heavily-tree-laden vistas did not appeal to him as much as the barren Southwestern deserts, but Maynard Dixon’s love and respect for the Native Americans he met and lived with for a time were the inspiration for the majority of this region’s paintings. Although primarily small in size, the canvases give fantastic insight into the life of the northern Plains Indians. Due to the scarcity and universally appealing subject matter, the Montana works are some of the most sought after by collectors and historians alike.
The time Maynard Dixon spent in New Mexico from September 1931 through January 1932 was a happy, contented time for Dixon. Living with wife Dorothea Lange, and children John and Dan, in a house provided by his dear friend Mabel Dodge Luhan, Maynard Dixon completed some of his most productive, and inspired paintings. During the five-month stay, Maynard Dixon was very prolific, painting more than forty canvases of all sizes. Many of these paintings told a story about the interaction between the land and its people. At that time, Northern New Mexico was the heart of a thriving art community.
The Taos Society, a group of well-trained and respected artists invited Maynard Dixon to join their exclusive alliance. True to form, Maynard Dixon declined the offer, finding their bylaws on which paintings could be exhibited too confining and rigid. Dixon, the self-taught, highly individualistic painter, had great inner strength and distinctiveness. The New Mexico period represents some of Maynard Dixon ‘s finest works, ones in which his special qualities ar clearly imparted.
Nevada could have easily claimed Maynard Dixon as one of it’s own. If not for the cool weather and high altitude of Carson City, Maynard Dixon might well have spent his last years there instead of Tucson. Many of his strongest canvases resulted from the places he visited in Nevada during the 1920’s and 30’s. One of his favorite and frequent subjects were the trees that prominently dotted this Southwestern terrain. In addition, some of Maynard Dixon’s finest desert landscapes stem from his time in Nevada.
Utah was a favorite place of Maynard Dixon’s; he loved the light and found the Mormon people gracious and kind. In a Christmas card to his good friend Joe, Maynard Dixon wrote, “May times I wanted to write you, but struggle for health takes a lot out of me. Big news is we are going to quit Calif. & build us a log house in Utah, far from any large town. Mormons are simple honest farming people. We like them. Beautiful country, but cold in winter. Don’t know if we can make a living there, but take a gamblers chance.”
Given his love for Utah, it seems fitting that Provo’s Brigham Young University has the largest museum collection of Maynard Dixon lifework paintings. Most of the Utah paintings are from 1933 through 1945. Mount Carmel was Maynard Dixon’s summer retreat from the Arizona desert heat. Zion National Park was also a favorite area. The Utah paintings show the stark dichotomy of the state’s terrain. While there are many landscapes of harsh, unforgiving land, Maynard Dixon also captured serene, mountain meadows.
The people Maynard Dixon depicted in his paintings reflect the cultural mix of the American West of the early 20th century. Maynard Dixon was delighted to live among all the peoples of the region, and his portrayals of the Hispanic, Native American, and Anglo inhabitants are without comparison. Maynard Dixon also used the human form to allude to more ethereal subjects. Some of his most poignant and gripping works were the handful of Great Depression-era paintings done in 1934 and 1935. Maynard Dixon’s wife, famed photographer Dorothea Lange, was devoted to chronicling the plight of the migrant workers and the San Francisco maritime worker’s strike. Her involvement undoubtedly influenced Maynard Dixon’s choice of this atypical subject matter. The images of expressionless men done in somber grays and blues show skillful use of light and shadow to accentuate the distress in the subjects he portrayed.
The Depression-era paintings are the least common in Maynard Dixon’s body of work. The majority of these treasures are located in the Museum of Art collection at Brigham Young niversity. Maynard Dixon also portrayed people and their intimate interactions with the land around them.
Maynard Dixon respected the Hopi and their culture, and spent many months living with them. Portraying the important association between man and animal, Maynard Dixon captured another essential facet of early 20th-century Western life. Indeed, the horse was a subject found throughout his career, from his earliest drawings and illustrations, to later work. The remote western landscapes and their early 20th-century inhabitants inspired Maynard Dixon. One only has to gaze upon these majestic paintings to understand Maynard Dixon’s vision of the west.
Dr. J. Mark Sublette
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Home>Politics & Policy>2 dead in ethnic clashes as Ivorian presidential campaigns begin
2 dead in ethnic clashes as Ivorian presidential campaigns begin
By AT editor - 19 October 2020 at 12:16 am
Even as the polls closed Sunday in Guinea, where tensions ran high ahead of the contest between President Alpha Condé and challenger Cellou Dalein Diallo, neighboring Côte d’Ivoire saw fatal ethnic clashes ahead of its own bitterly disputed presidential elections.
At least two people died in Bongouanou, where members of the Agni ethnic group fought with the Dioula people over their preferred candidates in the run-up to October 31 elections. Agence France-Presse reported that the home of Pascal Affi N’Guessan, a former prime minister facing off against President Alassane Ouattara, was burned along with houses and businesses that were set ablaze.
The weekend violence was the latest in a string of episodes in Côte d’Ivoire, where the 78-year-old Ouattara’s decision to seek a third term followed the death of Amadou Gon Coulibaly in July. Coulibaly, a former Ivorian prime minister, was set to become the ruling RHDP party candidate after Ouattara agreed not to run again and said he was ready to step aside for the next generation.
But opposition leaders from the Ivorian Popular Front (FPI) and Parti Démocratique de la Côte d’Ivoire-Rassemblement Démocratique Africain (PDCI-RDA), the main political opposition parties, reject both the Ouattara candidacy they see as illegitimate and the constitutional changes that allowed for a third term in office.
Campaigning began on Friday in Côte d’Ivoire, with Ouattara visiting Man on Sunday for a rally with traditional and religious leaders.
Image: President Alassane Ouattara
Pascal Affi N’Guessan
Third Term
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Bronze Cockerel from Benin Kingdom to be returned to Nigeria
On December 9, 2019 December 8, 2019 By Dr. Y.In Great Art, Great Civilizations
Bronze cockerel ‘Okukor’ at Jesus College in Cambridge (Source: The Guardian)
Another return of an artifact from a Western institution to an African country, which I applaud… but I remain guarded. Why am I skeptical? Well, because if over 50% of artifacts in the great museums of this world (Louvre, British Museum, MET, Tervuren, etc) which generate a lot of money, and knowledge to western schools, researchers, etc, is made up of looted treasures… will the benefactors of the loot willingly return these? And if they return these, who is to say that it is the real thing? One should not expect a thief not to cheat you again! Below are excerpts from the article in The Guardian. Enjoy!
Rooster from Benin Kingdom (18th century) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the MET)
A bronze cockerel taken by British colonial forces and donated to Jesus College Cambridge is to be returned to Nigeria in an unprecedented step that adds momentum to the growing repatriations movement.
The Okukor, described by the college as a “royal ancestral heirloom”, will be one of the first Benin bronzes to be returned to Nigeria by a major British institution since the punitive expedition in 1897 when thousands of bronzes were stolen from Benin City by British forces.
No specific date for return has been released but the college stated that the bronze cockerel “belongs with the current Oba at the Court of Benin”. The return was recommended by Jesus College’s Legacy of Slavery Working Party (LSWP), a group dedicated to looking at the institution’s connections to slavery, which confirmed the piece was donated in 1905 by the father of a student.
[…] Victor Ehikhamenor, a Nigerian artist and member of the Benin Dialogue Group, said: “No matter how small the gesture may look, it is a huge step towards the realisation of restitution of the works from the Benin Kingdom that were looted by the British. This is very important example, which I hope other Europeans, especially British institutions, will follow without any excuses or delays.”
Dan Hicks, a professor of archaeology at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford and a representative of the Benin Dialogue Group, said: … “In the past, our attention on this matter was focused on national collections like the British Museum and the V&A – but in reality such loot is held in dozens of institutions across the regions: city museums, art galleries and the collections of universities.”
[…] The Jesus College announcement comes almost exactly 12 months after the release of a report commissioned by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, which recommended the return of colonial-era artefacts by France.
Queen from Benin kingdom (at the MET)
The report’s authors, the Senegalese economist Felwine Sarr and the French art historian Bénédicte Savoy, told the Guardian that the British Museum, which houses a huge collection of the Benin bronzes, was acting like “an ostrich with its head in the sand” by not acting faster on repatriations.
[…] Since the release of the report, Ivory Coast, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have made formal requests for the return of artefacts. European countries including France and Germany have committed to handing back objects, with the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam opening talks with Sri Lanka and Indonesia and describing the Netherlands’ failure to return stolen artefacts as a “disgrace”.
The news comes a week after Open Society Foundations (OSF) announced a $15m initiative aimed at strengthening efforts to “restore cultural objects looted from the African continent”. …
African treasuresBenin bronzeBenin kingdomBenin statuesLooted African treasures
Malagasy Tale: Trimobe and the Little Girl
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4 thoughts on “Bronze Cockerel from Benin Kingdom to be returned to Nigeria”
I’m happy something is being returned, but there needs to be way more to go back to Africa. This is one of the reasons why I wrote and recorded the Art Theft series for my upcoming album. I have one song called Art Theft: Nigeria where I do a spoken word piece with Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa, and English words while a marimba plays.
Since the artifact is from the Benin Kingdom, all I can think about is that one scene in Black Panther where Killmonger schools the museum worker in England. Even though he was the “bad guy” in that movie, he was absolutely right in telling her off and wanting the artifacts to be returned. You don’t see Africa looting European art, that’s for sure.
Yes… I do remember that scene in Black Panther… and yes…more artifacts should be returned to Africa.
Sure thing. I understand your issues with that movie which I also share some of them as well, but that scene had so much truth in it even though they made Killmonger look like the bad guy in that situation despite making a very legitimate point against that museum worker when they talk.
Definitely, and I wish it was the case with returning the artifacts.
Pingback: Ospreyshire Origins: Art Theft series (Benin, Nigeria, Senegal) | Ospreyshire's Realm
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A Deeper Peace of Mind
What's possible beyond anxiety?
Hi, it's Nicola here.
As you're coming to the end of the Little Peace of Mind Program, I wanted to let you know about the next steps available to you.
Chances are you fall into one of these two camps:
1. You find you just care less about your anxiety. It shows up some days, it doesn't at all on others, but it's no longer front page news. So the next question is: What's possible for you when you're no longer constrained by fear? What could you do and create in the world? If a few short weeks has made this much difference, what else could be on offer for you when you continue this exploration?
or this may be more like you:
2. You don't fall into group 1 just yet but something seems to have shifted. It's hard to put your finger on it, but you feel somehow calmer more of the time. This stuff actually seems to be working!!! You don't quite 'get it' yet, but you KNOW there's something here that's helpful. And you simply want to keep heading in this direction.
That's why I created A Deeper Peace of Mind.
A way to continue to see more.
To 'get it' more deeply.
To explore who and what we really are in more depth.
To transform.
- Access to the weekly live Little Peace of Mind Monday calls-
Many of you have let me know that there are questions that have come up for you as you've travelled through the last 30 days that you'd love to hear me answer. The self-study route is great but you'd really like to be able to join those calls you've been seeing talked about in the Facebook Group.
Well now, you don't have to miss a thing!
In A Deeper Peace of Mind you are invited to drop into as many of the Monday calls as you wish to for as long as you're a member. They take place at 3pm Eastern/ 8pm UK each week and If you can't make one live - the recordings are all sent out to you the following day.
Doing great and busy getting on with life? Great - no need to show up. Have something you'd like coaching on or have a question about? Show up to that weeks' call and ask away.
These calls are run by me or another trained member of my team and you can ask questions here about ANY element of your Little Peace of Mind or Deeper Peace of Mind materials - indeed any area you'd still like coaching on.
- The Deeper Peace of Mind Freedom Program -
You'll start a new series of mini-Masterclasses in the Deeper Peace of Mind Freedom Program, both 'Advanced' and going back over the basics. This has been designed as the perfect follow-on from the Little Peace of Mind Program and we'll slow the pace a little now, so you'll receive one new mini-Masterclass every 2 weeks over the next 6 months.
Here are the topics we'll cover:
1. The Game of Life and Living - A Little Peace of Mind was all about the Game of Living. How we create our moment to moment experience of life, no matter WHAT is going on in our circumstances. Now we'll explore this more deeply, but also start to take a look at the Game of Life you're currently playing to see what those might look like without anxiety. Whether that's as a parent, a worker, a care-giver, business-owner or spouse.
2. How to Navigate - You're probably so used to navigating life by fear, that you've forgotten how to make decisions about what to do from any other space. This is where we get to take a fresh look at how to move forwards in life navigating from a completely different place.
3. Always Less To Do Than You Think - Part One - Here's where I get to introduce you to Dr Amy Johnson - an amazing teacher in this field. Together we created this masterclass for you so that you can see there's always less to do than you think to move through anxiety.
4. The Space - When all those piles and piles of thinking start to drop away, what's left? The answer is there's a space. A huge infinite space. What's that all about? Here's where we get to experience and understand this further.
5. Going Faster than the Speed of Life - You know sometimes you have the same insight over and over again at a deeper level each time? For it's continually seeing that every time I'm struggling, it's usually because I'm trying to go faster than the speed of life. Same for most of my clients 🙂
6. Less of Me on my Mind - Am I getting it? Am I getting it fast enough? Deep enough? How's my anxiety today? What should I do next in my life? How do I feel today? We're all prone to filling our minds with thoughts about me, me, me. What if we didn't have to do that?
7. Always Less To Do Than You Think - Part Two - Dr George Pransky is one the earliest pioneers in this field and I was lucky enough to mentor with him and his wife Linda for four months. He and I recorded this masterclass for you to give you a completely fresh perspective on the fact that this is far simpler than you might think.
8. The Only Thing we Need to See - You're going to have to wait until you get there - no plot-spoilers here....!
9. "I'm OK, what about them?" - So you're getting it. But what about that person who still treats you as if you're a person consumed with panic and anxiety? And what about that kid/husband/wife that you still worry about/ winds you up like nothing else. You're going to love this module!
10. A Perfect Life? - What does a 'perfect life' mean to you? Here we revisit the Game of Living from masterclass 1 and see just what it means to live with peace of mind, regardless of ANY circumstance. No, really.
11. Always Less To Do Than You Think - Part Three - Barb Patterson was a big fan 'if it's to be, it's up to me' and tried to control every element of her work and life. She was one of my earliest coaches in this field and I felt like I'd found my soul sister. That's why I've got to share her with you.
12. What it means to Thrive- To THRIVE. Not just to get by, not just to cope, not just to manage. But to thrive in every area of your life. This is the 'gold dust' in this whole conversation. A life of living full out and fearless. And living to your full potential.
– Raw & Uncut –
Here you'll find some recordings of ME being coached by Michael Neill, Dicken Bettinger and Aaron Turner - some of the leading teachers in this field. With the focus not being all about you, sometimes it’s just easier to hear something new. Plus you get to see that we’re all human and we all get caught up – such a relief to find out we’re all the same!
- Deep Dive Q&A Call -
On the first Tuesday of each month at 3pm Eastern/8pm UK, we'll also get together on zoom for a Deep Dive Call.
These calls are perfect if you find yourself now 'bored' of discussing anxiety! Here I'll share what I'm seeing that's new for me and open up for questions about any of the Deeper Peace of Mind modules.
Here we explore what's possible now that anxiety is no longer ruling every moment of our lives. What do we want to create? What do we want to bring into form? What about that new job? That new relationship? That sudden desire to create art? Let's explore this game of life.
- A Deeper Peace of Mind Facebook Group-
We’ll move you into a new private Facebook group as you’re now at a more ‘advanced’ stage in your journey. You can see the fear and worries of the new members of A Little Peace of Mind and you can just feel you’re a million miles from that place. Of course you get to keep your access to that group, but in the Deeper Peace of Mind Facebook Group, you’ll be able to engage in conversation at a deeper level.
This is where I’ll post our monthly Mini-Masterclass and book recommendation so we can keep the discussion relevant and alive.
You KNOW which direction you’re looking in, and you want to hang out with others who do too. You’ll have access to the Group as long as you’re a member of A Deeper Peace of Mind.
– LightHearted Parents –
In this series of videos and audios, you’ll see how to bring out the best in your children and in your role as a parent. And even if you’re not a parent – the training will help you see all of your relationships in a fresh light.
– LightHearted Kids –
Many people have approached me asking: How do I share this understanding with my children? So I created this whole series of videos, specifically designed for ages 6-13 to help explain everything you’ve been learning. It’s also a great beginners guide – I learned a whole heap about the basics as I was making them!
– When Does It Start?-
Straight away!
– Your Investment-
A Deeper Peace of Mind is available to you for £30 a month (Plus VAT if you’re in the EU).
However, I’m offering your first month of A Deeper Peace of Mind COMPLETELY FREE if you sign up in the next 48 hours.
(I wanted to make it a no-brainer for you to at least try it out!)
That gives you ongoing access to everything above for as long as you’re a member.
There’s no minimum commitment ever and you can cancel at any point.
But more importantly, what’s on offer here is a deeper sense of your own peace of mind.
How long do I have to stay a member?
You can stay as long as you like!
What happens if I cancel?
Please be aware that when you cancel, you will lose access to everything inside your Deeper Peace of Mind Portal – so that will include all past and future Masterclasses, Q&A calls, Raw and Uncut modules, and the Deeper Peace of Mind Facebook Group.
You’ll still have access to your 30 Day Program materials and our main Little Peace of Mind Facebook group – those are yours to keep.
How easy is it to cancel?
Super easy! You can cancel yourself with one-click inside your portal any time you choose, or just email me and I’ll do it for you.
How much is this in USD?
Here’s a link to the current exchange rate.
Please note, your bank may charge a slightly different rate.
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Home CelebritiesNewswoman Judy Woodruff
Newswoman Judy Woodruff
https://americanprofile.com/articles/judy-woodruff-cnn-journalist/
By American Profile on September 25, 2005
https://americanprofile.com/wp-content/uploads/2005/09/judy_woodruff_gc2-150x150.jpg
Do you know if Judy Woodruff is doing anything specific now that she is no longer with CNN?
—Marli N., Arizona
She's not doing one specific thing, but many different things. "I'm actively exploring a number of journalistic projects, among them consulting with the Pew Charitable Trusts about producing a year of televised reports on what's on the minds of America's younger generation," says Judy Woodruff, who is married to Al Hunt, a fellow journalist who works for The Wall Street Journal. "I'll be a senior fellow this fall at Harvard's Shorenstein Center for the Press, Politics and Public Policy. I remain a consultant and occasional contributor for CNN, have appeared on NBC News' Meet the Press as an analyst and have packed two sons off to college!"
Balloon Artist Larry Moss
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2) Outcry intensifies over Papua blackout
3) Government hands-off on West Papua violence
4) Indonesia Imposes Internet Blackout On West Papua 2
https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2019/08/25/the-elephant-in-the-room-racism-in-indonesia.html
Ghina Ghaliya and Fadli The Jakarta Post
Jakarta and Batam / Sun, August 25, 2019 / 01:51 pm
Fueled by a viral video that appeared to show alleged security personnel using the derogatory slur “monkey” against Papuan students in Surabaya, East Java, the longstanding racial prejudice against residents of Papua and West Papua boiled over during recent tensions in the two least developed provinces in the country.
The 2010 census conducted by Statistics Indonesia (BPS) found that the country had 1,340 etnicities, with the Javanese formingthe majority at about 40 percent and Papuans comprising only 1.14 percent. Soeharto’s New Order repressed sectarian tensions, including anti-Chinese and anti-Islam sentiments, by banning individuals from public expression of tribal affiliations, religion, race and societal groups (SARA).
Enacted during the New Order, Article 156 of the Criminal Code bans all SARA-based prejudice and carries a maximum sentence of four years in prison. Two additional laws were later issued – Law No. 40/2008 on eliminating racial and ethnic discrimination and Law No. 19/2016 on Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) – to protect citizens from all discrimination based on their religion, ethnicity and race and to ban hate speech on the internet.
President Joko Widodo has instructed National Police chief Gen.Tito Karnavian to take legal action against acts of racial and ethnic discrimination in the Surabaya case. While the country has seen many religious conflicts, it has often overlooked racially motivated public tension and conflicts.
Has anyone been convicted of SARA?
The Tanjungpinang Police of Riau named on Thursday Bobby Jayanto, the chairman of the NasDem Party's Tanjungpinang chapter, as a suspect of "racist" speech following a nearly two-month investigation.
Bobby, who is of Chinese descent and a leader of the local Chinese-Indonesian community, reportedly used "black skin" to refer to non-Chinese-Indonesians in a public speech, and has been accused of violating the Criminal Code and Article 16 of the 2008 Anti-discrimination Law.
Citing the same law, the Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI) demanded on Friday that the government investigate law enforcement personnel and members of the public for alleged racial abuse against Papuan students in Surabaya.
As the Anti-discrimination Law has not been fully implemented, it is rare for an individual to be convicted of racial discrimination.
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan faced a civil lawsuit and was accused of violating the Anti-discrimination Law for using the term “pribumi” (native Indonesian) in his inaugural address in October 2017, which some people viewed as a revival of colonial racism. In June 2018, the Central Jakarta District Court dismissed the suit, saying that it did not meet the legal requirements.
Does racism persist in Indonesia?
According to the YLBHI, at least 33 alleged human rights violations against Papuan students have occurred over the last two years in areas such as Surabaya, Semarang, Yogyakarta, Bali and Makassar. These occurred through intimidation and threat, hate speech, raids, and arbitrary arrests or detentions.It said that the racially motivated acts were believed to have involved law enforcement personnel.
Emmanuel Gobay, a lawyer with the Papua Legal Aid Institute (LBH Papua), said that racial abuse targeting minority groups was rampant in the country. He added that racial discrimination was also prevalent in the criminal justice system, considering how quickly law enforcement responded when an alleged violator hailed from a minority ethnic group or religious background.
"When the perpetrators are Papuans, the police will process any crime swiftly," he said.
Human rights lawyer and activist Febi Yonesta of YLBHI said Chinese-Indonesians generally had socioeconomic privilege compared to Papuans, with greater access to good education, health care and other public services, as long they could pay more.
As most Papuans were underprivileged, any acts of discrimination against them would only add to their suffering.
“In terms of persecution, [Chinese-Indonesians] are more prone to [being victims of] racial violence because of their social status, while Papuans have been victims of state persecution due to their stigmatization as 'rebels' and racial profiling by state apparatuses. The negative public perception of Papuans is prompted by the actions of officials,” he said.
Who has the power to end racial discrimination and abuse?
While the YLBHI's records show that racial discrimination and abuse are widespread against Papuans, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has different data.
Komnas HAM recorded only 12 reports on general acts of racial discrimination in 2018 and only two in 2017. The reports primarily concerned restrictions and hate speech, and the highest reported parties were regional administrations, law enforcement personnel and mass organizations.
Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM) researcher Wahyudi Djafar said that Komnas HAM was not fully aware of its functions, and that it had contributed to the persistence of racial discrimination and abuse.
Komnas HAM has a major role in upholding the law under Government Regulation (PP) No. 56/2010, and it may report on, review, provide counsel for, monitor and mediate racial discrimination and abuse cases. The PP also stipulates that Komnas HAM can recommend legal proceedings against any alleged acts of racial discrimination and racially motivated crimes it uncovers, whether they are perpetrated by individuals, community groups and private institutions, or even state institutions and the government.
The commission is also authorized to request that the House of Representatives or regional legislative councils (DPRD) pursue an investigation, in the event that the the government or state institutions do not act on its recommendations.
"As for the Surabaya case, Komnas HAM must oversee it until it is resolved, as it possesses many powers according to the regulation. It is important for Komnas HAM because if [the case] is resolved, it could be a benchmark of how to handle racial abuse [cases] in the future so that it does not happen again,” said Wahyudi.
What can be done in the Papuan students case?
Although Komnas HAM has not yet issued a recommendation, commissioner Beka Ulung Hapsara said it was committed to overseeing the case until its completion, as the law was still discriminatory in its implementation. The greater an individual's political power, the easier it was for them to "play with the law", he said.
"At the same time, we urge the President to manage the implementation of the law and prevent similar cases from reoccurring in the future,” Beka said.
The House has also expressed its willingness to closely monitor the military and police to ensure sure that all perpetrators were tried and convicted.
https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2019/08/24/outcry-intensifies-over-papua-blackout.html?src=mostviewed&pg=/
Gemma Holliani Cahya and Ardila Syakriah The Jakarta Post
Jakarta / Sat, August 24 2019 / 12:14 am
Papua is widely known for its poor telephone and internet network, and coupled with challenging geographical terrain, it is a difficult region for gathering and verifying information.
But conditions have worsened since Wednesday when the government decided to block cellular services in Papua and West Papua under the pretext of security and maintaining stability amid unrest following racial abuse against Papuan students in Surabaya, East Java.
Dozens of human rights activists protested the blackout in front of the Communications and Information Ministry building on Friday, demanding that the government lift the restriction.
The situation has frustrated residents who want to stay informed about further violence erupting in their area. For example, witnesses in Sorong, Timika, reported hearing gunshots and tear gas being fired in their neighborhood.
A witness contacted by The Jakarta Post in Fakfak reported arson and tear gas being shot on Wednesday. The blackout was announced only hours after the government said it would deploy an additional 1,300 security personnel to the restive region.
The National Police have also confirmed that one man was killed in a shootout in Wamena, Papua. National Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Asep Adi Saputra said on Friday that the gun battle broke out as Jayawijaya Police officers and military personnel were searching for a group they believed to have fired shots near Jimawa traditional market on Thursday. The police said the man was a member of a Papuan armed group.
Ferdinandus Setu, acting head of the ministry’s public relations bureau, said the government was quite happy with the results of the internet cutoff.
“It was an effective approach. We can see that today, the situation is getting [calmer] in Papua. Since Wednesday, the traffic [of fake and provocative news] on Papua has been decreasing drastically because we blocked every cellular operator in the province. We saw a few [stories] go out because some people are using Wi-Fi to communicate. But at least we can block [...] mobile phones that use cellular internet data,” Ferdinandus told the Post on Friday.
He added that the government had not blocked all cellular communication but only cellular data or the internet.
Activists, however, fear that the block would not only prevent hoaxes from spreading but also the truth.
Institute for Policy Research and Advocacy (ELSAM) researcher Wahyudi Djafar raised concerns over the fact that the internet blackout was implemented just as over 1,000 security personnel from the Indonesian Military and National Police were deployed to Papua and West Papua.
“Internet connection is an important instrument to ensure that there are no human rights violations. When internet access is blocked, it is worrying because there is no accountability and no open information from various sources that can be accessed by the public. We have one source only and that’s the government,” he said.
Separately, Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Jakarta chairman Abdul Manan pointed out that with the internet blackout, many things that happened in Papua would be missed from the public’s eye, and that means human rights violations were prone to happen with no accountability.
“It prevents the public from having factual information from Papua. It also limits journalists working to report information from Papua,” Abdul said.
Further concerns have been raised that the blackout may affect residents who find themselves in emergency situations.
Karina Larasati, 22, could not reach her father when she and her mother, a breast cancer patient at Cipto Mangunkusmo Kencana Hospital in Central Jakarta, needed him the most. Karina’s father was in Bintuni regency in Papua, where cellular services had been cut off by the government.
She wanted to tell her father that her mother had to undergo a mastectomy to treat her stage 3 breast cancer. The doctor’s order came at the same time as the internet blackout.
“I messaged him on WhatsApp and tried to reach him through all kinds of social media platforms, but we can’t [reach him]. I can’t call him either. This is a very reactive response from the government and I can’t believe they would be this inconsiderate. [The blackout] just worsens the situation,” she said.
“What about Papuans who are living outside the province? With limiting cellular access, how can they get information about what is happening to their hometown? So, we’re supposed to rely on the government’s version of truth, just like that?”
https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2019/08/26/770485/government-hands-off-on-west-papua-violence#
Marc Daalder Marc Daalder is a journalist based in Wellington who writes on politics, infrastructure, and international relations. Twitter: @marcdaalder.
AUGUST 26, 2019 Updated 2 hours ago
Green Party MP Golriz Ghahraman called on the Government to take a stronger stance on the violence in West Papua. Photo: Lynn Grieveson
With concerns over violence in West Papua escalating, New Zealand officials appear reluctant to wade in more significantly - despite the Green Party calling for action.
As Indonesia cracks down on protests in the disputed West Papua territory, the Government has declined to condemn the violence.
Indonesia has deployed a thousand troops to the disputed territory of West Papua and shut down the internet in the region in an effort to quell protests alleging racist police violence and supporting self-determination.
The New Zealand Government has re-emphasised earlier commitments to human rights but declined to comment on the specific situation.
The latest wave of violence began after dozens of Papuan students in Surabaya were arrested by police forces while a mob allegedly called them "monkeys".
In a statement, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) spokesperson said that "New Zealand continues to encourage the Indonesian government to improve the promotion and protection of human rights in Indonesia, including in Papua."
"New Zealand regularly raises human rights with Indonesia bilaterally, and through other mechanisms such as the United Nations Human Rights Council."
The MFAT spokesperson also said New Zealand "continues to support the position taken by the Pacific Islands Forum" on West Papua.
"The most recent attempt to control West Papuans protesting for their rights by closing down internet services is another example of heavy-handedness and overreach."
At the 50th forum in Tuvalu earlier this month, Pacific leaders raised concerns over human rights abuses and violence in West Papua.
But Green Party MP and human rights spokeswoman Golriz Ghahraman took a stronger stance.
Ghahraman said that the Green Party has raised "the ongoing human rights abuses experienced by indigenous West Papuans ... with the Foreign Minister [Winston Peters]".
"The most recent attempt to control West Papuans protesting for their rights by closing down internet services is another example of heavy-handedness and overreach.
"We also have concerns about an increased police presence given a history of brutality and a recent allegation of tear gas being fired at students in their dormitories."
Ghahraman added that "West Papuans have long cried out for self-determination and we support them in those calls".
West Papua was colonised by the Dutch in the 17th century. After Indonesia won independence from the Netherlands in 1945, it claimed West Papua as part of its territory.
Instead, the Netherlands retained the territory until 1962, when the United States brokered an agreement with Indonesia under which West Papua would be handed over and prepared for a self-determination vote in 1969.
Indonesian authorities handpicked a thousand West Papuans to participate in the vote. They were threatened and given pre-prepared statements to read. The vote was unanimous in favour of remaining part of Indonesia.
Since 1969, there has been an active and at-times militant movement for West Papuan independence. The flag of the independence movement is banned in Indonesia.
In January, Papuan activists presented the UN High Commissioner on Human Rights with a petition, allegedly signed by 1.8 million indigenous West Papuans, asking for a new referendum on independence.
https://theowp.org/indonesia-imposes-internet-blackout-on-west-papua/
The Organization for World Peace
25 Aug, 2019 in Asia / Current Events by Maddy Eagan (updated today)
Following days of unrest, the Indonesian government blocked internet access on August 22nd in the provinces of Papua and West Papua (known collectively as West Papua). On August 19th, violent protests started in response to the mistreatment and racial abuse of Papuan students by the police in the Javanese city of Surabaya on August 17th, Indonesia’s Independence Day. Buildings have been set ablaze, roads have been blocked and protesters have been flying the Morning Star flag, a symbol of Papuan self-rule that is banned under Indonesian law.
The Indonesian government has defended its decision, stating that blocking internet access is intended ‘‘to accelerate the process of restoring the security and order.’’ Minister for Communication and Information Technology Rudiantara added that the internet blockade helps ‘‘filter information and prevent the spread of rumours.’’
Not many people seem to share the government’s view and the decision has come under fire. Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network’s (SAFEnet) executive director Damar Juniarto called the blackout ‘‘a serious backward step in democracy and a serious violation.’’ Benny Wenda, the exiled West Papuan independence leader and founder of the Free West Papua campaign, focused more on the unrest itself, opining that the Surabaya incident ‘‘lit the bonfire of nearly 60 years of racism, discrimination and torture of the people of West Papua by Indonesia.’’
Unfortunately for West Papua, the internet blackout suggests that Indonesia’s treatment of the two provinces is not about to improve. Blocking the internet restricts freedom of expression and access to information. It also gives the Indonesian government more control over information. In theory, it should make it more difficult to organize protests although it does not seem to have stopped West Papuans.
The destructive nature of the protests is regrettable but the racial abuse suffered by the students in Surabaya is worse. Calling Papuans ‘‘monkeys’’ is bad enough, but chanting ‘‘kick out Papuans’’ and ‘‘slaughter Papuans’’ is atrocious and should have no place in 2019. Although there have been demonstrations in Jakarta supporting West Papua, it shows that racism still has a place in Indonesia’s relationship with West Papua. The provinces’ natural resources will always come before the interests of the people in the government’s eyes.
Papua and West Papua are two of the poorest provinces in Indonesia, despite their wealth of natural resources. The Grasberg mine, the world’s largest gold mine and second largest copper mine, is located in Papua.
This goes some way to explaining why Indonesia made so much effort to annex West Papua, which was a Dutch colony until the early 1960s. From 1963 onwards, it was governed by Indonesia, and formally became a part of Indonesia in 1969 after a UN-backed referendum. Only 1025 men and women were allowed to vote on whether to accept Indonesian occupation, all selected by Indonesia’s military.
The referendum has been criticized and there have been calls for another one. In 2017, 1.8 million people, 70% of West Papua’s population, signed an illegal petition calling for another referendum that was carried around the provinces.
President Joko Widodo has urged for calm and forgiveness in response to the protests, but asking West Papuans to forgive what Wenda has termed their ‘‘slow-motion genocide,’’ is a tall order. Decades of mistreatment are not easily forgotten. Full integration of West Papua is not impossible, but it will not happen if its people are treated so much worse than the rest of Indonesia. The recent crackdown is not going to win the government any West Papuan popularity contests anytime soon.
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Tag Archives: Art Fennell
How to Breathe Life Into a Dying Brand
Personal Development, Professional Development60 Minutes, Art Fennell, brand management, Byron Pitts, CAI, Delmarva Power, fundraising advice, likeability, M&T Bank, WalmartS. Renee Smith
I’m chair of the board of a scholarship fund in my parents’ name. It’s called the William J. & Reverend Shirley M. Smith, Sr. Scholarship Fund. To celebrate 50 years of marriage and their life and legacy of serving and giving to the community, it provides a three-year $1000 renewable scholarship to second-year collegians with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 – 2.5. The scholarship is intended to encourage, uplift, and develop those who are often overlooked because they aren’t considered to be the best or the brightest—but, we know better. We have all known people who started out as “least likely to succeed” but who finished well. My father and mother are two great examples of that kind of success.
My parents were high school dropouts. My father was a migrant worker who, through hard work and perseverance, built a small thriving business. My mother went back to school at age 36 to earn her high school diploma and later earned two Bachelors’ degrees–one in Marketing and the other in Theology. She was a pastor for 15 years. The scholarship helps students who need additional support to achieve their goals and dreams.
In creating the scholarship fund’s brand, I followed the steps that I usually follow to help a person or organization create a brand that produces anticipated outcomes. A mission that champions a worthy cause people can believe in. A message that is succinct, heart-warming, and engaging enough to inspire people to want to join the effort. A value-based proposition that is the gateway to someone else’s abundant life.
For the launch, we invited about 400 people to a church service called an Evening of Inspiration in honor of my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. There wasn’t a cost. We accepted at-will donations. The response was phenomenal. We raised $16,000 in six weeks. Within six months, the kitty swelled to over $18,000. With a goal to raise $100,000 in five years, we decided to host our first major fundraiser seven months later. For our keynote speaker, I reached out to Byron Pitts, the Emmy award-winning 60 Minutes correspondent and author of Step Out on Nothing. Award-winning journalist Art Fennell, producer and host of Art Fennell Reports, committed shortly thereafter to act as master of ceremonies.
The team and I started with 17 weeks to plan the big event. Due to an unexpected schedule change, we lost nearly 5 weeks. As the lead visionary for this project—who lacked formal experience with event planning and fundraising—I suspected that trouble loomed nearby. I was right. I just didn’t know how much.
I had put together what I believed to be a tight branding strategic plan. I reached out to fundraising experts with decades of experience in fundraising. Their buy-in came easy. They gave me an abundance of advice, guidance, support, and resources. They even gave me permission to use their name to get appointments with key decision-makers at corporations. I felt better about the process. This excited me. I thought I was “in.” I miscalculated.
According to them, our branding strategy was impressive. In fact, one vice president of marketing told me that it was one of the best combinations of branding and marketing that she had seen in her 30-plus years in the business. They loved the story, were impressed with our short-term success, and couldn’t believe that Byron Pitts and Art Fennell agreed to come. Why would these two media heavy-hitters headline our event? We were novices at this. As the potential sponsors put it: The William J. & Rev. Shirley M. Smith, Sr. Scholarship Fund didn’t have a track record. No history. And besides, their funds were already committed to other better-known causes.
