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Robinson's Wharf gets new owners, updates
SUZI THAYER
David Winslow, front, recently turned over the reins at Robinson’s Wharf. Back row, left to right: Richard Simmons, who does a little of everything, Chef Aric Pickens, managers Rachael Leeman and Hugh Thompson, and new owner Kellie Slater. SUZI THAYER/Boothbay Register
SUZI THAYER/Boothbay Register
If you haven't been to Robinson's Wharf on Southport lately, you should go. It has gone through a few changes over the past year, and it just keeps getting better.
That's not to say it hasn't always been a fun, popular place to spend an evening, during Eliot, Marge and David Winslow’s reign.
David Winslow is now retired from the restaurant business. Robinson's Wharf has been sold to a Denver, Colorado, man and his daughter.
Craig and Kellie Slater have taken over the reins, and added some new dockage for pleasure boats to tie up, a new open-air bar with bar stools at the end of the pier, and some comfortable, pristine, glossy white Adirondack chairs for lounging about.
Winslow, who had owned the restaurant since 2006, when his father, Eliot, left it to him, said he never really thought of himself as a ‘restaurant guy.’ “I never really played a day-to-day role in it,” he said. He thinks of himself as a tugboat guy, as was his locally well-known father, Eliot Winslow. “I started working on tugboats when I was eight,” he said. “I brought Santa Claus into Boothbay Harbor by tugboat.” He now owns six tugboats — two in Bath, two in Portland, one in Rockland, and “half of one here at Boothbay Region Boatyard.”
According to Winslow, the original owner of Robinson’s Wharf was Maynard Robinson, who sold it to Bernie Lewis of Coastal Seafoods. The Winslows bought the property in 1972, and the business in 1986.
The restaurant went from being a take-out place to a full service restaurant in 2005, when the upstairs dining room was added. “Before that you could sit out on the dock and eat,” Winslow said. “But there were no waitresses — you didn't get waited on. There was all kinds of controversy when we did that, but that made it.”
Winslow said the two things that made the restaurant successful were the two things his father frowned upon. “Music and alcohol. We had to fight with him to get beer and wine in the ’80s. He was a teetotaler.”
Winslow said the restaurant is haunted by the ghosts of his parents. He claims people have heard footsteps upstairs, and doors slamming, and they swear Marge and Eliot are still there. “My mother liked vodka, and my father didn't like that,” he said. “Two weeks ago, on the day we were closing, we heard something smash in the upstairs bar. The manager, Hugh, went up, and a vodka bottle had come out from its holder and was on the floor, broken. At 3 o’clock all the computers shut down.” The closing was scheduled for 3 o’clock.
The Slaters, who have a home in the area, are in the real estate business in Denver. “They're great people and they have a great business sense,” Winslow said. “And they're hands-on. They're down there now painting the new Adirondack chairs.”
They were building the new bar on the pier last weekend. Craig Slater said there was often a problem with people waiting outside to be seated. “That could be dangerous, and not much fun. Now there's this area where you can get beer, wine and rum punch, and sit in an Adirondack chair, while you're waiting to eat.”
And Winslow had just had new pilings driven and new docks built on June 30, with 10 or 12 new slips for boaters to tie up.
Craig Slater said his family has always liked Robinson's. “There aren't a lot of changes we want to make. But we're boaters, and it wasn't boater-friendly enough. The new docks will remedy that.” New solar lights have been added to posts on the pier to make it even more inviting, and next year they'll install a new ramp to make getting from a boat to the pier easier.
“This is an investment through our real estate company,” Kellie said. “But there are a lot more moving parts to this business. The reason we like this is that it's obviously good real estate, but also it's a functioning business. And it has good management, and we're not going to change much. We want to keep it the way it is.”
Manager Rachael Leeman said she is very happy with the new owners. “I’m so excited about it. David is a great person, but I love the Slaters. We’re going to have a lot of fun.”
Kellie, an investment banker, said she designed the new bar herself. “I'm more of a finance, numbers person, so it was kind of tough, but I think it turned out okay.”
Dogfish Head Brewery will be supplying umbrellas and canopies for the bar area. The owners have a place on Southport. “The business isn't local but it's close enough, with the owners being here at Dogfish Head, so we like the idea of supporting them,” Kellie said.
Rachel Leeman and Hugh Thompson will continue to co-manage Robinson’s. Leeman manages the books and restaurant and Thompson manages the seafood market and the gift shop.
Arik Pickens, who has cooked at Robinson's for years, has been promoted to head chef. “He's a Boothbay/Southport guy so we're really happy to have him,” Kellie said.
The great food continues to be what people have come to expect from Robinson's over the years. “It's classic coast of Maine food,” Craig said.
And last but far from least, the outside bar area is dog-friendly. ‘I’m a dog lover and dogs are definitely allowed out here,” Leeman said.
Kellie Slater will be back and forth between Southport and Denver. “I'm going to let Rachael and Hugh do their jobs. I'll come once a month or so. It's a good excuse to take off to Maine.”
Summer Lights Are Here!
17- 90 Lighting Showroom
Ralph Doering - Damariscotta Downtown
18' FIBERGLASS BOAT
Selectmen accept town manager’s...
Cindy Collamore: 'Wiscasset girl...
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Things that work
Paris offers a model to bring swimming to Charles River
Renderings of swim area being built in Paris.(Charoin + Donda)
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series exploring initiatives around Boston, the country, and the world that have succeeded or hold great promise, from government to business to culture. For more stories, click here.
Next month, a few hundred people plan to plunge into the Charles River for a rare sanctioned frolic. The annual event will be a reminder of how far the waterway’s cleanup has come since the days when diving in necessitated an immediate shower — or medical attention.
That same week, some 3,400 miles away, Paris will celebrate a far grander urban vision: To fanfare, the city will unveil a trio of public swimming areas in a once-polluted canal that promise a summer-long respite from the heat.
Floating docks will surround the swimming areas. There will be beach chairs and lifeguards. Officials expect to attract 1,000 people daily.
The feat — accomplished fairly easily and quickly — raises the question: If Paris can pull off urban swimming in a natural waterway that’s open all summer long, why can’t we?
Local advocates hope the Paris project — and similar swim areas built in Copenhagen’s harbor — will serve as a model and inspire more support for their proposal to build a permanent swimming area on the Charles, which now meets federal standards for swimming most of the year.
“There is a tradition in Europe to swim in urban rivers,” said Renata von Tscharner, founder and president of the Charles River Conservancy, the nonprofit behind the plan to create a swim park near North Point Park and the Museum of Science.
“It’s very much a part of the culture,” said von Tscharner, who grew up swimming in urban rivers in Switzerland. “They just go out to the rivers with a towel around their neck and go for a swim and go back to work or on their way.”
But in the United States, she said, many people — including Boston — are not so laissez-faire and believe urban waterways are not clean enough to swim in. “We have more of a psychological obstacle to overcome,” von Tscharner said.
This summer, von Tscharner plans to visit Paris — and another official from the conservancy plans to visit Copenhagen — to swim in, and learn from, the swimming areas in those cities.
In Paris, residents have never seemed overly concerned about water quality, said Jean-François Martins, deputy mayor in charge of sport and tourism. In fact, Martins said, officials in previous years have had issues keeping locals from diving in when they weren’t supposed to. Martins himself did it when he was younger.
The Charles River Conservancy’s proposed permanent swimming facility along the river.(Stantec)
“To be honest, there are some people who haven’t waited for us,” Martins said by phone, chuckling. “They would, maybe after two or three drinks, jump into the water themselves.’’
Still, he said, government leaders didn’t want to take chances and took steps to ensure the water was safe in the area that will soon open for swimming — in the Bassin de la Villette, in the 19th Arrondissement. (The waterway connects with other canals that eventually flow into the Seine River.)
The canal’s water has been shown to meet French regulatory standards for swimming. Regular testing will be conducted upstream from the swim areas, and swimming will be suspended if test results show hazardous bacteria levels, which can flare up occasionally in rivers, as they do at beaches and in other waterways.
As with the Charles, work to clean up the la Villette channel began as an environmental project; the idea of ever swimming there was more of a dream than anything else.
“We worked hard, step by step, to identify each source of pollution, each source of input in this river, and we tried to fix it one by one to make this river clean,” Martins said.
In recent years, as water quality improved in the Parisian canal, swimming became a possibility and was eventually tested in the form of one-off events, similar to those held in the Charles in recent years.
Paris spent nearly $1.7 million to build a large network of floating docks that form three designated areas where people can swim in the water that flows through the canal.
Martins said the temporary structures, which also feature submerged floors at varying depths so children can swim in some areas, will be set up each summer, a process that takes only a couple of weeks.
As part of a long-term plan, Paris hopes to open another waterway, Lac Daumesnil, to swimming by 2019. And as part of its bid to host the 2024 Olympics, the city hopes to clean up the Seine enough so that it, too, can be a place to dive into.
Swimming in the Seine has been off limits to the public for about a century. Cleanup efforts over the years have improved its condition, but it does not yet meet regulatory standards to allow swimming.
In 2002, Copenhagen opened a $2 million swimming area called Havnebadet Islands Brygge in its harbor, where swimming had been banned for decades due to pollution.
Last summer, it attracted more than 126,000 visitors, said Jacob Christian Schroeder, who manages the spot.
“We get a lot of positive feedback every year,” he said via e-mail. “It is a pride of Copenhagen.”
The city has since opened two more harbor swim areas and even allows brave souls to take a dip during the winter.
Water quality is monitored constantly. Heavy rains sometimes cause runoff that contaminates swimming areas, but they typically close just two to three days a year.
SJ Port, the conservancy’s development and communications director, said a swimming area in the Charles would be monitored and would be closed temporarily if measurements showed high bacteria levels.
People swam at Charles Bank in 1940.(Leslie Jones Collection/Boston Public Library)
The river’s water quality has improved dramatically since it inspired the Standells’ song “Dirty Water” in 1966. In 2015, the most recent year for which data are available, it met federal standards for swimming about 70 percent of the time, up from just 19 percent in 1995.
Conservancy officials say the ratio of swimmable days is even higher during the summer.
There are, of course, key differences between what Paris and Copenhagen have done and the proposal for Boston.
Perhaps most notable: The two European projects were led by city governments, giving them clear sources of funding and streamlining regulatory approvals.
The Charles River proposal, meanwhile, is backed by a nonprofit that must rely on outside financial and political backing.
The Boston group expects it will still need to raise several million dollars for the project. And it expects to need approvals from various governmental bodies, including state and federal agencies and the cities of Boston and Cambridge.
And, even with water-quality issues addressed, there are unique physical challenges to overcome. For example, the conservancy is still studying designs to ensure swimmers don’t kick up sediments at the bottom of the Charles, which may contain hazards, including contaminants and debris.
Opening urban waterways for swimming has also been proposed in other cities around the world, including New York; Portland, Ore.; Montreal; Berlin; London; and Melbourne.
In most of those places, as with the Charles, the proposals seem a ways away from being reality.
For now, conservancy officials plan to continue studying and lobbying for their idea.
Port said there’s no better way to recruit supporters than to have them plunge into the Charles themselves.
“You have an incredible view from that water,” she said. “You feel like you’re in a postcard.”
Matt Rocheleau can be reached at matthew.rocheleau@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @mrochele.
Kellyanne Conway asks reporter’s ethnicity as she defends Trump’s racist remarks
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Boston Injury Attorney Blog
Published By Bellotti Law Group, P.C.
Winter Weather in Massachusetts Greatly Increases the Risk of Parking Lot Slip-and-Fall Accidents
by Bellotti Law Group
Anyone who has lived through a New England winter knows the transportation-related challenges this time of year brings. Whether it happens to be navigating snow-covered roads or traversing icy sidewalks, getting around Massachusetts in the winter is not always easy.
Given the nature of the season, it isn’t surprising that most Massachusetts slip-and-fall accidents occur during the winter season. For the most part, Massachusetts landowners owe those who are invited onto their property a duty of care to keep the property safe. As a 2010 state appellate decision discusses, this includes maintaining the premises free from natural and unnatural accumulations of snow and ice.
The Facts of the Case
According to the court’s recitation of the facts, the plaintiff visited a Target store on a cold but clear December morning. Evidently, it had previously snowed, and a maintenance company had plowed the parking lot. The parking lot was mostly cleared of snow, except for a few areas.
Posted in: Slip and Fall
Massachusetts Weather-Related Car Accidents
The risk of being involved in a serious Massachusetts car accident either as a motorist or as a pedestrian is always present. However, that risk is at its highest in the winter months. Between the months of December and February in Massachusetts, it snows almost a foot per month. While this may only be the result of a few storms over the course of the month, the result is that roads and sidewalks are often snow-packed or covered in ice.
The conditions can get so bad that recently a local news article reported that on a single day there were 130 accidents – most weather related – in Massachusetts and the along the border of New Hampshire. One of the biggest dangers of a Massachusetts weather-related accident is the likelihood that a single car accident will turn into a chain-reaction accident due to motorists’ inability to come to a stop.
Another news source described a recent accident that resulted in an oil truck tipping over onto its side. Evidently, following the accident several other cars became involved in subsequent accidents because they were unable to stop in time to avoid a collision.
Posted in: Car Accidents
Published on: November 6, 2016
Boston Orange Line Overheats, Leading to Smoke Inhalation Injuries
Last week, on October 26, 2016, around 4:40 P.M., the northbound Orange Line train, while stopped at Back Bay Station in Boston, Massachusetts, began to spew smoke. The train had overheated right before rush hour, and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (“MBTA”) workers asked passengers to evacuate the station. After the initial panic, which caused riders to break windows of the train to escape, five people had to be treated for smoke inhalation.
The northbound orange line began to leave the Back Bay station when the operations center “was called about a report of a propulsion issue.” This issue resulted in visible smoke to riders onboard the train. With the doors to the train closed, people on the train began to break the windows to escape. In a statement, the MBTA explained that the doors to the train had not been malfunctioning. Instead, the doors were closed because the train was moving away from the station. When the issue was discovered, the “motor person had begun promptly opening doors to allow passengers to evacuate safely, away from (the) live third rail.” However, there was no initial announcement over the intercom of what was occurring, which led a lot of scared people to self-evacuate through the windows. As a result of this chaos, five people were treated for injuries at the station, and three passengers had to be taken to the hospital. Continue reading
Posted in: Bus Accidents, negligence, Personal Injuries and Train Accidents
Published on: October 27, 2016
Massachusetts Wrong-Way Crash Kills Five People
Tragedy struck earlier this week, when a Massachusetts’ woman drove the wrong way on Interstate 495 in Middleborough, killing four college students. The four students who were killed were later identified by Massachusetts’ state police as Kraig A. Diggs, 20, Jordan J. Galvin-Jutras, 19, Jordan J. Fisher, 19, and Cory P. Licata, 18. The female driver, Valantein V. Burson, 31, was also killed in the accident.
On Monday, October 24, 2016, at approximately 12: 11 A.M., Burson, a Stoughton native who counseled troubled teens, was driving her 2011 Infiniti G7, south in the northbound lanes of Interstate 495. She then slammed into a 2003 Mercury sable sedan carrying the four students who were on their way back their Worcester-area colleges. As a result of the impact between the two vehicles, the teen’s vehicle burst into flames. All four students were pronounced dead at the scene. Continue reading
Posted in: Car Accidents, negligence, Personal Injuries and Wrongful Death
Updated: October 27, 2016 7:04 pm
Massachusetts’ Doctor Killed in Bike Accident in Cambridge’s Porter Square
Cambridge, Massachusetts – On October 5, 2016, Bernard Lavins, a 60-year-old doctor, was riding his bicycle in Porter Square during rush hour, when he was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer.
Mr. Lavins was struck by a Ryder truck with decals bearing the name Mitlitsky Eggs, a company that is based in Lebanon, Connecticut. He was struck at around 8:00 AM, at the intersection of Massachusetts and Somerville avenues. Cyclists passing by the scene expressed shock and sadness. Cambridge defines itself as a bicycle friendly city, but events like this have shaken cyclists who largely traverse through the city using their bicycles. Continue reading
Posted in: Bicycle Accidents, negligence and Personal Injuries
Boston Family Seeks Answers For Boy’s Death at Summer Camp
In July of 2016, Kyzr Willis, a 7-year-old boy who was participating in a city-sponsored drop day camp, went missing at Carson Beach in South Boston, Massachusetts. Unfortunately, a few hours after he was discovered missing, his body was found in the water. The Boston Police Department (“BPD”) is investigating Kyzr Willis’s death, but has not provided Willis’s family with his autopsy report or returned his personal effects.
Kyzr was one of 56 children who was dropped off on July 26, 2016 at the South Boston’s Center’s for Youth and Families at the Curley Center. The camp ran between 10 AM to 3 PM, Monday through Friday. It was supervised by 25 teenage counselors, two supervisors, and the director of the Curley Center. Carson Beach also had eight lifeguards, two of which were assigned to the section of the beach that was partitioned off specifically for the use of the camp’s children. Unfortunately, neither the camp supervisor nor the two life guards at the beach noticed when Kyzr Willis wandered away from the group.
After Kyzr Willis went missing, the camp called the Boston Police Department, but according to Kyzr Willis’s mother, did not inform her of her son’s disappearance. Instead, her nine-year old niece called her to inform her that Kyzr Willis was missing. A BPD officer reported that the camp counselors were completely unaware of where Kyzr Willis was. As such, BPD initially focused on a land search, believing that he had wandered off to his home in Dorchester.
Posted in: negligence, Safety and Wrongful Death
New Jersey Commuter Train Crash: Reports that 1 Dead, More than 100 Injured
Thursday morning, during the rush hour peak, a New Jersey commuter train plowed full speed into the Hoboken terminal, injuring 114 people. Fabiola Bittar de Kroon, 34, of Hoboken, was killed by falling debris while waiting on the platform for the train’s arrival. She was the only fatality.
Witnesses said the train hurtled through the designated stopping point, slammed into a bumper block, went airborne and drove through a passenger concourse at approximately 8:45 a.m.
Bhagyesh Shah, who was riding in the back of the front car on his way to work, said the train didn’t seem to slow as it entered the station. He further stated, “[t]he next thing I know, I’m on the floor. We are plowing through something … and when the train came to a stop, I could see the parts of the roof on the first car and some of the debris next to me.”
Posted in: Train Accidents and Wrongful Death
Massachusetts Real Estate Agent Charged for Vehicular Homicide for Sweet Tomatoes Crash that Killed Two
On September 19, 2016, Middlesex prosecutors charged Bradford Casler, 55 , with two counts of motor vehicle homicide and one count of operating a motor vehicle so as to endanger following the fatal Sweet Tomatoes Crash in Newton, Massachusetts. Mr. Casler plead not guilty and was released on his own recognizance.
Mr. Casler was the driver of a vehicle that crashed into the popular pizza restaurant Sweet Tomatoes. With virtually no warning, patrons of the restaurant were unable to jump out of the way in time. As a result, two people, Eleanor Miele, 57, of Watertown, and 32 year-old Gregory D. Morin on Newton were killed. In addition, seven other patrons were also injured.
The Middlesex County prosecutor, Chris Tarrant, stated that witnesses reported that Mr. Casler was speeding on Chestnut Street and failed to brake as he crossed the intersection of Washington. Mr. Casler was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and had the disease for 27 years, but the State has stated that the do not believe his medical condition affected his ability to drive safely.
Posted in: Car Accidents, negligence and Personal Injuries
Mother and Infant in Massachusetts Escape Serious Injury when Truck Brakes Fail
On September 7, 2016, in Wilbraham, Massachusetts, a mother and her infant child miraculously escaped injuries after the brakes in her pick-up truck failed, causing her to slam into three cars stopped at a red light. The mother and infant did not have any visible injuries, although these kinds of accidents could still cause concussive injuries that are difficult to ascertain until much later. In this case, both the individual driving the pick-up truck and the motorists who were hit due to the brake failure can bring a products liability claim against the manufacturer of the motor vehicle for the defective braking system.
Posted in: Car Accidents and Product Liability
Elite Rhode Island School Settles Horrifying String of Sex Abuse Cases
On August 3, 2016, nearly forty years after its first incident of sexual abuse, St. George, a Rhode Island boarding school, settled suit with 30 former students, whose accounts of sexual abuse were either ignored or outright disbelieved by the school. Unfortunately, horrific stories like these are all too common throughout the country, even in Massachusetts and other preparatory schools in New England. While it is impossible to fully compensate minor victims of sexual abuse, survivors may still recover damages from schools that failed to protect children from sexual offenses carried out by staff members at these institutions.