With little time left to secure corporate sponsors, I had to rethink the direction of the strategy. I asked myself, what’s missing? We had a solid brand. It had all the components: mission, message, and value. But the results from developing tier two—likeability, marketability, and credibility—weren’t alive, at least, not yet. How could our mission become likeable, marketable, and credible without a valid history? The people I was talking to who could make the decisions on corporate sponsorship didn’t know, and therefore couldn’t “like” my parents.
I needed inside influencers. I tapped into my professional network. There, I found it. I revised the plan by working on the tier three. I called people who knew and liked me. That decision was pivotal. They came on board. They introduced me to their friends and things started rolling fast. The brand started to breathe.
Although my parents’ construction company and a media sponsor came on board early, we didn’t get our first corporate sponsor until 30 days before the event. By the date of the event, we had secured six corporate sponsors M&T Bank, Walmart, Delmarva Power, WBOC-TV, Smith Masonry, Inc., and Computer Aid, Inc. (CAI), nine reception hosts who donated $500 or more, and sold over three hundred $50 tickets. Not bad for an organization still in its first year without a national platform.
©2011 All rights reserved. The Bridge to Your Brand Likeability, Marketability, Credibility available in paperback. You can read the first two chapters at www.srenee.com.
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Gugu Mbatha-Raw Biography
Biography by Bartle Published on 10 Jul, 2015 Updated on 04 Nov, 2018
Facts of Gugu Mbatha-Raw
1983 , June-30
5 Feet 4 Inch
Patrick Mbatha
Anna Mbatha
The Henry Box School
African-American Film Critics Association Awards
Facebook,Twitter,Wiki
View more / View Less Facts of Gugu Mbatha-Raw
English actress, Gugulethu Sophia "Gugu" Mbatha-Raw is known for her portrayals of Kelly in Black Mirror, Dido Elizabeth Belle in Belle, Noni Jean in Beyond the Lights, and Plumette in Beauty and the Beast.
Early Life And Education Of Gugu Mbatha-Raw
Gugu Mbatha-Raw was born in the year 1983 on 30th of June and this makes her age 32 at this time. At this age, she has worked very hard to become one of the finest movie actresses in Hollywood. She was born in Oxford which lies in the United Kingdom.
She is of the ethnicity white and her nationality is British. The names of her parents are Patrick Mbatha and Anna Mbatha and they must be very proud of what their daughter has achieved in her career. She is a pure class act when it comes to her performances and she has poured perfection in all of her roles.
She went to The Henry Box School for her early education and later on she went to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Her performances in TV shows and movies have been aspiring and inspiring.
Gugu Mbatha-Raw's Career
She played the role of Eve in a TV series called Vital Signs in the year 2006. In the year 2007, she played the role of Jenny in a TV show called Bad Girls and she impressed everyone with her amazing work.
She also played the role of Tish Jones in the popular TV series Doctor Who the same year and impressed everyone with her amazing work. Other TV series to her credits are Touch, Undercovers, Fallout, Bonekickers, and Marple.
She is known more for her movie work than her television career. She played the role of Viola in the very popular movie Odd Thrones in the year 2012. She also played the role of Noni Jean in yet another very popular movie Beyond the Lights in the year 2014.
Other movies to her credits are Jupiter Ascending, Belle, Larry Crowne, Beauty, and the Beast and Concussion. Some of her theatre works include Into The Woods, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and Antony and Cleopatra.
Gugu Mbatha-Raw's Net Worth And Salary
Gugu Mbatha-Raw's net worth is $500 thousand at present. She has been very successful in her career and it has earned her a lot of money and given her an enviable net worth.
She has appeared in a variety of small TV roles in the middle of the decade, including appearances in "Doctor Who" and "Bad Girls". She also appeared in "Blackbird" and "Jupiter Ascending".
She is not very tall as she has an average height of 5 feet 4 inches but the height of her fame is massive. She has perfect body measurements which give her hot body and a sexy figure. Her perfect body measurements are 34-24-34 and they make her look curvy and sexy.
Gugu Mbatha-Raw's Personal Life
Even after being so popular and so successful she has managed to keep her personal life very low profile. There is almost no information on the person she is dating at this time or about her boyfriend.
It does not seem like she is married at this time or has a husband, but in near future, she might get settled if she finds her perfect match. It also does not seem like she is bisexual or a lesbian, but as she has never talked about her sexual preference, nothing can be said with assurance.
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LIFETIME REPAIR
Welcome to Southwold! A unique English coastal town.
We have so many visitors to our workshop-with-store in Southwold, that it's easy for us to forget that lots of our customers online (who come from all over the world), may not know very much about the town we call home!
Southwold is a small English town situated on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, just a few miles south of Britain’s most easterly point.
The Domesday Book of 1086 records it as being a profitable fishing port, lying at the mouth of the River Blyth, responsible for much 15th Century trade.
Puritans emigrated from its shores in the 1630s, bound for a new life in Massachusetts. For those that remained, a fire in 1659, would devastate parts of the town, creating open spaces that were never rebuilt, resulting in delightful pockets of green spaces that we see today. Further expansion of the town is restricted by its surrounding protected marshes.
Southwold’s former industries were linked to that of manufacture, encompassing traditional trades such as sea salt manufacture, primarily for the salting of herrings. Southwold harbour is still one of the main fishing ports on the Suffolk coastline. Visiting Victorians took restorative hot salt water baths and it is hospitality that now leads the way for business in the town. The town is now permanent home to fewer than a thousand people, but Southwold’s influx of annual visitors now reaches over a million.
There is much to see and do in Southwold.
climb its grade II listed stripy lighthouse, built in 1890
walk, play, and relax along the town’s mile-long sand and shingle beach, popualr with swimmers, windsurfers and paddle boarders
stroll the historic fishing harbour, the upper part of which is known as the Blackshore and which provided the inspiration for Blackshore Coastal Clothing
cross the historic bailey bridge and walk over to Walberswick on the other side of the River Blyth, or take the rowing boat ferry!
explore the town museum, voted Suffolk museum of the year
discover a delightful 13th Century parish church
learn about the inception of the Sailors’ Reading Room, conceived as an alternative to sitting drinking in pubs
stroll Southwold’s famous pier, built in 1900, originally long enough to accommodate tourist passenger steamers which, like many other UK piers, had a section temporarily removed to repel invasion during WW2
look up at the old water tower, sitting high atop the common, imagine it holding a staggering 40,000 gallons of water, with its pump powered by sails
seek out the seafront cannons, a reminder of the Battle of Sole Bay, an inconclusive 17th Century fracas between the combined British/French fleet against the Dutch
take part in the model yacht regatta (celebrated since Victorian times)
photograph Southwold’s iconic line of brightly painted beach huts
discover Southwold’s High Street and support the town’s many independent retailers, from great food and drink, to unusual shops specialising in clothing, interiors, art, crafts, and gifts
SOUTHWOLD TODAY
Blackshore Coastal Clothing may be the newest independent shop in town but as for the oldest, that accolade goes to Mill and Son’s Butchers, established way back in 1684.
Blackshore Blog recently wrote about the history of textile and garment manufacture in Southwold and the origins of the Blackshore itself. Southwold’s popularity and unique character today remains strong, both as a place to live and work and as a destination to visit, rest and play.
Founder of Blackshore Coastal Clothing, Simon Middleton says:
“I’m lucky enough to live within ten minutes walk of Southwold’s centre, and to run my shop and workshop from the heart of the town. It’s such a special place, in every way, from its remarkable architecture and unique layout, to the stunning beachside location, with the marshes behind it.
“It’s the unique character of the place that gave birth to the idea of Blackshore Coastal Clothing, and as the business develops, it is the essence of Southwold that guides everything we do, from designs to textiles, to the whole look and feel of the company."
Simon Middleton
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June 4, 1972: Angela Davis Found Not Guilty
1 Posted by Blackthen - June 4, 2018 - BLACK POLITICS, BLACK WOMEN, CIVIL RIGHTS, LATEST POSTS
June 4, 1972: After almost 2 years of incarceration & 13 hours of deliberation, Angela Davis was found NOT GUILTY of murder, kidnapping, and criminal conspiracy by an all-white jury in San Jose, California.
Background on her charges:
In October 1970, Davis was arrested in New York City in connection with a shootout that occurred on August 7 in a courtroom in San Rafael, California. She was accused of supplying weapons to Jonathan Jackson, who burst into the courtroom in a bid to free inmates on trial. He planned to take hostages whom he hoped to exchange for his brother George, a black radical imprisoned at San Quentin Prison. In the subsequent shootout with police, Jonathan Jackson was killed along with Superior Court Judge Harold Haley and two inmates.
Davis, who had championed the cause of black prisoners and was friends with George Jackson, was indicted in the crime. She went into hiding, became a fugitive, and fled California. According to her autobiography, during this time she hid in friends’ homes and moved from place to place at night. On October 13, 1970, FBI agents found her at the Howard Johnson Motor Lodge in New York City. President Richard M. Nixon congratulated the FBI on its “capture of the dangerous terrorist, Angela Davis.”
On January 5, 1971, after several months in jail, Davis appeared at the Marin County Superior Court and declared her innocence before the court and nation: “I now declare publicly before the court, before the people of this country that I am innocent of all charges which have been leveled against me by the state of California.”
John Abt, general counsel of the Communist Party USA, was one of the first attorneys to represent Davis for her alleged involvement in the shootings. While being held in the Women’s Detention Center, she was initially segregated from the general population. However, with the help of her legal team, she soon obtained a federal court order to get out of the segregated area.
Across the nation, thousands of people who agreed with her declaration began organizing a liberation movement. In New York City, black writers formed a committee called the Black People in Defense of Angela Davis. By February 1971, more than 200 local committees in the United States and 67 in foreign countries worked to liberate Angela Davis from prison.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono recorded their song, Angela, on their 1972 album Some Time in New York City in support. The jazz musician Todd Cochran, also known as Bayete, recorded his song, Free Angela (Thoughts…and all I’ve got to say), that same year. Tribe Records co-founder, Phil Ranelin, released a song dedicated to Davis entitled Angela’s Dilemma on Message From The Tribe, a spiritual jazz collectible. The Rolling Stones song, Sweet Black Angel,” was recorded in 1970 and released in 1972 on their album Exile on Main Street; it is dedicated to Davis and is one of the band’s only overtly political releases.
Thanks in part to this support, the state released her from the county jail. On February 23, 1972, Rodger McAfee, a dairy farmer from Caruthers, California, paid her $100,000 bail with the help of Steve Sparacino, a wealthy business owner. Portions of her legal defense expenses were paid for by the Presbyterian Church (UPCUSA).
Davis was tried and the all-white jury returned a verdict of not guilty. The fact that she owned the guns used in the crime was judged not sufficient to establish her responsibility for the plot.
She was represented by Leo Branton, Jr., who hired psychologists to help the defense determine who in the jury pool might favor their arguments, an uncommon practice at the time. He also hired experts to undermine the reliability of eyewitness accounts.
Her experience as a prisoner in the U.S. played a key role in persuading her to fight against the nation’s prison-industrial complex.
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Wednesday in Hawkville
A recap of the day’s activities:
Matt Hasselbeck. The question concerning the veteran quarterback has gone from will they re-sign him to when will they re-sign him?
That was the word today from coach Pete Carroll, who said during his season-ending news conference that he and general manager John Schneider already have met with Hasselbeck to discuss the return of the QB who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent.
“It is a priority,” Carroll said. “The quarterback position is the most critical position on the football team. Matt finished beautifully for us. He did everything we asked of him. We’ve already talked. We’ve already met.
“And we’re going to move forward. We have to see what it all means. But we’re on it.”
So Carroll is proceeding as if Hasselbeck will be the starter next season?
“I don’t think there’s any other way to look at it,” Carroll said. “He’s our starting quarterback.”
Hasselbeck talked with reporters in the locker room on Monday, just after his meeting with Carroll and Schneider. He sounded like someone who was at home with the team he’s played for the past 10 seasons.
Asked if there was a part of him that wanted to test free agency, Hasselbeck said, “No, not really. Truthfully I haven’t really even thought about it much … I haven’t even let my mind go there.”
Hasselbeck was too busy taking care of other issues, like the stunning upset of the defending Super Bowl Saints in the wild-card playoff game and the disappointing loss to the Chicago Bears in the divisional round on Sunday. Hasselbeck threw seven touchdown passes and one interception in those games.
“I think all the hard work has been done here this year – going through all the change, going through all the drama at times and just going through all the adversity,” he said. “So it would be fun to be a part of the rest of it.”
That doesn’t mean the Seahawks won’t explore their options in adding a quarterback in the draft or through free agency.
“If the draft allows us an opportunity, we’ll look at it – just like you would want us to,” Carroll said. “If there’s a really good prospect right there, we’re going to go get the guy. If there isn’t, then we will move on to the next option.
“It’s obviously the most significant factor, is you’ve got to have big-time quarterback play to be a championship team. Matt got us there this year, and we think he can do that again for us.”
POSITION WATCH
The lines. Both of them. Defense, as well as offense. Upgrading those units is the priority, Carroll said, as the Seahawks head into an uncertain offseason.
“I think it’s really important for us that we have to make sure that we elevate the play of our guys up front on both sides of the ball,” he said.
The problems on the offensive line have been well documented: 10 different starting combinations; four starters at left guard; three each at left tackle and right guard; and a running game that averaged 89.0 yards, next-to-last in the league and fourth lowest in franchise history.
But a run defense that ranked as high as second in the league at midseason tumbled to 21st by season’s end as end Red Bryant went down in the Week 8 game at Oakland and tackles Brandon Mebane (four games) and Colin Cole (five) also missed time with injuries.
“As we got banged up this year and faced the challenges of having to adjust the roster, we needed to maintain the level of play better than we did,” Carroll said. “When we got banged at the Raiders game … we didn’t respond very well to that. We tried and we did everything we could to do that, and the guys gave their best. But I didn’t feel like the depth was at the level that it allowed us to maintain the same level of play.
“And I think it showed up offensively, as well. So that’s really a main focus for us.”
ROOKIE WATCH
Golden Tate. The team’s second-round draft choice did not have the impact anyone was expecting, as a receiver (21 receptions for 10.8-yard average) or returner (12.6-yard average on 16 punt returns). But he continues to figure into the team’s plans.
“He’s got a huge upside,” Carroll said. “I think he’s a fantastically natural football player. He’s got competitiveness about him. He’s got playmaking in him. I wish it would have come more to the front this year.
“That’s a big project for us: We need to bring him out. I know what kind of football player he is. I don’t think we were able to get it expressed in this season consistently enough. I think that’s just a matter of time.”
Tate did have a 63-yard punt return and a 52-yard reception among his limited contributions.
“I love his run-after-the-catch ability,” Carroll said. “He’s tough and physical and he’s got a real knack for taking the football away from guys. All of that needs to come to the front, so he can be a factor and help us win.”
STAT DU JOUR
Marshawn Lynch led the Seahawks in rushing with 573 yards during the regular season. It was the lowest total to lead the team since David Hughes ran for 327 yards in 1984.
“The way I understand it, we will still have keys.” – Carroll, smiling, when asked about the coaches’ plight in the event of a lockout
By Clare Farnsworth
January 19, 2011 – 3:25 pm
Tags: Golden Tate, Hawkville, Marshawn Lynch, Matt Hasselbeck
Comments Off on Wednesday in Hawkville
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Image Source: The Landmark Practice
Image credit: The Landmark Practice
Published by Member Womble Bond Dickinson LLP on 27 Nov 2020
WBD's energy sector team advises on community-led wind turbine project
Law firm Womble Bond Dickinson (WBD) has advised Ambition Community Energy (ACE), a community interest company set up by local resident-driven charity Ambition Lawrence Weston, on its successful planning application for a 150m-tall wind turbine in Avonmouth, near Bristol.
Planning for the community-led 4.2 megawatt onshore wind turbine has been granted and at 150m is believed to be the tallest onshore wind turbine consented in England. The project is expected to generate enough electricity to power around 4000 homes a year and save over two tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
The WBD energy team advising ACE was led by partner Vicki Redman and associate Josh Taylor, who provided key legal expertise, including on a pro-bono basis, in relation to planning strategy, funding and environmental matters.
Vicki Redman of WBD commented: “We’re thrilled to have advised ACE and the people of Lawrence Weston on this unique community energy scheme, which is four years in the making. There were complex challenges associated with this project, mainly due to the community nature of the scheme and the environmental constraints, but our legal expertise coupled with our strong track record advising on some of the largest renewable energy projects across the UK and beyond, meant we were able to assist in providing the best possible result for the client.”
Mark Pepper, development manager at Ambition Lawrence Weston, added: “We’re very grateful to WBD for their first rate legal advice and ongoing commitment to this project. Vicki, Josh and the rest of the team were a pleasure to deal with, guiding us through the tricky realms of onshore wind consenting.”
WBD has a strong history of advising on planning issues for some of the largest renewable energy projects across the world, having recently acted for Vattenfall on its application to build Norfolk Vanguard Offshore Wind Farm, the largest wind farm in the world powering nearly 2 million UK homes per year, while saving 3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. Some of the firm’s energy clients in the UK include RES, EDF, Vattenfall and ScottishPower Renewables.
Ranking in the UK’s top 20 law firms, WBD advises over 40 FTSE 350 companies, including many of the largest businesses in the country, government organisations and private clients. In the latest edition of Chambers & Partners, WBD was ranked as a top tier firm for its planning expertise and listed as a National Leader (Outside London).
This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Womble Bond Dickinson LLP .
#Law #Energy #South West
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Vijay Singh, Colin Montgomerie, Miguel Angel Jimenez and Mark O’Meara commit to the 2016 Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship
Jay Haas, Fred Funk, Craig Stadler and John Cook round out the latest legends commitments
VICTORIA, B.C. (September 7, 2016) – Tournament Organizers announced today that World Golf Hall of Fame members Vijay Singh and Colin Montgomerie, as well as four-time European Ryder Cup team member Miguel Angel Jimenez, have committed to play the 2016 Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship. The PGA TOUR Champions event will be contested at Bear Mountain Golf Resort’s Mountain Course in Victoria, British Columbia the week of September 19-25, 2016. The tournament will feature a US$2.5 million purse, with 81 players competing for a winner’s share of $375,000.
Singh, who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2005, won 34 times over a standout PGA TOUR career, including major championship wins at the 1998 and 2004 PGA Championship, as well as the 2000 Masters Tournament.
The Fiji native competed on the International Presidents Cup team eight times throughout his illustrious career, where 31 of his 34 wins came during the Tiger Woods era. The 34 victories rank 14th on the all-time PGA TOUR wins list, ahead of names such as Lee Trevino, Gary Player and Johnny Miller.
Montgomerie, who spent the vast majority of his career competing on the European Tour, has made a second home on PGA TOUR Champions. The 53-year-old has notched three victories on Tour, including the 2014 and 2015 Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid, as well as the 2014 U.S. Senior Open – all of which are senior major championships.
The eight-time European Ryder Cup team member compiled one of the all-time best records in the biennial event, posting a 20-7-1 stat line without losing a singles match. During his tenure on the team, the Scotland native helped the Europeans to five victories, with each coming in his last six years of competition from 1995 through 2006.
Montgomerie won a record eight European Tour Order of Merit titles, including seven in a row from 1993 through 1999. His 31 career victories, which are the most of any British player in Tour history, gave way to a World Golf Hall of Fame induction in 2013.
Much like Montgomerie, Jimenez became a household name through his play overseas, including four stints on the European Ryder Cup team alongside 21 victories.
The 52-year-old earned fan favorite status through the years with his trademark ponytail and well-lit cigar during tournament rounds. On social media, Jimenez acquired an entirely new set of fans via his pre-round stretching routine, which combined the looks of yoga and dance to create an infinite number of posts on numerous outlets.
On PGA TOUR Champions, the Spaniard has won an event each of the last three years, with a victory at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic in April serving as the most recent. Jimenez has been the best player on Tour this year behind Bernhard Langer, notching a staggering seven top-5 finishes in eight starts, including the win and four runner-up finishes.
The trio of legends was joined by five other players of note in the event’s most recent commitment list, with World Golf Hall of Fame member Mark O’Meara leading the way.
The two-time major championship winner, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015, has two career wins on PGA TOUR Champions, including the 2010 Constellation SENIOR PLAYERS Championship – one of five senior major championships.
Also announced today were 1982 Masters Champion Craig Stadler, former U.S. Presidents Cup team Captain Jay Haas, 2005 PLAYERS Championship winner Fred Funk and 11-time PGA TOUR winner John Cook.
Tournament week in Victoria will begin with Official Pro-Ams on Wednesday and Thursday, followed by 54 holes of championship play from Friday through Sunday, with no cut. All three competitive rounds will be broadcast live by Golf Channel to more than 200 million homes in 84 countries and 11 languages around the world.
Tickets are also on-sale for this premier event and can be purchased at www.selectyourtickets.com or by clicking HERE.
Fans can choose from the following ticket options:
Weekly Pass – Wednesday through Sunday: $99 (includes parking / Official Program)
Daily Pass – Friday, Saturday or Sunday: $40
Pro-Am Daily Pass – Wednesday or Thursday: $25
Champions Club VIP Pass – Friday through Sunday: $200
About Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship
The Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship is an official event on PGA Champions TOUR featuring the world’s premier golfers aged 50 and older competing for a US$ 2.5 million purse. Tournament play at the Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship will be held on the Jack and Steve Nicklaus Co-Design Mountain Course at Bear Mountain Golf Resort, Victoria, British Columbia, from September 19-25, 2016. All three competitive rounds will be broadcast live by Golf Channel to more than 200 million homes in 84 countries and 11 languages around the world. For more information on the Pacific Links Championship or PGA TOUR Champions, please visit www.PGATOUR.com/Champions
Website: PacificLinksChampionship.com
Twitter: @PacificLinksVIC
Instagram: @pacificlinksvic
Media Kit: HERE
About Pacific Links International
Pacific Links was founded in 2009 to provide members with a premium golf experience through an innovative international membership structure focused on the Chinese golfer. Pacific Links offers them access to the finest collection of high quality golf clubs in the world. Since 2012, the Pacific Links Network of Affiliated and Reciprocal clubs now stands at over 500 properties located in 20+ countries around the world. With a strong membership base continuing to grow in China, the planned expansion into other parts of Asia and the aggregated population of members from all the participating clubs, Pacific Links is now expanding the brand platform to encompass more than just golf. We are positioning Pacific Links International to be the preeminent Lifestyle portal for China’s HNW customer providing high demand travel itineraries inspired by golf but encompassing concierge services, flights, accommodations, local tourism experience and travel butler assistance. The main feature of a Pacific Links membership is reciprocal access. In the next 10-15 years, PLI will further expand its international affiliate network to over 1,000 clubs in North America, Europe, Australia, Japan and the entire Southeast Asia. www.pacificlinks.com
About Bear Mountain Golf Resort
Located on southern Vancouver Island – a region known for its year round golf climate, stellar fishing opportunities and strong local food movement – Bear Mountain Golf Resort and Spa offers two outstanding courses that combined represent the only 36-hole Nicklaus Design golf experience in Canada. The Mountain Course, a Jack and Steve Nicklaus Co-Design, features impressive landscape and dramatic terrain that lead to breathtaking 180 degree views of nearby Victoria, the Pacific Ocean and the Olympic Mountains of Washington State. The course, a par 71 playing at 6,925 yards, sets atop a 1,100-foot mountain and has been assigned a slope rating of 142 from the back tees. The 18-hole, par 71 Nicklaus Design Valley Course, a spectacular golf setting that is nestled in a pristine natural 102 acres of mature forests, measures just under 7,000 yards. Surrounded by 3,000 acres of parks and hiking trails, Bear Mountain is one of the few golf courses in North America that offers an authentic natural setting so close to a capital city. More than a resort and an incredible community, Bear Mountain is also home to Golf Canada’s National Development team, the high performance training centre of Canada’s National Mountain Bike team, and construction recently commenced on Canada’s largest indoor/outdoor clay court tennis facility supported by Tennis Canada and Tennis BC. The Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort and Spa rounds out the amenities offering guests a luxurious getaway with outstanding fine dining options, the award-winning Sante Spa, and the Bear Mountain Golf Academy. www.bearmountain.ca
About PGA TOUR Champions
PGA TOUR Champions is a membership organization of golfers age 50 and older, with the most recognizable and accomplished players in the game – including 34 members of the World Golf Hall of Fame, which compete regularly in its events. PGA TOUR Champions is where Legends play, and is home to The Ultimate Clubhouse. Conceived in 1980 as the Senior PGA Tour, it started with just four events and purses totaling $475,000. The primary purpose of PGA TOUR Champions is to provide financial opportunities for its players, entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, protect the integrity of the game and generate significant charitable and economic impact in communities in which it plays. In 2016, the newly-introduced Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs will identify and recognize the Tour’s leading player via a season-long race for the Charles Schwab Cup. The Commissioner of the PGA TOUR is Tim Finchem. Greg McLaughlin is President of PGA TOUR Champions. The PGA TOUR’s website is pgatour.com, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Follow PGA TOUR Champions at facebook.com/PGATOURChampions and on Twitter @ChampionsTour.
About Help Fill a Dream – (Official Charity Partner)
Help Fill a Dream provides hope, help and happiness for Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands children with life-threatening conditions. The foundation fulfills dreams, improves quality of life and assists families with care and financial support. Help Fill A Dream is proud to be celebrating 30 years of making Dreams come true. www.helpfilladream.com
David Skitt
Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship
E: skitty@sportboxgroup.com
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THE LIFE AND PUBLIC SERVICES OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, SIXTEENTH PRESIDENT OF THE ...
Por HENRY J. RAYMOND
on that day, it was enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States, in Congress assembled, that during the present insurrection the President of the United States, whenever, in his judgment, the public safety may require, is authorized to suspend the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in any case throughout the United States, or any part thereof; and, whereas, in the judgment of the President the public safety does require that the privilege of the said writ shall now be suspended throughout the United States in cases where, by the authority of the President of the United States, military, naval, and civil officers of the United States, or any of them, hold persons under their command or in · their custody, either as prisoners of war, spies, or aiders or abettors of the enemy, or officers, soldiers, or seamen enrolled, drafted, or mustered, or enlisted in, or belonging to the land or naval forces of the United States, or as deserters therefrom, or otherwise amenable to military law, or to the rules and articles of war, or the rules and regulations prescribed for the military or naval services by the authority of the President of the United States, or for resisting the draft, or for any other offence against the military or naval service: Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do hereby proclaim and make known to all whom it may concern, that the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus is suspended throughout the United States in the several cases before mentioned, and that this suspension will continue throughout the duration of the said rebellion, or until this Proclamation shall, by a subsequent one, to be issued by the President of the United States, be modified and revoked. And I do bereby require all magistrates, attorneys, and other civil officers within the United States, and all officers and others in the military and naval services of the United States, to take distinct notice of this suspension and give it full effect, and all citizens of the United States to conduct and govern themselves accordingly, and in conformity with the Constitution of thu United States and the laws of Congress in such cases made and provided.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the scal of the United States to be affixed, this fifteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the independence of the United States of America the eighty-eighth.
ABRAHAM LINOOLN. By the President:
Wm. H. SEWARD, Secretary of State.
The act passed by Congress "for enrolling and calling out the national forces," commonly called the Conscription Act, provided that all able-bodied male citizens, and persons of foreign birth who had declared their intention to become citizens, between the ages of twenty and fortyfive, were liable to be called into service. The strenuous efforts made by the enemies of the Administration to arouse the hostility of the people against its general policy, had proved so far successful as greatly to discourage volunteer enlistments; and the Government was thus compelled to resort to the extraordinary powers conferred upon it by this act. Questions had been raised as to the liability of foreigners to be drafted under this law; and in order to settle this point, the President, on the 8th of May, issued the following proclamation.
WASHINGTON, May s, 1808. By the President of the United States of America.
PROCLAMATION. Whereas, the Congress of the United States, at its last session, enacted a law, entitled “An Act for enrolling and calling out the national forces, and for other purposes," which was approved on the 3d day of March last; and
Whereas, it is recited in the said act that there now exists in the United States an insurrection and rebellion against the authority thereof, and it is, under the Constitution of the United States, the duty of the Government to suppress insubordination and rebellion, to guarantee to each State a republican form of government, and to preserve the public tranquillity; and
Whereas, for these high purposes, a military force is indispensable, to raise and support which all persons ought willingly to contribute; and
Whereas, no service can be more praiseworthy and honorable than that which is rendered for the maintenance of the Constitution and the Union, and the consequent preservation of free government; and
Whores, for the reasons thus recited it was enacted by the said stat. ute that all able-bodied male citizens of the United States, and persons of foreign birth who shall have declared on oath their intentions to become citizens under and in pursnance of the laws thereof, between the ages of twenty and forty-five years, with certain exemptions not necessary to be here mentioned, are declared to constitute the National forces, and shall bo liable to perform military duty in the service of the United States, when called out by the President for that purpose; and
Whereas, it is claimed, on and in behalf of persons of foreign birth, within the ages specified in said act, who have heretofore declared on oath their intentions to become citizens under and in pursuance to the laws of the United States, and who have not exercised the right of suffrage, or any other political franchise under the laws of tho United States, or of any of the States thereof, that they are not absolutely precluded by their aforesaid declaration of intention from renouncing their purpose to become citizens; and that, on the contrary, such persons, under treaties and the
ATOT
14W of nations, retain a right to renounce that purpose, and to furego the privilege of citizenship and residence within the United States, under tho obligations imposed by the aforesaid act of Congress :
Now, therefore, to avoid all misapprehensions concerning the liability of persons concerned to perform the service required by such enactment, and to give it full effect, I do hereby order and proclaim that no plea of alien. age will be receivel, or allowed to exeinpt from the obligations imposed by the aforesaid uct of Congress any person of foreign birth who shall havo declared on oath his intention to become a citizen of the United States, under the laws thereof, and who shall be found within the l'nited States at any time during the continuance of the present insurrection and rebellion, at or after the expiration of the period of sixty-five days from the date of this proclaination; nor shall any such plea of alienage be allowell in favor of any such person who lias s), as aforesaid, declared his intention to become a citizen of the United States, and shall have exercise at any time the right of suffrage, or any other political franchise within the United States, under the laws thereof, or under the laws of any of the several States.
In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed. Done at the City of Washington, this 8th day of May, in the year of our
O Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the inIl. .] dependence of the United States the eighty-seventh.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN By the President:
William H. Seward, Secretary of State.
RAHAM
COLN
It was subsequently ordered that the draft should take place in July, and public proclamation was made of the number which each State would be required to furnish. Enrolling officers had been appointed for the several districts of all the States, and, all the names being placed in a wheel, the number required were to be publicly drawn, under such regulations as were considered necessary to insure equal and exact justice. Very great pains had been taken by the opponents of the Administration to excite odium against that clause of the law which fixed the price of exemption from service under the draft at three hundred dollars. It was represented that this clause was for the special benefit of the rich, who could easily pay the sum required ; while poor men who could not pay it would be compelled, at whatever hardships to themselves and their families, to enter the army. The draft was commenced in the City of New York on Saturday, July 11th, and was conducted quietly and successfully during that day. On Sunday plots were formed and combinations entered into to resist it; and no sooner was it resumed on Monday morning, July 13, than a sudden and formidable attack was made by an armed mob upon the office in one of the districts; the wheel was destroyed, the lists scattered, and the building set on fire. The excitement spread through the city. Crowds gathered everywhere, with no apparent common object; but during the day the movement seemod to be controlled by leaders in two general directions. The first was an attack upon the negroes; the second an assault upon every one who was supposed to be in any way concernen in the draft, or prominently identified, officially or otherwise, with the Administration or the Republican party. Unfortunately, the militia regiments of the city had been sent to Pennsylvania to withstand the rebel invasion; and the only guardians left for the public peace were the regular police and a few hundred soldiers whu garrisoned the forts. Both behaved with the greatest vigor and fidelity, but they were too few to protect the dozen miles between the extremities of the city. The mob, dispersed in one quarter, would reassemble at another, and for four days the city seemed given up to their control. The outrages committed during this time were numerous and aggravated. Negroes were assanlted, beaten to death, mutilated, and hung ; building after building was sacked and burned; gangs of desperadoes patrolled the streets, levying contributions, and ordering places of business to be closed. A. Colored Orphan Asylum, sheltering some hundreds of children, was sacked and burned. After the first day, the riot, which was at first directed against the draft, took a new turn. The entire mass of scoundrel. ism in the city seemed to have been let loose for indiscriminate plunder. Women, half-grown boys, and children, were foremost in the work of robbery, and no man frölt safe from attack. The police force did their duty manfully, aided at first by the few troops at the disposal of the authorities, and subsequently by the regiments who
began to return from Pennsylvania. In the street-fights which occurred, many of the defenders of law and order lost their lives, while a far larger number of the rioters were killed. The bands of rioters were finally dispersed, and the peace of the city was restored.
During these occurrences the draft was necessarily suspended ; and on the 3d of August, Governor Seymour addressed a long letter to the President, asking that further proceedings under the draft might be postponed until it should be seen whether the number required from the State of New York could not be raised by volunteering, and also until the constitutionality of the law could be tested in the judicial tribunals of the country. The Governor pointed out an alleged injustice in the application of the law, by which, in four districts of the State of New York, a far higher quota in proportion to the population was required than in the other districts of the State; and this was urged as an additional reason for postponing the further execution of the law..
To this appeal the President, on the 7th of August, made the following reply:
EXEOUTIVE MANSION, WASHINGTON, August 7, 1808. His Excellency HORATIO SEYMOUR,
Governor of New York, Albany, N. Y.: Your communication of the 3d inst. has been received and attentively considered. I cannot consent to suspend the draft in New York, as you request, because, among other reasons, TIME is too important. By the figures you send, which I presume are correct, the twelve districts represented fall in two classes of eight and four respectively.
The disparity of the quotas for the draft in these two classes is certainly very striking, being the difference between an average of 2,200 in one class, and 4,864 in the other. Assuming that the districts are equal, one to another, in entire population, as required by the plan on which they were made, this disparity is such as to require attention. Much of it, however, I suppose will be accounted for by the fact that so many moro persons fit for soldiers are in the city than are in the country, who have too recently arrived from other parts of the United States and from Europe to be either included in the census of 1860, or to have voted in 1862. Still, making due allowance for this, I am yet unwilling to stand upon it as an entirely sufficient explanation of the great disparity. I shall (lirect
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sixteen + two =
Unfriended
Teenager Blaire and her friends find themselves terrorized and tormented by what seems to be the ghost of a girl they cyberbullied into committing suicide.
Patrick Brice plays Aaron, an independent videographer looking for a quick buck. A Craigslist ad offers to pay him $1,000 to simply record an anonymous person for the day.
Somewhere Beautiful
Somewhere Beautiful could be one of the most interesting, yet also one of the most frustrating movies that I’ve seen in the past few years. There are mome... READ MORE
Dig Two Graves
Dig Two Graves is the second feature film for upcoming filmmaker Hunter Adams. Containing a cast with the likes of Ted Levine, Samantha Isler, Danny Goldring, ... READ MORE
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
The Hungers Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 is the third installment of The Hunger Games Series that follows Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) on her journey thr... READ MORE
Testament of Youth is a World War I epic based on the best-selling memoirs of Vera Brittain (Alicia Vikander). It follows the intelligent and free-spirit... READ MORE
A Brony Tale
A Brony Tale , released in 2014 by producer Morgan Spurlock, who brought us Super-Size Me, explores the phenomenon of Bronies. Brony: A typically middle-aged ma... READ MORE
Predestination is a mind-splitting, time-bending science fiction drama by the Spierig Brothers (Michael and Peter) which stars Ethan Hawk and Sarah Snook and E... READ MORE
Captain America: The Winter Soldier : To most, including myself, Captain America (depicted by Chris Evans) was definitely not my favorite superhero in Marvel’s ... READ MORE
An Eye For Beauty
An Eye For Beauty , Quebecois Director Denys Arnand’s most recent film, tells the story of an affair that young architect Luc embarks upon during a troubled tim... READ MORE
The Interview is a battle for the First Amendment headed by history-makers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg as they risk nuclear war for the right to depict onscre... READ MORE
Best Movie Posters of 2014
Proudly curated by Borrowing Tape ... READ MORE
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night is an impressive debut from writer/director Ana Lily Amirpour starring Sheila Vand, Arash Marandi, Marshall Manes... READ MORE
The Grand Budapest Hotel is Wes Anderson’s most recent film to date. The meat of the film is buried in several layers of stories. Set in and around The Grand B... READ MORE
Gone Girl is a drama/mystery/thriller (directed by David Fincher) which follows Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) as the disappearance of his wife, Amy (Rosamun... READ MORE
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Detection Club member tracked down
Posted by markrgreen1815 on March 26, 2016
I spent a rainy Easter Saturday in and around Mells in a quiet corner of Somerset. In the churchyard I tracked down the grave of Monsignor Ronald Knox, best known to fans of crime fiction as a member of The Detection Club. He wrote several Golden Age detective novels and collaborated with Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and others in three books written collectively by members of the club at the height of their popularity in the 1930s, Behind The Screen, The Floating Admiral and Six Against The Yard.