St. George is an elite private boarding school in Rhode Island, which opened its doors to girls around the 1970s. During that time, the school hired a field hockey coach who later became responsible for carrying out terrible abuses on teenage girls. One of the first victims, Anne Scott, sued the school about a decade after the incident. However, she dropped her suit when the school’s attorney argued that Ms. Scott was lying or that she had consensual sex with the then 67-year-old Al Gibbs, the school’s athletic trainer. Years later, more survivors reported abuses at the prep school from Gibbs and other faculty members. The school acknowledged that it mistreated the reports and failed to report the incidents to the appropriate authorities, which was required by law. Continue reading
Posted in: Personal Injuries and Sexual Assault
Updated: September 9, 2016 7:55 pm
Personal Injuries (13)
Bicycle Accidents (6)
Pedestrian Accidents (3)
Nursing Home Liability (2)
Bus Accidents (2)
Product Liability (2)
Winter Weather in Massachusetts Greatly Increases the Risk of Parking Lot Slip-and-Fall Accidents January 15, 2019
Massachusetts Weather-Related Car Accidents January 3, 2019
Boston Orange Line Overheats, Leading to Smoke Inhalation Injuries November 6, 2016
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Bethenny and Fredrik
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@Bethenny
Bethenny Frankel is a self-made businesswoman, TV producer, multiple New York Times bestselling author, and mother. Bethenny is the Founder & CEO of Skinnygirl, a lifestyle brand offering practical solutions to women, including the recent launch of the Skinnygirl Jeanswear Collection, which sold out on HSN within its first few hours. She has been part of the popular Bravo series The Real Housewives of New York City from the beginning and can be seen as a guest shark on ABC’s critically acclaimed series Shark Tank. Bethenny became an instant fan favorite, showcasing her entrepreneurial prowess and gut instincts alongside the panel of investors. Bethenny has also been named one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Celebrities by Forbes. Bethenny is always ahead of the curve and identifies and capitalizes on business opportunities.
Not fulfilled by business alone, Bethenny founded B Strong, a charity providing real-time emergency assistance to women in crisis, diverted from their potential success. Bethenny’s life’s experiences have inspired her to help other women in crisis find their own strength and resilience with the launch of B Strong, in partnership with Dress for Success. B Strong: Find Your Yes, is a crisis intervention initiative that provides real time emergency assistance to women who face crises on their road to success.
Additionally, Bethenny established “B Strong: Disaster Relief,” partnering with Global Empowerment Mission to create this worldwide initiative. Their program provides people with much needed gift cards, bank cards, and critical supplies so they are able to deliver in real time. They collect aid and donations from across the country to help individuals and their families affected by the recent natural disasters impacting Texas, Florida, Mexico, Northern California, Dominica, The U.S. Virgin Islands, and New York City. As a result of Bethenny’s efforts, B Strong had marshaled over 10 million pounds of aid that was destined primarily for Puerto Rico. Bethenny helped coordinate the chartering of 55+ private planes to help deliver aid and relief to those hit hardest by the disaster. B Strong has also supported immediate aid programs in Guatemala following the Volcano De Fuego eruption, North Carolina following Hurricane Florence and the Florida Panhandle following Hurricane Michael. Over 10,000 individuals, companies, and foundations have contributed to B Strong’s efforts. Raising approximately $1.25 million in cash cards and collecting over $20 million worth of disaster relief to distribute, this has been called one of the largest privately-run humanitarian efforts in US history.
As a runner up on The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, her success then led her to Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York City, followed by the spin-off series, Bethenny Getting Married? and Bethenny Ever After… Viewers were captivated by her wit, wisdom, and humor as they followed her personal life becoming a mother and her professional journey creating the Skinnygirl empire. She eventually brought her distinct voice and candid point of view to Bethenny, where she hosted her nationally syndicated daytime talk show program. Bethenny started her own TV production company, B Real-ity, producing two seasons of FYI’s Food Porn, and was the creator, producer, and star of Bravo’s hit real estate show Bethenny and Fredrik.
From becoming a natural food chef and marketing Bethenny Bakes, her healthy baked goods service, to selling “Princess Pashminas" at house parties, and creating the low-calorie cocktail category with the launch of Skinnygirl Cocktails, Bethenny has always identified and capitalized on business opportunities. A true entrepreneur, to further build Skinnygirl Cocktails, Bethenny partnered with Beam Suntory in 2011 to grow her portfolio to include wines, flavored vodkas, and ready-to-drink cocktails. Since the launch of Skinnygirl Cocktails, she has expanded the Skinnygirl brand into a global lifestyle empire, featuring products for women that offer practical and stylish solutions to everyday problems. With the launch of the Skinnygirl Jeanswear collection in September 2018, Skinnygirl has become more than a brand, but also an attitude that helps empower women to lead healthy lives and feel strong, honest, and fearless. Some of the many other Skinnygirl products include microwave popcorn, candy, salad dressings, coffee, tea, liquid sweeteners, water enhancers, shapewear, and most recently candles, skin, and body care.
She is the five-time New York Times bestselling author of: Skinnydipping, A Place of Yes: 10 Rules for Getting Everything You Want Out Of Life, Naturally Thin: Unleash Your Skinnygirl, Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Dieting, The Skinnygirl™ Dish: Easy Recipes for Your Naturally Thin Life, and I Suck At Relationships So You Don’t Have To. She has also authored Skinnygirl Solutions: Simple Ideas, Extraordinary Results, the children's book, Cookie Meets Peanut, and the cocktail book, Skinnygirl Cocktails.
Fredrik Eklund
@FredrikEklundNY
Real estate entrepreneur, television personality and bestselling author Fredrik Eklund is known for his signature high kicks and unstoppable energy on the Emmy-nominated hit television series Million Dollar Listing: New York and is a producer and star of Bravo’s new real estate show Bethenny and Fredrik. Founder of the top sales team at prestigious real estate firm Douglas Elliman, Fredrik regularly breaks sales records and was named the number one real estate team in New York City by REAL Trends and the Wall Street Journal in 2017 with close to $1 billion in closed sales this year alone.
Often working on a building for years before it hits the market, Fredrik vets locations, interviews architects, and works with designers to customize each space to appeal to target buyers. Redefining what it means to be a real estate broker in today’s market, Fredrik is changing the New York skyline, one luxury high-rise at a time.
Born and raised outside of Stockholm, Sweden, Fredrik understood the nuances of negotiation from a young age. At four years old, he performed a one-man show on a makeshift stage in his living room, inviting his family and neighbors to attend and charging five kroners per seat. At seven, he signed up to sell Christmas calendars and was obsessed with being the number-one seller out of thousands of kids. He crafted a sales strategy and went door to door, sometimes spending hours with his customers. That winter, he broke all sales records for the calendar company and learned his first of many lessons in the art of the sell: authenticity and earned trust are the cornerstones of a successful transaction.
At 10 years old, Fredrik visited New York City for the first time and was instantly hooked, captivated by the vertical landscape of gleaming towers. He vowed to return one day to make his mark. Fredrik went on to study at the Stockholm School of Economics and subsequently co-founded an Internet company and worked for the investment bank SEB in Stockholm, London, Singapore and Tokyo.
At 25, Fredrik returned to Manhattan armed mostly with a pair of well-worn sneakers and resolute determination to achieve success in an as yet unknown field of endeavor. During his first year in real estate, Fredrik sold $50 million worth of property and was nominated for Rookie of the Year by the Real Estate Board of New York. To date, he has closed more than $5 billion in residential sales, is consistently setting records, and has a client list that includes major celebrities such as Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick, Gigi Hadid, John Legend and Chrissy Teigen, Daniel Craig, Alec Baldwin, and Jennifer Lopez. His active listings currently exceed $2 billion and includes his new development portfolio. In addition, he is the founder of Scandinavia's most high-end residential real estate brokerage with 50 employees, two offices, and $1 billion in closed sales this year. Despite his success, Fredrik remembers to not take himself too seriously.
Fredrik is married to abstract painter Derek Kaplan, and share twins, Milla and Freddy. He spends weekends with his husband, dogs, and kids in their Georgian mini-mansion in Connecticut. Known for being part "shark" in business, Fredrik is a softy at home, where he enjoys cooking, photography, and taking care of his puppies and family. He also launched his own wine, High-Kick, now sold in six countries and counting, and his rosé wine officially is the number-one new rosé in Sweden.
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Warren Convention Speech Falls Flat
Michael Patrick Leahy
For the self described “intellectual godmother” of Occupy Wall Street, Elizabeth Warren’s fifteen minute speech to the DNC sounded more like a well rehearsed lecture filled with standard left-wing platitudes delivered by a politically correct graduate student than the William Jennings Bryan stemwinder her supporters had hoped for.
It was a pedestrian effort, filled with attacks on “millionaires and billionaires” – probably written by the Obama campaign. Ms. Warren showed none of the sparkle that made her a favorite of the far left.
I thought her speech was flat, filled with boiler plate lefty language.
By my count, it included two hammers, five rigged systems, six level playing fields, and a few crowd pleasing stories of how superhero Barack Obama’s federal government had punished evil corporations.
In Warren’s world, middle class citizens have been “tricked” by credit card companies, “fooled” by student loans, and “cheated” by mortgage companies. She failed to mention, however, that the origins of these financial system problems can be found in the very liberal policies she and the Democratic Party have championed for the past two decades.
The crowd inside the convention hall liked her speech, but the “wild applause” was fairly constrained. The big flaw in the speech was its complete failure to reach out to anyone outside the extreme left-wing base of the Democratic Party. I can’t imagine that many undecided voters actually took the time to watch the speech. Any of those who did, I’m sure, were unpersuaded by Ms. Warren’s repetitive rhetoric.
The best part of the speech came when she talked about her childhood and family. But surprisingly, she made no mention of her claims of Native American ancestry which, if she’s telling the truth, would be something she should be proud to tell the entire nation:
Like a lot of you, I grew up in a family on the ragged edge of the middle class. My daddy sold carpeting and ended up as a maintenance man. After he had a heart attack, my mom worked the phones at Sears so we could hang on to our house. My three brothers all served in the military. One was career. The second worked a good union job in construction. The third started a small business.
Me, I was waiting tables at 13 and married at 19. I graduated from public schools and taught elementary school. I have a wonderful husband, two great children, and three beautiful grandchildren. And I’m grateful, down to my toes, for every opportunity that America gave me…
There’s a significant Native American caucus at the DNC. Ms. Warren has not only refused to meet with them, she failed to make even the most cursory acknowledgement of the importance of her “shared heritage” with them. But amidst a convention filled with appeals to every other minority group, why was she silent about her own claimed ancestry?
The answer is obvious. Any mention of Native Americans in her speech would have reminded the country that she has destroyed her own credibility on every issue during her Senate campaign.
The DNC pinned their hopes on Ms. Warren’s speech tonight. In fifteen minutes Ms. Warren ably summarized what’s happened to the country during four years of the Obama administration.
For the Democrats tonight, as with the nation since 2008, hope has been replaced with disappointment.
PoliticsDNCHeritageSenate
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The day Mohandas could not Talk
by C.R. Gopalakrishna
It was one of those times in summer, in early 1961. I was returning back to Waltair from Madras, after handing over his passport to my father who was on his way to Paris for a meeting with UNESCO. Of all days, the River Krishna decided to get into 'spate' and she did it successfully. So the Madras-Calcutta Mail, which normally goes via Vijayawada, and reaches Waltair in about 20 hours (in those days) was diverted via places I hadn't known existed! Instead of the normal 20 hours, it took close to 40. Fortunately I had no luggage, except for a jute bag containing my change of clothes and toothbrush and paste. I was in one of those unreserved 3rd class compartments, which was packed like a sardine can, filled with Malayalees. One can imagine the mayhem, with their non-stop rapid-firing dialogue that filled the compartment!
By the time I got down at Waltair, I felt I had corns on my rear!
Resigning myself to the long travel, I took out from my jute bag, Gandhi's book on 'My Experiments with Truth'. Next to me was an old gentleman, whom I didn't notice at first. He had with him quite a few magazines and novels, having come fully prepared for the ordeal. After some time, when he had finished reading one of the Telugu magazines, I made bold to ask him if I could read it.
Sleeping was out of question; sitting itself was at a premium. Came dinnertime, and at the station, I found that there was nothing available as the train was unscheduled, and they did not anticipate a massive crowd to descend on them. I resigned myself to starvation till I reached home. Just then, the gentleman sitting next to me opened a large Tiffin carrier, and looking at me said, 'There is enough and more for the two of us.' Never did food taste so delicious. To top it, it was a typical Vijayawada style of cooking, where the chillies were liberally used. As I was eating I was steaming from my ears! And as we were eating, we started talking. And I told him what I was doing, and why I had come to Madras, and then asked about him. He was silent for a few minutes and then said he had retired in 1947 after serving the British India Police as a D.I.G. a senior position for an Indian at that time. I asked him for any memorable or exciting cases that he handled during his service. He smiled. Then he said, 'I have many, but I will narrate to you an incident that took place when I was an Inspector at Vijayawada. This concerns the person whose book you are reading. It took place in the late thirties.'
I was very curious of what the incident was, and waited for him to tell me.
We managed to wash our hands and sat relaxed as much as possible, and lit our cigarettes, and then he began.
'I was the Inspector at Vijayawada, a rarity in the British Police for an Indian. I was known to be very tough, but very fair in my dealings. I had brought in a lot of secure feelings in that city, and was always on the prowl, looking for mischief-monger, eve teasers and the like. I would not hesitate to arrest such persons, whoever they might have been. There used to be pressures brought onto me, but I would never wilt. Gradually, I won the people's respect and support, though I was serving the British masters!
One day I got a message from Madras, which was then the Presidency Headquarters that Gandhi was visiting Vijayawada, and that I should make preparations to ensure that everything should go off peacefully, but to be alert and if necessary, stern. I was asked to assess the requirements of the police needed for security purpose, and if I thought reinforcements were needed, that I should ask for it.
The local Congress leaders were friendly with me, and that evening, after office, I went to meet them in their office as a casual visitor. And there was total excitement amongst them. 'Gandhiji is coming! Bapu is coming! How do we plan all this?' was all that I could hear.
I probed a little, and came to know that things would be peaceful. I went back and sent a message to the S.P., a Scotsman, who was at Madras, and assured him that I could manage with the present force in my hands. 'Be careful, ole' chap! Otherwise, your head will be on the block!' he said. I assured him, I would.
Soon, the great day dawned. There was a complete festive look in the city. It was decked up with marigold bowers and arches, a large pandal was put up with the tri-color draped behind, durries were in place, and I had arranged for my C.I.D men to mingle with the crown in plain clothes.
I had gone to the station in my full uniform, not to receive him, but to ensure that there was no trouble. But as he alighted from his 3rd class compartment with that beatific smile and that halo around his head, something in me made me step forward and salute him! Bapu raised his head and folded his palms in greeting with his toothless smile. I felt I was Blessed!
Bapu was taken in a huge precession by the citizens of the city, which slowly wended its way through out the streets finally arriving at the huge maidan where the pandal for the evening had been put up. He was constantly cheered, 'Gandhiji ki Jai! Gandhiji ki Jai'. And he slowly walked up to the dais, with his staff, and his two grandnieces. It was a great and emotional scene, that one cannot forget,
It was Bapu's prayer time meeting as well. He started with his Bhajan on 'Vaishnavo Jan to', and after that, he started his talk. He spoke to the people to support the struggle for a Free India, but while undertaking this struggle, he also cautioned them that the British should in no way be physically harmed. The fight was against the establishment and their policies, not on their people, who were here in the call of duty. And then he appealed for monetary support for the party activities. His Hindi to Telugu translator was doing a splendid job by conveying what Gandhiji was saying. I was standing near him, enthralled. Suddenly from the crowd, a little girl, could not have been more than 8 or 9 years, jumped onto the dais, and before the police could catch her, she was at Bapu's feet. She was in tatters, but in her poverty, there was total peace and serenity on her countenance. Bapu bent down and smiled at her, holding her tender face in his equally tender hands. 'Kya Chahihey, Beti?' ('What do want, Child?') he asked. Without a word, the girl removed her silver anklets, a few glass bangles and her thin gold chain and literally poured it into his hands. At that Bapu's eyes were streaming with tears.
Her mother came forward, and seeing me, begged me not to arrest the child. 'She and I work in houses, cleaning vessels and cleaning the homes. We make around Rs.20/ a month, and somehow live by. Her father deserted me a few years ago.' I assured her I wouldn't arrest her.
Bapu called me, and asked me what the mother said. I told him.
He fell silent, while two large tears dropped from his eyes. 'I yet have hope for India,' was all that he said, even as he had his hand on the child's head. Gandhiji did not speak any more that day.'
I fell silent at the end of his story. I was moved. 'You can imagine how I felt! And how Bapuji felt' was all he said. By then, we were chugging towards Waltair. I asked him his name. 'Subba Rao. I retired as I.G. of Police in Free India,' he said.
More by : C.R. Gopalakrishna
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MARLOE. releases a danceable pop tune, entitled, “The Future Is Now”
Electro Pop, Music
MARLOE. is an up-and-coming singer-songwriter from Brisbane, Australia. Not too long ago, she released a danceable pop tune, entitled, “The Future Is Now”.
MARLOE. – “The Future Is Now” single
“So now you’re here again knocking at my door. A little too late for, ‘I’m sorry for’. The lights went out ‘cause you kept cutting the cord and I started to fade into your gray. See, I finally opened up my eyes and I saw me coming back to life.” – lyrics
‘The Future Is Now’ tells an empowering tale of a young woman who realizes that being in a relationship with her significant other isn’t wise.
Therefore, she takes hold of the present moment and empowers herself by checking out of their problematic relationship.
Later, she admits that the fire which her partner stole from her has returned, and now it’s time for her to be that person who she wants to recognize.
MARLOE.
“‘The Future Is Now’ is written for all of the people who have been stuck in a relationship that no longer fills them with joy. It’s about the moment you realize you have to change what’s happening in the ‘now’ to create a future you deserve. A quote I love that best describes the message of this song is ‘the best way to predict the future is to create it.’” – MARLOE.
Queensland starlet MARLOE. began her musical journey at nine years old singing in her elementary choir.
Since then, she has performed in many short films and theatre productions which forged the foundation of her indie-pop career.
Her sleek sound can be compared to music created by Maggie Rogers, Vera Blue, and Lorde.
Also, “The Future Is Now” is featured on her debut EP, entitled, “Marloe”.
MARLOE. – “Marloe” EP
‘The Future Is Now’ contains a relatable storyline and ear-welcoming vocals. Also, the likable tune possesses fast-paced instrumentation flavored with ‘80s electronica, playful pop, and modern-dance elements.
We recommend adding “The Future Is Now” single to your personal playlist. Also, let us know how you feel about it in the comment section below.
Augustine releases a cinematic music video for his “Wishful Thinking” single
Lenis releases a charming contemporary R&B tune, entitled, “Make Up”
Queen Naija releases a beautiful self-titled debut EP [REVIEW]
GRAACE releases a music video for her “Last Night” single
Christina Kalyss releases a music video for her “Stoner Boy” single
DVBBS releases a groovy house tune, entitled, “GOMF”, featuring BRIDGE
Bravo releases a romantic r&b/pop tune, entitled, “Closer”
Jackie Paladino & Gino Lee release their “Can You Tell Me What Love Is?” single
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Burnley Energize teacher lands top dance award
Stephen Reece-Buck, who has won a prestigious dance award.
Laura Longworth
Published: 16:09 Wednesday 17 October 2018
A Burnley dance teacher who has helped prepare many youngsters for glittering careers on the West End has won a top award.
Stephen Reece-Buck, who owns Energize Dance and Fitness, Burnley, scooped a Carl Alan Award in the freestyle choreography/competitive coach category during a red carpet ceremony last Saturday at the Paradise Rooms, Blackpool.
Karen Reece-Buck, his business partner, said: "We are very proud Stephen has just won a Carl Alan Award. It is the Oscars of the dancing world awards. It's a prestigious award which is very hard to get."
Stephen, who is a fellow of the Allied Dance Association, has dedicated more than 30 years of his life to training people from the age of six years upwards and travelled all over the world to help people fulfil their dancing and fitness dreams.
He has also won competitions in the UK and abroad, has a passion for creating show routines for both Energize and other schools, and is an avid promoter of freestyle dance competitions.
He said: "I have been lucky enough over the last 30 years to teach freestyle dance in countries such as Norway, Sweden and South Africa, helping to choreograph solos, couples, slow dance and teams, and help people gain knowledge to become top freestyle dancers in their own countries and in the UK.
"Over the past years, my students have been able to attain places at top stage and dance schools and have gone on to perform on the West End and other top dance shows and cruises."
The Carl Alan Theatre and Freestyle Awards, hosted on behalf of the Theatre Dance Council International, have featured on BBC National Television and have been presented on many occasions by members of the Royal family, including the Duke of Edinburgh.
Last weekend's ceremony was as glamorous as ever, with audiences enjoying a night of dinner, cabaret and dancing, plus a drinks reception and a performance by four-piece band, The West End Jerseys.