Perhaps surprisingly he is also familiar to fans of Victorian novelist Anthony Trollope as the author of Barchester Pilgrimage, a continuation of the Barchester Chronicles of that author taking the children and grandchildren of characters from the series on into the following decades.
He is perhaps best remembered in ecclesiastical circles for his translation of the Vulgate Bible from the original Latin.
I don’t know what they would have made of his 1926 BBC radio play Broadcasting From The Barricades, a hoax programme purporting to be live reporting of a revolution taking place in London, which caused minor panic across the UK. The broadcast preceded the General Strike by some four months and anticipated the impact such broadcasts might have which was exploited to the full by Orson Welles in his War of the Worlds radio broadcast of 1938.
I’m sure he would have appreciated the joke.
Two more speakers announced
Deal Noir Tomorrow
One response to “Detection Club member tracked down”
bardin1 says:
There was also a good biography of him by Evelyn Waugh
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In a Brandwein Minute
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Search for Eagles
Shaping Our Future
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Inspiring a New Generation: the Pathway to #NatureForAll
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Home American Nature Study Society Archive
The American Nature Study Society Archive Project
The nature study movement was a popular education movement in America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Nature Study attempted to reconcile scientific investigation with personal, spiritual experiences gained from interaction with the natural world. Led by progressive educators and naturalists such as Anna Botsford Comstock, Liberty Hyde Bailey, and Louis Agassiz. It changed the way science was taught in schools, emphasizing learning from tangible objects, something embodied by the movement’s mantra, aptly coined by naturalist Louis Agassiz to “study nature, not books.”
The American Nature Study Society (ANSS), America’s oldest environmental education organization, founded in 1908, quickly became the leading organization serving and strengthening the Nature Study Movement serving the personal and professional needs of countless educators with workshops, publications, field trips and conferences. ANSS Past Presidents include outstanding leaders in the field: Liberty Hyde Bailey, Anna Botsford Comstock, Cap’n Bill Vinal, E. Laurence Palmer, Roger Torey Peterson, Edwin Way Teale, and Helen Ross Russell.
ANSS was formed at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in Chicago in 1908 and Liberty Hyde Bailey was elected its first president. As its members were widely scattered throughout the country (and Canada), the principal means by which ANSS maintained contact and purpose was through the AAAS annual meetings and the publication of an “official organ” of some sort. The history, and now legacy of ANSS (and nature study) is essentially the history and preservation of its publications.
The American Nature Association, once headquartered in Washington D.C. was the publisher of Nature Magazine from 1923-1959, an illustrated monthly with popular articles about nature and later, the “interpreter of the great outdoors”. The American Nature Association morphed into the American Nature Study Society and Nature Magazine eventually transitioned to Nature Study, ANSS’ official Journal.
To preserve ANSS history, legacy, and stature we have gathered and retained several its publications in a manner that is searchable, accessible, retrievable, and available to the general public. The files are protected from someone simply downloading and publishing the information for profit. Anyone can use the files but not in commercial ways. While we were not able to secure all ANSS publications, we have included copies of Newsletters, Teaching Tips, Nature Study Journals and E L Palmer’s Natural History Inserts along with historical and biographical information that may be of interest.
A significant amount of historical information regarding Nature Study, ANSS and related topics, individuals, and publications can be found in the ANSS Records 1908-1997 at the Cornell University Library – Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Collection #2195. (We will pursue potential to have the publications listed here added to the appropriate collections at the Cornell Library)
This ANSS archive project is ‘fluid’ – when secure copy of the ‘missing issues’ and/or additional information, we will do our best to add them to the listings. This project has been made possible with the help of the American Nature Study Society (available) records, the Brandwein Institute, the Lime Hollow Nature Center, the Cornell University Library – Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections and several individuals.
Please use this link to contact us with your questions, concerns and suggestions.
Associated accessible/retrievable information and resources include:
Brief history of the ‘nature-study’ movement (Wikipedia)
History of the American Nature Society Essays and Articles (PDFs)
Brief History of the American Nature Study Society
“Nature-Study … A History” by Liberty Hyde Bailey, 1903
“The Meaning of the Nature Study Movement” by Liberty Hyde Bailey, 1904
“Nature-Study is Science Brought Home” by Anna Bostford Comstock
“Fifty Years of Nature Study and the American Nature Study Society” by E. Laurence Palmer, 1957 (the 93rd of Nature Magazine’s special educational inserts)
“75 Years of the American Nature Study Society” by Helen Ross Russell, 1982 (article originally appeared in The Outdoor Communicator, The NYS Outdoor Education Association)
“A Brief History of ANSS-emphasis on publications 1958-2008” by John Gustafson
“ANSS Presidents 1908 – 1998“
Eva L. Gordon Award for Excellence in Children’s Science Literature
LH Bailey Award for Excellence, Achievement, and Outstanding Service to Nature Study
Biographical Sketches & Photos:
Liberty Hyde Bailey
Anna Botsford Comstock
E L Palmer
Helen Ross Russell
Eva L. Gordon
ANSS Newsletters (PDFs)
ANSS Newsletter, mailed quarterly (when available) from 1943-1999, kept members posted on Society and member news. Each issue featured 1- to 3-page Teaching Tip, nature writing excerpts and announcements of upcoming regional, national and international events.
ANSS Nature Study Journals (PDFs)
Nature Study Journals (1964-2004), in 3-4 annually themed issues, contained in-depth articles focused on nature study, nature education, environmental education, trends, issues, resources, opportunities and more all written and compiled by its members and guest writers and editors such as; L H Bailey, Anna Botsford Comstock, E L Palmer, Cap’n Bill Vinal, Roger Tory Peterson, Edwin Way Teale, Bill Sharp, Helen Ross Russell, Bill Stapp, Verne Rockcastle and Bill Hammond. The Journal often contained additional Teaching Tips corresponding to the issue’s theme feature articles.
Nature Study Journal themes included: Interrelationships, Insects, Water, Amphibians, Forest, Winter, City, Writing for Children and many more. Index and Anniversary issues were published periodically. Books for both children and adults, many authored by members, were reviewed in each issue.
ANSS Teaching Tips (PDFs)
Teaching Tips were/are 1-2-page ‘lesson plans’ focused on helping teachers and students learn about the natural world. ANSS’ Tips were first published in the Society’s Newsletters but also found their way into the Nature Study Journals. Topics were as widespread and as varied as all the associated fields of nature-study and environmental education from Acid Rain to Insects to Bird Houses to the Moon. Tips were written by members, authors and guests, many of whom were outstanding educators and naturalists. ANSS Teaching Tips have been re-printed many times and are still in use and valuable today.
E L Palmer’s Natural History Inserts(PDFs)
Ephraim Lawrence (E L) Palmer was most well-known for his books such as Field Book of Natural History (1949), his weekly radio show This Week in Nature of the 1940s – 1950s, and his writings and contributions in the monthly publication of Nature Magazine including the 100+ Natural History Inserts. Each 8-page insert is inclusive of and focuses on a distinct and specific topic of natural history. Palmer often wrote a ‘School Page’ article in Nature Magazine to accompany the Natural History Insert of that issue giving teachers the tools and lessons he/she needed to include the information presented in classroom and related field studies. It is significant to note and remember that Nature Magazine was a monthly publication. You will often find these inserts in the binders and on library shelves in schools, libraries, nature centers and outdoor/environmental education centers today.
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New York Times bestselling biographer Brian Jay Jones is known for covering iconic creative geniuses who have made indelible contributions to pop culture. He has celebrated the lives and legacies of George Lucas, Jim Henson, Washington Irving, and Dr. Seuss for serious fans and newcomers alike.
His most recent book, Becoming Dr. Seuss: Theodor Geisel and the Making of an American Imagination (Dutton, 2019), has been celebrated as “nuanced, profoundly human” (NPR), “compelling [and] sweeping in scope” (The New Yorker), and “a rich, anecdotal biography” (Kirkus).
His previous book, George Lucas: A Life (Little, Brown, 2016) was named one of Kirkus‘s Best Books of 2016. The first comprehensive biography of the influential creator of Star Wars and Indiana Jones in nearly two decades, George Lucas: A Life was praised as “definitive” (New York Times), “whiz-bang” (People), “must-read” (Parade) and deemed by Rolling Stone as “the one biography for casual and die-hard [Star Wars] fans alike.”
Brian discusses Jim Henson on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.
Jim Henson: The Biography (Ballantine, 2013) was a New York Times bestseller, and chosen as the Best Biography of 2013 by Goodreads, as well as one of the year’s Top Ten books by CNN viewers. The first full-length biography of the iconic creator of the Muppets, Jim Henson: The Biography was hailed as “illuminating” (The Atlantic), “insightful” (Parade), “masterful” (Kirkus) and “compulsively readable” (The AV Club).
Brian’s first book, Washington Irving (Arcade, 2008), was acclaimed as the definitive biography of American literature’s first popular author and pop culture icon. The Associated Press deemed it “authoritative,” the Washington Post called it, “engaging,” while the New York Times summed it up simply as “charming.” Which pretty much made his year.
In 2010, Brian was awarded the St. Nicholas Society of New York’s Washington Irving Medal for Literary Excellence, joining David McCullough, Ron Chernow, Christopher Buckley, and William Zinsser on the list of medal recipients.
Born in Kansas and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Brian has a degree in English from the University of New Mexico, which he immediately parlayed into a brief career as a manager of a local comic book store. For nearly three decades, he’s worked as a speechwriter and policy adviser for elected officials and thought leaders at all levels of government, including two United States Senators. He’s also served as an associate state superintendent of education in Arizona, a chief of staff for a think tank in Washington, D.C., and as a legislative aide for several elected county officials in Maryland. He presently serves as a communications strategist for the president of the University of New Mexico.
Brian engages audiences during a lecture on George Lucas
A compelling public speaker and presenter, Brian has discussed his work in a wide variety of venues, including the Smithsonian Institute, the New York Public Library, Washington Irving’s “Sunnyside” home, the New England Genealogical Society, and the Museum of the Moving Image in New York. He has also discussed his work on Morning Joe, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Today, The Diane Rehm Show, Tavis Smiley, and The Cycle, as well as in numerous documentaries, including PBS’s In Their Own Words: Jim Henson. If you’re interested in having him come speak, he can be booked through the Penguin Random House Speakers Bureau.
An active member of Biographers International Organization since its inception in 2009, Brian has served as its elected President (2014-2016) and Vice President (2012-2014).
Brian lives in New Mexico with his wife and an opinionated dog who refuses to stay off the furniture. You can find him running his mouth on Twitter at @brianjayjones, and @OfficialBrianJayJones on Facebook. Or you can e-mail him at brian (AT) brianjayjones (DOT) com. Go ahead. He’ll write back.
Click here to download a hi-res author photo.
One response to “About Me”
Pingback: New Release Alert: “George Lucas: A Life” by Brian Jay Jones | Reading the Best Biographies of All Time
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Bristol Old Vic’s Heritage Department launches new season of historical talks and discussions
Bristol Old Vic’s Heritage Team have launched a new season of talks and discussion linking the theatre’s cultural world with that of those who came before it, inspired by the theatre’s 253-year-old history and its theatrical legends, uncovered treasures and collective memories.
Hosted in Bristol Old Vic’s Coopers’ Loft, the talks will examine topics pertinent to today’s world, through the lens of the past. From November 2019 – March 2020, speakers from the University of Bristol, the University of the West of England and Avon Archaeology will offer insightful and unique reflections on arts and culture – past, present and future.
RE:COLLECTIONS will feature 4 topics including audience behaviour (A Difficult Sort of Audience?), the unspoken secrets of King Street (The Mostly Scandalous and Often Curious History of King Street), the theatre’s history with the Transatlantic Slave Trade (Madge Dresser) and the recent discoveries made during Bristol Old Vic’s 2018 renovation (Avon Archaeology).
Each talk will last around an hour, with tickets priced at just £3.
Bristol Old Vic is the longest continuously running theatre in the UK, and celebrated its 250th anniversary in 2016. The historic playhouse aims to inspire audiences with its own original productions, both at home and on tour, whilst nurturing the next generation of artists, whether that be through their 350-strong Young Company, their many outreach and education projects or their trailblazing artist development programme, Bristol Ferment.
They use their funding to support experiment and innovation, to allow access to their programme for people who would not otherwise encounter it, or be able to afford it, and to keep their extraordinary heritage alive and animated.
On 24 Sep 2018, Bristol Old Vic completed its 2-year multi-million pound redevelopment project, which transformed its front of house space into a warm and welcoming public building for all of Bristol to enjoy, created a new studio theatre and opened up its unique theatrical heritage to the public for the first time.
Press Office: 0117 949 4901 | press@bristololdvic.org.uk
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Tag Archives: Feast of the Dead
North America in the 17th-and-18th-centuries was a clash European and Native cultures in many ways – ways of life, ways of trade, ways of war and ways of faith. Faith for all people in this era was not an abstract but a truth that informed every part of their existence. Finding ways to incorporate the dynamic push-pull between these faiths into games provides an interesting challenge and opportunity.
Free RPG Day 2019 edition of Forts &Frontiers The Feast of the Dead
In 2019, two partners and I in a founded Campaign Games to create games with a focus on history and narrative play. That spring, we introduced a Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition compatible role playing game adventure called Forts & Frontiers: The Feast of the Dead as part of Free RPG Day. A month later, we successfully funded a Kickstarter to expand the game into a deluxe version with a more fleshed-out game system focused on the friction among cultures in colonial America.
As part of the Kickstarter, we were thrilled to partner with Sash and Saber Castings to create two exclusive miniatures as part of their expansive French and Indian War line of 28mm models.
False Face Society Shaman
Traditional False Face Society masks
The False Face Society figure depicts a member of the Haudenosaunee healer tradition. Wearing a fearsome carved and painted wooden mask and carrying a turtle shell rattle, a member of the society would make rounds twice a year to chase away evil spirits and disease from a village. Masks came in a lot of varieties, including some woven from corn husks, and the healing rituals would also include singing and burning tobacco.
False Face Society figure from Sash and Saber Castings
Jesuit Priest
Martyrdom of Jean de Brébeuf as depicted in a 1657 map by Francesco Giuseppe Bressani
The Jesuit Order was founded in Spain in the mid-1500s and its member missionaries spread through North, Central and South America in the 17th-and-18th-centuries. Rooted in Catholic faith, Jesuits lived a life of meditation and contemplation of Jesus Christ. Intellectually, they sought to bring formal education of languages, history and science in a reform of church leadership.
Missionaries to what Europeans called the New World viewed natives of these regions to be in need of saving through baptism and rejection of their perceived savage rituals and traditions. At the same time, Jesuits were at odds with European secular colonial governments for their documentation of native cultures and languages during their years of living among these people. Effectively living between the two societies, Jesuits were famously the victims of torture and martyred execution by natives who recognized the threat they symbolized.
With no experience in the wilderness of the Americas and only their faith to guide them, Jesuits ventured deep into heart of the country largely unexplored by other Europeans. The Jesuit figure depicts the plain dress and spare possessions of a missionary of the era, clutching a Bible close to his heart and a cross hanging from his waist.
Jesuit Missionary figure from Sash and Saber Castings
Together, the False Face Society Shaman and Jesuit models depict two competing traditions of faith in the Americas during the era of European colonization. In each tradition, rituals and physical items — whether a turtle rattle, mask, Bible or cross — provide opportunities for contrast but also a shared belief that something exists beyond the physical land where people clashed for domination.
Posted in French and Indian War
Tagged 28mm, Campaign Games, Dungeons & Dragons, False Face Society, Feast of the Dead, Forts & Frontiers, Free RPG Day, French and Indian War, French Colonialism, Iroquois, Jesuit, Kickstarter, martyrdom, Missionary, painting, Religion, Sash and Saber Castings, scale modelling, Shaman
The 2010s in Review: My Favorite Games
The past ten years have been a big decade for gaming and for me as a gamer. I launched this blog (which I haven’t posted to in more than two years). I became president of Metropolitan Wargamers in Brooklyn, NY, NYC’s oldest continuously active gaming group, now in its fourth decade. And, I played a lot of games.
So, here’s my oddball list of 16 games I deem as my favorite of the 2010s. My list isn’t necessarily the most innovative games of the past ten years (although some are) and many are not widely popular (again, some are). These are the games that got back to the table over and over again as other new games came and went.
First up are a few games that capture my love of Marvel comic books and Star Wars from my 1970s childhood. Fantasy Flight Games has really exploded with Star Wars games over the past decade, and while I’ve played most of them, Rebellion and Imperial Assault are my standouts for capturing the story of Star Wars at the epic interplanetary level and as a sci-fi adventure campaign. Both games have incredible design, artwork and plastic miniatures which really speak to the toy nerd in me. The deck-builder Marvel Legendary also captures the teamwork which is the hallmark of Marvel heroes and villains. All three games take me deep into the real storytelling feel of being in the pages of a comic book or a movie.
My other childhood obsession was Dungeons & Dragons. Lords of Waterdeep captures the flavor of D&D within one its most fabled campaign settings dropped into a boardgame that feels like an adventure quest. Back to the classic RPG style of play, the D&D 5th Edition Starter Set brought me back to the table for the first time in years with a slimmed down all-in-one boxed rule set that felt akin to the fast-moving games of my childhood.
From superheroes, science fiction and fantasy, my love swings to American history. The American War of Independence plays out n my two favorite games of that period — Liberty or Death: The American Insurrection and 1775: Rebellion. In 1775, a simple block, card and dice mechanic allows play of the entire war in about 90-minutes and serves as a fantastic entry into the period and wargaming. With LOD, GMT’s COIN (counterinsurgency) mechanic of asymmetric conflict breathes new and nuanced complexity of the often-simplified formative American story.
From the American Revolution, my interest stepped back to the French and Indian War. This was the period that really fired my imagination the past few years with a dive into dozens of books and several long trips visiting historic sites of the era in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia and New York. A Few Acres of Snow was my first game of the period and remains one of hands-down favorites with its two player asymmetric, deck building that still challenges over multiple plays as the French and British. My miniatures wargaming interest also swung heavily to the FIW with Muskets & Tomahawks. The quick-playing, card-driven mechanics of the game really captures the clash of British, Indian, French and Canadian forces, and I’ve spent countless hours researching and writing historic scenarios for significant engagements of the period which I’ve run at multiple miniatures gaming conventions as well as my club. A new version of the long out-of-print rules is due in 2020, so I’m very much looking forward to what the game brings next.
Two other historical games I’ve loved deal with two difficult subjects that have significantly shaped American history. Freedom: The Underground Railroad tackles slavery and the fight of abolitionists to bring it to its end through exceedingly challenging gameplay that involves often heartbreaking choices of who does and doesn’t make it to freedom in Canada. Fast-forwarding to the 21st-century, Labyrinth: The War On Terror covers the endless war of the US and coalition forces in the Middle East. As the wars continue, the game has received updated expansions bringing the game’s events and mechanics right up to the current news of the day from the 9/11 attacks to the Arab Spring to today. Both games show the power of games as tools to model and understand history ways few others do.
With time at a premium, there were a few games that filled the gap for 30-minute or less time slots at the beginning or end of a long evening’s game session or when a quick game just fits the bill. The patterned tile placement in a Azul is great for my non-gamer friends as well as experienced players, plus, it has my favorite mechanic of pulling the very satisfying heavy tiles out of a bag. Fuse also has a tactile angle with fast rolls of dice placed into patterned puzzles to be solved against a nerve-wracking countdown app. Finally, The Mind takes a super simple deck of 100 chronologically numbered cards and turns it into a really interesting exercise in how we play collaboratively with others without the benefit of verbal communication.
I play a lot of the above games and others with my family, and one we’ve returned to repeatedly is Five Tribes. The game, set in a fantasy sultanate, scratches all the Eurogame itches of colorful wooden meeples, a modular board, beautiful card artwork and some easy to grasp but hard to master strategies. We’ve taken this game on the road more than just about any game in my collection.
Finally, I wasn’t alone in my obsession with the wildly-popular Root. The game combines so many things I love about games — fantasy, adventure, great art — in an asymmetric clash of woodland animals. With what it presents simply on the surface, the game taps into a wargaming feel that bridges all the games I’ve enjoyed so much over the past ten years.
Aside from all the games above I’ve enjoyed, I have to also celebrate the 2010s coming to a close on a personal gaming note. After some fours decades as a gamer, I was thrilled to co-found Campaign Games and launch a successful Kickstarter in the late summer of 2019 for Forts & Frontiers: The Feast of the Dead Deluxe. Combining the mechanics of D&D 5th Edition with my love for the story of 17th-century European-Indian history in North America, the game was well-received during Free RPG Day 2019 and continues to playtest well at conventions. To end the year and decade on the other side of the table as a game creator is a thrill I’ll watch unfold over the coming year and into the 2020s.
Posted in General Gaming
Tagged 1775: Rebellion, A Few Acres of Snow, American Revolution, American War of Independence, Azul, board games, Campaign Games, Dungeons & Dragons, Eurogames, Fantasy Flight Games, Feast of the Dead, Five Tribes, Forts & Frontiers, Free RPG Day, Freedom: The Underground Railroad, French and Indian War, Fuse, GMT Games, Imperial Assault, Kickstarter, Labyrinth: The War On Terror, Legendary, Liberty Or Death, Lords of Waterdeep, Marvel Comics, Metropolitan Wargamers, miniature wargaming, Muskets and Tomahawks, Rebellion, Root, Star Wars, The Mind, wargaming
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The Library provides a range of services to the Cardozo Law School community. Please see below for how the Library can assist you with your research needs.
Spring 2021 Library Services
To reduce health and safety risks and concerns, library services are limited. The guide below reflects the current library policies and services as they differ from those detailed on our website during normal operation.
SPRING 2021 LIBRARY SERVICES GUIDE
Reference librarians are available to assist you in-person from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. until closing on Friday during the fall and spring semesters, and 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Friday during the summer term. The reference team can help you find specific information and library materials and also offers one-on-one consultations and specialized group instruction by request.
The reference desk is on the 7th floor on your left as you walk through the glass doors. The reference desk is also reachable by email (lawref@yu.edu) or at 646-592-6505.
Reference Instruction
Librarians offer research instruction to law journal staffs and to upper-division classes upon request. Librarians also offer introductory online research training on Bloomberg Law, LexisNexis and Westlaw in the first-year Lawyering Skills Program. Advanced Legal Research is a required one-credit, upper-division course that helps students develop effective research skills in working with federal and New York state statutes, regulations and secondary sources.
The circulation desk provides a number of essential services to students and is the place where you can: checkout materials, reserve study rooms, borrow reserve materials (2 hours), borrow a gadget (power chargers, flash drives, etc.), borrow a study aid (Hornbooks, Emanuel, Gilbert's), and make copies of previous exams. It's also where you'll find the lost and found, the hold shelf, and the giant stapler and hole punch.
The circulation desk is on the 7th floor on your right as you walk through the glass doors. The Circulation Desk is also reachable by email (circdesk@law.cardozo.yu.edu) or at 646-592-6505.
If material needed for research at Cardozo is not available in the library's collections, the library may attempt to borrow it from another institution through interlibrary loan. Cardozo students should request interlibrary loan service from the reference librarians by submitting a request form in person at the reference desk.
Printing, Scanning, & Copying
The law library is equipped on floors 7 and 8 with multifunction printers that can print, scan, and copy. There is also a dedicated flatbed book scanner on the 7th floor near the public PCs and a microfilm scanner in the PC lab on the 8th floor.
Printing services are only available to Cardozo students.
The law library provides 30+ PCs and access to the fast YUWireless network to students, faculty, and staff.
The library provides access for Cardozo students and faculty to major legal research databases including LexisNexis, Westlaw and Bloomberg Law. These databases contain a range of legal materials, including full-text judicial opinions, federal and state statutory materials, and many secondary sources. The library also provides access to specialized legal databases like HeinOnline, CCH Securities and Intellectual Property Network, BNA Premier, and the Making of Modern Law. For a full list of e-resources, consult the "Databases & Indexes" tab on the library homepage.
Links to various e-resources may be found through BEN, the library catalog. BEN serves as the proxy server for remote access to the library’s electronic resources. To access resources, you can click on links labeled “online access” in BEN. You can also use the E-Journal Portal on the library’s homepage to search by journal. To authenticate yourself when off-campus, you will be prompted to enter your first name, last name, and library barcode number, which starts with 25103, and is printed on your YU identification card. If you encounter problems, first contact the Circulation Desk by email (circdesk@law.cardozo.yu.edu) or phone at 646-592-6505 to verify your name and barcode.
Student IT Help Point
The new Student IT Help Point is the first stop for your IT needs. IT staff along with trained student workers will be available to assist you with YUWireless, Canvas, Luminis, Gmail, Pharos Printers, Examsoft, and much more.
Student IT Help Point is in the library, next to the circulation desk. They are reachable by phone at 646-592-6510, email (CSL-ITSupport@yu.edu), and in-person: Mon - Thu 8:30 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Fri 8:30 a.m. - closing; Sat - Sun Closed.
Audio/Visual Support
The law library provides audio/visual support. Law school classes are not videotaped, but practice rounds for various competitions or other types of class projects may be videotaped and viewed on the Web.
Video cameras, digital audio recorders, LCD projectors, microphones, laptops, and a document camera are available. The classrooms are equipped with DVD players and LCD projectors. To request that an event be videotaped or that some audio/visual support be provided for a class or special event, contact the reference librarians in person or email avrequest-law. A taping release form must be completed if a speaker or panel is recorded.
Access to Other Local Libraries
With the presentation of a currently validated Yeshiva University student I.D. card, Cardozo students and faculty have access to all libraries of Yeshiva University, to the Fogelman Library of The New School, and to The Cooper Union Library. In addition, the library is a member of METRO, the New York Metropolitan Reference and Research Library Agency. Through this organization, Cardozo students and faculty may use materials in area libraries for short periods. The law library also participates in the Conference of Law School Library Directors of Greater New York. The nine conference libraries permit direct access to their collections when needed.
The reference librarians answer questions about area libraries and issue passes, when deemed necessary, to these METRO and conference libraries. For questions about access, contact the reference librarians in person or via lawref.
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Feleboga
Aug 24 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
Feleboga will perform a concert of old-time music from the Appalachians on Friday, August 24th, at 7:00 pm at the Carl Cherry Center for the Arts in Carmel. Feleboga (fiddle bows) is a band from Norway, composed of family members Mattias Thedens (fiddle, banjo, vocals), Elizabeth Gaver (fiddle, vocals), and Hans-Hinrich Thedens (guitar, banjo, vocals). Tickets are $15.00, available through Brown Paper Tickets or by calling (831) 624-7491.
After living in Johnson City for several months in 2004, they have returned to the Appalachian area almost every summer to continue their immersion in the music – fiddle tunes, songs, and ballads. The concert will present two new string band CDs featuring the family. Stories and projected photographs will illustrate their journey with the music.
Feleboga Stringband’s “Tugboat to Hamburg” includes two additional American musicians living in Norway. The CD has several songs and fiddle tunes, two with original texts. Feleboga Stringband has performed and played for dancing in Norway, Denmark, and Germany.
“The Moose Whisperers” is the self-titled debut CD of the exciting young band with Mattias on fiddle. The Moose Whisperers won the old-time band contest at the prestigious Appalachian String Band Festival (Clifftop) in 2016. After performing at the festival the following year, the band recorded this CD in Washington DC. They toured Norway and Denmark in January 2018 and have been invited to perform and teach at the Gainsborough Festival in February 2019.
For more information about Feleboga, please follow us in Facebook and see our website, feleboga.com.
Nice Fish
The Life and Work of Watercolor Artist Rollin Pickford
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The Defining Down of Economic Deprivation: Why We Need to Reset the Poverty Line
• REPORT InequalityPoverty
Shawn Fremstad
The way the federal government measures poverty, rooted in the economic assumptions of the 1960s and 1990s, is woefully out of date, resulting in a drastic underreporting of families in poverty. This report is a joint project of the Center for Economic and Policy Research and The Century Foundation’s Bernard L. Schwartz Rediscovering Government Initiative. The report is published in full here and as a PDF, downloadable from this page.
The poverty line has needed a reset for a long time. Until that happens, the federal government should discontinue the use of the Official Poverty Measure (OPM) for public statistical purposes. As a statistical measure, the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) is a significant improvement on the OPM in most ways, but it doesn’t provide a reasonable reset of the antiquated poverty line. The federal government should report poverty statistics using both a conventional (relative) poverty measure like those used in Canada and the United Kingdom, as well as an improved, more inclusive market-basket measure that builds on the SPM.
Will resetting the poverty line in a reasonable fashion mean that more Americans will be counted as having resources below it? Yes, but that’s only because a reasonable reset will provide a more accurate picture of who is economically deprived by today’s standards of housing, child development, child care, transportation, and other basics, and not those of 1963.
What follows in this report is an analysis of the current crisis in poverty measurement, with a particular focus on the poverty lines established by the OPM and SPM, and on households that include children. This report makes five recommendations that, if adopted, would improve the relevance, credibility, accuracy of federal poverty measurement.
What You Should Know:
The Official Poverty Measure (OPM), developed in the 1960s and adopted as the federal government standard by President Nixon in 1969, has remained the same for over half a century, only updated for inflation.
The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), which was developed by President Obama’s Office of Management and Budget and has been in use since 2011, is an improvement over the OPM, but still, was largely based on conservative interpretations of recommendations made by a panel of the National Academy of Sciences that was convened in 1992.
These two measures of poverty set the “poverty line” much lower than what the public perceives as what it means to be poor and lower than the poverty line of other similar economically developed countries.
This report recommends immediately discontinuing use of the OPM for statistical purposes, updating the SPM to better reflect what it truly means to be poor in the United States, and using a conventional “relative” poverty measure as an additional measure of poverty.
Join us online on Thursday, October 1, 2:00–3:00 PM EST as we discuss the report’s findings on why the OPM is woefully out of date, the changes needed to the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), and how the federal government can more accurately measure poverty in America, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Please register to obtain the Zoom link.
This report was published by the Bernard L. Schwartz Rediscovering Government Initiative, and is a joint project of The Century Foundation and the Center for Economic and Policy Research.
Shawn Fremstad | Senior Policy Fellow
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Shawn Fremstad is a Senior Policy Fellow at the Center for Economic and Policy Research.
Universal Lessons from Illinois’s Fair Tax Failure: How a Rich Minority Wins the Majority Vote
Sepideh Jessica Vasseghi / November 19, 2020
Contagion Nation 2020: United States Still the Only Wealthy Nation without Paid Sick Leave
Hye Jin Rho, Shawn Fremstad AND Jared Gaby-Biegel / March 19, 2020
The Effects of Hospital Consolidation in Colorado
Jared Gaby-Biegel / March 05, 2020
Historically Slow Productivity Growth Since 2005 Hampers Wages, Profits
Karen Conner / September 17, 2019
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For endurance athlete Ben Hoffman it was a remarkable twist of fate that put him on a path to become an elite triathlon competitor, 7-time Ironman Champion, and repeated top finisher in both full Ironman and Half Ironman disciplines.
The Grand Junction, Colorado native first discovered triathlon the summer after his freshman year of college while exploring Alaska on a road trip. A chance car breakdown led to some downtime at a local library where he happened to come across a book about triathlon. His interest piqued, Ben joined the school’s triathlon club once he returned for his fall semester at the University of Montana. Tapping his competitive desire as well as his natural ability, he immediately excelled throughout the college triathlon landscape. His passion for both training and competition lit, Hoffman went pro in 2007 after he spent the Summer of 2006 competing and winning small events around the US. Major career highlights include 7 Ironman wins, a second place finish in the 2014 Ironman World Championships, two top-5 finishes at the 2016 and 2019 Ironman World Championships, and 7 Half Ironman Championships. Still at the top of the sport as one of the US’s best endurance athletes, Ben consistently challenges for the podium with his combination of grit, dedication, and desire to push himself to the next level.
13 years after his pro debut, Hoffman has been through it all. From the highs of top-level competition to the struggle of trying to bounce back after injuries, Ben truly embodies what a Champion is. For him it’s about the whole picture, “Part of why I do this is for the pursuit of the highest level of sport, but a lot of it is lifestyle-based. I really love getting out there and training every single day. I get to push myself, see what I can do, and live a healthy lifestyle.”
All-new challenges also continue to motivate him as well, whether it be long-distance mountain bike competitions or his off-duty roles as a husband to his wife Kelsey and father to his daughter Josie. With many competitions and miles ahead of him, at Champions + Legends we’re proud to partner with a champion like Ben in his pursuit of excellence in competition and training.
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← Followup on Juliette
A Happy Ending For Grace →
Posted on August 15, 2011 by charleysblog
Today and for the next several days, the President is riding a bus through several midwest states. No, it’s not because Air Force One is undergoing maintenance and he has to use a bus instead. It’s because it’s an officially scheduled White House event, to gather enthusiasm and support for the President’s efforts in fixing the economy. A grueling, nearly impossible task, it seems to me.
The bus tour is not, absolutely, a 2012 campaign tour. The President’s people made that clear. It’s an officially scheduled White House event. Never mind that it’s occurring in states where the Republican candidates just got done with their little campaign thing a few days ago, and never mind that the President’s approval ratings are in the toilet and he could use a good pep rally here and there, like in the midwest for example. Not to mention the fact that a bus is involved, which usually means it’s a campaign thing. It’s not. It’s an officially scheduled White House event.
In a speech in Minnesota today (and I assume an identical speech was given in other cities), the President took a moment to defend government efforts in general. This was in response to those unfair critics who unfairly criticize government efforts at resolving our economic problems. And you have to admit, it’s pretty easy to find fault with government efforts in a lot of areas.
However, the President said – we need to slow down here. Give the government a break, and don’t be so quick to rule out its capabilities. After all, the government is responsible for putting people on the moon, and also for operating national parks, which seem to be working well. The President’s exact words were, “When you go to National Parks and those folks in hats – that’s the government.” So there (I added the “so there” part, but although he didn’t say it, I think he felt it).
I’ll give him that. The government did a great job of getting people to the moon in the late 60’s and early 70’s, and they’ve done a great job with providing hats to National Park workers. So there’s two areas right there where the federal government definitely has some skills. So here’s my suggestion…
Let’s find the same guys who figured out the moon thing, and combine them with the National Park Hat Department guys, and form a committee, and let them work out the economy.
Because while I’m not yet convinced about the government’s capability in other areas, those are two successes right there where the government can pat itself on the back. Another area, by the way, where they excel.
2 Responses to Government Capability
Erin Farrell Speer says:
This made me laugh out loud. Go Charley. And just for the record, Jason and I were attacked by a National Park Ranger in her hat about 6 weeks ago. She was a nut job – and we love the parks.
Hatsofftoyou says:
Very good Charley.
And a good object lesson — why teams with specific responsibilities work well. Isn’t it a good thing both of these initiatives weren’t handled by the same team — or the astronauts might be wearing Park Ranger hats in space, and imagine coming upon a park ranger in an astronaut helmet soundling like Darth Vader — “Luke, put out that campfire.”
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The Knight in Shiny (New) Armour – Arbitration
By Alecia Featherstone12 September 2017Family Law
Throughout the year we attend many seminars, conferences and other professional development events which are informative and often eye-opening. However, I have attended a recent training session which has left me buzzing with inspiration and excitement for what lies ahead. It is becoming an often repeated rhetoric that the Family Court system is failing families. Generally, this failure is attributed to the unbearable delays which result in families being left in crisis mode for many years whilst either awaiting a trial or awaiting the delivery of a judgement after the trial itself. But, my recent training in arbitration with the Australian Institute of Family Law Arbitrators and Mediators (AIFLAM) has delivered me a glimmer of hope and an alternative to the traditional Court path.
Arbitration is a process through which parties present their argument and evidence to an arbitrator, who then makes a decision as to the outcome. This decision is delivered by way of an “award” which is recognised and enforceable as if it were an order of the Court. Arbitration has been around for many years, however, seems to have been treated as the neglected middle child in the family law system. We have the oldest child being the Court system, which has been around since the creation of the Family Courts in 1975. The Court is often presumed to be the golden child, placed on a pedestal, holding all of the answers to every family law problem. But, over 40 years on, the Court system is now becoming increasingly overloaded and somewhat clogged – which is having a significant delay on the expediency of matters, and ultimately slowing down the way in which matters are resolved.
Arbitration has been sitting on the sideline since the 80’s. It’s got fresh legs, and is raring to be utilised. However, the arrival the attention-seeking youngest child, “mediation” overshadowed arbitration’s entry into the family law world. Mediation is, and always will be, a highly effective way of achieving outcomes for people in family law, as the outcomes are entirely controlled by the parties themselves and allow the parties to move on with their lives in a more harmonious fashion.