For Stephen, the fabulous event has further ignited the fire in his belly for helping people to succeed.
He added: "It is still my passion to carry on teaching and get the best out of my dancers so that they can carry on with their dreams and ambitions."
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Meet The MBA Graduate Fighting Inequality In Philadelphia
Arthur Gimenez left a job at Accenture to work in social impact. His MBA experience helped him make the career switch
Written by Breikhna Khan
Arthur is an MBA graduate from Temple University's Fox School of Business
Arthur Gimenez grew up in the metropolis of Manila in the Philippines, leading a comfortable life in a vibrant city. Yet, from a young age, Arthur was influenced by the marked inequality of his surroundings, recognizing the stark contrast between his privilege and the lives of those who dwelled in the slums close to his home.
Having moved to the US, Arthur landed a prestigious job at Accenture, one of the world’s leading management consulting companies, but he remained troubled by the vast division between the rich and poor, a disparity that was mirrored in the US as everywhere else in the world.
Arthur sensed that helping to make the rich richer without addressing the underserved meant that he would remain detached from the causes that truly mattered to him. Before transitioning into more social impact-orientated roles, Arthur decided to do an MBA at Temple University’s Fox School of Business to acquire the concrete skills he needed to make a switch.
The Fox Global MBA also dramatically expanded Arthur's professional network. On it, he met a classmate who worked at The Enterprise Center in Philadelphia—a non-profit organization providing access to capital, capacity building, and economic development opportunities for minority entrepreneurs.
Arthur met his classmate for a coffee to learn more about his role, and this meeting ultimately led to a job offer. After working there for almost four years, Arthur moved on to work for PIDC, a public-private economic development corporation that seeks to 'drive growth to every corner' of Philadelphia.
BusinessBecause caught up with Arthur to find out more.
Tell us about your work experience pre-MBA.
I completed an undergraduate degree in software development in the Philippines and started my career in that field. I worked for a startup that developed SMS text-based applications back when the Philippines was the texting capital of the world.
After about two years I accepted an opportunity to move to the US and work for Accenture. I stayed with the firm for six years. My role was to help Fortune 500 companies streamline their procurement and payment processes.
What inspired you to transition into social development roles?
Growing up in the Philippines, I always thought of ways to address the divide between the rich and poor. Back in high school, my friend introduced me to this volunteer group that would teach children in poverty how to read and write, and I loved it.
After working in software development, mainly benefitting large Fortune 500 companies and their wealthy shareholders, I wanted to find a career that benefitted the underserved instead.
Why did you decide to pursue the Fox Global MBA?
Ultimately, what attracted me to Fox School of Business was the high-calibre faculty. I witnessed this first-hand when I attended the 'MBA for a Day' event, which included a sample class with Dr. Youngin Yoo.
I was very impressed by his explanation of the challenges Sony faced in converging with the digital world. He vividly explained how Sony’s internal anti-collaborative culture and complex organizational structure made it very difficult for its engineers to work together to create compelling digital devices.
I chose Fox because I wanted to expand my knowledge of corporate finance, marketing, and generally change my way of thinking.
Fox School of Business - Temple University
Philadelphia - United States of America
International School of Management
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Home/Construction/Durham College
Durham College’s Food Evolution
Centre for Food nears completion, ready for classes this fall
By Perry King
Oshawa’s Durham College may be a growing institution with many capital projects on the go, but its efforts to expand its post-secondary presence in Whitby, Ontario have been especially innovative and ambitious. Its work on the nearly completed Centre for Food, uncharted territory for the college, has thrown all conventional thinking out the window.
With the third and final phase of construction underway and with the completion of the building’s roof in February 2013, the proposed 36,000-square-foot educational facility will add about 900 additional students to the college’s ever-growing full-time enrolment of more than 9,600 students.
For Durham College, a hub of education that is listening to the heartbeat of the local industries in the region and the Greater Toronto Area, food is both an important part of the college’s economy and evolving. Tastes are evolving; science is breaking down conventional thinking. Hence, matching that innovation and addressing industry needs and challenges were paramount when it began exploring expansion several years ago.
“Industry needs a trained workforce to expand,” said Don Lovisa, president of Durham College. “Through on-going discussions we’re very in tune to what the community needs across a variety of sectors – including food.”
“As our working population ages, in some sectors, we have to replace those who are retiring and bring in a new workforce with a different, possibly more modern skill set [who is] looking at the trends across the continuum of food production, science and preparation.”
Springing from conversations with horticultural, agricultural, and culinary industries, among others, the expansion of its campus in Whitby directly addresses a major concern, an opportunity that Durham Region has been building upon many years.
“The other result that came out of [our conversations], though, was really startling for us,” Lovisa said, “and that was the amount of students who were leaving the Durham Region because the programs they wanted were not available at Durham College.”
Addressing the brain drain, the multi-year $18-million project leaves no stone unturned. Focusing on three principles, sustainability, being green, and demonstrating sustainable practices, Durham College will have the first green-certified teaching restaurant in Canada, which will be open to the public.
“We’ll have four kitchen labs to teach different aspects of cuisine,” said Michelle Darling, project management officer for Durham College, of which one will support the restaurant. “We will have a wine tasting lab, a demonstration and lecture theatre and three 50-seat classrooms with movable walls so we can have a banquet hall.”
The teaching restaurant, as the first wholly evaluated and certified green facility, will house the latest technologies. The equipment used in the facility, the water and energy usage, and how the restaurant operates — its devotion to recycling and waste management programs — will be unique as a facility under one roof.
A125-seat lecture hall will be equipped with a convection oven, gas stove, induction stoves, deep fryer, griddle and grill — with overhead cameras and large-screen projections. A retail store, also open to the public, will feature foods produced by the students including fresh-baked items, meals-to-go, preserved foods and portion-cut, ready-to-cook meals.
“It’s innovative in that what we’re doing is replicating what happens in real life,” Lovisa said. “Our students will replicate exactly what happens in communities within Durham Region, bringing together farmers and growers with food science and the preparation and celebration of food — the concept of field of fork. We’ll have students growing vegetables, fruits and herbs using demonstration plots. There will be flower and landscape plant growers. Our chefs and our food scientists will be working with the various growers, bringing their produce to our kitchens and exploring different product development ideas of food.”
Durham is bringing field to fork to an academic setting, creating a “living lab environment,” matching the practicality and hands-on nature of the trade with technology and real life applications.
“It’s not a desktop or laboratory setting, it emulates real life,” Lovisa said.
In order to construct the Centre for Food, the college took advantage of the expansion capacity of the Whitby campus, finding that establishing site scope and proper architectural design were easy enough due to its relationships with well experienced construction and creative design minds — details however needed to be ironed out concerning the site’s close proximity to Highway 401.
Sprinting to completion in time also provided some environmental hurdles to the project.
“The site has a lot of water on it, so site preparation was a bit of a challenge,” Darling said. “We started construction under winter conditions, pouring concrete during that time. We started the exterior cladding and preparation for that in early spring had to deal with the high winds coming off of Lake Ontario.
“We were aware and respectful of the fact that there is a car dealership just to the north of the property, and timed the insulation spray foam work around the high wind conditions.”
There was an urgency to get these issues addressed effectively while maintaining the project schedule. With more than 75 per cent of the campus finished, Durham College has also managed to stay within the budget.
“Whenever you build a building and you provide a collaborative approach to defining scope, it’s always about trying to balance the demands, the wishes of everybody with the realities of a budget,” Lovisa said.
This multi-year project is near completion, and Durham College is more than excited to get its students rolling. There is no limit to the college’s technological innovation, and once the centre opens to students and the public, the programs will have wiggle room to explore more ways to set the trend for the region.
“From a general definition of tech, it’s really moving a whole new practice into place,” Lovisa said. “When we began to look at the agricultural lands [in Durham Region], we also looked at some very unique technologies within greenhouse operations, potential robotics, and the opportunity for some very unique growing chambers.
“It all compliments the Centre for Food idea. Right now we are focused on the building itself because we are in the building right stage and that is the obvious piece but there are more pieces to come that aren’t just comprised of bricks and mortar. The building is one component but we’ve yet to start construction of our agricultural/horticultural lands and greenhouse, which will see the entire plan come together.”
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14 books every modern gentleman should read
Dennis Green
Being a modern gentleman is about more than just knowing what to wear or what to put in your bathroom. It's also about being informed about the world around you.
We asked our friends at Amazon Books to put together a list of essential books every man should read, ranging from fiction to business.
Keep scrolling for the books you shouldn't miss — they just might change how you look at things.
All captions by Amazon Books editor Chris Schluep.
FASHION — "Icons of Men's Style" by Josh Sims
"This one might be a little obvious, but it's a damn fine looking book, so I had to include it."
Buy it on Amazon »
BUSINESS: Silicon Valley — "Chaos Monkeys" by Antonio Garcia Martinez
"The author left Goldman Sachs to pursue work at a West Coast start-up, eventually landing at Facebook in the early years.
He has since departed, but the memories remain, and his history is one of the few that exists around the company. It's not all free food and exercise ball chairs, and Martinez pulls no punches."
BUSINESS: Hollywood — "Powerhouse" by James Andrew Miller
"From the author who brought you the ESPN oral history 'Those Guys Have All the Fun' comes an oral history featuring the players who helped to build modern day Hollywood — the stars, the agents, the executives, and the tycoons."
SCIENCE — "Now: The Physics of Time" by Richard A. Muller
"This book is the kind of mind-expanding read that will give you something to think about late at night. Muller's passion for his topic shines through on every page.
If you're at all concerned about time (and who isn't?), slow down long enough to read this book."
ADVENTURE — "The Lost City of Z" by David Grann
"Author David Grann sets off on his own to trace the path of 1920s explorer Percy Fawcett, who disappeared deep in the Amazon jungle while searching for the fabled Lost City of Z."
CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE — "A Gentleman in Moscow" by Amor Towles
"When a Bolshevik tribunal orders Count Alexander Rostov to spend the rest of his life inside Moscow's Hotel Metropol, who would guess we are about to be treated to a novel with one of the most memorable cast of characters to come along this year?
To quote The Washington Post: 'How delightful that in an era as crude as ours this finely composed new novel by Amor Towles stretches out with Old-World elegance.'"
CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE: AMERICAN — "The Painter" by Peter Heller
"Here's a literary novel about a famous artist who once served time for shooting a man. Set out west, and imbued with an artist's soul, 'The Painter' is about love, longing, and craft. With a little violence thrown in, too."
CLASSIC LITERATURE — "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald
"Every man can benefit from a reading of this novel, and most can benefit from a re-reading."
NONFICTION — "Hillbilly Elegy" by J.D. Vance
"Sometimes it's important to remember that your life experience is not everyone's life experience. Reading 'Hillbilly Elegy' will leave you tottering on the edge of the American Dream."
PHILOSOPHY — "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius
"Sometimes it's useful to turn to the personal writings of a centuries-old great man to realize that our problems haven't changed that much. You'd be surprised how many people cite 'Meditations' as one of their favorite books."
BIOGRAPHY — "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen
"This is the memoir you might not have known you were waiting for. Driven by a hunger for success, Springsteen wrote and played his way out of Freehold, New Jersey and into music history. Now he's written a memoir that befits the rock icon that he is — raw, honest, original."
FITNESS — "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall
"That's right; the same title twice on this list. McDougall takes you deep into the Mexican desert to meet a tribe of barefoot super-runners. This is the book that launched the barefoot running obsession — but it's way more interesting than just that."
HISTORICAL MYSTERY — "The Last Days of Night" by Graham Moore
"When the first light bulbs illuminated New York's streets in the 1880s, they blew people's minds and changed the nature of night. But did you know that Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse pursued each other in a high stakes lawsuit over light bulb patents? This page-turner of an historical thriller tells that story, set against the backdrop of the Gilded Age."
AUTOBIOGRAPHY — "Barbarian Days" by William Finnegan
"Finnegan, a New Yorker staff writer, won the 2016 Pulitzer for this exceptional account of a life spent chasing waves across the world. This is not only a feat of writing about surfing, it's a feat of writing."
SEE ALSO: 8 things no man should wear this fall — and what to wear instead
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A fake painting that sold for £8.4 million signals a highly skilled forger in the arts market
'An Unknown Man', the £8.4 million fake
The Weiss Gallery
A painting sold by auction house Sotheby's for £8.4 million ($10.6 million) has been assessed as fake, raising fears that more multimillion pound forgeries are on the market, according to a report in the Financial Times.
The work, by Dutch artist Frans Hals, was sold to an anonymous US buyer in 2011.
However, it was taken back by Sotheby's after the auction house discovered its connection to another alleged fake.
The scandal goes back to earlier this year. It started in March, when a painting by German painter Lucas Cranach was seized by the French authorities at an exhibition in the south of France.
That painting, called 'Venus,' dated from 1531. It sold in London for £6 million, but is now under assessment at the Louvre, and is believed to be fake.
When Sotheby's linked the £8.4 million Hals painting to the same source as the French fake, it was sent back to the auction house, whose experts used pigmentation tests to determine that it was "undoubtedly" a fake.
A spokesperson from Sotheby's told Business Insider: "With the consent of the seller, we informed the buyer of a possible issue with the authenticity of the painting.
"We then worked together to commission an in-depth technical analysis which established that the work was undoubtedly a forgery, after which we rescinded the sale and reimbursed the client in full.
"Clients transact with us because they know Sotheby's will keep its promises when problems arise, and we were very pleased to do that in this case."
In an interview with the Daily Mail, art dealer Bob Haboldt described the episode as "the biggest art scandal in a century."
He described the person behind the fakes as the 'Moriarty of the Old Master', in a reference to the mastermind villain in the Sherlock Holmes books. An Old Master is any painter from Europe who painted before 1800.
There are now concerns that the market has up to 25 other fakes in it. The Daily Mail reports that the scandal could cost art investors £200 million.
It also says that Sotheby's are threatening legal action against the art dealer who sold supplied the Hals painting.
More: Sotheby's Art Forgery Art Market
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Who Is The New 'A' On 'Pretty Little Liars'? Here's Everything We Know About The New Villain
It has been a seriously crazy road for Pretty Little Liars fans. After six seasons of mystery, murder, and mayhem, we finally unmasked A, aka Charlotte DiLaurentis — and it might have been the last person most fans would have suspected. That's because Charlotte was going by the name CeCe Drake, Ali's older BFF and Jason's ex-girlfriend. (Yes, it's as icky as it sounds.) CeCe officially declared "game over" on the whole 'A' thing in the Season 6A finale, and the girls were able to live five long years without anyone chasing them — but, in the words of Taylor Swift, are we out of the woods yet? Not by a long shot: there's a new Big Bad chasing the girls in Season 6B, and this so-called "Uber A" means business. So, what do we know about this new 'A'?
When Pretty Little Liars returns from hiatus in January 2016, a lot will have changed. According to the first four minutes of Season 6B, which were teased online by ABC Family, five years will have gone by and the girls will be leading completely different lives. Things seem to be looking up for the Liars — until a new villain targets the girls.
So what do we know about this new 'A'? Here's everything we know so far:
1. The Girls Refer To The New 'A' As "He"
At the end of the Season 6A finale, the girls storm into Alison's classroom (yes, the former Queen Bee of Rosewood High School is a teacher there now) and warn Ali that "he" has found her. According to MTV News, this scene will take place months after the Season 6B premiere, which means that the girls have yet to understand this threat when they return to Rosewood. But still, I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say "he" will likely be the new Pretty Little Liars villain.
2. This Villain Is Motivated By A Death
According to showrunner I. Marlene King's interview with MTV News, the new A is motivated by a death: "This Big Bad has an agenda, and it’s to find out why this person passes away — and to seek revenge on the person responsible.” Could this villain blame the girls for someone's death?
3. This Big Bad Doesn't Play Games
“Charlotte was much more about playing the game," Sasha Pieterse told MTV News. "That’s what kept her going. That’s what fed her damaged soul. But this is a whole new animal." So: Don't expect this guy to dress the girls up like his own personal Barbies and lock them in a dollhouse — this A doesn't even play that version of "nice."
5. Things Could Get Deadly
Charlotte may have locked Emily in a box headed for a chainsaw, but, you know, did she die?! Apparently we have a lot more to worry about this season, because according to Pieterse, this villain has way more follow through: "This new villain has a whole new motive — and it's really deadly. It's like: 'Do this, or I kill you,'" says the actress of the new person the Liars are running from. (Umm, eep?!?)
6. Mrs. DiLaurentis Could Be The Key
When King was asked by PopSugar about whether this new bad guy had anything to do with the still-unsolved murder of Mrs. DiLaurentis, she coyly answered, "possibly." Considering that we know that Charlotte didn't kill Mrs. DiLaurentis, it would make sense for this new villain to be connected to the only murder we don't yet have a killer pegged to.
7. We May Not Know Who He Is At All
While most people assume that the new villain is someone from the Liars' past whose nefarious ways we haven't been made privy to yet, there's a chance that we may not know this big bad at all. According to Entertainment Weekly, Pieterse confirmed that the new A is someone fans haven't met yet. While it's unclear just how true it is (technically, we didn't "meet" Charlotte DiLaurentis, only CeCe Drake) it's pretty mind-blowing to think that the new villain could be someone we can't put a name or a face to right now.
This villain is bound to bring some serious changes to Pretty Little Liars, and hopefully we have just as much fun figuring out who this 'A' is as we did with the last 'A'.
For more on Pretty Little Liars, check out Bustle's very own PLL podcast, Taking This One To The Grave:
Images: ABC Family; Giphy (7)
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Here's How They Filmed The Most Intense Episode Of "Queer Eye"
Here's everything you need to know about the third episode of Queer Eye.
Posted on February 12, 2018, 21:28 GMT
Keely Flaherty
If you haven't watched Queer Eye on Netflix, you gotta get on it. If you have, you know that the third episode in the eight-episode season, "Dega Don't," tackled some very important topics.
Macey J Foronda / BuzzFeed
The episode's Hero — a term the Fab Five use to refer to all the men they transform — was Cory Waldrop, a former Marine and NASCAR lover who was nominated to be on the show by his best friend and fellow former Marine, Henry.
In the very beginning of the episode, the Fab Five got pulled over by a cop while Karamo Brown, the show's culture expert, was driving.
And things got very tense very fast.
Everyone was nervous.
But then Officer Ford revealed that he was actually Henry, Cory's best friend and nominator. He also revealed he and Cory are both cops now and work together.
"We had no idea," Karamo Brown told BuzzFeed of the scene. "When we have the driving scene in the morning, we all fight over who’s going to drive. That morning, I was adamant that I wanted to drive. I’m glad that that happened, because then it allowed a conversation to happen that probably wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been in the driver’s seat."
Only Bobby Berk, the design expert, knew what was going to happen right before they drove off. "I’m kind of momma in the group," Berk said, "so right as we went to pull away, production whispered in my ear. Just in case, I could be like, 'Guys, OK, this isn’t real, chill out.' But [the rest] of them had no idea, they thought it was totally real."
Over the course of the episode, Waldrop and Brown talked about the current climate surrounding police officers and people of color, and how scared Brown felt when Officer Ford pulled him over that morning.
It was an emotional conversation. "As a black man, I’ve never felt comfortable speaking to a police officer about what we see in the news — the killings," Brown told BuzzFeed.
"Because of this," Brown continued, "I’m a little more open and a little less jaded when I see police officers."
Brown and Waldrop watched the episode together on FaceTime, and still text frequently.
"We still have some political differences," Brown laughed, "but as a whole, I see him as a human being and he sees me as a human being. I see him as a father, he sees me as a father. That’s why we’re texting each other at eight o’clock in the morning."
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Finding the Next Path
By Armando Pulido ’15 in conversation with Sarah Bishop, Registrar, Advisor, and Yoga Instructor
Armando Pulido ’15 and I have kept in touch across the country since he graduated from Brentwood. He was recently chosen as one of nine Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellows (MMUF) at Dartmouth College. According to their website, “MMUF addresses under-representation in college and university faculties by supporting the pursuit of PhDs by underrepresented minorities and those who have otherwise demonstrated alignment with the MMUF goals.” When I learned of this prestigious honor, I wanted to hear more from Armando about the program, his plans, and how his Brentwood experience prepared him for this opportunity. We chatted in August right before he left to begin his junior year.
Sarah Bishop: To begin, congratulations on being named one of the nine recipients of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program at Dartmouth College.
Armando Pulido: Thank you!
SB: I first met you in my yoga class and then again as my senior advisee. At Brentwood, you excelled academically, you were a peer leader, active in LSA, Co-Class President your senior year, and you ran on the cross-country team. You formed strong bonds with your classmates and faculty and then, in 2015, you graduated from Brentwood School and went from Los Angeles to Hanover, New Hampshire. Why did you choose Dartmouth?