The Court system and mediation have developed into creatures heavily relied upon by the users of the family law system. Arbitration is emerging as the Cristiano Ronaldo of the family law sphere, utilising its holistic and dynamic approach to fill the position as centre forward. There are nearly 85,000 new matters filed in the Federal Circuit Court of Australia each year. Each judge has over 400 matters in their docket at any given time. This is just too much for this system to handle. As a result, our valued judicial officers who have an obligation to give each individual matter the consideration it requires, are often simply unable to produce outcomes within timeframes that the families before them require. Unfortunately, if a matter cannot be resolved by mediation or negotiation, then you could be looking at a wait of two to three years for a trial. This is not the fault of the judges, who are dealing with up to 40 matters on any given day; this is simply a system that is sadly under resourced and unable to keep up with demand. This system is screaming out for an alternative, and that is why the time for arbitration is now.
In simplistic terms, arbitration is similar to a “pick your own adventure” novel. Basically the parties elect to participate in arbitration, select the arbitrator (decision-maker) and determine the method which is to be applied. No system defines how your matter will be handled, and with the assistance of some experienced and creative legal practitioners, a model can be established which ensures that both parties are heard and an outcome delivered, often within a matter of weeks. The arbitrators in Queensland include retired judges, barristers and even local solicitors – depending on your “adventure” you select the level of experience required.
Although you are required to pay the arbitrator, which you naturally do not do when you are in the Court system, the cost of arbitration is often significantly less than what you would spend if you remained in the court system for another two to three years awaiting a trial. Naturally the cost of your stress, uncertainty and the time in which your life is put on hold is immeasurable.
I cannot understand how a process with so many benefits has been overshadowed by its more shiny siblings for so many years. I believe the two biggest benefits of arbitration are:
Timeliness – you can have your matter heard and an award made (similar to an order) within a matter of weeks to a couple of months. This is compared to a Court system whereby you would not be assigned your first Court date until approximately two to three months after filing. To think that your whole matter could be resolved within this time is truly astounding;
Flexibility – the process is tailored around your dispute, not the Court system. This means that if your matter is fairly straight-forward then your matter may be considered by the arbitrator on the papers. This means that neither of you would be required to attend a hearing or be cross-examined, which has clear benefits! Conversely, however, the arbitration can be conducted in a manner which is so similar to a Court hearing, the only thing missing might be the lack of a wig. The arbitration can be tailored to your particular circumstances – not what suits the greater population and is most easily administered. It truly can be “pick your own adventure”!
It is important to be aware that presently arbitration is only able to be conducted in relation to property matters. It is not suitable for matters involving parenting arrangements…yet. Whist I am certainly not on the Law Reform Committee, nor profess to have a great deal of knowledge of the agenda of Parliament, I am confident that in the future this will be reconsidered and we will see arbitration being used as a tool to resolve all family law matters.
My parting words are – embrace it. It is a new frontier into which we foray, however, one which is certain to bring about closure sooner and results which are more satisfying and allow you to move on with your life and plan your future; rather than wondering what the future will deliver to you and when this might come.
ALECIA FEATHERSTONE
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My 2014 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot
January 8, 2014 November 18, 2015 / Carter Gaddis
My 2014 Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. I voted for nine players, including electees Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas.
I’m not smart enough to solve all of the problems that plague the voting process for baseball’s Hall of Fame. I’ve given my opinion, which is just that — one opinion. I think much of the angst and hand-wringing could be eliminated if they simply eliminated the voting rule that states we have to factor in sportsmanship, integrity and character. It works for the Pro Football Hall of Fame — which certainly doesn’t have things exactly right, but at least the process doesn’t force the voters to make educated guesses about who did and did not do things that were against the rules or the law.
It’s high time the voting process was revamped, anyway. If an attention-seeking sports columnist and TV personality from South Florida can thumb his nose at the process by giving his vote away to readers of a satirical sports news website, something clearly is wrong.
Still, it’s a process I feel compelled to take seriously. I spent 1999-2009 covering baseball, 11 consecutive seasons as a card-carrying, hard-traveling member of the Baseball Writers Association of America. Yes, it was a truncated career. It wasn’t my choice to leave newspapers, any more than it was the choice of so many others whose careers went south when the print industry imploded. I hung around long enough to meet the requirement for 10 consecutive years of uninterrupted membership. Growing up, I lived the game. I love it still, and that decade-plus I spent roaming clubhouses and press boxes was the culmination of a dream come true in a lot of ways.
So, I’ll keep voting until they tell me I should stop.
Here are my 2014 selections (I voted for nine players, one fewer than the 10-player limit):
Greg Maddux, RHP
Tom Glavine, LHP
Frank Thomas, DH/1B
Craig Biggio, 2B/C/CF
Jeff Bagwell, 1B
Fred McGriff, 1B
Lee Smith, RHP
Mike Piazza, C
Edgar Martinez, DH
This is my sixth year as a voter. My thoughts on the PED users already have been documented. And you can see by my ballot that my thoughts haven’t changed. I won’t vote for Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire or Sammy Sosa. I never voted for Rafael Palmeiro, who fell off the ballot this year. Rumor and innuendo are not necessarily enough to convince me to not vote for a player (witness my inclusion of rumored users Piazza and Bagwell). What separated those two from Bonds and Clemens? The overwhelming preponderance of circumstantial evidence against the all-time home run leader and the greatest right-handed pitcher in baseball history. Simply, the rumbling and whispers about Piazza and Bagwell just weren’t loud enough, and I think their numbers and contributions to their teams made them Hall of Fame players.
A few other notes.
I vote for Martinez because I believe that if we’re going to put relief pitchers into the Hall, all specialists should be included. This argument about “only” being a hitter and not contributing with a glove doesn’t make sense to me. Are we going to exclude pitchers because they can’t hit? Outfielders because they don’t pitch? Nonsense. Baseball specialists who excel at an extraordinary level should be considered for the Hall. Extraordinary specialists whose achievements are historical (such as closer Lee Smith) should be elected.
There’s also this: Martinez won the 2004 Roberto Clemente Award, which is bestowed upon the major leaguer who best combines giving back to the community with excellence on the field. Biggio won it in 2007. Why does this matter? Because if factoring in sportsmanship, integrity and character means Bonds and Clemens are out, how can we not take into account exemplary displays of those qualities? In other words, the way the rule works now, being a good guy during a playing career meant something. That’s one reason I voted for Dale Murphy for five consecutive years before his candidacy came to an end in 2013.
So far, I haven’t deviated from the belief that if a player is a Hall of Famer, there is no reason to leave him off the first year. I re-evaluate each candidate with each new ballot, but unless some new evidence came up the last time I voted, there is virtually no chance I’ll include him.
I’ll finish with this: If the integrity, sportsmanship and character rule was eliminated, I would not hesitate to vote for Bonds and Clemens. I didn’t ask to be some sort of moral cop when it comes to Hall of Fame voting, but as long as that rule is in there, I feel like it’s my responsibility to make as informed a decision as possible. Ultimately, it’s a futile exercise, because as I’ve written before — here and in my old life as a sportswriter — no one who didn’t see PED use happen knows for sure if it did. We’re guessing, at best. I hope I’ve made the right choices, and I hope the process is reformed soon.
Baseball, Baseball Hall of Fame, BBWAA, Blogging, Craig Biggio, Edgar Martinez, Frank Thomas, Fred McGriff, Greg Maddux, Jeff Bagwell, Lee Smith, Mike Piazza, sportswriting, Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa Dad Blogger, Tom Glavine
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12 thoughts on “My 2014 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot”
CJ Cat
i agree with you that the system sucks. Sportsmanship and character are arbitrary terms that really have no basis in reality. I love that they need to factor in character and sportsmanship. There are some pretty smarmy players in the hall already – racists, alcoholics, philanderers….. Why can’t we just vote in who was at the top of their game, when they played. You can’t compare Bonds to Ruth, but I think that you can conclusively say that if Ruth played when Bonds did he would have used the cream. Bonds hit the ball better than anyone in baseball for a decade and Clemens threw it harder.
post post modern dad (@ppmdad)
And Martinez is still hanging around Seattle doing good. In many ways he’s still the face of the franchise. Only now he has more time to do good in the community. The man truly embodies what “hall of fame” character is. Many of those other folks on the ballot do too. I’m glad you take that into account and not just the numbers.
austinja
Thanks for being so transparent with your vote. It has to be a tough call every year.
I agree with you on the PED issue and completely share your views of Edgar Martinez (no surprise) as he is one of the really terrific ambassadors of the game. Plus he could rake like no one I have ever seen. In my mind there is no question on his status.
memyselfandkids.com
Why do you think Lee Smith hasn’t made it? I have not studied his stats or anything but my memory is of him being an excellent closer for multiple years. Curious to hear your take.
Really don’t know, Larry. He retired as the all-time saves leader. Either closers matter, or they don’t. And the one-time saves king ought to be in there if they matter. Sutter, Gossage, Eck are all in. Rivera and Hoffman soon will be. Smith is in their class.
So This is Fatherhood
As you know, I covered ball for four years and one of the things that disappointed me most about not staying in newspapers longer was the privilege to be able and vote for the Hall of Fame. I’ve thought a lot about the process over the years and have talked to a lot of writers and former players who I still remain in some relative contact with and nobody has the right answers.
My issue isn’t with the PED’s (of which I feel that you don’t know who used and who didn’t, so it’s unfair to single out the major users like Bonds and Clemens while we don’t know if Glavine or Maddux or whomever didn’t use HGH to bounce back during the length of the seasons and their careers because they did a good job of covering their tracks … so if you’re the best user/player/cheater during an era where seemingly everyone used, then you are … whatever this is not the space for that argument) but it’s with the people who throw their votes away or try and reason with it.
I was fortunate to vote for one Cy Young award and three MVPs in my time and I spent hours creating spreadsheets and comparing players, etc. while some others simply voted for their hometown guys or players who they heard on the radio deserved it.
The point is that I agree with you about the process needing to be changed because too many people don’t take it seriously.
Dave Crawford
Come on….no Donnie Baseball? Injury shortened career, kept greatest franchise linked from Nettles and Munson to Jeter…..MVP and batting champ.
Having grown up in southwest Ohio in the 80s, I’m a die-hard Reds fan and whenever the topic of Hall of Fame voting comes up I feel it’s my duty to bring up Pete Rose. I know a lot of Cincinnati area sports writers like Hal McCoy and Paul Daugherty think he should be in the HOF – I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on Rose’s chances to get in the Hall.
I’d be surprised if he got in during his lifetime. Giamatti might have meant to reinstate him, which might have changed things. Then again, Bonds, Clemens and Co. have not been banned, and it’s pretty clear they’ve got an uphill battle. Bottom line on Rose: It’s hard to predict.
My gut tells me that it’ll happen posthumously for him. Which, on some levels is a shame.
Could/would you vote for him?
I’d vote for Rose if the Hall of Fame voting rule about sportsmanship, character and integrity was dropped. Otherwise, it’d be tough.
Pingback: My 2015 Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot | DadScribe
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‘NCIS’ season 11: Cote de Pablo’s Ziva joins ‘Community,’ ‘Mistresses’ on People’s Choice list
CBS, NCIS, People's Choice Awards October 24, 2013
For those of you “NCIS” fans looking to get one last chance to celebrate Ziva in 2013 (and we hear from you all the time about it), there is going to be an opportunity to do just that courtesy of the 2013 People’s Choice Awards. Even though Cote de Pablo may have already left the […]
‘NCIS’ season 11, episode 6 preview: Tricks, treats, McGee, and Gibbs in ‘Oil & Water’
CBS, NCIS October 22, 2013
After what was a somewhat-serious “NCIS” episode tonight that featured some of Tony’s past, and also a breakdown where he openly admitted to missing Ziva, we are coming back next week with an episode that, at least in theory, looks to be pretty silly and fun. With Halloween coming up, next week’s “Oil & Water” […]
‘NCIS’ season 11, episode 5 review: Tony flashes back, still misses Cote de Pablo’s Ziva
Can we make a new “NCIS” spin-off that is mostly about Abby and Delilah being passive-aggressive towards each other? If we were able to do that, then we imagine that we would have something with at least some more guaranteed ratings that the upcoming “NCIS: New Orleans” spin-off show. Okay, so we seriously don’t want […]
‘NCIS’ season 11, episode 5 preview: See Michael Weatherly’s Tony back in Baltimore (video)
CBS, Michael Weatherly, NCIS October 22, 2013
Tuesday night’s “NCIS” episode is entitled “Once A Crook,” and this is going to be a different one than most others in that it takes Tony DiNozzo away from his typical environment with the team, and to a place that he once knew very well and called home for many years: His days working on […]
‘NCIS: Los Angeles’ season 5 spoilers: Another look at an upcoming mission
CBS, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles October 21, 2013
While there is quite a bit taking place right now in the world of “NCIS: Los Angeles,” much of it is currently being left open to ambiguity. This is where this story comes in, which is really all about trying to parse out what is important in the upcoming seventh episode of the season, which […]
‘NCIS’ season 11 spoilers: Michael Weatherly shares photo of Emily Wickersham
CBS, Emily Wickersham, Michael Weatherly, NCIS October 20, 2013
Do you want to see a first look of Bishop on “NCIS” season 11? Well, for the time being, a look at half of her face via Michael Weatherly may have to suffice. The actor posted the attached photo on his Twitter account, and it shows Emily Wickershaw’s character from the eyes up … and […]
‘NCIS’ season 11 spoilers: See Michael Weatherly, Mark Harmon on a boat … and why
CBS, Mark Harmon, Michael Weatherly, NCIS October 19, 2013
Doesn’t it make sense that a show all about a Naval investigative team would spend some time on the open waters? We think so, though the irony here is that in the latest “NCIS” season 11 photo that we have for you here, we have the likes of Mark Harmon and Michael Weatherly actually working […]
‘NCIS’ season 11 spoilers: Tricks (and not treats) come Halloween time
Were it not for the fact that we already know about Gary Glasberg and Mark Harmon trying to make an “NCIS: New Orleans” spin-off show, we would sit here and say that “NCIS” was getting together a new sort of backdoor pilot for itself with “Oil and Water.” This episode, airing on October 29, is […]
Ratings: ‘The Originals’ and ‘NCIS’ rise; ‘Agents of SHIELD’ falls a little more
Agents of SHIELD, NCIS, The Originals October 16, 2013
As of right now, there is almost no question as to who is the undisputed winner of Tuesday nights so far the fall: It’s The CW. Remember here that at this time last year, the network was running “Hart of Dixie” and “Emily Owens MD,” a pair of shows that were at best averaging a […]
‘NCIS’ season 11, episode 5 preview: Is Michael Weatherly back in the spotlight?
Do you want more Tony on “NCIS”? Well you are going to get plenty of that and then some on next week’s all-new episode “Once a Crook.” Tonight in our review for “Anonymous Was a Woman,” we bemoaned that in leaving Tony back in Washington, it was more of a reminder that Ziva was gone. […]
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Casco Passage Capital LLC
Experience and commitment
Our team has diverse experience in business, finance and operations, centered on creating long-term value in our portfolio and partner companies.
Don O’Grady, Chief Financial Officer
Don has broad experience and a successful track record managing growth companies with an emphasis on internal control, management reporting, budgeting and forecasting. Don has served as the Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Finance for a number of companies, including Irving Oil and Hinckley Yachts. Don oversees Casco Passage’s portfolio companies, leading financial forecasting, control and reporting for each business. He is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine where he holds a B.S. in Accounting.
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Justin Schair, Managing Partner
Justin is a co-founder of the Casco Passage companies, consulting and private investment businesses focused on franchises, real estate and energy. He oversees portfolio company asset management and focuses on new investment projects. He is a Director of Thermal Energy Storage of Maine, an energy storage business centered on improving grid efficiency and use of renewables. His experience spans business, journalism, public relations and politics, serving in roles with the New York Daily News, as Finance Director for U.S. Senator Angus King and as a leader of political reform campaigns. He is a graduate of Hofstra University where he majored in journalism, and has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Lori-Ann Touchette, Administrative Manager
Lori-Ann oversees administration of Casco Passage, its portfolio companies and investments. Lori-Ann’s experience centers on administration, human resources as well as real estate management. Lori-Ann is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine.
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P.O. Box 402 | 48 Union Wharf, Suite 200
Tel: +1 (207) 805-0100 | Email
Copyright 2017 Casco Passage Capital LLC
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Shakespeare’s Tragic Lovers (Remote)
Barbara Burgess-Van Aken
Tuesdays, January 12–February 2 |noon-1:30 p.m. ET
This course will explore the fates of four of Shakespeare’s most famous tragic couples as we read Romeo and Juliet (1594), Troilus and Cressida (1601), Othello (1604), and Antony and Cleopatra (1606). Instructor suggests the Folger Library editions published by Simon and Schuster.
Beowulf (Remote)
Paula Kalamaras
Tuesdays, January 19-February 23|7-8:30 p.m. ET
Beowulf, considered one of the most important works of Old English literature, is an epic poem where the hero travels great distances to prove his strength at impossible odds against supernatural demons and beasts. There are feasts, challenges, deeds of valor and a retelling of the history of the characters and their lineages.
Comparative Mythology (Remote)
Thursdays, January 21-March 11|10-11:30 a.m. ET
Mythology is our earliest form of literary expression and the foundation of all history and morality. This course will explore the mythologies of the world, contrasting their differences and also their commonalities. The text by Willis and Walker divides the mythologies of the world into regions and zones, providing background for discussion.
Lillian Smith’s Vision of Justice (Remote)
Monica Carol Miller
Wednesdays, February 3-24|10-11:30 a.m. ET
As a white woman writing against racial segregation and race-based violence from her home in the north Georgia mountains in the 1940s, Lillian Smith (1897-1966) was far ahead of her time.
The Spy Who Stayed Out in the Cold (Remote)
Shelley Bloomfield
Thursdays, February 4 -March 11 |1-2:30 p.m. ET
How did the Cold War era change the eerie inner landscape of the intelligence agent in our fiction? Has the spy become just one more variation on the antihero? How does he or she navigate times of greater moral ambiguity and cynicism?
The Most Delicate, The Most Vulnerable: Black Girls and Women in the Fiction of Jesmyn Ward and Colson Whitehead (Remote)
Michelle Smith Quarles
Fridays, February 5-26|10 - 11:30 a.m. ET
So much of literature explores the effects of American history, life, and violence on Black men and boys. It is a tradition that has been taken up by not just Black writers, but white ones as well.
Reading Love: What Does Literature Tell Us About The Human Heart? (Remote)
Angela Fasick
Mondays, February 8-March 15|10-11:30 a.m. ET
Modeled on a course taught by James Alan McPherson at the Iowa Writers Workshop, this class will look at works of modern literature through one specific lens: love. In his Nobel Prize Banquet Speech, William Faulkner claimed that the only thing worth writing about is the human heart in conflict with itself.
Edith Wharton: Other Times, Other Customs
Wednesdays, March 10-31|10-11:30 a.m. ET
In 1921, Edith Wharton was the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in Literature. Her nearly forty-year writing career spanned not only decades but also written genres, as she wrote everything from interior design manuals to first-hand accounts from the front in World War I.
Senior Scholars: More Beautiful, More Terrible: When The American "Adam" Leaves Home (Remote)
Tuesdays, March 16–April 20|1:30-3:30 p.m. ET
When the character of the confident American, who believes himself at home everywhere, travels to the Old World, what he or she experiences reaches beyond the easy pleasures of museum and cafe. Over six weeks, we will explore the depiction of the American abroad in novels by Mark Twain, Henry James, F.
It Can’t Happen Here: Anti-Fascism in 20th Century Literature (Remote)
David Ackerman
Tuesdays, March 23-May 11|10:30 a.m. - noon ET
In light of recent national and international developments, anti-fascism is indeed a timely theme. To gain insight we will explore three brilliant, if chilling, works. Although the focus will be on the literature, some time will be devoted to identifying possible analogies and dis-analogies to today’s world.
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POL 096B Topic: Comparative Politics in Western Europe (3 credits)
POL 101 Politics: Comparative Introduction (3 credits)
An introduction to politics using comparative analysis of countries. Executive, judicial, legislative, socialization, public opinion, media, decision making and power will be among the functions in a political system that are considered.
Course Rotation: NYC: Fall, Spring, and Summer. PLV: Fall - Odd years.
POL 101C Politics: Comparative Introduction (CAP) (3 credits)
How humans develop attitudes towards power. The roles of family, peers, church, mass media, interest groups, parties, psychic tension, and cultural myths in shaping political beliefs and action. United States patterns are compared with political conditioning and behavior in other countries, including democracies and other regimes.
POL 102 Public Myth and Ideologies (3 credits)
Major systems of symbol and rationale which give cultures their distinctive political imagery. Nationalism, capitalism, socialism, communism, agrarianism, modernization, conservatism, liberalism, and anarchism. How these idea systems affect the general population, groups, elites, and leaders.
Course Rotation: NYC: Fall and Spring. PLV: Fall - Even years.
POL 102C Public Myth and Ideologies: We Protest: Dissent & Democracy (3 credits)
POL 111 American Government and Political Institutions (3 credits)
A basic course in American government which explores the theoretical and philosophical background of the Constitution and the creation and development of the three branches of national government: executive, judicial, and legislative. The course also explores the nature of linkage institutions in the American political system, including political parties, interest groups, the media and campaigns and elections.
Course Rotation: NYC: Fall, Spring - Odd years, and Summer. PLV: Fall.
POL 111C American Government and Political Institutions - CAP (3 credits)
A basic course in American government which explores the practical and theoretical background of the Constitution, examines the nature of government under the Constitution, focusing on the three branches: executive, judicial, and legislative, explores how government actually operates, and seeks to explain the workings of the American political process.
POL 111IP American Government and Political Institutions (4 credits)
POL 114 Introduction to International Relations (3 credits)
In this course, we will explore power relationships between the major political entities in the world, including both nation-states and non-state actors. We will explore how major schools of thought interpret how the world works. Topics we will discuss among others include the processes of globalization, global and regional security, terrorism, global environmental crises, transnational social movements, war, peacemaking/keeping, trade, diplomacy, colonialism, and human rights. Particular attention will be paid to the United Nations, the effect of systems/institutions on real people, and the phenomena of civil society producing changes in a global context. Anyone who expects to be working in a global context should consider taking this course.
Course Rotation: NYC: Fall, Spring, and Summer. PLV: Fall and Spring.
POL 118 State and Local Government (3 credits)
A study of state and local government within the context of the Constitutional structure in the United States. Courses in New York City focus on the functions of the mayor's office of New York and the City Council; courses on the Pleasantville campus emphasize the nature of state and local government within the context of the metropolitan area.
Course Rotation: PLV: Spring.
POL 120 Crimes Against Humanity: Political Perspectives (3 credits)
This course examines debates concerning justice, law, and politics surrounding the idea of “Crimes against Humanity.” Crimes against Humanity emerged as a concept in international law in the aftermath of World War II and the Holocaust. We often hear condemnations against "Crimes against Humanity” without having a clear idea of what that means. The course first examines the violence and genocide that ultimately led to the post-WWII Nuremberg trials and formal prosecutions for “Crimes against Humanity.” The course then turns to how the definition expanded to include the crime of Apartheid, “disappearances” in Latin America, gender-based crimes in the former Yugoslavia, hate speech in Rwanda, and contemporary cases in the Middle East, among others. We examine and debate what it means for a crime to be “against humanity” and whether the concept is, or can be made to be, coherent. We debate the pros and cons of expanding the definition and whether the term properly applies in controversial cases. The course will consider issues like: What type of evil is involved in genocide? Which types of courts should try crimes against humanity and under what conditions? Does talk of "the rule of law" mask the role of power politics? Is reconciliation preferable to punishment? When is military intervention justified? How should nations remember and repair past crimes against humanity?
Course Rotation: PLV; Spring
POL 196A Travel Course to Africa (3 credits)
POL 196C Topic: Metropolis: Issues in Politics and Governments in the New York Metro Area (3 credits)
This course is designed to provide the student with basic knowledge of how governments in the New York metropolitan area decide "who gets what, when and how" (Lasswell 1958). We will examine the general principles of federalism as the process impacts on local and on state governments, as necessary. We will study the sources of power in governments and how such powers influence which policies governments pursue. This course will focus on the roles of economic power, officials, business, and interests groups. We will examine these factors as they relate to specific New York metropolitan-area governments and public policy issues (poverty, taxes, the environment, sprawl, etc.) through in class, student and faculty-driven, discussions and debates.
POL 196D Topic: History and Politics of the Modern Middle East (3 credits)
This course provides a basic understanding of the history and politics of the Middle Eastern countries and its peoples since the 20th century. It will cover the political, social and economic themes that animate debate in the field of Middle East Studies today.
POL 196F Special Topic: Twelve Big Ideas in Politics (3 credits)
This introductory course is focused on 12 fundamental ideas that enable students to be effective participants in political debate in modern democracies. Students discuss and debate a case study for each big idea. These fundamental ideas include power, liberty, democracy, gender, equality, race, crime and punishment, multiculturalism, toleration, political obligation, the environment, and human rights. Issues to debate could involve pornography, torture, climate change, counter-terrorism, reparations, the draft, the Muslim veil, disability rights, economic inequality, and racialized inequality in the United States.
Course Rotation: Fall (Even Years); PLV
POL 196G Topic: Immigration, Politics, and Justice (3 credits)
This course addresses contemporary political debates over immigration and justice. Should the United States “Build the Wall,” restricting people’s movement at and around the U.S.- Mexico border and at points of entry such as airports? Other questions specific to U.S policy and politics might include: Is restricting immigration “un-America”? Does the history of America exclusion and discrimination in immigration policy and law provide precedents for restrictions today? Should the children of undocumented immigrants have birthright citizenship if born on American soil? Is amnesty justified? Another set of questions will investigate what principles of justice regarding immigration apply generally to countries around the world. These might include: Should religion or ethnicity ever play a role in formulating migration policy? What obligations are owed towards refugees? Should people be able to freely move across borders? Does maintaining cultural integrity, democratic stability. liberal values, economics concerns, and/or national security justify restrictions on immigration? What, if anything, justifies the use of force to keep people off our land? What, if anything, makes a territory “ours”? Finally, America immigration policies and politics will be compare to and contrasted with those of Europe and other countries.
Course Rotation: PLV: Fall
POL 200H Topic: Human Rights and Global Politics (3 credits)
POL 201A Campaign Politics (3 credits)
: Studies the inner workings of how campaigns and elections operate in the United States as candidates seek to gain elective office. Takes students through the process of a campaign including: fundraising, media strategy, policy research and formulation, and get out the vote efforts on election day.
Course Rotation: Fall and Summer
POL 201E Topics: Americans Political Thoughts (3 credits)
POL 201G Politics Workshop : Leaders and Leadership (3 credits)
POL 202A Government Internship Workshop (3 credits)
POL 202B Sociology of Politics Workshop (3 credits)
POL 202D Politics Workshop: People and Politics in New York City (3 credits)
POL 202F Topic: Introduction to International Organizations (3 credits)
This course will provide an introduction to the institutions and organizations that structure, regulate and govern international political, economic, social, cultural and humanitarian affairs. Students will learn about the political issues and dilemmas facing the United Nations, World Bank, IMF, non-governmental organizations, transnational advocacy networks and multinational businesses.
Course Rotation: NY: Spring.
POL 202H Politics Workshop: Criminal Justice (3 credits)
POL 202I Politics Workshop: History and Decision Making (3 credits)
POL 202J Workshop: Cultural History and Policy Making (3 credits)
POL 203A Politics Workshop: Revolution and Terrorism (3 credits)
POL 203B Politics Workshop: Social Global Entreprenuership (3 credits)
From 'doing well by doing good' to fair and transparent leadership - ethics in business, government and society is all about transforming the paradigm in which these enterprises take place. One name given to this transformative process is "social entrepreneurship." Topics discussed will include definitions, implications, and routes to creating a better world while enabling the student to find success in their choice of work. A model will be developed in class for a sustainable business opportunity that can have global impact. Guests who have succeeded while caring to make their workplace and the world better places will be invited into roundtable discussions with the class throughout the session.
POL 203C Individual Liberties and the Bill of Rights (3 credits)
POL 203D Topic: Comparative Governments (3 credits)
POL 203G Politics Workshop: African Politics and Foreign Policy (3 credits)
New Core: Fulfills 3 credits in Area of Knowledge III.
POL 203J Politics Workshop: Cultural History and Policy Making (3 credits)
POL 203L Politics Workshop: Congresses, Parlimentes, Other Legislatures (3 credits)
POL 205 Political/Socio-Economic Problems of Middle East (3 credits)
POL 206 Politics and the Environment: An Urban Perspective (3 credits)
This course will focus on how politics and environmental concerns manifest themselves in an urban setting. A history of legislation such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, NY State Environmental Quality Act, Noise and Air Space Regulations will be reviewed and applied to New York City. Confronting the environmental problems that downtown New York faces in relationship to the aftermath of 9/11/01 will also be a topic of analysis. This course will be jointly offered to students in the Environmental Studies major so that a team approach can be developed in analyzing public policy and the environmental consequences of decision-making and non decision-making.
Course Rotation: NY: Fall, PL: Fall and Spring.
POL 207 Political Empowerment (3 credits)
With all major challenges facing this country and our world, why doesn’t everyone want to do something about it? What prevents people from getting involved? This course seeks to answer these questions through exploration of the notion of empowerment. What is it? What does it have to do with politics, or democracy? This course will examine these questions through the combination of lectures, presentations, readings and “real world” community-based work. An interest in policy, community-building, government and/or improving civic life is strongly recommended for individuals wishing to enroll in this course. Students will conduct 25 hours of community-based work with staff from outside organizations.
Course Rotation: PLV:Fall
POL 208 Survey of Comparative Political Theory (3 credits)
Panoramic survey of teachings and prescriptions about power, rule, government, and public affairs in Western, Confucian, Japanese, Islamic, Hindu, Slavic-Orthodox, Latin American , African civilizations applies systematic comparative analysis to explicate and contrast their norms concerning state, rule of law, accountability, liberty, legitimate coercion. Course Rotaion: NYC & NYC: TBD
POL 209 Leadership and Advocacy (3 credits)
This course will explore organizing and leadership through a combination of readings, "real world" community work and online discussions. Students will undertake grassroots mobilization work as well as develop organizing skills that influence the community and strengthen leadership skills. An interest in organizing, empowerment. policy, government and/or improving civic life is strongly recommended for individuals enrolled in this course. Students will participate in community based work with advocacy organizations in their own communities during the semester.
Course Rotation: NYC & PLV: Fall & Spring
POL 210 Comparative Political Systems (3 credits)
Key features and functions of political systems are analyzed and compared by cross-referencing states that are diverse geographically, developmentally, and ideologically. Students will examine case studies in regions such as Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and the former Soviet Union.
Course Rotation: NYC: Spring. PLV: Fall.
POL 213 Twenty-First Century Politics (3 credits)
Crisis areas in humanity's future - war, revolution, racism, poverty, automation, crime, civil liberty, education, the arts, and urbanism. Preconditions, contemporary problems, and prospects for the decades ahead are examined. Worldwide, regional and local experiences are contrasted with other cultures.
Course Rotation: NYC: Fall and Spring. PLV: Fall - Odd years.
POL 214 Revolution or Reform (3 credits)
It is not enough to ask why governments are overthrown, why a group wants political change, why some political actions fail and others succeed. We need to ask how. The "how" can determine whether there will be a massacre as a penalty for a slave revolt, or whether new laws will finally acknowledge that someone’s pain and existence matters. This class explores revolution, resistance, and reform, three methods to deal with political crisis. We will explore the differences, particularly in terms of advantages and disadvantages, of these forms of political action. Our main region of focus will be Latin America, particularly the history and contemporary status of Haiti.
Course Rotation: NYC: Fall. PLV: Fall - Odd years.
POL 215 Chinese Politics (3 credits)
This class provides students with an understanding of the political, economic, and social changes which have taken place in China from the 19th Century until today. How did China go from being one of the world's poorest countries, to a global superpower? What were the challenges that the Communist Party faced after they won the civil war In 1949 and how well or poorly has the Party governed China over the last 70 years?
Course Rotation: TBD
POL 216 Internship I (4 credits)
POL 217 Internship II (4 credits)
POL 218 Political Science and Economic Thought (3 credits)
The works of classical, neo-classical, and radical thinkers whose ideas have had a major impact upon Western political ideology, governmental economic policies, and global development reviewed. Writings of such theorists as Adam Smith, Thomas Malthus, John Locke, David Ricardo, Karl Marx, Thomas Jefferson, and more recent writers are examined in terms of their political and ideological relevance in the world today.
Course Rotation: NYC: Spring - Even years.
POL 219 International Political Economy and Globalization (3 credits)
This course examines the politics of international financial institutions, regional economic organizations, and globalization. Case studies of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the World Trade Organization as well as the effects of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and other major economic actors will be discussed. The effects of and responses to globalization by people around the world will be a central focus throughout the course.
Course Rotation: NYC: Fall. PLV: Spring - Even years.
POL 220 Political Parties and Interest Groups (3 credits)
A comprehensive study of the organization and operation of the political party and pressure group as component factors in American government, including their influences upon the electoral process and the development of public policy.
Course Rotation: NYC: Fall - Even years.
POL 221 Politics of Protest Groups (3 credits)
POL 222 Issues in Public Policy (3 credits)
The course focuses on the process and substance of public policy in the democratic system of the United States. Analysis will focus agenda-setting, the legislative process, policy outcomes and policy implementation. The course will also focus on the "politics" of public policy as policy seekers compete for preferences within the system.
Course Rotation: PLV: Spring - Odd years.
POL 223 Political Theory: Machiavelli to the Present (3 credits)
POL 224 Public Opinion and Polling Methods (3 credits)
This course examines public opinion in American politics and how to measure it. We will discuss how people make decisions and form their opinions, including the influence of bias, ethnocentrism, and cultural norms. We will also examine how opinion and belief can be influenced through framing and suggestion, and how to account for those influences in survey research. The second half of the semester will teach students how to create and distribute their own surveys. This section includes information about proper survey design, sampling, question wording, and how to read and understand survey results.
POL 225 Global Justice (3 credits)
Do we have duties of justice as global citizens? Is it even possible to speak of justice beyond the borders of a political community like the "nation-state"? For example, are we permitted to be selfish and not care about world hunger? May we favor our own countrymen and countrywomen over foreigners? lf our duties conflict, how do we reason about them? These are some of the types of questions we address in this course. We look at what justice is as a concept, how to determine whether something is a matter of personal ethics or justice, how that helps us answer what global justice specifically is, how to use empirical studies of the world to determine how to apply standards of justice in concrete cases, what global justice would look like if it were to realized, how it might be advanced in a world where states still are the most powerful actors, and to what extent citizens, political leaders, and other actors have a duty to further global justice. Specific topics may include world hunger and poverty, global economic in equality, just war theory, self-determination and secession, immigration, culture, and human rights.
Course Rotation: PLV: Spring, even years
POL 233 Advanced International Relations (3 credits)
Building on theories of international relations and diplomacy, this course will explore in-depth case studies focused on: border and resource conflicts, global capitalism, weapons proliferation, social movements, displacement, and human rights. Research, writing, communication, and critical analytical skills will be emphasized, particularly through the development of individual case studies.
POL 240 Applied Research Methods (3 credits)
This course is designed to provide a broad introduction to issues of research methods and design in Political Science. Emphasis is on the subfield of American Politics, but most of the methodological issues discussed could apply to other areas of the discipline as well, or even to the social sciences more generally. Consideration is given to both quantitative and non-quantitative approaches to research and no specific background in methodology is expected or assumed. The goals of this course are to prepare you to understand material taught in Political Science and other social science courses and to teach you research methods that you may use in future courses or later in your careers. We will discuss the logic of the scientific method, research design (emphasizing survey research and experiments), and statistical analysis of data.
Course Rotation: NYC: Spring - Even years. PLV: Spring - Odd years.
POL 241 Classical Political Thought (3 credits)
A consideration of the major political concepts that shaped classical culture, with an emphasis on biblical, Greek, Roman, and early Christian writings.
Course Rotation: NYC: Summer.
POL 242 Medieval Political Theory (3 credits)
An examination of the main political theories of the Middle Ages, presented in the writings of several medieval thinkers. These works are read and then discussed against the political background of Europe from the fourth to the fourteenth centuries.
POL 243 Modern Political Theory (3 credits)
The contributions of some of the major political theorists, including Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Marx, Hegel, Kant. Special attention is given to their treatment of the following concepts: the nature of man and the nature of the state; political power and authority; political rights and duties; political change.
Course Rotation: NYC: Spring.
POL 244 American Political Thought (3 credits)
The contribution of major American theorists from John Winthrop to the present are examined. Their contributions to the uniquely American systems of government are analyzed.
Course Rotation: PLV: Spring - Even years.
POL 245 Politics and Media (3 credits)
This course focuses on the role of information in American political life. The fundamental question is: is it possible for the average citizen to make wise political choices in a complex and contentious world, where elites often manipulate information. In our discussion of the sources and effects of information we will use real-life examples such as the Iraq War. We will explore what Americans know about politics, and examine the various meanings of deliberation, and the relationship between deliberation and democracy. We will also address the growing question of the importance of apathy in American political life.