AP: Ah…the infamous question. On paper it always seemed like a good school to me when I was applying, and I thought of the teachers who went there from Brentwood. I had Dr. (Cat) Zusky, Ms. (Cristina) Macaraeg, and Mr. (Eric) Hogenson, and I thought, they’re all great people, so it should be a really great school! After I was admitted in March, I flew to New Hampshire and stayed with Liam Stevens ’14. I immediately just felt at home. After that visit, I committed to Dartmouth and knew it would be a good place for me to learn and grow and be far away from the busyness of the city. But I think the path that I’ve had since then was a lot bumpier and different than I thought it would be. The first year was rough.
SB: How was it different from what you had experienced at Brentwood?
AP: I always knew that Brentwood was the place for me. Even though I was a minority, low income student, and Latino, I never really felt like I was out of place, even though I should have been. I felt like I had a home group of friends that I could always seek out to talk about cultural offenses or differences in wealth and other issues that arose. They just got what I was going through. Our differences brought us together. But at Dartmouth that first year, I felt like I was only seeing the differences. I wasn’t seeing anything that was bringing me together with anyone else. Being away from the city, which seemed like a perk before, was just isolating. It was such a big adjustment to move from Los Angeles to Hanover, it was just a lot to handle at first.
I considered leaving Dartmouth, but towards the end of my first year, I became part of a group called The Coalition for Immigration Reform, Equality, and DREAMers (CoFIRED, for short), and I found friends to connect with and talk to about all of the things I had been experiencing in my first year. To see juniors and seniors in this group thriving despite also feeling the isolation that I had felt was really awesome. Ending that first year on such an affirming note, after that rough first winter, was a reminder as to why I was there and what I am supposed to be doing in college—helping others.
SB: That was really a turning point for you. Talk about your chosen area of study; it seems you’ve really found your footing.
AP: I’m planning on double majoring in art history and geography. Freshman year, I took a course on Mexican contemporary art from the 1700s until now. My professor, Mary Coffey, is an expert in Mexican art and muralism, and I remember the first day I walked into her class. She is tall and white with reddish brown hair and big glasses, and I was like, “What is that woman going to know about Mexican art?” By the second week, I literally couldn’t wait to go to that class and do the readings. I could not believe I was just learning all of this information about my culture and art and history that I had never been taught. Geography came in with my involvement with the immigration reform group. Also, at the same time I was taking the Mexican art course, I was taking a course on immigration, race, and ethnicity. I saw so many intersections between art history and the cultures of Mexico and America, with the changing policy of the U.S. and how those two societies interacted and informed one another. In my head it makes a lot of sense to pair these two subjects together (laughs).
SB: Tell me a little about how you found the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship opportunity.
AP: That same professor, Professor Coffey, told our class that we represented the highest number of Latino students she had ever had in that course in all of her tenure as a professor. She told us about a fellowship available for underrepresented students at Dartmouth and said it could be a really good path for me. Professor Coffey kept reminding me about it over the course of the next semester and helped me through the application and interview process. The more I talked to her about it, the more I realized how much I would enjoy spending two years of my time in college studying art history, geography, and Mexican culture. As the process went on, I realized how badly I wanted it. Thankfully it worked out!
SB: Yes! That’s amazing. Has getting the fellowship further informed the direction you want to take in your life, or has it opened up more questions?
AP: I have been looking more into what I might want to do after college, and the fellowship has been giving me the tools to think about a professorship and going into academia. It sounds pretty awesome to me to spend my life doing research and travelling and teaching others. I am not 100% sure that is what I’ll be doing but I am really, really open to it.
SB: That’s okay. You don’t have to know now. I’m curious to know how Brentwood School gave you a foundation for where you are right now.
AP: I always think about this. I really don’t know if I would be in the same place in life if I didn’t have Brentwood. I think it exposed me to so many differences in the world, both good and bad. I didn’t know anything about the “Westside” growing up. I knew Santa Monica and a few things here and there, but I really didn’t know a lot about the city. But I think I really did learn who I was here, and I learned how to stay true to myself academically, socially, and personally. I really wouldn’t be the same person without the people I met at Brentwood.
Armando Pulido returned to Brentwood this past summer as a counselor for Summer at Brentwood, where weekly Water Days brought smiles to counselors and campers alike.
SB: What was it about Brentwood that helped you to be true to yourself?
AP: I think I was really lucky in that I had a group of people who always encouraged me to do my best and wanted what was best for me. I felt like people were always trying to help each other out. My friends from my class were just some of the most caring people I encountered in those four years. I really can’t describe it or put it into words. I think all of the stress we went through together and all of the good times we had outside of school just kind of…
SB: Bonded you?
AP: Yeah, and made me realize I really could do a lot more than I ever thought I could because I never thought of coming here, and I never thought I’d do well here. But somehow I made it through.
SB: It sounds to me like your friendships really helped you believe the best about yourself. How do you hope to give that same kind of encouragement to others?
AP: I think one of the best ways to give back is to help inform others about what they are in for—high school is hard, college is hard, and the process of getting between the two is harder still. There is a lack of encouragement from communities like the one I came from, and, when I was younger, I never thought I would go to a school out of state. I always thought I would go to a school locally and do well and live my life. The more I meet people in college and the more I step away from Brentwood, the more I realize it isn’t just a select few. It doesn’t have to be a select few students who get the opportunities like I did to come to Brentwood and to go to a four-year college/university. There are so many students with so much potential. I hope I can encourage them to find it.
Armando Pulido is currently a junior at Dartmouth.
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Fourth-year student speaks at U.N. Girl Up Leadership Summit
Annie Plotkin discusses empowerment and global citizenship alongside female leaders
By Megan Richards | 08/30/2015
Fourth-year College student Annie Plotkin spoke on a panel at the United Nations Girl Up Leadership Summit this summer, which featured talks by female leaders like Michelle Obama and Ann Shocket.
Celina Hu | Cavalier Daily
This summer, the United Nations hosted the fourth annual Girl Up Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C. Fourth-year College student Annie Plotkin attended the conference, which gave girls from countries all over the world an opportunity to talk about the issues women face today.
Plotkin spoke on a panel at the summit, and had the chance to meet and listen to inspiring women, including the previous editor of Seventeen magazine, Ann Shocket and the senior editor at Mic and a member of Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list, Liz Plank.
Plotkin said she did not expect to meet Plank, and was shocked when she did meet her on the first day.
“And I totally [fell] to pieces. I was like, ‘Oh my god. It’s you.’ She was so nice. She was so, so nice, and we ended up hanging out the next day,” Plotkin said.
Plotkin also had the chance to hear First Lady Michelle Obama address the room of 200 young women.
“People were freaking out and she gave a really impassioned speech,” Plotkin said. “She started talking about her daughters and started tearing up. I was maybe 40 feet away from her and she’s such an impressive person. It was amazing.”
On her own panel, Plotkin discussed the importance of learning about the diversity of the human experience and how vital it is to being an engaged, global citizen. Her discussion was inspired by personal experience.
After her senior year in high school, Plotkin took a gap year in Brazil through a program called Global Citizen Year — the same organization Plotkin represented at the Girl Up Summit. On the panel, Plotkin talked about how vital her year in Brazil was for her own development.
“I talked about expanding your horizons and disrupting your sense of comfort and how you see the world,” Plotkin said.
While Plotkin was surrounded by famous female leaders, she said the young women attending the summit impressed her as well.
Plotkin's co-panelist, a 15-year-old Girl Up representative from Belize described starting a debate club for girls in her community. What started out as a club in her grandmother’s basement with a group of girls turned into a community center for sports and debate funded by the United Nations. The center gave participants the confidence to start raising their hands and speaking up in class.
“If I’ve learned anything in a lot of women studies classes, it’s that women often can be ignored in a meeting setting, or when they’re trying to contribute something, it can be pushed aside,” Plotkin said.
A lot of the panel conversation also revolved around empowerment — what empowerment means, what an empowered person looks like and what makes someone feel empowered. For Plotkin, the key to empowerment is education.
“Knowing your stuff and having read the literature, knowing what’s going on, being aware [and] being able to say, ‘No, I know this. I’m good at this. I can speak to it,’ is really important,” Plotkin said. “It gives you a sense of confidence that you can speak to something and have an important voice.”
On Grounds, Plotkin studies Political and Social Thought, a program she feels has greatly enriched her University experience. Through PST, Plotkin has been able to pursue ideas and issues she is passionate about, like gender, the environment and economic and racial justice.
In the future, Plotkin is thinking of pursuing a career in fundraising.
“What I like about fundraising is that, if you’re good at it, you can work in a lot of different places,” Plotkin said, “And I’m very passionate about racial, economic, gender and environmental justice.”
Five tips for studying at U.Va.
By Charlie Teague | 07/12/2019
Easy morning drinks to prepare in your dorm room
By Sadie Goodman | 07/05/2019
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Brubaker Drives "Fatale" Into A Creator-Owned Career
by Kiel Phegley
Though it's far from their first, second or even fifth project together, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' Image series "Fatale" continues to be a lynchpin title for the creators. In over a decade of creating comics together, the noirish horror mashup will likely end up being their longest single series collaboration. Last month, the title's first trade "Death Follows Me" hit stores, and just this week, issue #7 ramped up the snuff film facets of the current arc, which sees mysterious, cursed femme fatale Josephine come out of the shadows to drag a broken down actor into a world of cult intrigue.
Of course, for Brubaker "Fatale" represents a different shift beyond a new phase of his longtime collaboration with Phillips. The writer announced earlier this summer that aside from continued work on Marvel's "The Winter Soldier," the success of "Fatale" has led him to do all creator-owned comics work for the foreseeable future. Combine that with a wave of incoming Hollywood prospects like the chance to draft a screenplay adaptation of his and Phillips' "Criminal" arc "Coward" for director David Slade, and the writer's career is entering a new phase after eight years headlining superhero books like "Captain America."
CBR News spoke with Brubaker about "Fatale" #7 and his writing in general, and below, he digs into the differences his new '70s Hollywood horror story holds from the book's launch, describes some of the real-life occult crime that inspired him, announces a new run of one-shot stories that will expand "Fatale" beyond the scope originally anticipated, reacts to the massive amount of talk caused by his dedication to creator-owned comics and teases where he'll go next in comics, film, TV and beyond.
CBR News: With this week's issue #7, people are well into the second arc of "Fatale." This story is a continuation of some elements from the last story, but in other ways, it's a whole new story with a largely new set of characters. Part of that piggybacks on the fact that, like a lot of Image books, you dropped a complete trade just before this story started. But I wondered if the clean break from the '50s story to the '70s story is just how you and Sean are used to structuring things since you worked on the more loosely connected "Criminal" books?