Course Rotation: PL: Fall and Spring.
POL 246 Hip Hop Politics: A Music Movement, Civic Engagement, and the First Amendment (3 credits)
In just under three decades, Hip Hop has evolved from Bronx based block parties to the high rise offices of multi-national corporations. Hip hop is now a nearly billion dollar industry, and most recently, a re-emerging viable political movement aimed at organizing the minority, poor, and youth vote. The course will utilize core tenants of an emerging critical Hip-Hop pedagogy to examine this movement’s history and political implications—from the first National Hip Hop Political Convention in 2004, to Russell Simons’ voter mobilization in 2004, to Bling vs. Blood Diamonds (“Diamonds”, Kanye West, 2005), to the Hip Hop based organizing for Katrina victims and the Jena 6, to the 90/07 Hip Hop Hearings on Capitol Hill. We will also explore Hip Hop’s impactful influence on the on-going debate regarding expansive First Amendment rights for all. The course is ideal for students interested in a relevant, culturally and legally inclined look at domestic and international politics.
Course Rotation: NY: Fall and Spring.
POL 247 International Law and Human Rights (3 credits)
This course explores the relationship between international law and human rights in theory and in practice. We examine the tension between sovereignty and human rights, debates around what types of human rights should be protected, the advantages and disadvantages of using international law to address human rights violations, and the role of human rights advocates and defenders. Possible issues include torture, gender and racial violence, indigenous rights, refugees, labor rights, climate change, and more.
Course Rotation: NY: Fall
POL 248 Twentieth Century World (3 credits)
POL 249 Feminist Political Theory (3 credits)
This course provides a survey of feminist theorizing with a particular emphasis on social and political theory and on probing the impact of feminist theory on domestic and international practice. It explores questions such as the how gender is constructed, the significance of diversity and intersecting status positions in gender constructions, how feminist agency and knowledge creation are possible within structures of masculine domination, the contribution of feminist knowledge to moral and democratic theories, and the relevance of these questions to feminist activism and scholarship.
Course Rotation: NY.
POL 250 Gender and Politics (3 credits)
In this course we will critically examine women in formal decision-making roles; political decision and events that affect men and women in various ways; the interaction of gender with other constructs such as race, class, sexuality and nationalism; and the relevance of feminist political philosophies and feminist critiques of mainstream political theory.
Course Rotation: NY: Spring
POL 255 United States Intelligence and Espionage (3 credits)
POL 256 Middle East Politics through Film (3 credits)
Assuming that "a picture is worth a thousand word," this course will use films, background readings and discussion to make the problems, tensions and forces at work in the Middle East today more understandable to the student. Documents like "Promises" and "The Fifty Years War", large budget Hollywood films like "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Syriana" independent films like "My Country, My Country" will enable the students to more deeply explore the countries and complexities of the Middle East.
POL 257 Latinx Politics in the United States (3 credits)
This class examines Latinx political history, Latinx political participation in the United States, and contemporary Latinx politics issues. Students will explore major themes with Latinx politics including political identity, social movements, political behavior, public opinion, and immigration. We will also spend a considerable amount of time discussing the role of Latinx voters in the U.S elections.
POL 296A Topic: Political Geography/ Geopolitics (3 credits)
POL 296C Topic: International Peace Through Technology (3 credits)
POL 296D Topic: Chinese Political Thought (3 credits)
POL 296E Topic: Voting, Apportionment and Negotiation Theory (3 credits)
POL 296F Topic: Politics of Education (3 credits)
This civic engagement (AOK 1) course will be centered on the ¿We The People¿ curriculum that was developed by the Center for Civic Education and offered throughout the United States. We will concentrate our efforts in working with high schools in the NYC system. The class will be a two-stage process. First we will learn the instructional material and discuss the principles underpinning the U.S. Constitution. In the second stage, Pace students will mentor high school students on gaining political literacy and competency on the principles and history of the Constitution by helping them prepare for the city-wide ¿We the People¿ competition which will be held at Pace University in January 2007. This four-credit course demands that each student participates in both the learning and teaching parts of the class.
POL 296G Topic: Urban Politics (3 credits)
Through canonical texts and films, this class will explore the international relations, historical narratives and, and daily experiences/practices of two regions of interest, the Middle East and South Asia. The class material will highlight the complex cultural and socio-political life in the contemporary Middle East and South Asia and will challenge some of the assumptions and stereotypes about the history, cultures, religions and politics associated with these regions. We will address issues of colonialism, border conflicts, ethnic minorities, diasporas, land disputes, government structures, and local cultural struggles. Gender analysis will play a central role in the class.
POL 296J Topic: Ethnic Conflict and Nationalism (3 credits)
This course seeks to understand the politicization of ethnicity. Confronting outdated theories of primordial ethnic hatreds, this class instead explores the multiple factors at play in conflicts between various groups. What are the underlying causes of conflict, and what are appropriate peace-building measures? What is the relationship between states, nationalism, and ethnic identity?
POL 296K Topic: Community Politics and the Environment (3 credits)
POL 296M Topic: Public Opinion, Voting, and Campaign Strategy: AC-Span Experience (3 credits)
This course will study the various aspects of elections in the United States during campaign years for the U.S. Presidential, U.S. Senate, and U.S. congressional elections. The students collect and analyze data, study public opinion surveys, and evaluate voter preferences within the context of the elections. Course is usually offered in the semester of a campaign.
POL 296P Topic: Middle East Politics (3 credits)
This course examines the region known as the Middle East, comprising North African and Western Asian states. Central points of discussion will include the legacy of colonialism, the historical relationship with South Asia and Africa, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, U.S. foreign policy, peace and security, and refugee crises.
POL 296R Topic: Race and American Political Development (3 credits)
This course will look at the politics of race in America as it has developed over most of its history. It will seek to understand how the issue of race has impacted upon the various institutions of American government, how individuals and governmental institutions have responded (or have not responded) to racial conflict, what solutions to the problem of racial conflict were proposed and settled upon at certain points in U.S. history, and what its legacy has been as America enters the 21st century. The goal of the course will be to keep a larger question in mind – namely, what the politics of race at its core says about an American Contract that is premised on freedom and equality.
POL 296S The Future of Democracy: Race for the Presidency (3 credits)
This course will deal with the different strategies being pursued by each of the major party candidates, the historical significance of these strategies, and an analysis of which is most likely to be successful. Students will work as teams to develop state by state and regional strategies for the candidates. The Electoral College will be examined and the American system will be compared with parliamentary systems with specific emphasis on Italy. Campaign tactics and organization along with financing will be major items of discussion. Students need to bring an interest in politics, a willingness to learn and the willingness to interact with one another. A series of short papers will be required along with two examinations. First year students are welcome in the course.
POL 296T Comparative Political Economy of the Far East (3 credits)
POL 296V America, Empire, and Democracy in the 21st Century (3 credits)
New Core: Fulfills 3 credits in Inquiry and Exploration.
POL 296W Topic: Money, Message and American Political System (3 credits)
This course will be videoconferenced with the C-Span center in Washington DC and the University of Denver. The objective of this class is to critically examine the way we elect our public officials, including the extensive process behind the scenes. Classroom guests will be brought in to the studio in DC and will add to the educational experience in the field of government, media and the political process. We will also incorporate material from the C-Span archives, as well as other video/film/television material from other sources, to enhance this unique learning experience. At the conclusion of this class, you will have a clearer understanding of the American political system. We will study political history, campaign financing, special interest money, media strategy, polling and grassroots organization.
Prerequisites: POL 111 or permission of the Instructor.
POL 296X Topic: New York City Council Governance (3 credits)
This course will study the politics, structure and operations of the New York City Council. Students will have the opportunity to engage in an eight-week practicum with a member of the City Council or a division of the Council, depending on the student’s specific interests. The course will provide classroom instruction that will analyze the Council, including its Finance, Legal and Investigative Units, and the operation of a Council Member’s legislative and community functions. Students will then work on a project for the Council after which they will return to the classroom to share their experiences with their classmates. Ideally, this course will bridge the gap between “classroom learning” and “hands-on work experience” in municipal government.
Course Rotation: NY; Fall (Even Years)
Prerequisites: POL 111 or POL 118 or permission of Instructor. New Core: Fulfills 3 credits in Area of Knowledge I. Service Learning
POL 296Y C-Span in the Classroom (3 credits)
Using the latest technology, our class will join via video-conferencing with classes at Denver University and George Mason University in Virginia. We will explore timely issues in government, politics, and the media. This class will be using the extensive library of C-Span television and real-time interviews with some of the most influential political leaders and opinion makers in the United States. This class is a nationally recognized innovation in teaching political science. In this course students will learn the meaning of the terms "political junkies" and "political pundits" by entering the real world within the Washington beltway.
POL 297B Topic: Environmental Policy: From the American Environmental Movement to International Law (3 credits)
The history of the American Environmental Movement will be analyzed stressing its roots in advocacy and conservation to its development as a legislative and litigation activity. How the environment developed into a global movement will be explored by following the development of the concept of “sustainable development.” Finally how the global community is working to develop treaties that will curb abuses and develop an “Agenda for the 21st Century” will be analyzed.
POL 297C Leading Change: Leadership Seminar (3 credits)
This spring’s seminar is based on the book Our Iceberg is Melting, written by the world-renowned leadership guru, Dr. John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber. Holger will share his knowledge with the class in-person several times during the semester. This is a rare opportunity for students to learn collaborative leadership from the author of this great new book. The goal of this course is to help students develop a tool-set, skill-set and mind-set for working, living and succeeding in an ever-changing world. You will learn to analyze what is happening with the change you aspire to see and ideas where to focus your energy. Our mission is to help students understand which natural role you can play in (the leadership of) any transformational effort.
POL 297E Global Climate Change: Politics and Policy (3 credits)
This course will explore the science and economics of global warming, the politics, and policy options for averting the worst impacts. We will look at the work of a number of scientists, journalists, and policymakers. Writing for class will be an important component, as will active discussion in class.
POL 297F Manifest Destiny Abroad, Social Darwinism at Home: The Politics of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina (3 credits)
The attacks of September 11, 2001 presented the United States with one of its most challenging foreign policy crises in its history. On the other side, Hurricane Katrina was the largest natural – and some say man-made – disaster in its history. Occurring within five short years of one another, some say that 9/11 and Katrina have changed the United States in fundamental ways of which we are just beginning to see the effects. Others argue that these two events have actually exposed the “true” nature of American politics and culture. How have 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina changed American politics? This course will examine these two events and seek to place them in a historical context by analyzing American foreign policy and domestic policy pre- and post-9/11 and Katrina.
POL 297G Topic: Political Consciousness - The Inward Journey Meets Transforming the World (3 credits)
Planet earth is becoming an increasingly web-linked social network, a global village. Globalization has the potential for increased understanding as well as the potential for destructive misunderstanding. Exciting debates are emerging across academic disciplines about developing a political consciousness of democracy that will positively mediate our understanding of globalization. This workshop will engage students in a personal transformation towards understanding democracy. Understanding our own process of increasing democratic behavior is a precursor to creating democratic relationships with others. We will examine contemporary conflicts among groups while attempting to apply deep democracy to mediate long-standing conflicts.
POL 297H Topic: Presidential Leadership: The Politics of Change (3 credits)
Change was the major theme of the 2008 Presidential election. This course will examine how American presidents have brought about change during the first few months of their administrations. The newly elected President and his policies will be examined as well as the political strategies he uses to forward his agenda. Comparisons will be made with the first two years (2000-2002) of the Bush presidency and the first two years of the Clinton presidency (1992-1994) as well as the Ronald Reagan and Franklin Roosevelt administrations. We will focus on the resources the president has to use and the opposition which he must overcome to bring about change. We will be looking at mass media analysis, presidential histories and undertaking policy analysis of competing proposals. The emphasis will be on a dynamic analysis of the various proposals undertaken, how they fare and the political implications of these actions. Given the continuing economic concerns, the foreign policy concerns, and the need to meet leadership questions quickly, this should be a lively and provocative course. Students with a general interest in public policy and presidential leadership should take the course.
POL 297J Presidential Politics and the 2010 Midterm Elections (3 credits)
November 2010 promises to be an important month for President Obama and for American politics. It will be his first off-year or midterm elections. Historically, we know that the President’s party often loses seats in the House and the Senate. In some cases the off-year and midterm elections become centered on the president’s performance to date or on a particular program or policy which he has championed. This course examines the historical content of prior midterm elections, places the 2010 midterm election in the context of prior midterm elections and within the context of Presidential politics, considers the various possible outcomes and what they could mean for the future of American politics and considers the impact of the midterm elections on the 2012 Presidential race and how both Democrats and Republicans are affected by the results. This course is designed for the student who wants to understand the midterm elections and their possible political significance. Professor Caputo has extensive experience in electoral politics and public policy analysis. We will also be utilizing C-SPAN and I Clicker technology in the course. Both majors and non-majors are welcome.
POL 297L Global Politics of Disarmament and Arms Control (3 credits)
An examination of the international politics of limiting the impact of violent conflict through disarmament arms control and nonproliferation. Students will learn about, analyze and critique diplomatic, legal, military and humanitarian efforts on weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, biological and chemical), conventional weapons (e.g. Landmines, cluster munitions, small arms and light weapons), the arms trade, as well as emerging high-tech systems (such as cyber-weapons and military robots).
POL 297M Topics: Public Education, Policy, and Law (3 credits)
This seminar will explore how law and policy interact in public education (both K-12 and higher education), focusing on significant Supreme Court constitutional rulings involving race and/or religion and current policy conflicts. We will grapple with several questions: 1) What impact do Court decisions have on policy and practice? 2) To what extent does (or should) the law limit policy options in these areas? 3) How should we balance competing values in public education? 4) How should policymakers weigh different interests and priorities? 5) To what extent should individual choice govern public education?
Course Rotation: NYC: Spring, Even Years
POL 297N Topic: The 2020 Campaigns and Elections in the United States (1 credits)
This class will be a one credit seminar focusing on the Presidential and Congressional elections this fall. Background in American politics is not required, international students are welcome. We will focus on the structure of American democracy and will use the current elections to understand the law, politics, and policy underlying the elections. Students should read, watch, and listen to multiple news sources to contextualize election news. Most of all, students should use this class to think more deeply about the political process in the United States, and enjoy learning different perspectives.
Course Rotation: NYC: TBD
POL 297P Topics: Ocean Politics (3 credits)
This workshop class studies the politics of oceans and the people who depend on them for their livelihoods and lifeways. Topics will include climate change politics, ocean-borne protest, the Law of the Sea and the diplomacy of what the UN calls "Small Island States." An elective in the Political Science major the course will be of particular interest to students of Political Science, Environmental Studies and Peace and Justice Studies.
POL 297S Topic: The Arab Spring (3 credits)
In the Spring of 2011, a chain-reaction of popular upheavals shook the countries of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, causing authoritarian leaders in Tunisia and Egypt to step down. Other countries throughout the region experienced massive protests as well, producing diverse outcomes, ranging from the NATO intervention in Libya, to timid reforms in Morocco and Saudi Arabia. This course will explore the cultural, geopolitical, and socioeconomic forces that set the stage for the so-called Arab Spring, in the light of both recent history as well as ongoing events in this world-changing regional drama.
POL 299A Challenge Seminar in Politics: "...Teaching Democracy, the Constitution, & Civic Engagement" (4 credits)
A four-credit course that will have Pace students utilizing their classroom experience by preparing N.Y. City High School students for a city wide competition sponsored by the Center for Civic Engagement.
POL 299B Challenge Seminar: America, Democracy and the Empire in the 21st Century (6 credits)
New York City and the World is designed to introduce international students to the political, cultural, economic and social life of New York and the United States. This six credit course will focus on America, Democracy and the Empire in the 21st Century. It will be an intensive, month-long seminar focusing on the following three areas: 1) The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and American Democracy; 2) "A Pax Americana": American foreign policy in a post 9/11 world; and 3) "The World Responds": international relations and the US role in a global world.
POL 299C Topics in Political Science: Political Psychology (3 credits)
POL 299H Topic: The Healthcare System in the US (3 credits)
POL 299K Topic:Community Politics/Envir (3 credits)
POL 299M Challenge Seminar: Politics and the Media (3 credits)
Media plays an increasing role in informing our political opinions. The class will analyze the growth of the media industry, laws governing access and free speech, political campaigns, polling, and ideology. How the Presidency, Congress, the courts, state and local governments use media will be considered. The continuem of media as a corporate entity to grassroots media activism will be explored.
POL 299R Brazilian Exchange (Political Science) I (3 credits)
POL 299S Brazilian Exchange ( Political Science) II (3 credits)
POL 301 Workshop: Community Politics and Environment (3 credits)
Special studies are chosen from a changing list of topics dealing with Political Science, constitutional issues, world affairs, public policy, and political leaders. POL 303A International Organization and POL 303C United Nations Workshop may be repeated once each for credit, as tehse workshops prepare students for various international conferences, simulations and for United Nations models, with different countries assigned for representation and different issues to be addressed each time. No more than 12 credits will be counted toward the major.
POL 301A Politics Workshop: Leaders and Leadership (3 credits)
An exciting look at the present theories of leadership not only in politics but in many other fields including business and non-profits organizations will be explored. Problem solving, decision-making and current leadership theories will be analyzed. Cutting-edge practices in transformational leadership for change will be simulated in class. Students will not only analyze leadership, they will develop their skills of leadership leading to enhanced opportunities for personal achievement.
POL 301B Workshop: Playing the Game-Who Gets What, When, and How (3 credits)
POL 301C Politics Workshop: Political Satire and Cartoons (3 credits)
Humorists, cartoonists, and commentators around the world are surveyed. Their wit is added to the accumulated body of satire and science fiction to shed light on excess, pomposity, hypocrisy, rabble-rousing, and taste. Weekly surveys of cartoons yield examples for collections on topics such as ethics, apathy, power, authority, influence, force, and manipulation. Students construct a satirical gallery of contemporary heroes and rogues and compile a current manual of archetypal political scenarios, fables, and cautionary tales.
POL 301E Workshop: Power, Influence and Authority (3 credits)
POL 301F Workshop: The Supreme Court and Authority (3 credits)
POL 301G Workshop: Presidential Leadership (3 credits)
Many political scientists have analyzed the character, policies, and achievements of presidents. This course will look primarily at post World War II presidents to determine the rise in presidential decision making power. Are there sufficient checks and balances to oversee this rise? Has Congress, the Courts or the media properly addressed this? Do we have an imperial presidency? If yes, must something be done to insure that democratic institutions limit the use of executive power? Why? How does presidential power impact present national and international issues?
POL 301H Workshop: Congress and Public Policy (3 credits)
POL 301J Workshop: Constitutional Law and Social Change (3 credits)
How does law change and evolve? Why do some societies experience gradual social growth, while others violent political revolution? What are the conditions by which groups displaced by legal norms can use legal processes to redefine their legal status? How do legal institutions work under the stress of social pressure? How do abstract normative concepts such as justice, liberty and equality redefine, and are redefined by, the goals of groups and the standards of legal obligation which are afforded to those groups? The course seeks to answer these and other questions.
POL 301K Politics Workshop: Politics of Law in American Society (3 credits)
Prerequisites: Satisfies Politics senior seminar.
POL 301L Politics Workshop: The Theory and Practice: Community Applied Legislative Advocacy (3 credits)
This is an active legislative advocacy course teaching grassroots campaign work, lobbying, research, and media management through hands-on activities to pass legislation toward lowering the price and improving the safety of prescription drugs in New York State. Experienced-based learning activities will be accompanied by readings, writing assignments, guest lecturers and classroom work and discussion. This course in civic engagement will involve students who will be actively lobbying New York, State officials both elected and appointed.
POL 301M Topic: Slavery and American Politics (3 credits)
POL 301N Politics Workshop: 9/11: A Five Year Assessment (3 credits)
POL 302 Politics Workshop: Road to the White House (3 credits)
POL 302A Politics Workshop: Comparative Government (3 credits)
Constitutional and operational institutions and functions for rules-making, rules-applying, and rules-adjudication are studied in parliamentary, presidential, despotic, and disintegrating regimes. What structures and what behaviors are necessary and sufficient for the center to hold in unitary, federal, and confederal arrangements.
POL 302B Workshop: Presidents, Prime Ministers, Chief Executives (3 credits)
Students compare executive offices and functions according to constitutional and institutional situations in which they are found. Topics include values, structure, and executive power, the executive establishment (ministers, advisors, and surrogates of power as well as physicians and protection), legislative relations, communications, crisis management, and, for national executives, security and foreign policy processes. As a group project, classroom simulation is done of the executive budget process based on procedures used by U.S. state and local governments.
POL 302C Workshop: Constitutional Law: Civil Rights (3 credits)
Equality lies at the heart of American democracy. And yet, the word "equality" has had different meanings at different times, and has been defined in different ways by different individuals and groups. This course focuses on the history of civil rights litigation and the unending search for "equality" on the part of marginalized groups in the United States. Students will learn how to brief cases which is perfect for any student who wants to attend law school.
Prerequisites: POL 111 or POL 118 or permission of Instructor. Satisfies Politics Senior Seminar. Fulfills 3 credits in Inquiry and Exploration. Revised
POL 302D Workshop: Congresses, Parliaments, and Other Legislatures (3 credits)
POL 302E Workshop: Comparative Electoral Systems (3 credits)
POL 302F Topics: Off-Year Congressional Elections: Their Political and Policy Implications (3 credits)
This course is designed to explain the dynamics of off-year congressional (U.S. House and U.S. Senate) elections and how they impact future political and public policy decisions. The course explores the most recent off-year elections and places them in an historical and political context. The course reviews and considers the various theoretical, political and statistical explanations which have been offered to explain off-year electoral outcomes. The course also considers the impact off-year elections have on both the House and Senate, the presidency, and American public policy.
Course Rotation: NYC: Fall and Spring, even years .
POL 302H Workshop: Development of Political Science (3 credits)
POL 302I Workshop: Freedom and Sustainability in 21st Century: Global Comparison (3 credits)
This course explores the meaning of "sustainable development" in international and comparative politics and law. You will read various definitions and come up with your own interdisciplinary definition and case study based on the theories and perspectives of conservation biology, restoration ecology, international environmental law, trade, and the "triple bottom line" of economic, environmental, and social concerns.
POL 302J Workshops: Sustainability and Sovereignity in the 21st Century (3 credits)
Analyzes and compares the approaches to sustainable development in the affluent Norht with economic development in the South. What is the interrelationship between sustainable development and such issues as: human rights, economic development, democracy, healthcare. What is the hope for reducing global climate change and making development sustainable?
POL 302M Workshop: Immigration, Race and Citizenship in the United States (3 credits)
One in ten residents of the United States was born outside the country. In Texas, about 16% of residents are foreign-born. These people include international students, temporary workers, refugees, asylees, permanent residents, naturalized U.S. citizens and undocumented migrants (those entering the United States without proper documents or overstaying temporary visas). The arrival of these newcomers affect the cultural, economic, political and social dynamics of the country. Since immigration shows no signs of slowing down - in the United States or in many other nations of the world - the causes, consequences and repercussions of immigrations will be one of the most important topics of the 21st century. Therefore this class will examine the history and contemporary role of immigration in the U.S. political system.
POL 302N Workshop: Slavery and American Politics (3 credits)
POL 303 Politics Workshop: The United Nations (3 credits)
POL 303A Politics Workshop: International Organization (3 credits)
Topics about many aspects of International Relations are researched, negotiated and discussed. Simulations of many intergovernmental organizations, particularly the United Nations, are used in the method of instruction. A requirement of this course is participation in at least one of intercollegiate model of international affairs. The usual time for this competition is the weekend before Thanksgiving break. You may take this course twice since topics, countries and non-governmental organizations are always different.
POL 303B Workshop: Revolution and Terrorism (3 credits)
POL 303C Politics Workshop: United Nations (3 credits)
The purpose of this politics workshop is to understand how intergovernmental systems, especially the United Nations' system, function. The art of diplomacy and policy-making is practiced through the simulation of the behavior of United Nations member states and non-governmental organizations. Students will attain skills in communication, writing, research, public speaking, and negotiation as they relate to international relations and comparative politics. Skills will be practiced at competitive conferences at the local, regional, national, and international levels. Attendance at one intercollegiate conference is mandatory that usually occurs the week before Easter Sunday.
POL 303D Workshop: International Issues and Trouble Spots (3 credits)
Studies current instances of international disputes in the long-term context of conflict and interdependence. National, regional, religious, ethnic, ideological and economic differences receiving the attention of the international community are examined. Up-to-date developments are analyzed in international structures for managing conflict, including diplomacy, peace-keeping forces, and regional integration. Issues eligible for Security Council consideration are monitored.
POL 303E American and Global Community Development: Theory, Policy and Practice (3 credits)
What role can and should government play to help address issues in healthcare, housing, education, and human services? The course will examine community development concepts, strategies, programs and projects. Students will review and evaluate U.S. public policy in community development and explore the different roles played by government, business, nonprofit organizations and local communities. The American approach to community development is compared to that of multinational and non-government organizations along with the successful strategies of other nations. The core functions of public service organizations will be explored; organizational structure and management practices; and income performance and financial management.
POL 303F Workshop: Freedom in the World (3 credits)
This course in postmodern theory will explore what leading theorists are saying about freedom and justice in this technologically complex world. Reading will include, among others, Rawls and Habermas, and will be aimed at illuminating issues in the protection of freedom and democracy.
POL 303G 100 Years of Democracy and Citizenship (3 credits)
This course explores the ideas and movements of western political thought in the 20th century, including communism, fascism, liberalism, existentialism, feminism, postmodernism, and religious fundamentalism. The course will take students through the major events in the West over the last hundred years, from the onset of the Russian Revolution and World War I, to World War II, to the Cold War, to the “War on Terror.”
Prerequisites: POL 111 or POL 118 or permission of Instructor.
POL 303H Political and Social Entreprenuership (3 credits)
POL 303J Workshop: International Environmental Law (3 credits)
There is a body of law that pertains to the conduct of nations regarding the environment. Are these laws necessary and sufficient to stem the impact of western-style globalization being expanded through the world. What is the role of international, national, and local entities to create an agenda for the 21st century that makes life possible not only for the present but in the future.
Prerequisites: POL 101, or POL 114 or permission of instructor.
POL 303K Topics in Political Science: Brazil: Diplomacy and Sustainable Development (3 credits)
Off Site. This 3 credit travel course will depart on July 23, for Brasila, Brazil. The first component to this trip will be the participation in the 2008 Americas Model UN Conference, where registered students will be able to practice their diplomacy skills with students from around the world in developing global solutions to global problems. The second component to this course is a excursion into the Amazon to witness first hand the development of a super highway through the rain forest. Students will examine the displacement of indigenous people, deforestation, environmental degradation, and will be asked to prepare position papers with policy suggestions for sustainable development. This course can stand alone as a 3 credit summer course, with course work being completed before and after return. Additionally, this course can be combined with fall registration, with the travel and Model UN course work being completed prior to departure and the sustainable development course work being completed during the course of Fall 2008 academic semester.
POL 303L Topic in Political Science: Deep Democracy: The Inward Journey and Transforming the World (3 credits)
As planet earth becomes an increasingly web linked social network, a global village, with its wonderful potential for increased understanding as well as horrible potential for destructive misunderstanding, exciting debates are emerging across academic disciplines about the meaning of democracy. How does democracy merge as a value in the hearts, minds and actions of persons, groups, and nations? How significant is democracy in the process of creating meaningful paradigmatic change. This conversation has transcended the discipline of political science and has become a vigorous debate in psychology, sociology, philosophy and even theoretical physics. This workshop in Deep Democracy will explore the work of Arthur Mindell and others contemporary thinkers who are challenging democratic thinkers by demanding the implementation of democracy start as a personal transformational process within the individual and the group in which he participates. Understanding the predispositions towards democracy as well as the resistance to sharing its process in our own consciousness is a precursor to creating democratic relationships with others. Proliferating democratic engagements cross-culturally and mediating conflict by deliberative democratic experiences are necessary to reduce dissonance and encourage creative interchange among people. When democratic understanding reaches a critical mass so to speak, transformative shift occurs generating the space and context in which creative possibilities of trans-cultural understanding emerges, shedding light on the path toward formerly unconstruable, more humanly effective institutions.
POL 303M Topics: Migration Politics: From Displacement to Deportation (3 credits)
This workshop examines the forced and voluntary migration of people, with an emphasis on how this phenomenon has significantly altered and been shaped by globalization, human rights law, various forms of political activism, and how countries encounter people entering their borders. In line with the research conducted by leading migration studies programs and think tanks around the U.S. and the world, we will focus on three key areas: 1) the factors that contribute to the displacement or "statelessness" of various communities; 2) the political agency of migrants in resisting and shaping policies; 3) the actions and rationale of countries in controlling migrant movements. The subtitle "from displacement to deportation" illustrates an emphasis on the particular vulnerabilities of "forced" migration.
POL 310 Politics of Southeast Asia (3 credits)
This course examines the politics of Southeast Asia. We will look at problems of state building, transitions to and from democracy, ethnic and religious politics, and economic developmental questions. We will also explore regional and International politics, such as the rise of China and how this impacts Southeast Asia.
POL 315 Public Bureaucracy (3 credits)
Studied are the administrative process as an integral part of the operational side of government; the process of management and the structure of government organizations; the policy-making function of administrators and their interaction and relationships with the political process as a whole.
POL 325 Conflict Analysis (3 credits)
This class will provide students with a range of analytical tools for understanding armed conflict, including the kinds of actors involved, their motivations, the systems in which they operate. It will examine the ways in which war is changing and contrast a variety of theoretical approaches to conflict, including the human needs approach, political economy, international relations and psychology.
Course Rotation: NY: Spring, even years.
POL 326 Reconciliation and Transitional Justice (3 credits)
Questions of reconciliation and justice are at the heart of peacebuilding in divided societies and post-conflict settings. This course exposes students to the complexities of reconciliation processes and helps students think analytically about the challenges that balancing the need for justice and peace in societies which have been devastated by violence. Throughout the course we will explore how societies go about resolving the tension between reconciliation and justice in post-conflict settings.
Course Rotation: NYC: Fall, even years.
POL 330 Politics of the Global City (3 credits)
This class will explore the historical and contemporary role of global cities in international politics. Though comparative study, it will examine questions of political geography, cosmopolitanism, policing, urban warfare urban planning and the role of the art and culture in metropolitan politics.
POL 350 Road to the White House (3 credits)
This class will focus on the presidential selection process. We will take an in-depth look at what candidates have to do in order to capture the party nomination, and the role that political parties play in linking voters to the only nationally elected office in the American system of government. We will also examine other important aspects of the process, including the role of the media and interest groups, and the demands of campaign financing. When this semester concludes, you should be able to make informed judgments about the impact of the presidential selection process on the democratic character of the American political system.
Course Rotation: NY, Fall
POL 380A Challenge Seminar: Democracy in America (3 credits)
POL 380B Topic: Challenge Semimar in Politics (3 credits)
POL 380M Politics Through Film (3 credits)
The course looks at the nature of politics though its portrayal in film. Attention is paid to the relationship between the individual and society, between human nature and the nature of social and political institutions. Spring
POL 380MI Politics Through Film (4 credits)
POL 390 Honors Project in Political Science (3 credits)
POL 391 Politics Internship I (4 credits)
Internships enable students to participate in the daily management and operation of federal, state, county, and local government agencies. Placements are tailored to the particular interests and goals of students.
Course Rotation: Fall and Spring.
Prerequisites: POL 111 or POL 114 or POL 118, junior standing, 3.00 QPA and permission of Instructor.
POL 392 Politics Internship II (4 credits)
Prerequisites: Junior standing, 3.00 QPA and permission of Instructor.
POL 393 Internship in Government (3-16 credits)
A variety of internships at local, state, and national levels of government is available to qualified students. Students supplement the knowledge gained in the classroom setting by the "hands on" experience of program research, planning, and execution in a government agency.
Prerequisites: POL 111 or POL 114 or POL 118, junior standing, 3.00 QPA and permission of the Instructor. This course may be taken as an approved internship in various programs that the department approves.
POL 393A Un Millenium Development Goals (3-6 credits)
Research and advocacy. In this course tudents will be exploring the eight millenium goals of reducing poverty. It will require students to work at the U.N. all day Thursdays.
POL 395 Independent Study in Political Studies/Science (9 credits)
With the approval of the appropriate faculty member, the departmental chairperson, and the academic dean, students may select a topic for guided research that is not included in the regular course offerings. The student meets regularly with the faculty member to review progress. A research project or paper must also be submitted.
Prerequisites: Junior standing and a minimum CQPA of 3.00, and permission of the Instructor.
POL 395A Independent Study in Political Science (A) (1-9 credits)
POL 395B Independent Study in Political Science (B) (1-9 credits)
POL 395C Independent Study in Political Science (C) (1-9 credits)
POL 395N Independent Study in Political Studies (1-9 credits)
POL 395W Independent Study in Political Science (1-9 credits)
POL 499 Senior Year Experience in the Political Science (3 credits)
This course examines changing contemporary social, political, and economic issues from the viewpoint of the several social and behavioral sciences, including anthropology, economics, political science, and sociology. Multidisciplinary analyses are integrated through individual and group investigations and dialogue.
Course Rotation: NYC: Spring - Even years. PLV: Spring.
Prerequisites: Senior standing as a major of Political Science, or approval of the department Chairperson.
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You Are Not Special and Other Encouragement by David McCullough, Jr.
In You Are Not Special, McCullough elaborates on his now-famous speech exploring how, for what purpose, and for whose sake, we’re raising our kids. With wry, affectionate humor, McCullough takes on hovering parents, ineffectual schools, professional college prep, electronic distractions, club sports, and generally the manifestations, and the applications and consequences of privilege. By acknowledging that the world is indifferent to them, McCullough takes pressure off of students to be extraordinary achievers and instead exhorts them to roll up their sleeves and do something useful with their advantages.
The Theory of Light and Matter by Andrew Porter
These ten stories take us across the country—from rural Pennsylvania to Southern California to suburban Connecticut—and deep into characters struggling to find meaning in their day-to-day lives. The Theory of Light and Matter is a stunningly astute vision of contemporary American suburbia, full of tension, heartbreak, and emotional complexity—the work of an important new voice.
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As Cathedral District Jax winds up its event Christmas in the Cathedral District: Let There Be Light, it’s adding a surprise new element with a laser light installation at The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (121 East Duval, 32202) that is one of the few in the nation.
From December 24-27 only, a Laser Light Art Installation designed by Castano Group, uses projection mapping to turn the Basilica’s architectural façade into an interactive art display.
The light shows will run every 15 minutes December 24 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. and December 25, 26 and 27 from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. and feature music by the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus, The Jacksonville Symphony, CDJ Church Choirs, and organist Tim Tuller.
This type of architectural laser projection technology has been seen on a few churches internationally. With “projection mapping” a video is mapped onto a surface using a sophisticated software program and in this case, enhancing an architectural facade into a dazzling display. During the projection mapping production process, images are fitted onto a 3D graphic model of the building.
“The images appear to wrap themselves around the physical features of the structure. They give the appearance of being painted on and part of the same structure even though they are not,” says artist Kedgar Volta of The Castano Group.
Joash Brunet, Kedgar’s partner at The Castano Group says the Let There Be Light event presented the perfect canvas for this unique art light installation. “Castano Group is passionate about finding new ways for people to interface with their environments and each other. We’re also passionate about our city,” says Brunet. “This project offered us an opportunity to combine these passions through an interfaith experience that we feel can become a signature holiday event for the city and the Northeast Florida region.”
The four-night-only event is part of the Cathedral District’s gift to its beloved community after a long and challenging year. Like many non-profits, the Cathedral District was in the middle of event planning when the pandemic up-ended public life. The Cathedral District’s board of directors came up with the idea of hosting a safe, family-friendly, drive-through event to showcase its five historic churches instead.
Every evening for over one month since November 27, The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, First Presbyterian Church of Jacksonville, First United Methodist Church, Historic Mount Zion AME Church and St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral have shined as part of a driving tour that includes more than 150 brightly lit trees. Four other significant landmark buildings are illuminated as well.
Belightjax.com, the CDJ audio tour created to be downloaded on phones, includes an introduction and music by the Jacksonville Symphony and descriptions of each of the Historic Churches and Landmark buildings. The Basilica lighting show was added as an additional showpiece for the gift to the city and features musical direction from The Balance King a classically-trained pianist, composer, trumpeter, beat curator, and visual scoring artist.
“We can’t wait for our community to see this spectacular light installation, it is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. To showcase the Basilica in this way as we wind down our event is amazing, and we’re so lucky to have the unique talents The Castano Group brings to this as part of this, our gift during such a challenging year,” said Ginny Myrick, CEO and President of Cathedral District-Jax. “Guests will be able the watch the lighting installation safely from their cars, sharing the delight of the season with their families while remaining safely distanced from others. We are still keeping the holiday spirit alive during the full season of Christmas.”
While the light installation runs December 24-27, the driving tour of the District runs every evening through December 31.
Christmas in the Cathedral District partners include: Vestcor, Dream Lights of Florida, The Castano Group, WJXT- 4, Jaguars Foundation, Community Foundation, Florida Blue Foundation, FIS Foundation, WJB Real Estate Companies, Blue Sky Communities, Aging True, Sleiman Enterprises, The Toney Sleiman Family, JEA, VyStar Credit Union, Joannie and Russell Newton Jr. JF Bryan, Regency Centers, DVI, The Bill Barnett Family, and Liz Morgan PR. For more information, please visit cathedraldistrict-jax.org.
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Lakers Trade News: Pau Gasol Signs Free Agent Contract with Chicago Bulls
By Isaiah Narciso ( [email protected] ) Nov 18, 2014 11:02 AM EST Comment
lakernation
Pau Gasol has played for the Los Angeles Lakers for six seasons. Now the two-time NBA champion has ended his professional relationship with the Lakers.
That's because he has packed his bags in Tinseltown and moved to the Windy City to play for the Chicago Bulls. Although he is taking a smaller three-year offer worth $22 million, Ben Bolech of the Los Angeles Times reported that he was quite happy to take the pay cut in return for a stable future.
"Just a gut feeling that I needed to move on," Gasol said. "I needed something different, I needed to be in a different position where I could be assimilated, where I could be motivated every single day, where I could be rejuvenated, where I could win and strive for greatness again."
Gasol made those comments on Monday at a game in the Staples Center, where his new team faced the Los Angeles Clippers. He sat out from playing in this game due to a strained left calf.
However, he had an unusual feeling when he returned to the Staples Center.
"Maybe it's not difficult (coming back to Staples) but it's strange," Gasol said. "A lot of feelings obviously go through my mind and body. But I knew this was going to happen eventually."
Gasol later referred to a future game date on Jan. 29, 2015. According to Janis Carr of the Orange County Register, that's when Gasol would have his official homecoming at a game between the Bulls and Lakers in Los Angeles.
"When you play for so many years with a team, there's always a part of you that stays with that team. There's no way around it," he said.
Gasol's move to Los Angeles may have improved both his spirits and his basketball performance. According to the Los Angeles Times, he has averaged 18.6 points and 2.5 blocks per game, the highest since the 2010-11 season and highest of his career respectively.
Despite his performance, trade rumors continued to bother him. According to the Orange County Register, that's because Gasol was part of the Chris Paul trade that would have sent him to Houston, which later became voided.
Not even Lakers star Kobe Bryant could convince Gasol to continue playing for Los Angeles.
"He wanted me to stay, and part of me also wanted to stay with him and just ride it out because we've been through magnificent times, but also some rough times, and I'm not the type of person who just jumps ship when things get hard," Gasol said. "But I was at a point emotionally that I just needed to move on for myself and the rest of my career."
However, Gasol has placed the past behind him, choosing instead to look toward the future.
"You have to stick to what happened and reality, and now I've just got to focus on the present," he said.
Tags : Pau Gasol, Gasol, Chicago Bulls, Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, Lakers, NBA trade rumors, NBA, NBA trade
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2014 American Music Awards - Arrivals
XC_CM_2014AmericanMusicAwards-Arrivals_Garcelle Beauvais_138.JPG
LOS ANGELES, CA, USA - NOVEMBER 23: Garcelle Beauvais arrives at the 2014 American Music Awards held at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on November 23, 2014 in Los Angeles, California, United States. (Photo by Xavier Collin/Celebrity Monitor)
USA, United States, United States Of America, California, CA, Los Angeles, Los Angeles - California, City Of Los Angeles, Event, Red Carpet, Arts Culture and Entertainment, Red Carpet Event, Editorial, Arrival, Attending, Celebrities, Arts, Culture, Entertainment, Full Length, Headshot, Posing, Portrait, Smiling, Eye Contact, Fashion, Looking At Camera, 2014, People, Awards, Award Show, American Music Awards, Music, Music Industry, American, 2014 American Music Awards, American Music Awards 2014, Award, Nokia Theatre, Nokia Theatre Los Angeles, L.A. Live, LA Live, Garcelle Beauvais
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Opponents Jose Maria Olazabal and Ray Floyd are in good spirits when Olazabal concedes the match as they approach the 18th green on the final day of the 1993 Ryder Cup
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Lawrence Levy Photographic Golf Collection
Parent record
Ryder Cup Golf Tournament Parent record level Series
Levy, Jon, London, England, owner, FOTO8 (photographer)
People portrayed
Olazabal, Jose Maria, (05/02/1966)
Floyd, Raymond, (04/09/1942)
Special Collections - Photographic Collections
positives (photographs)
© Lawrence Levy Photographic Collection and the Levy Foundation, all rights reserved.
Reproduction for University of St Andrews exhibition, publication, research and promotion. Any external or commercial use to be approved/managed by artist or estate, which can be facilitated by Special Collections.
Courtesy of the University of St Andrews Libraries and Museums, ID: 2008-1-15309
52 33 16 N, 001 44 02 W
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Opponents Jose Maria Olazabal and Ray Floyd are in good spirits when Olazabal concedes the match as they approach the 18th green on the final day of the 1993 Ryder Cup. University of St Andrews Collections. (2021). Retrieved 16 January 2021 from https://collections.st-andrews.ac.uk/item/opponents-jose-maria-olazabal-and-ray-floyd-are-in-good-spirits-when-olazabal-concedes-the-match-as-they-approach-the-18th-green-on-the-final-day-of-the-1993-ryder-cup/371736.
"Opponents Jose Maria Olazabal and Ray Floyd are in good spirits when Olazabal concedes the match as they approach the 18th green on the final day of the 1993 Ryder Cup". 2021. University of St Andrews Collections. https://collections.st-andrews.ac.uk/item/opponents-jose-maria-olazabal-and-ray-floyd-are-in-good-spirits-when-olazabal-concedes-the-match-as-they-approach-the-18th-green-on-the-final-day-of-the-1993-ryder-cup/371736
University of St Andrews Collections. 2021. Opponents Jose Maria Olazabal and Ray Floyd are in good spirits when Olazabal concedes the match as they approach the 18th green on the final day of the 1993 Ryder Cup. [online] Available at: https://collections.st-andrews.ac.uk/item/opponents-jose-maria-olazabal-and-ray-floyd-are-in-good-spirits-when-olazabal-concedes-the-match-as-they-approach-the-18th-green-on-the-final-day-of-the-1993-ryder-cup/371736 [Accessed 16 January 2021].
"Opponents Jose Maria Olazabal and Ray Floyd are in good spirits when Olazabal concedes the match as they approach the 18th green on the final day of the 1993 Ryder Cup". university of St Andrews Collections, 2021, https://collections.st-andrews.ac.uk/item/opponents-jose-maria-olazabal-and-ray-floyd-are-in-good-spirits-when-olazabal-concedes-the-match-as-they-approach-the-18th-green-on-the-final-day-of-the-1993-ryder-cup/371736. Accessed 16 January 2021.
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November 6, 2017 Johanna Other Prose Leave a comment
Killer Fashion: Poisonous Petticoats, Strangulating Scarves, and Other Deadly Garments Throughout History
The main thing that surprised me about the various ways clothes can kill you that are shown in Killer Fashion: Poisonous Petticoats, Strangulating Scarves, and Other Deadly Garments Throughout History was the sheer number of them that involved catching on fire. Wigs, artificial fabric, and shirt cuffs were all surprisingly flammable.
While (as a fan of weird cultural history) I had heard of many of these before, though, I hadn’t seen them expressed in such a charmingly grotesque manner. Each item gets a paragraph or two of description by Jennifer Wright, accompanied by an illustration by Brenna Thummler, who appears to be influenced by Edward Gorey. The black-and-white illustrations are made more morbid with touches of red for highlight and a short, four-line poem under each.
You’ve likely heard of, for example, Isadora Duncan, killed by her scarf (and shown on the cover), or the radium girls, or Chinese bound “lotus feet”, or lead used in makeup, and it won’t be a surprise that corsets or neckties can be dangerous, but I had no idea that when the top hat first appeared in 1797, it caused a riot.
Some of the history given is iffy. Although there are footnoted sources, many are internet articles, and a few pieces are wrong or misleading. For example, Wright writes of Jennie Jerome, Winston Churchill’s mother, “while wearing a brand-new pair of high heels, she slipped down a flight of stairs, falling to her death.” Except Wikipedia reports that the fall was in May 1921, and she died in late June of complications after an amputation caused by gangrene resulting from the broken ankle she suffered in the fall. I suppose that was too complicated to get into the 10-sentence page. I was similarly disappointed to see that Wright repeated the urban legend that Jean Harlow’s dyed hair was responsible for her death, based on an Atlantic article full of “maybe”s and “could have”s.
That said, this is a popular history, and in books of that type, I expect the better story to sometimes win out over the facts. Killer Fashion would make a wonderful gift for that teen interested in both fashion and death — of which there are more out there than you might imagine. (The publisher provided an advance digital review copy.)
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Home > ADMIN > UCM > MADISONMAGAZINE > Vol. 34 (2011) > No. 2
Madison Magazine, Vol. 34, No. 2, Spring/Summer 2011
(2011) "Madison Magazine, Vol. 34, No. 2, Spring/Summer 2011," Madison Magazine: Vol. 34 : No. 2 , Article 1.
Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/madisonmagazine/vol34/iss2/1
All Issues Vol. 41, No. 1 Vol. 40, No. 3 Vol. 40, No. 2 Vol. 40, No. 1 Vol. 39, No. 2 Vol. 39, No. 1 Vol. 38, No. 3 Vol. 38, No. 2 Vol. 37, No. 3 Vol. 37, No. 2 Vol. 37, No. 1 Vol. 36, No. 3 Vol. 36, No. 2 Vol. 36, No. 1 Vol. 35, No. 3 Vol. 35, No. 2 Vol. 35, No. 1 Vol. 34, No. 3 Vol. 34, No. 2 Vol. 34, No. 1 Vol. 33, No. 4 Vol. 33, No. 3 Vol. 33, No. 2 Vol. 33, No. 1 Vol. 32, No. 4 Vol. 32, No. 3 Vol. 32, No. 2 Vol. 32, No. 1 Vol. 31, No. 4 Vol. 31, No. 3 Vol. 31, No. 2 Vol. 31, No. 1 Vol. 30, No. 4 Vol. 30, No. 3 Vol. 30, No. 2 Vol. 30, No. 1 Vol. 29, No. 4 Vol. 29, No. 3 Vol. 29, No. 2 Vol. 29, No. 1 Vol. 28, No. 2
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Crazed Elderly Woman Pepper Sprays Couple For Not Wearing a Mask
A couple took a trip to Ocean Beach for a couple actually resulted in a trip to the emergency room when a crazed elderly woman allegedly pepper-sprayed them for not wearing a mask.
“I want her to go to jail, she assaulted my husband, and I’m angry about it,” said Ash O’Brien, per ABC 10.
According to O'Brien, she was at the Dusty Rhodes Dog Park with her husband and their three-month-old puppy. They were sitting at a picnic table enjoying a meal when the crazed elderly woman confronted them for not wearing a mask and also eating at a park where there is a no food policy.
The confrontation resulted in O'Brien's husband being pepper-sprayed by the woman.
“If we knew there was a no food policy, we wouldn’t have brought it into the park,” said O’Brien. “The lady who maced him automatically started saying stuff about us not wearing a mask when we were social distancing; there was no one near us.”
“She just came up without saying anything and just stuck the mace can right in front of my face,” said O’Brien.
“My husband, being a good guy, walked in front of her and was like ‘hey calm down please don’t do this’ and then she grabbed him and just starting macing him, she used the entire can on him.”
Check out the video:
The Karens are out in full force to push the mask rules. She created an unnecessary risk for herself and the couple when she stormed them and pepper-sprayed them. If you are truly concerned about the spread of the coronavirus then keep your distance.
Biden: Trump is America's First Racist President
I think we all realize at this point that former Vice President Joe Biden is a few sandwiches short of a picnic. However, it's still laughable to listen to the nonsense he is still spewing in the joke of a campaign he is running.
On Wednesday, during a union town hall meeting, the Democratic presidential nominee claimed that President Donald Trump is the United States' "first" racist president.
Rapper Lil Baby: 'Black People are Racist Too'
Atlanta rapper Lil Baby is speaking out about police brutality and racism.
The 25-year-old is busting the notion that only while people can be racist, and shed some light on his own experiences with racism and run-ins with police officers.
BOMBSHELL: St. Louis Prosecutor's Office Caught Tampering With Evidence In McCloskey Case, Someone Is Going To Jail
Dirty liberals and a crooked circuit attorney are working very hard to try and throw some innocent people in prison.
Reports are being released that the staff of St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner was caught tampering with supposed evidence in the McCloskey case.
NBA Player Hall of Famer Lays Into Hateful Black Celebrities
It seems that black celebrities have been coming out of the woodwork to say what they really think about white people.
For some reason, they feel like they should speak out about what they really think about white people.
Trump Supporter Gets California City to Remove 'Black Lives Matter' Mural By Doing This One Thing
Democratic-led cities across the country have been allowed to run amuck by their mayors.
People have been vandalizing buildings and harming innocent people, and anarchists have been allowed to paint graffiti on the streets. In some cities, the mayors even helped paint them.
Charlie Daniels' Widow Receives A Powerful Letter, Wait Until You See Who Sent It
Just recently we lost a music legend and a true American patriot. Charlie Daniels passed away at the age of 83-years-old.
Most of you are familiar with him but for those of you who may not know the name, he was the lead for The Charlie Daniel's Band. They are most well-known for the hit song, "The Devil Went Down To Georgia".
Tucker Discovers the 'Essential' Golf Trip Former President Barack Obama Was On
Hollywood Producer Calls Out the Child Abuse System - 'I Will Not be Silent'
WATCH: Director John McTiernan Confirms Once And For All: ‘Die Hard’ Is A Christmas Movie
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Intergovernmental relations in divided societies
IGR-IDS
Start date 2 July 2018
End date 1 August 2020
ACCADEMIA EUROPEA DI BOLZANO
Periodic Reporting for period 1 - IGR-IDS (Intergovernmental relations in divided societies)
Diversity, along ethnic, religious, linguistic or other related fault-lines, is a major aspect of the social reality that characterizes the overwhelming majority of the states in the world. Many of these societies are not only diverse but also deeply divided. The horror of ethnic conflicts in Ethiopia, the threat of secession in Spain and the United Kingdom and the communal tensions in India tell us stories of places where ethno-cultural differences have become political differences. Although these and many other countries use arrangements of territorial autonomy to manage their divided societies, the continuous tension in many of these societies indicates that not much emphasis has been given to the integration of the society. In particular, intergovernmental relations (IGR) between sub-national units with distinctive identity, on the one hand, and the national government, on the other, is not given adequate attention. That is the focus of this project.
Studying the interplay between politicized ethno-cultural diversity and intergovernmental relations is important because of the limitation of autonomy arrangements. Autonomy may go a long way in terms of addressing communal tensions. But it only addresses part of the problem. Equally important are integrative institutions and instruments that provide the glue to hold divided societies together by complementing the provision of territorial autonomy. This is particularly important in case of divided societies in which IGR are often complicated by rival nation-building projects. In those societies, intergovernmental relations may be tense not just because of divergence over specific policy objectives but because of the contentions around the very nature of the society and the constitutional vision. For divided societies it is even more essential than for others that IGR are efficient and effective, as intergovernmental conflicts in this context are bound to be more salient, deeply-rooted and pervasive.
In this light, the overall objective of the project is to examine the form and operation of IGR in divided societies. This entails three specific objectives. The first objective is to examine whether and how identity politics shapes the dynamics of intergovernmental relations. The second objective is to determine whether the societal divide is reflected in intergovernmental relations arrangements (i.e. institutions and instruments). The third objective is to analyze the relevance and effectiveness of intergovernmental institutions and instruments in acknowledging and accommodating the distinctive identity and specific demands of subnational units, thereby, contributing to the peaceful management of divided societies.
The deliverables of the project included a combination of publications, presentations at conferences and the organization of a seminar. I have produced three articles and a book chapter. The first two articles aimed at taking stock of the existing institutions and processes of IGR. The article on horizontal intergovernmental forums reveals how subnational units attempt to overcome the limits of autonomy by creating a common front against the national government. This article is published in Perspectives on Federalism, an open access journal. The article on legislative IGR, published in Regional and Federal studies, discusses, in comparative manner, the failure of second chambers to serve as a site of legislative intergovernmental relations. The third article, published in World Comparative Law/VLR, explores how identity politics shapes the dynamics of IGR, where conflicts between different levels of government dominates IGR not because of divergence over specific policy objectives but because of underlying communal tensions. The book chapter analyses, in comparative manner, how institutions and processes of IGR have been used to help manage communal tensions.
An edited book on intergovernmental relation in divided societies is one of the other major deliverables of this project. In addition to an introduction and a comparative conclusion, the book includes eight country chapters, including Switzerland, Canada, India, Italy, Spain, Belgium, United Kingdom, and Ethiopia. These countries are selected because each of them exhibit, to a varying degree, traits of a divided society and have established territorial autonomy to deal with the challenges of their respective divided societies. By way of addressing each of the three specific objectives mentioned above, each of the eight country case studies assembled in the book examines how the distinctive identity of particular subnational units shapes the dynamics of IGR, investigates whether identity politics has affected the type of institutions and instruments of IGR employed in the country and, finally, examine if and how institutions and instruments of IGR have contributed to the peaceful management of divided societies.
I have disseminated the results of my research in scientific publications. As mentioned above, I have published my articles in leading international journals. I have also presented my work at a number of international conferences, including at the the 2019 edition of International Federalism Days, which took place in Munich (Germany), in November 2019, where 80 experts from twenty European, African and Asian countries discussed federalism and IGR. I was one of the two international experts that chaired the panel on ‘Intergovernmental relations: Institutions and processes’. I have published my work in reputable scientific blogs, including the Conversation, IACL-IADC Blog and verfassungsblog. I have given radio interviews on intergovernmental relations and federalism to BBC, DW and ShegerFM. I gave lecture to participants at highly regarded summer schools organized by European and Canadian institutes, comparative constitutional law students at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University(USA) and to constitutional law students of a number of universities in Italy, including University of Trento, University of Verona and University of Naples L'Orientale.
Intergovernmental relations have increasingly become the focus of comparative research on the politics and law of territorial autonomy and federalism. This should not be surprising given the increasing importance and complexity of intergovernmental interactions. Most of the work has, however, focused on giving an account of the diversity of institutions and instruments employed in IGR. A review of the state of the art reveals an obvious gap. The project contributes towards filling this gap by exploring the unique challenges of IGR in divided societies.
A number of results are expected. The first expectation is that we will have an idea on whether intergovernmental relations tend to work in different ways in divided societies. Second, the project is expected to give us insight into the form of IGR institutions and instruments employed in divided societies. Finally, the third expectation is that the project will evaluate the the track record of IGR institutions and instruments in accommodating the distinctive identity and demand of subnational units.
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ADvanced nanocomposite MAterIals fOr in situ treatment and ultRAsound-mediated management of osteoarthritis
ADMAIORA
Start date 1 January 2019
SCUOLA SUPERIORE DI STUDI UNIVERSITARI E DI PERFEZIONAMENTO S ANNA
Periodic Reporting for period 1 - ADMAIORA (ADvanced nanocomposite MAterIals fOr in situ treatment and ultRAsound-mediated management of osteoarthritis)
ADMAIORA (ADvanced nanocomposite MAterIals fOr in situ treatment and ultRAsound-mediated management of osteoarthritis) is a research project funded under the Horizon 2020 EU Framework Programme (Call: H2020-NMBP-TR-IND-2018, Research and Innovation action), coordinated by Prof. Leonardo Ricotti at the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (Pisa, Italy).
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major burden that affects ~ 40 million of EU citizens, with enormous direct and indirect costs for the European healthcare systems. This disease involves the degeneration of cartilage and other joint structures and is one of the most common causes of pain and disability in middle-aged and elderly people. Over the next decade, the number of people affected by OA is expected to double due to population ageing and increased rate of obesity (a risk factor for OA), resulting in a significant burden at the society level. According to the United Nations, by 2050, 130 million people will suffer from OA worldwide, of whom 40 million will be severely disabled by the disease. This represents an issue that is largely unsolved, at present.
ADMAIORA aims, in the long-term, at increasing the healthy and active lifespan of people affected by OA, by considerably slowing down or even stopping the degeneration process, thus delaying by several years or even avoiding surgical interventions for total joint replacement.
To make this challenging objective a reality, the project partners will collaborate in the investigation of nanotechnologies, advanced materials, remotely physical stimulation, advanced manufacturing, wearable devices and cloud platforms into a unique workflow. ADMAIORA will explore the potential of smart nanocomposite materials and stem cells, in synergy with external physical stimuli (based on low-intensity ultrasound), for stopping the degeneration of cartilage during OA at early stages. Within the project time-frame (4 years), the target is to demonstrate the ground-breaking potential of such a regenerative approach, at a preclinical level.
ADMAIORA will contribute to keep EU a leader in high-impact and high-level research in the biomedical field. In addition, the project outcomes are expected to dramatically improve patients’ quality of life and their healthy and active lifespan in the long-term, thus promoting healthy and active ageing, which is a priority of the European Commission. This would also imply to considerably reduce the financial burden on European healthcare systems, related to OA. Finally, the project efforts are also expected to generate new market opportunities in different niches, such as surgical/arthroscopic tools, biomaterials and cells for tissue regeneration, ultrasonic technologies and Internet-of-Things frameworks.
Overall, ADMAIORA will target a ground-breaking paradigm that may revolutionize OA treatment. Within the project time-frame (4 years) the target is to achieve a 60% reduction of degeneration in OA animal models treated with the ADMAIORA technologies, with respect to control (untreated) ones, after 4 weeks, and a 90% reduction after 3 months. To achieve this ambitious objective the Consortium will evolve and merge technologies that already showed a high potential as experimental proof of concepts and will bring them at a preclinical level.
The ADMAIORA Consortium will develop biosynthetic hydrogels embedded with carbon-based nanomaterials, conferring higher mechanical and lubrication properties, and piezoelectric nanoparticles enabling responsivity to remote wireless ultrasound waves. Stem cells derived from autologous adipose tissue, which already demonstrated anti-inflammatory and regenerative properties, will be entrapped in the hydrogels. Materials and cells will be delivered in situ through an innovative handheld 3D bioprinter, embedded in an arthroscopic tool. A custom brace will be designed and equipped with ultrasound probes for both monitoring the joint status and stimulating the implanted piezoelectric nanobiomaterial. A dedicated App will allow a direct connection between patient and physician in an Internet of Things framework.
At the end of the first reporting Period, the Consortium successfully worked on the definition of clinical, biological and technical specifications, which drove the subsequent project research efforts. Then, a series of hydrogel formulations was developed and evaluated, with the aim to assess the most promising polymeric matrix to host nanoparticles and stem cells. The most promising solutions, at the end of the first reporting Period, resulted mathacrylated gellan gum and VitroGel. Still in WP3, graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide, carbon nanotubes and piezoelectric nanomaterials (BaTiO3 nanoparticles, ZnO nnowires and KNN-LTS nanoparticles) were successfully produced. In WP4, two different platforms for controlled ultrasound stimulation were successfully produced (leading also to a patent filing) and validated in vitro. Appropriate models for future translation in vivo also started to be approached. In WP5, a preliminary version of the wearable brace was achieved. Interesting results were obtained on the procesing of raw radiofrequency ultrasound data, which allowed discriminating (through a non-invasive technique) different biochemical compositions of tissue-mimicking materials. In WP5 two versions of a handheld bioprinting tool were also pursued, with the development of prototypes and with the filing of one patent. Still in WP5, a preliminary version of the App and Internet-of-Things architecture were developed. In WP6 the optimal conditions for the culture and chondrogenic differentiation of adipose tissue-derived stem cells were set. Cell encapsulation in VitroGel materials was also assessed. Finally, preliminary results on the biophysical ultrasound stimulation of immune cells (macrophages), with the aim to promote anti-inflammatory phenomena, were obtained. The overall ADMAIORA therapeutic paradigm was protected through a PCT patent application, thus to maximize future exploitation opportunities.
ADMAIORA proposes a ground-breaking ambitious approach that goes well beyond the current state-of-the-art concerning articular cartilage healing/regeneration. We expect that the Consortium, at the end of the 4 year, will be able to demonstrate for the first time on animal models the efficacy of this new paradigm, which aims to be a game-changing approach in the field of osteoarthritis treatment. At the moment, the Consortium produced interesting publishable results mainly in the fields of biomaterials development and testing, non-invasive monitoring of biochemical characteristics through ultrasound and biophysical stimulation of cells. The potential impact of the project is enormous and concerns mainly citizens’ health and quality of life and OA cost reduction for different European healthcare systems.The preliminary results achieved by the Consortium in the first Reporting Period confirm such a high potential.
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The Cornell Daily Sun (https://cornellsun.com/2013/08/27/cornell-athletics-top-10-moments-from-2012-2013/)
Cornell Athletics’ Top 10 Moments From 2012-2013
By The Cornell Daily Sun | August 27, 2013
Most students return to the Hill this semester after spending a few months filled with jobs, vacations and hopefully a bit of rest, but we at The Sun return to anything and everything related to Cornell athletics. With the start of a new semester comes a host of different sports. Just like the Class of 2017, Cornell’s teams enter the second half of 2013 with clean slates and a chance to prove what the Red is really made of. But, as the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it’s always important to look back at the past year and the accomplishments of our 34 athletic teams as we move into the future. Here are our picks for the Top 10 moments of the 2012-2013 season so far.
1. He Made History! – Kyle Dake ’13 was the first wrestler to win his fourth national title in four separate weight classes in collegiate wrestling on March 24th, 2013. He is one of only three wrestlers to win four national titles total in NCAA history.
2. Making Magic – The men’s soccer team won its first outright Ivy League title since 1977 by defeating Columbia, 1-0, on November 10th, 2012.
3. It’s a Hat Trick – Cornell’s women’s ice hockey team took home its third ECAC Championship thanks to a 2-1 win over Harvard on March 10th.
4. Twin Wins – The men’s tennis team also made Cornell proud as it won the Indoor ECAC Tennis Championships for the second season in the last three years.
5. Fighting Season – The Cornell men’s lacrosse team advanced to the NCAA tournament but were defeated in the semi-final round by Duke. Throughout the 2013 spring, the Red went 14-4 and Rob Pannell ’13 graduated as the DI leading scorer.
6. He’s Going Pro – Rob Pannell ’13 became Cornell’s second two-time Tewaaraton Trophy finalist on May 9th and was signed to the New York Lizards to eventually become the MLL Rookie of the Year on August 14th. He currently holds the longest points-scoring streak in the nation — notching at least one point in each of his 69 career games with the Red. He also has the lead for the most career assists of any active player in Division I men’s lacrosse at this time.
7. Take Back The Turf – Men’s track and field won the IC4A Outdoor Championship on Ivy League-rival Princeton’s home turf, claiming the turf for the Red for the first time since 1951.
8. The Women Win Too – The women’s track and field team placed eighth at the ECAC outdoors with 31 points on May 12th. Victoria Imbesi ’12 broke her own school record with a throw of 158’ 10” to take the ECAC title. The Red also claimed its first back-to-back Ivy League conference championship as a team, since it won seven straight from 2002-2008.
9. It’s Monday Night Football Time – J.C. Tretter ’13 was drafted to the Packers in the fourth round to join Green Bay. Luke Tasker ’13 agreed to terms on a free agent contract with the San Diego Chargers and became one of 23 undrafted players to join the team.
10. Welcome Home – David Archer ’05 was named The Roger J. Weiss ’61 Coach of Cornell Football by Athletic Director Andy Noel on Jan. 3. Archer was a former captain for the Cornell football team in his time with the Red and also helped recruit extensively in the past.
With the start of a fresh semester and the beginning of the season for eight Cornell teams — cross-country, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, field hockey, football, sprint, volleyball and men’s tennis — Red fans should get excited, get their tickets and get ready for some great games.
Original Author: Haley Velasco
FOOTBALL | Modest Mathews Continues Piling Preseason Awards
By The Cornell Daily Sun August 28, 2013
Red senior quarterback Jeff Mathews’ name continues to appear on pre-season award watch lists. But Mathews himself would be the first to say he would rather have his team’s name appear on postseason awards, specifically the Ivy League Championship trophy.
For First Time, Cornell Orientation Week Features Consent Ed Programming
In between attending ice-breaker activities, information sessions and evening fairs, freshmen at Orientation Week this year did something recent classes did not their first week at Cornell: attend a mandatory event about consent and healthy relationships. “Speak About It,” a troupe of actors who travel raising awareness of sexual violence, performed skits for first-year and transfer students.
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It was announced and approved at ArcelorMittal's Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders today that François Pinault will step down from his position as a member of the Board of Directors effective 26 January.
M. Pinault, 74, joined the Board of Mittal Steel Company in June 2006 and has been an independent director of ArcelorMittal since the company's inception in November 2007.
Lakshmi N. Mittal, Chairman and CEO of ArcelorMittal, commented: "Francois Pinault is an exceptional businessman who has made a great contribution to the Board. I was very honoured when he agreed to join our Board in 2006. His support during our bid for Arcelor and since then has been invaluable. On behalf of all the Board of Directors, I would like to thank him for his dedication and hard work."
M. Pinault, added, "I always believed in Mr Mittal's vision of a more sustainable and global steel industry. It has been a privilege to serve on the board of this company during a period when it has firmly established itself as the world's leading steel company. I wish the company every success for the future and am sure it will continue to go from strength to strength."
Shareholders also approved the appointment of Mrs. Suzanne Nimocks, 51, to the Board of Directors. She was previously a director (senior partner) with McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm, from June 1999 to March 2010 and was with the firm in various other capacities since 1989, including as a leader in the firm's Global Petroleum Practice, Electric Power & Natural Gas Practice, Organization Practice, and Risk Management Practice. She chaired the Environmental Committee of the Greater Houston Partnership, the primary advocate of Houston's business community, until 31 December 2010. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Tufts University and a Masters in Business Administration from the Harvard Graduate School of Business.
Mrs. Nimocks is currently a Board Member for Encana Corporation and Rowan Companies Inc, both listed companies, and Valerus, a private company. Encana is a major natural gas company, Rowan Companies provides drilling services for the oil and gas industry and Valerus provides services for oil and gas production. In the non-profit sector, she serves on the Board of the St. John's School in Houston.
About ArcelorMittal
ArcelorMittal is the world's leading steel and mining company, with a presence in 60 countries and primary steelmaking facilities in 18 countries. In 2019, ArcelorMittal had revenues of $70.6 billion and crude steel production of 89.8 million metric tonnes, while iron ore production reached 57.1 million metric tonnes. Our goal is to help build a better world with smarter steels. Steels made using innovative processes which use less energy, emit significantly less carbon and reduce costs. Steels that are cleaner, stronger and reusable. Steels for electric vehicles and renewable energy infrastructure that will support societies as they transform through this century. With steel at our core, our inventive people and an entrepreneurial culture at heart, we will support the world in making that change. This is what we believe it takes to be the steel company of the future. ArcelorMittal is listed on the stock exchanges of New York (MT), Amsterdam (MT), Paris (MT), Luxembourg (MT) and on the Spanish stock exchanges of Barcelona, Bilbao, Madrid and Valencia (MTS). For more information about ArcelorMittal please visit: http://corporate.arcelormittal.com/
http://corporate.arcelormittal.com/
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Archive for William Wellman
Ginger Rogers While Rome Burns
Posted in FILM with tags Forgotten By Fox, Ginger Rogers, Roxie Hart, The Notebook, William Wellman on April 30, 2020 by dcairns
I wish somebody had cast Ginger Rogers as the Empress Poppaea in a Roman epic so the marquees could scream, GINGER ROGERS WHILE ROME BURNS, but they didn’t, so we shall have to be content with ROXIE HART, only it is not available for streaming so many of you will have approximately the same chance of getting to see it, which is a shame.
But here, at Mubi’s Notebook, for Forgotten By Fox, is my appreciation of William A. Wellman’s savage satire, as blackhearted a satire as anyone ever made. With dancing!
The Sunday Intertitle: George K. American
Posted in FILM with tags Fun in a Chinese Laundry, George K Arthur, Jack Clayton, Josef Von Sternberg, On the Twelfth Day, The Bespoke Overcoat, The Boob, The Salvation Hunters, The Stranger Left no Card, Wendy Toye, William Wellman on March 17, 2019 by dcairns
THE BOOB (1926) is a slice of Americana — a product only available in slices, it seems. You never see a whole, unsliced one, even in the work of Norman Rockwell.
We open on a swing, where a city slicker seduces a simple she-bumpkin. Director William Wellman fixes his camera to the swing, so he can frame the couple rock-steady while the bucolic scene behind them lurches seasickeningly up and down. Grand!
George K. Arthur had the damnedest career. I can’t make him out. He first appeared on my radar as star and putative backer of Josef Von Sternberg’s debut film, THE SALVATION HUNTERS. He offered JVS a budget of $$60,000 to make a film that would give him a starring role. Then, according to the director (and I’ve been unable to ascertain how honest the memoir Fun In a Chinese Laundry is, but I’ve pinpointed no definite lies), filming was begun using available locations and cheap talent, and GKA tearfully confessed that the 60K didn’t exist. Jo ploughed on regardless with his own savings, and the film made a name for him. (JVS had an indomitable, triumph-over-adversity side as well as a knack for making everyone hate him: part Horatio Alger, part Alger Hiss.)
It no doubt boosted George’s profile too, though he’d already played some big parts, going by the IMDb (he OUGHT to have had $60,000).
In THE BOOB, Englishman George (the son of a traveling salesman and a department store product demonstrator, so he may have had the right nature and nurture to pull the con on JVS) plays an American yokel, with much pasty-faced gurning. I’m reminded unpleasantly of El Brendel, though here the grimace supplants the smirk.
For the next ten years or so, GKA alternated between biggish supporting roles and uncredited bit parts. He departs Hollywood, or at least his credits die out, in 1935.
But GKA will resurface, in his native England, as producer for Wendy Toye’s excellent short films THE STRANGER LEFT NO CARD (1952) and ON THE TWELFTH DAY (1955), and also, uncredited, in the same capacity on Jack Clayton’s THE BESPOKE OVERCOAT (1955), thus kickstarting two more major cinematic careers, whatever his role in Von Sternberg’s origin story.
So I salute you, George K. Arthur! And your little dog, too.
Wise Boxes Clever
Posted in FILM, literature with tags Alan Baxter, Art Cohn, Audrey Totter, Darryl Hickman, Joseph Moncure March, Orson Welles, Percy Helton, RKO, Robert Ryan, Robert Wise, The Set-Up, Touch of Evil, Track of the Cat, William Wellman on July 19, 2018 by dcairns
Our viewing of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL of course demands a follow-up screening of something or other… I felt in a way less need to investigate this time, as I’ve already seen plenty of Robert Wise films, and even a few movies involving screenwriter Edmund H. North (IN A LONELY PLACE, SINK THE BISMARCK!, DAMN THE DEFIANT! and, ahem, METEOR). I’ve even covered STRANGER FROM VENUS. But THE SET-UP, directed by Wise in 1949, was overdue for a watch…
This one’s scripted by Art Cohn, from a poem (!) by Joseph Moncure March.
It’s alright… Percy’s here…
Really terrific filmmaking — I’m on record saying that Wise’s best cinematic effects usually hinge on editing, his métier, but this one has a lot of gorgeous push-in shots, moving deeper into the urban landscape of the film. The sweaty, shadowy feel of the movie is its best feature, aided by great noir faces — Robert Ryan, Alan Baxter, Percy Helton. Even Darryl Hickman, his fresh-faced appeal like a flower in hell, by which the surrounding inferno appears all the grimmer.
The big gimmick, that the story unfolds in real time, was a cause of frustration for the filmmakers since the audience turned out to be serenely oblivious to this. All those big clocks were for naught. But the excellent sound mix — there’s no score — does have great value, with the cross-cutting between Ryan and Audrey Totter tied together by devices like a streetcar blasting past, close-up for her, distant when we cut to him. The Aristotelian Unities may be quietly helping the film along, even if most of us don’t notice. After all, Hollywood style prided itself on invisibility. Why shouldn’t we consider this, and Wellman’s TRACK OF THE CAT, with its black-and-white-in-colour aesthetic, be regarded as roaring successes precisely because nobody at the time noticed?
Totter’s walk through town seems to very clearly prefigure what Welles wanted for his opening shot of TOUCH OF EVIL, in terms of sound design.
I was genuinely puzzled about how the movie would end, though I had a feeling it couldn’t be good. For a while, it looks to be as bleak as you can get. Bleaker. Audrey Totter has a near-impossible task, spinning the tragic denouement as a triumph, and she pulls all the stops out and then breaks them off and throws them in the air. A little too much, Audrey.
But it’s impressive how RKO got away with a crime story in which the guilty go completely unpunished, and indeed the law is entirely absent.
ncicconeumich on Manky Business
I'll Bet You Five You're Not Alive If You Were In This Film
Sodden IMPACT. dcairns.wordpress.com/2021/01/16/gar… https://t.co/f9GILzDVtE 1 hour ago
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View Header
For Immediate Release August 15, 1994
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT SIGNING OF THE
SOCIAL SECURITY INDEPENDENT AGENCY ACT BILL
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Thank you, Senator Moynihan, Chairman Gibbons, Secretary Shalala. To all the distinguished members of Congress who are here, especially Senators Mitchell and Dole and the Speaker, and to one who is not here -- Andy Jacobs, who worked so hard on this endeavor -- let me thank you all.
Let me especially thank Senator Moynihan, who identified the need to reestablish the Social Security Administration as an independent agency 11 years ago. I was sitting here thinking, when I saw him up here so full of pride that this day had finally come to pass, of two things: First of all, about eight months ago, Senator Moynihan said to me, "We have a lot of important business to do this year. And we'll have to fight like crazy on all of it. But if you will just come out and say you're for an independent Social Security agency, I think we can do this unanimously. And that would be a very good thing for Congress to do." (Laughter.) And then I was wondering whether, if we waited 11 years we could be unanimous about every issue that comes before us. (Laughter.)
I want to thank Senator Moynihan for his persistence and guidance, and all the others who have worked so hard on this legislation.
When Frankly Roosevelt made a speech to the New York legislature in 1931, he said this: "The success or failure of any government must be measured by the well-being of its citizens." That was the goal that moved him 59 years ago yesterday. On that day, in a ceremony in the Cabinet Room, just behind us, he signed the Social Security Act into law. And that is what guides us today.
With an independent Social Security Administration, we are reinventing our government to streamline our operations so that we can serve the American people better. We are strengthening those things which Social Security ought to do, and taking precautions to make sure it does not do things which it ought not to do. It is proving that government can still work to improve people's lives. And now Social Security, we know, will work even better.
For millions of Americans, that signature 59 years ago transformed old age from a time of fear and want to a period of rest and reward. It empowered many American families as well, freeing them to put their children through college to enrich their own lives, knowing that their parents would not grow old in poverty. Nine years ago, thanks to that effort, for the first time in the history of the United States, the elderly had a lower poverty rate than the rest of the population.
In fighting for Social Security and so much else, President Roosevelt knew that the American people always would have a personal stake in overcoming the status quo when the need was great enough. That is something we should all remember as we go into the next few weeks, as we delay the August recess, as we struggle to come to grips with the challenges of this age -- the challenge of crime, the challenge of health care.
These kinds of changes are difficult, but they always have been. In 1935, even Social Security as we know it nearly died in a congressional committee, as senators considered stripping away the old-age pension. Congress almost left town with this and other critical work unfinished. But they found the grit to work on through the summer of 1935, when they didn't have as much air-conditioning as we have today. And they accomplished so much in that period now known as the Second Hundred Days. President Roosevelt said then that that session of Congress would be regarded as historic for all time.
What we do here today maintains that historic commitment. If we keep focus on the work we are sent here to do, what we do here today can be but the precursor of things that we also can do to benefit the American people that will be historic for all time.
Now I'd like to ask the folks here to join me as I sign this bill. In the beginning, I will for a letter or two at least, use the pen that President Roosevelt used 59 years ago yesterday.
Thank you very much. (Applause.)
(The bill is signed.)
END10:45 A.M. EDT
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SEC Chair Clayton Discusses Modernizing Framework for Disclosures
By Jay Clayton August 27, 2020 by renholding
Good morning. This is an open meeting of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, under the Government in the Sunshine Act. I would like start today’s meeting by welcoming Commissioner Crenshaw to her first open meeting.
Today [August 26], we are considering amendments to modernize the description of business, legal proceedings, and risk factor disclosures that companies are required to make under Regulation S-K. These amendments are part of the Commission’s broader efforts to retroactively review and improve our public company disclosure framework and related requirements.
First, I want to put this work in context. The rules we adopt today update various Regulation S-K items that essentially have not changed in over 30 years. Our economy, and the world economy, have changed markedly in that time, and many of our rules, which were well rooted in the characteristics of the economy of the 1970s and 1980s, simply have not kept up. Here, I note that in general, the longer you wait to update these regulations, particularly prescriptive regulations — I think of it like years of deferred maintenance in a home — the harder it can be to do. I applaud the staff for their years-long efforts and thoughtful approach to modernize these and other disclosure requirements as well as similar efforts they have undertaken with respect to many of our other rules.
These efforts began well before my arrival at the Commission and have included, for example, the accredited investor definition, which we comprehensively amended this morning for the first time in over 35 years. The SEC staff’s active review of the definition included a proposal in 2007 and staff report issued in 2015. I thank our various predecessors for commencing and pursuing this work.
Congress also deserves thanks, as a number of updates to our public company disclosure rules, including today’s amendments, stemmed from the Commission’s Disclosure Effectiveness Initiative launched in response to the evaluation of disclosure requirements mandated by Section 108 of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act and later directives in the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. Under this initiative, the Commission has been comprehensively reviewing the disclosure requirements in Regulation S-K and Regulation S-X and updating them to facilitate timely disclosure of material information to investors. In 2016, the Commission issued a concept release providing a broad overview of, and requesting comment on, business and financial disclosure requirements under Regulation S-K.[1]
Subsequently, the 2018 disclosure update and simplification amendments sought to eliminate requirements that were duplicative of, or overlapped with, other disclosure requirements, U.S. GAAP or other developments.[2] More recently, the Commission also updated the required financial disclosures about guarantors and guaranteed securities,[3] as well as financial disclosures about acquired and disposed businesses.[4] As I said, these modernization efforts have spanned years, involved several iterations of the Commission, and reflect the hard work and deep expertise of the SEC’s dedicated, mission-oriented staff.
The rules we adopt today build on our materiality-based disclosure framework. The effectiveness of this framework in providing the public with the information necessary to make informed investment decisions has proven its merit time and again as markets have evolved when we have faced unanticipated events.[5] This has been widely demonstrated in registrant disclosures regarding the effects of COVID-19. We have seen disclosures shift to emphasize matters such as liquidity, cash needs, supply chain risks, and the health and safety of employees and customers. This has served as a reminder that our rigorous, principles-based, flexible disclosure system, where companies are required to communicate regularly and consistently with market participants, provides countless benefits to our markets, our investors and our economy more generally.
One improvement in today’s rules I want to highlight is the topic of human capital. I fully support the requirement in today’s rules that companies must describe their human capital resources, including any human capital measures or objectives they focus on in managing the business, to the extent material to an understanding of the company’s business as a whole. From a modernization standpoint, today, human capital accounts for and drives long-term business value in many companies much more so than it did 30 years ago.[6] Today’s rules reflect that important and multifaceted shift in our domestic and global economy.
Our rules also are designed to elicit disclosure tailored to each company’s particular industry and business model, while being flexible enough to continue to allow for fulsome disclosure as businesses evolve in the future. For example, take the final rule’s approach to the use of metrics in the area of human capital. As I noted, today’s rules require that, in crafting their human capital disclosure, companies must incorporate the key human capital metrics, if any, that they focus on in managing the business, again to the extent material to an understanding of the company’s business as a whole. Experience demonstrates that these metrics, including their construction and their use, widely from industry to industry and issuer to issuer, depending of a wide array of company-specific factors and strategic judgments. As I have said previously, I would expect that the material human capital information for a manufacturing company will be vastly different from that of a biotech startup, and again vastly different from that of a large healthcare provider. And the human capital considerations for a multi-national car manufacturer will be different from that of a regional home manufacturer.[7] It would run counter to our proven disclosure system, particularly as we first increase regulatory emphasis in an area of such wide variance, for us to attempt to prescribe specific, rigid metrics that would not capture or effectively communicate these substantial differences. That said, under the principles-based approach, I do expect to see meaningful qualitative and quantitative disclosure, including, as appropriate, disclosure of metrics that companies actually use in managing their affairs.[8]
I also want to note that, on a personal level, I continue to believe that many high quality companies tend to invest in and actively manage the development of human capital. I cannot remember engaging with a high quality, lasting company that did not focus on attracting, developing and enhancing its people. To the extent those efforts have a material impact on their performance, I believe investors benefit from understanding the drivers of that performance.
As I described, the rules we’re considering today reflect a concerted effort by Commission staff, and I thank them for their dedication to modernizing our rules. I have focused in these remarks on human capital but want to be clear that all of today’s updates – the description of business, risk factors and legal proceedings – benefit from the same rigor, experience and expertise of the staff.
In particular, I would like to acknowledge the following staff members for their contribution to this effort:
From the Division of Corporation Finance: Bill Hinman, Lisa Kohl, Johnny Gharib, Betsy Murphy, Felicia Kung, Sean Harrison, Sandra Hunter Berkheimer, and John Diamandis.
From the Division of Economic and Risk Analysis: S.P. Kothari, Hari Phatak, Vlad Ivanov, and Kelvin Liu.
From the Office of the General Counsel: Bob Stebbins, Bryant Morris, and Shaz Niazi.
I will now turn it over to Bill Hinman, Director of the Division of Corporation Finance, for the staff’s presentation of their recommendation. S.P. Kothari, our Chief Economist and DERA Director, will then summarize his views on the potential economic effects of the final rules.
[1] Business and Financial Disclosure Required by Regulation S-K, Release No. 33-10064 (Apr. 13, 2016) [81 FR 23915].
[2] Disclosure Update and Simplification, Release No. 33-10532 (Aug. 17, 2018) [83 FR 38768].
[3] Financial Disclosures About Guarantors and Issuers of Guaranteed Securities and Affiliates Whose Securities Collateralize a Registrant’s Securities, Release No. 33-10762 (Mar. 2, 2020) [85 FR 21940].
[4] Amendments to Financial Disclosures about Acquired and Disposed Businesses, Release No. 33-10786 (May 20, 2020).
[5] The Importance of Disclosure – For Investors, Markets and Our Fight Against COVID-19, available at https://www.sec.gov/news/public-statement/statement-clayton-hinman
[6] For example, the release notes that in 1988, the largest 500 U.S. companies in Standard & Poor’s Compustat Daily Updates database had an average market capitalization of $2.42 billion and a ratio of intangible assets to market capitalization of 7.26%. In 2019, the largest 500 companies had an average market capitalization of $54.98 billion and a ratio of intangible assets to market capitalization of 22.71%. Modernization of Regulation S-K Items 101, 103, and 105, Release No. 33-10825 (Aug. 26, 2020), at note 266.
[7] Remarks on Telephone Call with Investor Advisory Committee Members (Feb. 6, 2019), available at https://www.sec.gov/news/public-statement/clayton-remarks-investor-advisory-committee-call-020619.
[8] As is the case with non-GAAP financial measures, I would also expect companies to maintain metric definitions constant from period to period or to disclose prominently any changes to the metrics used or the definitions of those metrics.
This statement was made on August 26, 2020, by Jay Clayton, chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, at an open meeting of the SEC.
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A Milestone For Croatia
The European Union and Croatian flags
On June 30th, Croatia successfully concluded the negotiation process for membership in the European Union.
On June 30th, five days after Croatia celebrated the 20th anniversary of its independence, the country reached another significant milestone: it successfully concluded the negotiation process for membership in the European Union.
Croatia and the EU entered membership negotiations in October 2005. But over the course of the next six years, the process slowed down due to regional disputes, as well as suspicions on the part of the international community that the Croatian government was dragging its heels on cooperating with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, or ICTY, a United Nations body which prosecutes war criminals from the wars in Southeast Europe during the early 1990s.
Once the Croatian government demonstrated its cooperation with ICTY, allowing the negotiations to proceed, Croatia still was not guaranteed membership. Croatia had to implement a number of critical reforms in its legal structure, law enforcement, economy, and public institutions. These changes were needed to bring Croatia in line with the standards of the European Union.
Now the process is nearly complete, though more steps remain. The European Parliament must vote to welcome Croatia into the Union, and Croatia must continue its reform efforts, subject to specific elements of monitoring by EU institutions. Moreover, the Croatian people must vote in a referendum to join the EU while every EU member state has to ratify the Accession Treaty. If Croatians vote in favor of joining, and the ratifications proceed smoothly, Croatia will become the 28th member of the European Union on July 1, 2013.
Croatia will benefit immediately from EU membership. It will have access to European infrastructure and various means of financial support, and will fully participate in the definition and implementation of EU policies. The country and its people will become a part of a larger community with all the associated benefits, including freedom of movement, lower or no tariffs, and a vastly expanded marketplace.
"[This day] marks an important milestone in Croatia’s journey toward membership in the European Union," said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. "While the work to reform Croatia’s governing institutions will continue, the United States congratulates Croatia on this hard-won success.
"The conclusion of accession talks for Croatia creates a positive momentum which I hope will spread throughout the region. I applaud Croatia’s accomplishment today and look forward to our continued partnership."
/dalet/Editorial_VO_249_016542_071211_A_Milestone_for_Croatia.Mp3
Croatia Not Looking Back
On The Community Of Democracies
Unfinished Business In Bosnia
End Of The Road For Ratko Mladic
Bosnia Herzegovina Must Form Government
Slovenia-Croatia Border Agreement
Reflecting the Views of the U.S. Government as Broadcast on The Voice of America
More Editorials
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Holding Accountable Those Who Prosecuted Citgo-6
U.S. Sanctions Corrupt Nicaraguan Officials
Barbaric Killing of Iranian Journalist
U.S. Sanctions Turkey's Presidency of Defense Industries
Sudan No Longer a State Sponsor of Terrorism
Morocco Resumes Diplomatic Relations with Israel
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Football, ‘Yellowstone’ & ‘This Is Us’ Top Lists Of Most Watched & Time-Shifted Linear TV Programs In 2020
December 14, 2020 5:00am
Nielsen has released 2020 Top 10 lists of the most watched telecasts and series on linear television as well as the programs with the biggest delayed viewing lifts. Most of the titles on the charts are broadcast programs whose ratings periods go by seasons from September to May. Cable networks’ rankers are based on a calendar year.
Carrying the flag for cable on the Top 10 lists are Paramount Network’s Yellowstone, posting the biggest % viewership increase after seven days of playback; AMC’s The Walking Dead, No.7 on the same list; and ESPN’s coverage of the College Football Playoff National Championship.
The Top 10 list of most watched telecasts (in Live+7) is dominated by football, with only Fox’s The Masked Singer and ABC’s The Oscars from entertainment programming making the cut.
CBS’ NCIS, FBI and Blue Bloods were the most watched non-sports series of 2020. Not surprisingly, these are older-skewing dramas as Nielsen’s ratings reflect live viewing and playback; most younger viewers consume scripted TV shows on demand via non-linear platforms.
It’s worth noting that two of the top three time-shifted programs (in % viewership increase) are no longer on the air, ABC’s Emergence and Stumptown. Leading the pack in absolute L+7 viewership game is NBC’s flagship drama This Is Us.
Nielsen’s report also reveals that, while streaming video has exploded during the pandemic, linear viewing also has posted some gains. Q2 2020 live and time-shifted TV consumption among people 18 and older increased by an average of 4 minutes per day (to 4 hours: 8 minutes) from the prior year. Overall, in the second quarter of this year, consumers 18 and older spent just shy of 6 hours each day with video, an increase of 35 minutes from the prior-year period, per Nielsen.
Look Back 2020
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NRBQ’s Terry Adams says music is always best when it’s surprising
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, SEPT. 4, 1997
By Steve Newton
In decades past, strict-minded parents would try to keep impressionable youngsters away from rock ’n’ roll, believing it to lead to all manner of delinquency, not to mention swinging of the hips. But times have changed. Nowadays, beat-driven music is directed right at the kids, and not just by shepherdly singer-songwriters such as Fred Penner and Raffi.
NRBQ, normally known as a wildly unpredictable pop band with eclectic jazz flavourings, has just released its first children’s CD, You’re Nice People You Are. Now the quartet is encouraging library skills in “Encyclopedia”, admonishing jaywalkers in “Always Safety First”, and exploring nature in “Spider”. So why, after nearly 30 years, is it finally time to indulge the wee ones?
“I gotta say that we’ve been gradually headin’ that way all along,” says pianist-vocalist Terry Adams, on the line from San Francisco before a gig at Frisco’s famed Fillmore. “We just think that way. Maybe our minds are going, I dunno.”
Adams says the decision to record a collection of tunes for the Frosted Flakes set wasn’t brought on by the band members’ sudden profusion of babies, nor by memories of their own favourite children’s entertainers. “I liked all music right away,” he declares, “whether it was children’s music or not. As far back as I can remember, I was listening to Jimmy Reed or Link Wray or Elvis, you know.”
As well as the new kids’ CD, NRBQ—aka the New Rhythm & Blues Quartet—recently released a live album, its first featuring Johnny Spampinato, who took over the guitar spot from “Big Al” Anderson in ’94. Simply titled Tokyo, the 17-track disc includes typically chaotic versions of such NRBQ standards as “Rain at the Drive-in”, “I Want You Bad”, and “Me and the Boys”—many of which will no doubt be rolled out when the band plays the Gate on Sunday (September 7). Adams denies that the band was trying to revel in a Cheap Trick Live at Budokan vibe when it made Japan the setting for a live disc.
“You got it in reverse order there,” he points out. “We were in Tokyo, and someone just wanted to record. In fact, it came out in Japan first, before it got licensed to Rounder. We actually have another live album coming out earlier next year called You Gotta Be Loose in the USA.”
Including its previous handful of live recordings, NRBQ has released more than 20 albums since its eponymous debut of ’69, which received critical raves for its blend of rootsy rock, blues, and avant-garde jazz. The band has performed pretty well everywhere in the world since then but still holds certain countries especially close to the heart. Canada is one of them.
“I love Canada!” Adams blurts out. “I played the Toronto Jazz Festival a few months back with Marshall Allen, who’s the saxophonist for Sun Ra—actually, the leader of the band now. Marshall and a group called Space Posse are playing over at Berkeley tonight, and I’m probably going to go and play with them.”
Whether jamming with avant-garde innovators or reverting to childhood to conjure simplistic ditties for little folk, Adams always attempts to integrate the unpredictable into NRBQ’s quirky mix.
“I’m into all music as long as it’s real,” he says, “but for me, the music’s always best when it’s surprising. Even as I play it, I don’t like to play the same thing. It’s just an easier, more natural approach to be spontaneous to the environment, to the spirits around, you know.”
Posted on July 4, 2014 February 13, 2015 by the newtPosted in american madeTagged 1997, children's CD, concert, interview, kids' music, NRBQ, September 7, Terry Adams, Terry Adams interview, the Gate, Vancouver, You're Nice People You Are.
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Clean, Green & Renewable
Energy Efficiency & Conservation
Environmental Defense
Our Public Lands
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Greener Together
Tropical Forest Protection
Environmental Defense: Our Public Lands
Environmental Defense: The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Environment America Litigation Project
Global Warming Solutions
Destination: Zero Carbon
Fossil Fuel Free
Environmental Defense: Our Climate
Lisa Hupp/USFWS via Flickr, Public Domain
Goal: Defend the caribou, polar bears and other wildlife that depend on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge against attempts to explore and drill for oil.
One of the most spectacular wildlife migrations in the world takes place each spring and summer on the coastal plain of America's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. Some 200,000 caribou migrate hundreds of miles annually to give birth there. Millions of migratory birds flock there to nest. Polar bears and cubs den on the coastal plain over the winter. And, due to this abundance of wildlife, for thousands of years the native Gwich’in people have depended on this biological jewel for survival, with a culture centered around the caribou herd.
An irresponsible drive to drill in one of the last wild places
The coastal plain of the refuge is variously described as the “biological heart” of the Refuge and “America’s Serengeti,” due to the dizzying array of wildlife living and migrating there. From millions of migratory birds traveling from all 50 states and six continents, to the more than 200,000-strong Porcupine caribou herd (named after the Porcupine River), to polar bears, wolves, muskoxen, arctic foxes, wolverines, brown bears, golden eagles, tundra swans and snowy owls, the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge is vital habitat for dozens of species.
Seeing the caribou move across the tundra can be an overwhelming experience. Author Terry Tempest Williams recounts in Orion Magazine watching the caribou on her trip to the refuge. “Heads, antlers, backs, tails, legs, hooves, one caribou merges into another... it is an endless stream of animals walking across the tundra.”
The Arctic Refuge has qualities that simply can’t be replaced — a wildness and a vibrancy that is at once old and yet always new. It has old stillness and new life. In "Arctic Refuge: A Circle of Testimony," author Stephen Trimble argues eloquently why the Arctic Refuge should be allowed to fulfill the grand ambitions of The Wilderness Act of 1964. "Our bargain is this: we leave the Refuge alone, we leave the Porcupine Caribou to their calving, the Beaufort Sea polar bears to their denning. We protect this place. And, in turn, we lead lives less impoverished. We fall asleep knowing wilderness has a shelter, and at least one place remains where the ancestral richness of life survives."
The Arctic Refuge coastal plain may well be “America’s Serengeti,” but it may also sit on top of underground reservoirs of oil (and then again, it may not). Sadly, our society’s voracious appetite for oil imperils the entire immense wilderness landscape and the vast network of wildlife that depends on it.
Viktor Loki via Shutterstock.com
Irrational and pointless
With today’s clean energy advancements, the idea of threatening polar bears, caribou and the native Gwich’in people that depend on the caribou, and all the countless other species that call the refuge home for more oil feels both antiquated and foolhardy.
We live in a time of unprecedented expansion of clean energy. The clean energy revolution is already in full swing, with each of the last five years seeing the biggest additions to our national electric generating capacity coming from wind and solar. Combine that with the breakthroughs in battery technology and electric cars, and it is clear that the way we power our economy will continue to rely less each year on fossil fuels.
Some places like the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge have always been too special to ruin, and should be left in their natural pristine state. Against the backdrop of expanding clean energy technologies, oil exploration and drilling in this wildlife refuge becomes irrational and pointless.
The current threat to the Arctic Refuge
Environment Minnesota acts as a watchdog in St. Paul, and along with our national network in Washington, D.C., we keep an eye on any legislation or policy that threatens the special places Americans love. Right now our public lands team is actively engaged with a broad coalition focused on protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
In 2015, President Obama declared the Arctic Refuge “an incredible place, pristine, undisturbed, [supporting] caribou, and polar bears, all manner of marine life, countless species of birds and fish, and for centuries has supported many Alaska native communities,” and for the first time made it the official position of the Department of the Interior to manage the coastal plain as wilderness, and to ask Congress to designate it as such.
In December of 2017, Congress passed and President Trump signed a massive overhaul of our nation’s tax code. Tucked into the bill was a provision that requires the Department of the Interior to offer at least two lease sales for oil and gas development by 2027 in the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge, reversing decades of protection with the stroke of a pen.
Drilling for oil in the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge would put the health of the Porcupine caribou herd at risk as well as the Gwich’in people’s entire way of life. It would endanger the most important denning area in Alaska for polar bears, result in thousands of miles of pipelines, roads and gravel pits, and consume massive amounts of the available fresh water in the region to construct ice roads. Drilling in the refuge would forever change the very wilderness values for which it was originally set aside.
More wilderness at risk: Save the Boreal forest
Every minute, logging levels an area of Canada’s boreal forest equal to roughly 1.5 football fields — primarily to supply consumers with tissues and toilet paper. To save the boreal forest, we’re urging Procter & Gamble to adopt sustainable practices that rely on recycled wood pulp, bamboo and wheat straw.
You can help. Take action to save the boreal forest.
The Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act
How can we protect this amazing place before it’s too late? Luckily, congressional champions have introduced legislation that would restore protections to the Arctic Refuge coastal plain by repealing the section of the tax law that mandates the oil and gas lease sales. This bill is called the Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act.
RIGHT NOW: We’re making the case against the administration’s actions and plans, and alerting our supporters and the public to tell Congress that we want the critical coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge protected from oil and gas development.
IN THE MONTHS TO COME: We will continue to build support in Congress for protecting the Arctic Refuge from oil drilling. When the administration changes, we need to be ready to move to overturn the mandate for oil and gas leasing inside the Refuge. To do that, we need to build support now. We also stand ready to engage the public when the Trump administration calls for public comments to their drilling plan. And our lawyers will carefully watch the administration’s moves, and when they misstep, we will turn to the courts to block the pell-mell rush to drill. Finally, we’ll make the case to oil companies that the reputational risk of drilling in the Arctic Refuge is too great, and that it would damage their image beyond repair.
IN THE LONG RUN: Ultimately, we need to win enough hearts and minds to the premise that there are just some places too spectacular and special to ruin for oil. We need to permanently protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and put the specter of oil drilling in this special place to rest.
A place of enduring beauty
We, along with millions of other Americans, believe the enduring beauty, history and culture of places like the Arctic Refuge are worth far more than the short-term value of any oil or gas we can extract from them. Acting as if the opposite is true is the definition of shortsightedness. Protecting special places like America’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will require us to act decisively and boldly.
Our success also depends on gaining support that transcends the partisan divide. Fortunately, this is a cause that can unite hunters and hikers, anglers and bird-watchers, native tribes and small businesses, and academics and faith leaders.
Tell the House of Representatives to restore protections to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Help protect the places we love,
the values we share
In our emails, sent once or twice a week, you'll receive:
• alerts on new threats to Minnesota's environment
• opportunities to join other Minnesotans on urgent actions
• updates on the decisions that impact our environment
• resources to help you create a cleaner, greener future
Environment Minnesota
211 N. 1st St., Ste. 480
Member questions or requests: 1-800-401-6511
Visit the website of Environment Minnesota Research & Policy Center, our sister 501(c)(3) organization.
Environment Minnesota is part of The Public Interest Network, which operates and supports organizations committed to a shared vision of a better world and a strategic approach to social change.
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Solving the Triffin Dilemma
Published in Kemp Forum on Exchange Rates and the Dollar on April 20, 2017
By John D. Mueller
Click here to view a video of Mr. Mueller’s presentation. For more information on the Kemp Forum on Exchange Rates and the Dollar, click here.
(Click to expand images)
Thank you, Jimmy Kemp, for hosting, Steve Hanke for co-chairing, and Sean Rushton for organizing this Kemp Forum on Exchange Rates and the Dollar. As my identifying first slide indicates, I have been blessed to collaborate over the decades on this issue with not just one but two great men: the first being Jack Kemp, for whom I worked in Congress from 1979 to 1988 under both Reagan administrations, and the other, the man you just heard, Lewis E. Lehrman. I have done what I could to promote the efforts of the Jack Kemp Foundation, which Jimmy Kemp launched and now leads.
Perhaps I should say something about my role in Jack’s office. Over a period of almost ten years, every two weeks, Jack Kemp’s office in the Rayburn House Office Building turned for an afternoon into a sort of cross between a graduate seminar in economics at the University of Chicago and a kindergarten production of The Music Man, in which the actors shouted at one another, “He’s a fake and he doesn’t know the territory!” “Supply-siders” have always been notoriously argumentative, and it was my role to help Jack formulate and explain the economic ideas coherently and consistently. This was possible, of course, only if one could agree on what those ideas were. The task was made more difficult by the fact that supply-side economists couldn’t seem to agree on the simplest and most basic facts about the history of economics. I discovered the reason only years later, when I began to write my own book, which Jimmy mentioned.
Beginning in 1972, the University of Chicago’s economics department abolished what had previously been a degree requirement: that in order to earn a Ph.D., you had to have mastered the history of economics. All other economics departments in the country, as far as I can tell, soon followed that example. Perhaps the history of economics was already moribund. But by successfully campaigning for that change, George Stigler committed a deliberate act of amnesia among economists regarding exactly what economics is all about.
I mentioned the bi-weekly meetings resembling a kindergarten production of The Music Man. I was pressed into service to ride herd on the production, like a student who because of his height was made a teacher’s aide. I had to formulate a view on issues including exactly the ones we’ve been hearing about today. In the video you saw a few minutes ago, Lew Lehrman spoke of the “twin evils” of exchange-rate instability and the official reserve currency role of the dollar. I’d like to speak about the second, and specifically about “The Triffin Dilemma.” I brought my copy of the transcript of the 1983 conference, which was published as “A Monetary Agenda for World Growth.” As several others have mentioned, the “Pre-Williamsburg” conference 34 years ago had a truly all-star cast, co-chaired by then-Congressman Jack Kemp and Columbia University economist Robert A. Mundell, but also including Arthur Laffer, then-Secretary of State George Schultz, and Robert Triffin, the eponymous Belgian-American descriptor of “The Triffin Dilemma”–among many others.
I’d like to mention three consequences of the choice of a monetary standard: for the federal budget, the general price level, and international payments.
As a factual matter, in American history, a precious-metal standard has prevented monetary authorities from monetizing federal budget deficits. From 1790 to 1970, under a metallic standard (always gold and/or silver), the federal government averaged an annual surplus of 0.4% of GDP. During periods of paper money from 1790 to 2015, there has been an average deficit of 2.7% of GDP. To show that the monetary standard is the cause, I also compare summary numbers for federal with state governments, since under the Constitution the latter cannot issue inconvertible paper money. From 1979 to 2015 at the same time—therefore, under exactly the same economic conditions— as the federal government was running deficits averaging 3% of GDP, state governments averaged deficits of only 0.3% of GDP. This was not because state legislators are smarter or more virtuous than members of Congress, but rather because state governments are prevented from printing money to finance their budgets (as the American colonial governments frequently did).
Since inconvertible paper money permits financing of federal budget deficits, there has been serious inflation (or, for that matter, deflation) only with paper money. This slide shows the Consumer Price Index and GDP Price index since 1790, As you can see, episodes of serious inflation (or deflation) in American history occurred only with paper money.
But the U.S. price level is affected not only by whether the dollar has been on a paper or metallic standard. Both domestic and foreign inflation are affected also by whether the dollar has been used by other counties to back their own currencies, as gold was used to back domestic currencies including the U.S. dollar before the First World War The U.S. dollar became an official reserve currency during the First World War, but officially became the world’s reserve currency as the result of the Bretton Woods agreement of 1944.
This slide is a bit grainy, because it comes from a 1991 Wall Street Journal op-ed article. It shows how at LBMC (originally Lehrman Bell Mueller Cannon, Inc., named after the principals), we implemented the great French economist Jacques Rueff’s ideas to predict in real time episodes of commodity-led inflation, the first being the inflation of 1989-91 and the 1991-92 recession, which resulted from the Federal Reserve’s response to that inflation. The slide shows that the World Dollar Base (the sum of the U.S. domestic monetary base and foreign official dollar reserves) has been an excellent predictor of commodity inflation, particularly food an d energy price inflation, in dollar terms.
Having given up after several years of trying to persuade U.S. policy-makers to change the world monetary system, four of us with connections to Jack Kemp (Lew Lehrman, Jeff Bell, I, and Frank Cannon) formed a business to predict the consequences of the inevitable economic policy mistakes. Most of our clients were money managers (banks, insurance companies, mutual and hedge funds) but also some governments.
The chart compares the growth of the World Dollar Base, lagged about two years, and its ultimate impact on food and energy price inflation. In that case, the surge in foreign official dollar reserves occurred in 1986-1988, as the mostly unanticipated consequence of the Plaza Accord of 1985, about which Jim Baker spoke in such glowing terms in the video we saw earlier this morning. In response to the dollar’s decline, foreign central banks, led at the time by the Bank of Japan, purchased massive amounts of U.S. dollar securities (mostly U.S. Treasury debt), to try to stem the rise of their currencies against the dollar. The result, as the chart shows, was the 1989-91 inflation and 1991-92 recession, which ended the presidency of George H.W. Bush in 1992.
In this way, we also were able to short-circuit what until then had been a purely theoretical debate about economic policy, particularly about the negative impact on the U.S. and the rest of the world of the Triffin Dilemma, by submitting those theories to test by the facts.
While the 1991 chart from the Wall Street Journal shows that growth of the World Dollar Base affects world commodity prices in dollar terms simultaneously (and therefore prices in any countries whose currencies are tied to the dollar), the next chart shows that prices rise faster and farther in the reserve-currency country itself than in other countries. This chart ran a few months ago in a Wall Street Journal op-ed article. The green, red and blue lines show the components and total value of the World Dollar Base on the left scale, while the black and gold lines compare producer prices for manufactured goods in the U.S. (gold) and Germany (black) on the right scale. I chose Germany rather than, say, China, because it has the longest consistent series, which cover the last 15 years of Bretton Woods and everything since, which included both fixed and floating exchange rates without gold convertibility. As the chart shows, while the price of German manufactured goods roughly tripled from 1955 to 2015, the price of American manufactured goods has more than sextupled.
The Triffin Dilemma is the inherent conflict of a reserve-currency country’s domestic policy with international monetary order. Those hieroglyphics at the end of certain sentences are economic formulas. They indicates that under the international gold standard, there was no Triffin Dilemma, because the whole world ran a trade surplus with itself, which was equal to the net increase in monetary gold.
The essence of the Triffin Dilemma is that any reserve-currency system is unsustainable, because reserves are bought and repayable in goods. This means that the net increase in foreign official dollar reserves must equal the net exports of the rest of the world—which in turn must equal the deficit in U.S. net exports.
The trade balance of any country must equal the net value of that country’s saving over investment. That’s the accounting identity which Steve Hanke mentioned earlier. There is nothing necessarily alarming in a trade deficit in itself. Despite tariffs (often high ones), the United States ran current account deficits totaling 69% of GDP from 1790 to 1895—because U.S. investment exceeded domestic saving by that amount. From 1896 to 1970, U.S. current account surpluses totaled 116% of GDP, because U.S. national saving exceeded investment by that amount. However, from 1971 through 2015, U.S. current account deficits totaled 93% of GDP because of the Triffin Dilemma: The increase in official dollar reserves must equal the rest of the world’s surplus (and America’s deficits) in net exports.
In other words, the first period’s U.S. trade deficits reflected private foreign investment in the United States, which had a growing population requiring more domestic investment than could be financed by domestic American savings, and the second period’s trade surpluses equaled the excess of U.S. saving over investment. But the final period’s trade deficits were the necessary counterpart to the rest of the world’s accumulation of official dollar reserves, which are lent by/borrowed from foreign monetary authorities, not private foreign investors. That last period illustrates, in fact epitomizes, the “Triffin Dilemma.”
There are, and have always been, three main alternative solutions to the Triffin Dilemma, whether in the 1920s, in 1983, and today:
First, muddle along under the “dollar standard” until its eventual, inevitable collapse—a position now supported by some resigned foreigners and nostalgic Americans
Second, turn the International Monetary Fund into a world central bank issuing paper (e.g., special drawing rights) reserves—as proposed in 1943 by Keynes, since the 1960s by Robert A. Mundell, and in 2009 by Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People’s Bank of China.
Main drawback: This kind of standard is highly political and the allocation of special drawing rights essentially arbitrary, since the IMF produces no goods. If you think it is hard to reach agreement in individual countries, like the United States, France, or Russia, that problem would be cubed in achieving agreement even on an unworkable SDR standard.
Third, adopt a modernized international gold standard, as proposed in the 1960s by Rueff, since then by his protégé Lewis E. Lehrman, and in 1984 and during his 1988 presidential campaign, by Jack Kemp.
Arthur Conan Doyle’s detective Sherlock Holmes used to remark that once you have eliminated the impossible, what remains, however improbable, is the truth. After sifting the arguments and facts, I concluded more than three decades ago, and remain convinced, that the final option, a multilateral gold standard, is the only solution to the Triffin Dilemma which has worked, and can still work, in the real world.
We Can’t Keep the Economy Closed Forever
America Enters a Jacques Rueff Moment
John D. Mueller
Don’t Make America Great Britain
Always see the latest from John D. Mueller and other EPPC Scholars. Sign up for EPPC Briefly!
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A cluster randomised controlled trial and evaluation and cost-effectiveness analysis of the Roots of Empathy schools-based programme for improving social and emotional well-being outcomes among 8- to 9-year-olds in Northern Ireland
Connolly, Paul and Miller, Sarah and Kee, Frank and Sloan, Seaneen and Gildea, Aideen and McIntosh, Emma and Boyer, Nicole and Bland, Martin (2018) A cluster randomised controlled trial and evaluation and cost-effectiveness analysis of the Roots of Empathy schools-based programme for improving social and emotional well-being outcomes among 8- to 9-year-olds in Northern Ireland. Public Health Research, 6 (4).
Official URL: https://doi.org/10.3310/phr06040
Abstract Background There is growing consensus regarding the importance of attending to children’s social and emotional well-being. There is now a substantial evidence base demonstrating the links between a child’s early social and emotional development and a range of key longer-term education, social and health outcomes. Universal school-based interventions provide a significant opportunity for early intervention in this area and yet the existing evidence base, particularly in relation to their long-term effects, is limited. Objectives and main outcomes To determine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Roots of Empathy (ROE), a universal school-based programme that, through attempting to enhance children’s empathy, seeks to achieve the following two main outcomes: improvement in prosocial behaviour and reduction in difficult behaviour. Design A cluster randomised controlled trial and an economic evaluation. A total of 74 primary schools were randomly assigned to deliver ROE or to join a waiting list control group. Seven schools withdrew post randomisation and a further two withdrew before the immediate post-test time point. Children (n = 1278) were measured pre test and immediately post test, and then for 3 years following the end of the programme. Data were also collected from teachers and parents. Setting and participants The intervention schools delivered ROE to their Year 5 children (aged 8–9 years) as a whole class. Intervention ROE is delivered on a whole-class basis for one academic year (October–June). It consists of 27 lessons based around the monthly visit from a baby and parent who are usually recruited from the local community. Children learn about the baby’s growth and development and are encouraged to generalise from this to develop empathy towards others. Results Although it was developed in Canada, the programme was very well received by schools, parents and children, and it was delivered effectively with high fidelity. ROE was also found to be effective in achieving small improvements in children’s prosocial behaviour (Hedges’ g = 0.20; p = 0.045) and reductions in their difficult behaviour (Hedges’ g = –0.16; p = 0.060) immediately post test. Although the gains in prosocial behaviour were not sustained after the immediately post-test time point, there was some tentative evidence that the effects associated with reductions in difficult behaviour may have remained up to 36 months from the end of the programme. These positive effects of ROE on children’s behaviour were not found to be associated with improvements in empathy or other social and emotional skills (such as emotional recognition and emotional regulation), on which the trial found no evidence of ROE having an effect. The study also found that ROE was likely to be cost-effective in line with national guidelines. Conclusions These findings are consistent with those of other evaluations of ROE and suggest that it is an effective and cost-effective programme that can be delivered appropriately and effectively in regions such as Northern Ireland. A number of issues for further consideration are raised regarding opportunities to enhance the role of parents; how a time-limited programme such as ROE can form part of a wider and progressive curriculum in schools to build on and sustain children’s social and emotional development; and the need to develop a better theory of change for how ROE works. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN07540423.
Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences > Educational Research
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Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis
The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis (BAMSL) was founded in 1874 by some 100 members of the St. Louis bench and bar. BAMSL currently has over 6,000 members and a vast network of committees and sections.
On March 16, 1874, some 100 members of the St. Louis bar and bench convened to organize themselves professionally. Their forum was the Old Courthouse, already known to the law as the place where Dred Scott filed his first state court action seeking his freedom. A month and a half later, they filed Articles of Agreement and a petition for incorporation giving form to the Bar Association of St. Louis.
The Articles were filed in downtown St. Louis in what was then, prior to the separation of St. Louis from St. Louis County, the St. Louis County Circuit Court. The organization they established, known since 1967 as The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis, now claims a membership of over 6,000 and a vast network of committees and sections. Yet its key purposes have remained constant: to maintain high standards among practitioners of the law; to be watchful of the fair administration of justice, and to promote social relations among its members.
Two of the Association's early presidents--James O. Broadhead and Henry Hitchcock --met with other lawyers in Saratoga, New York, in 1878 and founded the American Bar Association (ABA). Broadhead became the first president of the ABA; Hitchcock was its 12th in 1889. Five other presidents of The St. Louis Bar Association have headed the ABA: James Hagerman (1903); Fredrick W. Lehman (1908); Guy A. Thompson (1931); Jacob M. Lashly (1940) and John Shepherd (1986).
St. Louis Bar Association leaders were also instrumental in formation of The Missouri Bar Association in 1880, the precursor to the present integrated Missouri Bar of which all state lawyers and judges are required to be members. Broadhead and Hitchcock, as well as John Rutledge Shepley and Samuel M. Brechenridge, the first and second presidents respectively of The St. Louis Bar Association, were in the forefront of the 114 lawyers who met in Kansas City to establish The Missouri Bar Association.
Merit selection of judges was formally advocated by the Association as early as 1904. The Association's efforts in this area finally bore fruit in 1940 when the state Constitution was amended to establish the nonpartisan court plan in the Supreme Court, the courts of appeals and the circuit and probate courts of St. Louis and Jackson County. The amendment authorized extension of the plan to other judicial circuits by vote of the residents.
The Bar Association was also responsible for creation of the Legal Aid Society, today known as Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, Inc. The Society was established in a fledgling form in the administration of Daniel G. Taylor, 1909-1910. Its purpose: to provide counsel for indigent persons.
* President - David E. Crawford, Jr.
* President-Elect - Dale Weppner
* Vice President - Thomas G. Glick
* Secretary - Bruce Hopson
* Treasurer - Heather Hays
Colloquy (Society)
Penfield Township, Lorain County, Ohio
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Eric Anthony Grollman, Ph.D.
Researcher, Educator, Activist
Home » Discrimination and Bias » Racism Is Ironic
Racism Is Ironic
Is it a coincidence that one of the most anti-racist white people I’ve known nailed the coffin shut on our nascent friendship when he called me “uppity”? Or, what about the number of times an interested white man has told me how much he’s into Black men, as though exotification is a compliment? I have to say no. I fail to believe that the way that racism operates as a social system is anything of coincidence. That the US’s “first Black president”, Barack Obama, was benefited by the white privilege of his white mother, and likely would not be president today if both of his parents were Black, is no coincidence but a sad irony of our racist nation. I’ll admit I do not have a grand theory to propose here, but would like to share a few anecdotes that have led me to describe racism as an ironic system.
I’ll first share with you the first time I began to recognize the ironic character of racism. I had begun my first year of graduate school, disappointed to see that academics, even sociologists, can be just as prejudiced as individuals outside of the academy. (Ain’t that ironic?) Toward the end of that first year was the 40th anniversary of the assassination of civil rights leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I had discovered that when King was assassinated, Robert F. Kennedy announced the sad news at a presidential campaign stop in Indianapolis – just 40 years before, only 40 miles away from my university, Indiana University. I predicted that few in my department knew much about King and his assassination, so I sent a bit of information to our grad student listserv, highlighting the irony that RFK announced King’s assassination in the nearest major city. A fellow graduate student, a white heterosexual man who studies race and gender, emailed me to correct my use of irony – he suggested I meant to say coincidence. Ironic. A white man, who studies race, sent a curt email to a person of color to correct their use of the English language, about irony vs. coincidence even, completely ignoring the content of the original email, which was about race and racism! To add to the complexity and contradictory-ness of all of this (i.e., irony), I’m sure to some to whom I complained thought I was being overly-sensitive or “playing the race card.”
The most recent event, that which inspired this blog post, has occurred on my family vacation to New York City. My parents and I went to see the Broadway show, Race, which addresses the complexities of subtle racism and the racialization of every day life. (We can’t dare attempt to ignore race when a white man is accused of raping a Black woman.) During the show, my mom whispered to me, “race,” as the answer to a question that one of the play’s character had asked of another. The woman in front of us, white and probably middle-class, turned her head around quickly and gave a belittling frown, as though she was frowning at children. My mom said nothing, I said nothing, and my dad was too oblivious to notice. At the end of the show, my mom and I began talking about it – how ironic… a white woman who was liberal enough to see a show on race and racism scowled at a Black woman for whispering one word. The woman came over to apologize – she heard talking. My mom responded that the woman likely didn’t know who was talking, as there were a number of people whispering at the time, so she was wrong to single out my mother. The woman apologized again, and pressed that she heard talking and wanted to hear the show. My mom ended her role in the conversation and carried on with me. I could see the woman still standing there as we walked away; she looked so hurt, and said softly “I apologized, and that’s all I can offer.” I presume this woman is somewhat progressive with respect to race, so I find it interesting that this event occurred in the first place.
I do not mean to suggest that racism is an irony to be found funny. My concern is the prevalence of subtle racism that allows us to think that it is no longer an issue so long as white people in white hoods are not burning crosses on the lawns of families of color. White liberalism and “color-blindness” are good in their intentions, but blind whites to their racial privilege and the systemic nature of racism. This is a difficult matter, as one does not want to risk alienating one’s allies, but our allies need to be validated – they need to know that they’re headed in the right direction in their efforts. But, one cannot turn a blind eye to the racist side of one’s otherwise anti-racist allies. Where we are at now is a place where we need to move beyond playing the racist game – we’re all racists, there it’s done, now let’s have a real conversation about race. So many, particularly whites, are fearful of even broaching the subject of race for fear that anything they say will earn them the label of “racist.” If we recognize that we’re all implicated in racism, we can eliminate the power that label carries and begin to talk about racial inequality and discrimination that supersedes individual-level prejudice. But, the irony is, today, whites are too afraid of being called racists, so they fail to address racism all together.
By Dr. Eric Anthony Grollman in Discrimination and Bias on December 25, 2009 .
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My Survival Vs. My Job | Conditionally Accepted says:
[…] or, speak up and out against injustice, potentially being labeled radical, “activist,” uppity, militant, or even a liability. I am doing my damnedest to balance the two […]
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Media Biases in Post 9/11 America: The Effect on Presidential Popularity
Navigate this page:
Propaganda and Past Instances of War and Bias in the Media
Timeline of Media Coverage of Post 9/11 Events
Manipulating the Media
Sally Leigh Mills
Jonathon David Cochran
Ethics of Development in a Global Environment
Bruce Lusingan
Media Biases in Post 9/11 America:
The Effect on Presidential Popularity
Throughout the history of the United States, media has been the source in which the public receives information over all aspects of life, both within the borders of the United States as well as foreign matters deemed important to the American public. The media plays a very significant role in day to day life within this country, but also has a large impact on long term decisions due to certain events that are taking place all over the world. Unfortunately many of the events that have been reported on from overseas are during such instances as wartime that our country has endured. During the wartime events many aspects of the conflict can be reported on, including conflicts and fights that occurred, humanitarian aid acts that the United States Armed Forces contributed to, rebuilding projects, casualties of the day, and many other possible topics, both positive and negative. The media uses propaganda and other techniques to put controversial twists on political issues, in this instance post 9/11 events. This in turn has a direct effect on the popularity of the president, hurting his popularity after a while despite attempts from the government and other entities such as large corporations to control the mass media.
Propaganda and Past Instances of War and Bias in the Media:
The positive and negative aspects of any story can always be covered and whichever is covered will put a certain outlook on a situation that could be looked at from a completely different stance. In these instances the reporter’s judgment makes the decision of how to report on a specific event which leads to a bias forced by the aspects that the reporter thinks are pertinent. Karl Kraus, German playwright and philosopher, whose propaganda helped lead to World War I, viewed journalism in a very interesting manner. “[Kraus] saw the journalist not as a messenger of bad news so much as a producer of it” (Coker 52). With journalists producing the bad news if something should go wrong with a plan put forth by a president, who is constantly under the watchful eye of the media, it will be exploited. Not only the presidents mistakes will be blown out of proportion; therefore, during wartime, when there is bad going on throughout our country, the effect will be amplified by the media. Similarly Kraus stated, “A newspaper was as much a weapon of war as a grenade… Journalism had so impoverished the imagination that humanity was now prepared to fight a war of annihilation against itself” (Coker 52).
Reporters and the media as a whole use very selective word choices when writing and/or covering a story, because as the journalistic society knows simple word manipulation can effect on how a story is perceived by the public. As Christopher Coker argues that the mass media has injected words into wartime events to raise a greater emotion out of the public.
Nuclear missiles soon became ‘weapons of mass destruction’. War became ‘conflict’. Winning was too loaded a term. Nations preferred not to win, but to ‘prevail’. ‘First strikes’ and ‘second strikes’ masked the full impact of a provoked or unprovoked attack. (1994, 51)
In addition to word manipulation the media can also use many words that will associate a person with an organization or political faction to create a familiarity associating a person with a more well known aspect of the coverage. When the coverage of events of is following a presidential decision, such as the declaration of war, the media has a significant impact on presidential popularity due to the journalistic reverberation of events. Word manipulation is distinct part of Propaganda put forth by the media to inspire the public to react a certain way towards our Commander in Chief.
Propaganda put forth by the media during war time has a great influence on the American public. Here we will introduce what the media does in general to talk about terrorism and wartime issues and how they use certain tactics that link propaganda and semantics to get a certain concept across. It is argued today that “what we perceive and how we think are restricted by the language we speak” (Schaffert 67). So by choosing to use specific words, reporters and journalists can twist the facts to make propaganda seem to be all about lies. Inherent to propaganda models are four basic elements: (1) the target of the deception, (2) the medium for delivering the message (the atrocity), (3) the purpose (the influencing of political behavior), and (4) the truth (the facts that are to be distorted). Elizabeth and Alfred Lee of the Institute for Propaganda Analysis developed what they call the “Tricks of the Trade” that are used in propaganda. The first they call “bandwagon” which refers to telling the public that everyone else is accepting the concept and they should join the crowd. The second called “name calling” implies that the media affixes a derogatory label to a concept encouraging rejection. This one seems to be one of the more prominent means to condemn something. The third is the opposite of the latter. The fourth is called “testimonial” where the media connects a popular or disliked personality to a concept encourage its acceptance or rejection. The fifth they call “card stacking” which is a selectively accumulating fact or fiction to support or discredit a concept. Sixth is called “transfer” which relates a concept to an existing generally accepted or rejected program. The final “trick” is called “plain folks” portraying the promoters of a concept as ordinary people, therefore the concept in acceptable (Schaffert 66-67). The combination of these tricks and models, the mass media has no problem controlling the minds of America.
The era leading up to World War II was one filled with propaganda, put forth by the government and the media alike to control reactions of the public surrounding decisions that were made to begin combat. There was a lot of propaganda put forth by our opposition also, Hitler’s Nazi party used propaganda to gain strength within Germany, and eventually the party became so strong that he was able to overthrow the government and take control. The propaganda used by our government and media was largely used to arouse patriotism within the United States. Propaganda was use in many forms to reach the public when trouble started overseas. The signature of this era of propaganda were posters arousing many different ideas, but evoking one response, to work together to beat Hitler.
With posters such as these portraying everybody in America being able to help win the war, the United States became a unified nation and popularity for our troops and our President soared to an all time high. Our president at the start of World War II was Franklin D. Roosevelt who had been in office since 1932. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 Roosevelt made a very important decision that would affect his popularity. He immediately started setting up and alliance to fight the Axis powers which is currently known as the United Nations. With this in place Roosevelt’s popularity grew to an all time high and propaganda helped his cause. He would have gone on to win another election; however, during a vacation at Warm Springs, Georgia, on April 12, 1945, he suffered a massive stroke and died at the age of 63. His death came on the eve of complete military victory in Europe and within months of victory over Japan in the Pacific.
Legitimization of political terrorists and terrorism is another way that the media uses their press to influence the thoughts of Americans. The public’s perception of terrorism can be swayed by legitimizing terrorists guilty of heinous crimes, thus sucking the public into the events involved with the terrorist and then makes is easier for the media to attack the concept and make their side the believable one (Schaffert 64). By creating a figure for the public to hate, the media is able to gain support easier for their cause, and thus they are able to have power over Americans.
The mass media has caused drastic popularity shifts within the population of the United States of America surrounding many wartime decisions. These shifts are heavily influenced due to the media’s perception of the president’s decisions. The media’s role has made great influences on many instances especially during the 20th and now 21st centuries. Occurrences of hostility directed towards citizens of the United States seem to have been steadily rising over the last 70 years.
One of the many influential instances of the media contributing to the demise of a president’s popularity was during the Iranian Hostage Crisis of 1979 and 1980. Within the time from then president, Jimmy Carter’s, formal news conference, on November 28, 1979, that informed the nation of the events that had transpired in Iran, 24 days prior, to Carter’s exit from office in 1980 his popularity endured many changes. From November 28 to his State of the Union Address on January 23, 1980, Carter’s popularity was steadily growing with the help of the media. However after this time period Carter’s popularity fell drastically due to a significant shift in the media’s perception and coverage of how the president was handling the hostage crisis. The reason for the initial surge in Carter’s popularity was suspected to be results from the media making the Iranian Hostage Crisis parallel the siege that had taken placed earlier in 1979 in the United States Embassy in Tehran which was very short-lived. However in the period prior to the State of the Union Address the media focused on those members of congress who were very critical of Carter and his progress to remove the hostages from their situation.
Republican Senator Robert Dole was covered very heavily surrounding this issue due his disbelief in President Carter and was quoted as stating, “it becomes increasingly clear that pleading with the Ayatollah is producing no tangible results” (Nacos 107). With opponents of the president so high up in the government being covered and quoted in such a manner there was little hope for Carter to retain his position in the White House. In fact following Senator doles remarks many members of the media began attacking the president for doing nothing in his time in the oval office. David Broder of the Washington Post asked of Carter during a broadcast of Meet the Press,
With all due respect, we still have 5.8 percent unemployment. Inflation has risen from 4.8 percent to 13 percent. We still don’t have a viable energy policy. Russian troops are in Cuba and Afghanistan. The dollar is falling. Gold is rising. And the hostages, after 78 days, are still in Tehran. Just what have you done, sir, to deserve re-nomination? (Nacos 110)
Less than a week following Senator Dole’s remarks and Carter’s lashing on Meet the Press his popularity began to fall dramatically. Within a two month span, February and March of 1980, Carter’s popularity with the American people dropped over 12 percent due to the negative publicity he had received on national television (Nacos 110).
During this entire conflict in Iran, President Carter was very willing to address the media with his thoughts on the activities in Iran. What is now being called the “rose garden” strategy, relied on Carter being very open with the American public surrounding the conditions and terms that were being negotiated in attempts to keep the hostages alive. Many academics believe that this strategy of not downplaying the crisis and making sure the press was writing about it led to the demise of the President. With this approach came a major saturation of the media and as Susan Carruthers comments, “the US networks’ insatiable interest in the Iranian Embassy siege placed undue pressure on Carter to act resolutely, thereby throwing his subsequent impotence into greater relief” (Media 174). Due to the mass media in the United States interest and the rose garden strategy valuable efforts to return the hostages to the United States were disrupted by the many attempts of members of the media’s attempts to contact the perpetrators in hopes of gaining some extra insight into their reasons for the siege. Also as we see today satellite feeds from the locations were used throughout the siege which greatly hindered rescue attempts that the white House attempted. The lights necessary to produce footage for the nightly news often completely illuminated the streets surrounding the Embassy, which made it impossible for a ground based rescue attempt. Consequently President Carter’s actions would have to be carefully thought through to not make a huge scene when trying to rescue the hostages and with limited options, more time is needed. President Carter needed time to perform operations; however, that is the only he didn’t have at his expense once his popularity ratings started to decrease.
What is newsworthy and what isn’t gives the media an edge over what is important and what isn’t in the world. Due to the shear fact that the media can choose what that want to cover and what they want to keep quiet makes them the ultimate power holders of the public. By making concepts “’newsworthy,’ media executives can exercise ultimate authority, with no appeal, on what information will be broadcast or published for public consumption and what information will be ignored” (Schaffert 67). We will see lots of examples of newsworthiness in the timeline of post 9/11 events.
In the end after looking at everything that the mass media can do to get its point across, we find that media is power; if one has control over the media one has a sort of control over all America. Theodore H. White once said that “power, said Karl Marx over a century ago, is control over the means of production; that phrase, said Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., recently, should be changed – power in America today is control of the media of communication” (Nacos 16). Roger Hilsman observed, “No one doubts that whoever controls the press wields power” (Nacos 16). Media gives a sense of legitimacy to stories and people, what is written then becomes the truth. Hilsman again says that if we recognize that “one dimension of power can be construed as the ability to have one’s account become the perceived reality of others” then we can understand the role of media in power. Those who are able to get their stories in the mass media are more likely to have the authority over American people.
During the Vietnam War the mass media was largely integrated with troops for the first time, which presented an interesting situation for the United States military since largely the could no longer control what was written over the days occurrences. With this new obstacle within the war the military and the government as a whole suddenly became more cautious with actions that were being taken because quickly the media began exploiting actions taken by the United States. The country was widely dispersed with anti-war activists and the media was adding fuel to the fire every single day by reporting on the negative aspects of the United States and their actions. Although the reporting was hurting the government and specifically the president’s, who happened to be Lyndon B. Johnson at the time, popularity; the fact is the government and military had no right to censor the media throughout the Vietnam War. This comes from the United States Bill of Rights, which was written in 1791. Amendment 1 states:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances (U.S. National).
The military and government have used the case of war as a basis for being able to take control of and censor information that normally should be the press’ responsibility to report to the American public. However, due to Amendment One of the Constitution the military and government cannot specifically censor what information and actions are being covered, but have instated a nation wide self-censorship program during the time of war.
The parameters that were set for reporters, especially reporters that are embedded within companies of soldiers, are they have the right to cover whatever they want, but since this is a time of war they should not report on anything that could jeopardize other troops. This program was needed very badly within the era of Vietnam; however, the press was so widely against the war that the government had very little control over what was being covered. Members of the press were including violent and graphic details in their reporting because an arms race of who could get the most in-depth or racy footage of action in Vietnam began. The arms race ultimately led to the demise of not only the Military, but onto President Johnson. There came a point in which words couldn’t get the message across so reporters started using gruesome images left nothing to the imagination. Like this picture depicting a Buddhist monk who has undergone immolation to protest the war. This is one of many typical images that the American family would see throughout the news broadcasts and throughout the newspapers every day during the war.
With images such as these, American’s quickly realized the horrors of war; however, without the media’s coverage of humanitarian aid that the troops provided for members of the South Vietnamese public, Americans had only one vantage point and this was very negative.
As Johnson’s popularity shows throughout his tenure during the war, the media coverage led to a drastic decrease in his popularity with the United States public. The decrease was so great that LBJ pulled out of the presidential election in 1968 on March 31, 1968 following is four years in office. Later that year Richard Nixon won the presidential election with 43.4% of the popular vote. At the start of Nixon’s presidency he enter with obvious support of the public and the media so, the media cooled their intensity on Vietnam, because it was expected that Nixon would pull our troops out of Vietnam. However, to keep his popularity at a reasonably high level he somehow kept bombing raids under wraps and withdrew 60,000 troops from Vietnam in September of 1969. Once the bombing raids continued Nixon was largely constrained by the press the way Johnson was throughout his tenure of the war. Both were highly criticized throughout the press in Vietnam as well as the members of the media who remained in the United States for their actions during this war. Following the Tet offensive under Nixon’s administration, beloved anchorman Walter Cronkite commented, “The only rational way out then will be to negotiate, not as victors but as honorable people who lived up to their pledge to defend democracy, and did the best they could” (newseum).
Timeline of Media Coverage of Post 9/11 Events:
No one will forget where they were when the start of today’s world’s mess began, when the September 11 suicide hijackings began. How did the media cover the atrocity and what effect did that have on the public? In turn what effect did this have on Bush? Obviously there were feelings of fear, pain, sadness, and many other feelings unique to each American. However, it was the way in which the media chose to cover this event that jacked up the hysteria and fear to such great heights. With such titles as “A Day of Terror” and “America under Terrorist Attack” it helped get to a state of fear where all they knew to do was look to the president for help. The photograph of the Twin Towers is an example of the type of pictures being displayed in the media and such, terrible almost surreal images of fire, smoke, and fear. Also, headlines and pictures began to appear commemorating and celebrating those who helped save lives at “ground zero,” like in the picture below for example.
Titles like, “America’s Heroes” and “Home of the Brave” did a great job of rallying support and patriotism for America, and respectively for Bush. Just as suspected, after the 9/11 attacks, Bush’s popularity skyrocketed to a near 90% approval rating (Russell 1). This was most likely directly link to the type of reporting and coverage done for these attacks, instilling fear and patriotism in the public so that they would look to the president for what steps to take next.
Only three days after the Twin Towers incident a threat of infections to the drug anthrax poured over the news. Noting that its effects could be lethal to those exposed to it, the anthrax scare created a sort of mass hysteria among the American public, while at the same time rallying up support for Bush and war against terrorism, mostly because the anthrax threat was immediately assumed to be from the same terrorists as befell on the country just three days prior. “The media, with the tacit encouragement of the Bush administration and congressional leader, encourages the notion that the anthrax attacks represent a second wave of Middle East-based terrorism, following the September 11 suicide hijackings” (“US Anthrax Scare” 1-2). Basically as long as it seemed possible to attribute the anthrax scare to Osama bin Laden or some other foreign terrorist, shrieking headlines and such from government official were okay (“Once again” 1). For one it seemed as though the anthrax scare was somehow a justification of the Bush Administration’s intervention in Central Asia, but that notion at that time was kept out of the media (“Once again” 3). It is interesting to point out however that after investigations were done it appeared that the anthrax came from domestic sources. Thus the threats become largely unreported in the media (“US anthrax scare” 2). “The staggering fact, however, has been met with a strange silence by the media, government officials and the Democrats themselves, including the two senators who were targeted. As the military link to the attacks came to light, the media sought to blunt the significance of the exposure (White 1). The government justifies the cover-up and anti-democratic actions of the government as necessary steps in the “war on terrorism” (“US Media Silent” 1). Thus the media was still able to keep up a positive image on Bush and keep the level of patriotism up at this point in the post September 11 drama. Sure enough, according to the polls, Bush’s popularity remained fairly high (Russell 1).
With the passing of the anthrax attacks, the issues with finding Osama bin Laden and capturing and prosecuting others linked to the 9/11 suicide hijackings came into focus in the mass media. First the media uses labeling and specific terminology to enhance the idea that bin Laden is the ultimate bad guy of the century. For example he is known by the FBI and an “international terrorist and he has been called a terrorist mastermind as well by other media organizations. He is also on the FBI’s most wanted list and is know as one of the most dangerous men in the world today, and the media tends to use the same headshot that the FBI uses deeming him a terrible criminal even more, as in this image of bin Laden
The media also has used the tactic of legitimizing the enemy. By doing so and making the terrorists political figures, when they are labeled as terrorists that labeling has more authenticity to the public. So the media demonized bin Laden for quite a while until that was drown out by the fact that he wasn’t found. The media really had an effect on the bin Laden and Afghanistan issues when major networks did not cover the innocent civilian casualties that were being suffered in Afghanistan for the sake of Bush’s popularity with the American public. “Doctors Without Borders has stated that civilian casualties are already in the hundreds and rising (NPR, 12/6/01). However, “on the high end, a compilation of international press reports by a University of New Hampshire professor suggests there might be over 3.500 civilian deaths” (Action Alert 1). As said before “none of the three major networks’ nightly newscasts are offering even rough tallies of the mounting civilian casualties in Afghanistan” (Action Alert 1). The media has even gone to lengths to suggest that “Afghans don’t mind being killed by US bombs” (Action Alert 1). I am sure any person minds being killed at least a little in war; this was just one of the media’s ways to get their beliefs into the public’s minds. NBC correspondent Dan Lothian gave a report about America’s battle “’to protect its image as a compassionate nation”’ basically trying to portray reports of civilian casualties as an attack on America (“Action Alert” 2). As time went on Bush’s popularity was slowly decreasing but the media was able to keep it at a low rate (Russell 1).
The Iraqi Regime under Saddam Hussein has been widely thought of as a cruel dictatorship. Saddam Hussein started his political career in 1958 when he successfully assassinated then military leader Abdul-Karim Qassim in a coup known as the Baath Coup. Hussein was involved with a decade long war that was fought between Iraq and Iran. During this time Hussein started secretly creating warfare that consisted of nerve agents and other forms of chemical agents. Hussein made a name for himself in the United States and the United Kingdom public when he invaded Kuwait which led to Desert Storm in 1990. Hussein has been working very diligently since the conflict to produce warheads again. Recently the United Nations have found some warheads that had been hidden for quite some time. When discovered the media in the United States brushed off the news and didn’t pay much attention to the findings. Therefore in a complete reversal from World War II, there was very little propaganda supporting a conflict with Iraq and subsequently the public of the United State had very little knowledge of what was taking place in Iraq.
Members of the media that received notice that warheads had been discovered began questioning President Bush’s intent for the eventual actions that the United States was going to take in Iraq for a second time within a decade and a half. These questions were finally answered on December 12, 2002 when President Bush gave a speech to the United Nations about the intent of the United States. Within the speech President Bush told of immediate and harsh actions that were going to be taken if Saddam Hussein did not comply with the United States’ demands. The statement that took the world by surprise and started this media frenzy was, “The Security Council resolutions will be enforced, the just demands of peace and security will be met or action will be unavoidable and a regime that has lost its legitimacy will also lose its power” (Bush). Along with this threat President Bush presented many reasons in why the UN should act against the Iraqi Regime. He included such facts as Saddam Hussein’s blatant disregard for UN resolutions in “over a decade of defiance” and Iraq’s capabilities of producing and firing nuclear warheads (Bush). As the United Nations knew, no new evidence was presented in Mr. Bush’s speech, but it was obvious to them that Iraq had to do something or action would in fact be taken soon. Iraq was presented with this threat while four representatives from Iraq were in the audience for President Bush’s speech; the interesting part was the four representatives remain emotionless throughout the President’s address.
Following this speech the president had a severe decline in his popularity ratings. Members of the media were referring to Bush’s address of the United Nations as a smoke screen of sorts to enter Iraq for reasons either than what was stated during the speech. As seen throughout the coverage of the first days of conflict many news broadcasts were keeping a close eye on one of the many oil fields in Iraq. The media started a by pointing that the president wanted to go to war with Hussein simply to gain control over his massive amounts of oil.
After the explosion of bombs and war in Iraq settled a bit the media began rallying for support to rebuild Iraq and help them get out of the state they were in. On March 20, 2003 the US launched the first air strikes against Iraq after Bush’s ultimatum expired (“Iraq Timeline” 5). On May 1, 2003 President Bush declares the end of major combat fighting in Iraq and even before that, the US Commander started sending air and naval forces home (“Iraq Timeline” 5). However, despite Bush’s requests, there was and is still continued fighting in Iraq. From May 1, 2003 to July 20, 2003 many US troops were killed because of escalating unrest in Iraq (“Iraq Timeline” 5). As everyone can remember, despite the happiness that many felt that the US was taking strides to help rebuild Iraq, there was more unrest over America’s troops still being in Iraq. People saw signs and bold headlines screaming to bring our troops home. There were sob stories on main media channels such as CNN and PBS, and even NBC talking of sons and husbands lost to this fighting. The media was able to project these feelings and concepts well, thus America too followed along. Since May, President Bush has suffered severe decreases in popularity because this time the media decided to report everything instead of hiding certain facts, or at least twisting the facts (Russell 1). Recently, Bush’s popularity has been reported to have reached a record low most likely because of an accumulation of things reported and the atrocities covered involving the tortured Iraqi prisoners. The media did the job of making American soldiers and the war in Iraq in general to be something appalling and inhumane well.
Pictures such as those in these photographs are good examples of the way prisoners were being treated, although these are deceased, and how it is highly understandable why people are so against the war and thus Bush’s population is declining.
Manipulating the Media:
Up until a point the government seemed to have a strong hold on the media, the government had control of the media thus is had control of the people and total power. It is evident though that Bush’s popularity went from fairly high, and is now at its record low. Knowing that the government has this reasonable level of control over mainstream media, why then did the popularity of Bush go down so low if he is the head honcho of the government? How then also was he able to manipulate the media to gain support in the first place? Overall throughout the entire timeline of post 9/11 events it is evident that what the media chooses to report and how they report it has a direct effect on how the public feels about how the president is doing his job.
Many magazines and sites on the internet warn of government control of the media, especially involving US government and America concealing information from the public. First off, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is moving towards the elimination of rules “that prohibit the same company from owning daily newspapers and TV stations in the same market” (Bennett 1). Kevin Ramirez of AWOL magazine spoke out against this idea saying that
“the media by and large has become a funnel for information for the Pentagon and Department of Defense to manufacture consent and create the atmosphere of mainstream approval for the way Bush is executing the war on terrorism and the imperial aggression in Iraq. It is clear that the media is being held accountable to the corporations that own it, that are also involved in the industries of arms manufacturing. I oppose the possible FCC decision because further media consolidation will only make this worse” (Bennett 3).
Kevin Ramirez thoughts on government may not be far from the truth as evident in the testimonies of many famous and popular journalists where they were prevented from reporting scandalous news. For example, Jane Akre of Fox News said that she attempted to report an honest story but was not allowed by the Fox manager, he said, “we paid 3 billion dollars for these TV stations…we’ll tell you what the news it…the news in what we say it is” (“Media Cover-up” 1). Similarly, Kristina Borjesson of CBS observed a man swiftly removed from a press conference for asking a controversial question (“Media Cover-up” 1).
Since the incident of 9/11, guided by top strategist Karl Roves, the Bush administration has strived to exploit this tragedy at every turn. Then after the Iraq invasion when Bush’s popularity was decreasing dramatically, they had to rely heavily on images and rhetoric about September 11, frequent invocation of 9/11 events were a form of patriotism for America. However, it is evident the Bush and Roves have run out of tricks to control the media and thus Bush’s popularity is at its lowest point (Solomon 1-2). Today it is really the military that is pursuing a policy of “embedding” journalists with US units, and the Bush administration did well for a while, but they can only do so much until the all powerful media completely takes over again.
As we have shown the media uses many tools to its advantage to control many different aspects of life in the United States. Through such outlets as propaganda they can sway support for the country and the President exponentially. The media has a lot of power to direct focus of the nation where they want and due to many factors that control media sectors biases toward the president are seen through the types of stories and stance seen throughout the media. There are perpetual changes seen in the media when different president decisions affect large corporations and other outlets. Since 9/11 the media has changed its stance on United States actions many times and with each of these shifts in stance major movement is seen within the public’s opinion of actions being taken. With their power, the media effects how the American public responds to the president and his decisions.
“Action Alert: How Many Dead? Major networks aren’t counting”.
December 12, 2001. FAIR: Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting.
<http://www.fair.org/activism/afghanistan-casualties.html >.
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Bennett, Hans. “Media Activists Challenge FCC”. May 2003. Z
Magazine Online. May 12, 2004.
<http://www.zmag.org/ZMagSite/May2003/bennett0503.html >.
Bush, George W. United Nations Conference. 9 Dec. 2002
Carruthers, Susan L. The Media at War. New York City: St. Martin's
Press Inc., 2000. 174-179.
“Iraq Timeline”. March 8, 2004. ABCNEWS.com: Special Report. May
26, 2004.
<http://abcnews.go.com/sections/world/Iraq_special_report/Iraq_special_030115_timeline.fbk.html>.
Martin, Patrick. “US anthrax scare: Why the silence on the right-wing
terrorism?”. October 27, 2001. World Socialist Web Site. May 19, 2004. <http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/oct2001/anth-o27.shtml>.
“Media Cover-up : Leading Journalists Expose the Myth of a Free Press”.
Want to Know. May 26, 2004.
<http://www.wanttoknow.info/mediacover-up>.
Nacos, Brigette L. New York City: Columbia UP, 1994. 19-109.
War Stories. .
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attacks”. November 28, 2001. World Socialist Web Site. May 19, 2004. <http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/nov2001/anth-n28.shtml >.
Russell, Sean. “BushMeter”. 2004. May 25, 2004.
<http://www.germane-software.com/~ser/BushMeter/ >.
Solomon, Norman. “The Media Politics of 9/11”. March 25, 2004.
Common Dreams News Center. May 26, 2004.
<http://www.commondreams.org/views04/0325-18.htm >.
Schechter, Danny. “US media in bed with military”. January 20, 2003.
Japan Today. May 20, 2004.
<http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=comment&id=326 >.
“US media silent on anthrax cover-up charge”. July 5, 2002. World
Socialist Web Site. May 19, 2004.
<http://www.wsws.org/articles/2002/jul2002/anth-j05.shtml>.
Vietnam War and The Aftermath.
White, Jerry. “US anthrax attackers aimed to assassinate Democratic
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<http://www.wsws.org/articles/2002/jan2002/anth-j23.shtml >.
Directory: class -> e297a
e297a -> Michael Jackson The History of the American Democracy
e297a -> U. S. History of Colonialism and the New Imperialism Joel Coburn (suid 4880712) Janani Ravi
e297a -> The American Media’s Portrayal of Foreign Events And Its Impact on Foreign Policy
e297a -> Workshop: Wed, 11 am
e297a -> Ethics and Development in a Global Environment
e297a -> Zack Hensley edge final Paper
e297a -> Venezuela—a country Divided: The Role of President Hugo Chavez Introduction
e297a -> Lizzie Suiter, Jennifer Hucke and Courtney Schultz edge final Paper December 2004 The War at Home
e297a -> Table of Contents Introduction 2 The Just War Theory 2 America and the Vietnam War 6 Analysis of America’s Involvement in the Vietnam War 22 Works Cited 27 Introduction
e297a -> Crisis in Darfur: a framework for Assessing the Possibility of us intervention Sohan Japa edge dr. Bruce Lusignan Introduction
full impact
people peaceably
union address
period prior
united states bill
united states embassy
president wanted
media does
just demands
iranian hostage crisis
many attempts
interesting part
united states seem
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