Ed Brubaker: Partly, I wanted to figure out a way to do an epic that had many stories within it. There are threads that carry over from each arc, but I wanted each arc to take place in a different time and a different location and even be a different kind of noir story to some degree. While I stuck to most of that plan, the characters started to take over. Josephine's life got bigger and bigger because there's so much stuff that happened between these two arcs that you haven't seen yet. I've got all that written in my notebooks, and I'm trying to figure out how to dole that out properly.
With each issue that I write of "Fatale," I feel like the grand scope of the story gets bigger and bigger. We actually just decided last week that instead of doing only three arcs that tie together, there's also going to be four stand alone issues in between the second and third arcs that all take place in different time periods. Those are about Josephine and other people, and they're all linked to this story, though they're important stories on their own. So now we're going to 19 or 20 issues. [Laughs] It keeps getting bigger because my juggling so much between plot and character stuff gets harder and harder. The characters just take over, and I don't want to be forced by my own narrative structure to end it abruptly or push to a part of the story I'm not ready to be at yet.
This '70s storyline, some of the stuff that's in it is based on stuff I started researching 20 years ago, unbelievably. I had a weird obsession with Satanic cults and various multiple murderers in America. There's a lot of stuff in there that's been percolating in my head for years about weird cults and weird murders and Manson and Son of Sam -- all sorts of stuff. Some of this is based on real stuff that actually happened. I'm just changing it to make it happen to new people.
I've always viewed groups labeled as "Satanic" to be more agnostic or pagan than people who actually believed in the occult, but lately I've read some accounts of the earliest followers of Aleister Crowley in California that portrayed them as really believing in the mythology of all this. What was your impression of the people in the real world whose lives synched up with what you were doing?
Part of this is Hollywood. There was a lot of weirdness in the drug culture and sex culture of Hollywood in that era. A lot of that tied in with serial murders, and the Method Church in the book is my take on an actual religious order that was around from the '60s and into the '70s. Depending on who you listen to, Manson was a member of it, and the conspiracy that ended up resulting in the Son of Sam murders was part of their East Coast branch. There's a famous book called "The Ultimate Evil" by Terry Maury that's about the Son of Sam murders that gets into a lot of that stuff. But it also posits the theory that one of [Francis Ford] Copolla's producing partners on "The Cotton Club" was cut up into pieces and buried in the desert. [Film producer] Robert Evans had to testify at the trial, and it was apparently a coke deal gone wrong. But supposedly this guy was a collector of snuff films and was involved in Satanism.
But yeah, they call anything that's occult or weird "Satanism." I don't think it has anything to do with Satan or that anybody actually believed Satan exists. [Laughs] There's only like five people who believe that. Most of the people you meet who are supposedly Satanic, occultist people are like you say -- agnostic weirdos who don't believe in heaven or hell or Jesus or God. It's more about questioning everything. But in this version of reality I'm writing, they actually believe in demons and worship various occult things they do sacrifices to. I like that creepy version of reality for storytelling. I don't believe in God, but I'll watch the "Exorcist" any day or "The Omen." There is nothing creepier than the Anti-Christ. [Laughs] There's just something about that stuff, I guess because I was raised going to church, that has ingrained a fear in me.
So there's a certain amount of all that in this story. I'm trying to tie a lot of things together in my head as I make this story. I'm taking a lot of things I've always been fascinated with and putting them in a blender. I'm fascinated with "Rosemary's Baby" kind of stories and Lovecraft. I just wanted to figure out a way to merge those into one thing.
In this arc, our new male is B-movie actor Miles. He seems to function as almost an inverse to the men Jo met in the first arc because his life was falling apart when he met her. Her influence forces him to act in an almost more noble fashion rather than take his good life and shatter it as he fell for her. What about the era and the genre inspired that particular flip on the story?
I really liked the "down on his luck" actor type, which you can only do perfectly in a '70s noir horror story. But I wanted to do this in a different way. Part of the power of Josephine is her effect on people, and I wanted to show how that effect could bring out good in them too. She's not just a corrupting factor where people abandon their wives and change their whole lives because they're under her spell. Miles is like a scumbag out trying to score drugs, but he ends up saving his friend from getting caught after she's essentially murdered some people. They stumble into Jo's back yard, and issue #7 was basically the story of Miles falling under Jo's spell. You follow him all day as he is doing uncharacteristic things and not understanding why he's doing them. I just wanted to take a different tack with it.
But then there's also Nick [in the present], and we're going to find things out about Nick in issue #8 because it's opening is all about what happens to him after the beginning of the second arc when he realizes he's being followed by these creepy guys. And we'll also see Nick in the '70s as a little kid. We see bits and pieces of the guys from the first arc. The scope of this story and Jo's character let's you into so many worlds if you want to go there, and I love that.
It feels with each new story like we have two levels of players -- people who are involved in the occult briefly and people who are possibly immortal like Jo seems to be. There are the men with the glasses and now "Hansel" who's the seemingly immortal the master behind the whole conflict. Aren't you building the whole book around their stories too?
Yeah, that was the big reveal at the end of #7. Hansel is the reborn Bishop from the first arc. He was reborn into Hank's baby! [Laughs] He was able to take over the body of this little kid, but he has no eyes. That gets explained more in issue #8 -- what happened when Booker, the cop from the first arc, cut the Bishop's eyes out. Him losing his eyes definitely comes around in a big way. I love leaping ahead 20 years to see what's happened to that guy as the leader of this weird religious sex cult.
And will all these roads lead to Nick's predicament for the series finale?
Yeah. There will be a big modern story as Nick and Josephine meet again. He's been searching for her and getting close to her, but we won't see it until the final "Fatale" arc which will be all in modern times. Actually, I've been debating how that happens, so we'll see! [Laughs]
You recently did an interview with Tom Spurgeon at The Comics Reporter about the book where you revealed that you'll be going fully creator-owned outside "The Winter Soldier" at Marvel for the foreseeable future. And I've got to admit, I kind of assumed you were doing that anyway, so when that was big news, I felt like an idiot. [Brubaker Laughs] But it was big news! Afterwards, guys like Grant Morrison and Rob Liefeld kind of got caught in the snowball you started down the hill by declaring the same thing for their careers. What's been your impression of the response you've gotten?
I don't know. I was kind of afraid to talk about it even because I'm obviously still doing work with Marvel. They knew I was doing this. I had a long talk with [Marvel Publisher] Dan Buckley about where I was going in my career. More than anything, I've got these opportunities to write for film and TV that I've had things for years where a lot of things almost happened, but I couldn't really give my time to it because of my comics workload. So I wanted to pursue that stuff, and I was feeling kind of burnt out on writing superheroes anyway. "Fatale" being a huge hit was this great thing because it made me go, "Maybe I can just do a couple of the comics I own as half of my time, and then I can devote the rest of my work time to stuff I've been putting off for years and years." I explained all that to Dan Buckley.
And it was interesting because our interview happened right after the whole Chris Roberson thing, and everybody had been talking about these ideas. There was the scandal surrounding "Before Watchmen" and then Roberson's move, and then everybody was going "Brubaker's quitting Marvel!" I'm just ending my run on "Cap" after eight years and doing "Winter Soldier" for a while, but any new comics I do will be creator-owned. And who knows? Like Mark Millar has said in his interviews, sometimes it's fun to go back and do those other stories. Right now, my well is pretty dry on doing superhero stories. Honestly, I feel like it's been a struggle ever since my dad died. I don't know why that is. Just since then, I haven't had as big a jones for writing superheroes as I used to. When you're sitting there at someone's death bed, it starts to feel kind of ridiculous that you're writing stories about people who put on costumes and punch things to solve the world's problems. Though it's not as if doing horror stories is that much different. And I still like superhero comics. I just feel like I've written so many of them that sometimes you hit a wall where you go, "How many more stories can I do that end the same way?" [Laughs]
With stuff that's creator-owned, you can do anything you want with them. I never planned on doing superhero comics for as long as I did. I was just having a really good time and making really good living doing it. And it was really creatively fulfilling, but now I feel like the more creatively fulfilling thing I'm doing is "Fatale" and some other stuff I've got planned. I like having complete control.
I wasn't so much trying to make a huge statement as it ended up coming out as. But I'm fine with it becoming this huge thing. More people need to be reminded that you can do this. You can work for Marvel and DC to build up your name, and then you can get to the point where the audience will follow you from book to book. If you have an audience, you should take advantage of that by creating something you completely own and control. Gamble on yourself, basically. It won't always pay off, but when it does pay off, it pays for you and not somebody else.
Everyone knows you're doing more Hollywood stuff these days, some of which is adaptations of your work and some of which is original. How does that impact your comics work creatively? Will your comics be focused on doing something stranger as opposed to more realistic film projects?
I've always tried to look at everything as "If I'm trying to pitch a TV show, what's the best TV show idea I've got?" I want to make sure that any time I do a comic, it takes advantage of the fact that it's a comic. That's important. I make fun of guys for referring to their stuff as "IP." But at the same time, one of my upcoming comic book properties is a thing where I was in a meeting with some producers, and they said, "We're looking for something like this," and I thought, "Oh shit. That's exactly what my next comic is going to be." And then I was thinking, "Can I presell my next comic?" [Laughs] Is that even something that's done? But then I figured Mark Millar does it all the time!
So I try to create stuff that's meant to be what it's meant to be. I don't think Vince Gilligan was thinking "Breaking Bad" could be a great TV show and a comic and a video game at the same time. My goal is to just try and write good things for whatever medium they're in. I got to write the movie adaptation for my own book [with the "Criminal" arc "Coward"], and that's really rare to sell your property to Hollywood, attach a director to it and then work with the director to adapt the book. But I got to do that, and it was a lot of fun. The resulting movie script is probably more faithful than I expected it to be because the director and producer both wanted it to be really faithful. But at the same time, there's a lot of new stuff in there because I had the freedom to do what I wanted with my world and my characters. Whenever there was a question about what did or didn't happen in the book, I just said, "I can just write it. These are my characters. I know them inside and out."
Okay, so the nerdiest question I can ask here is, does that mean the "Coward" movie will be "in canon" with all the "Criminal" books?
[Laughs] No. No, it's its own thing for sure. That is kind of funny. There are some characters not in it and some who are. And there's new stuff that wasn't in the book, but it follows the gist of the book, basically. It was interesting to do, and I had a lot of fun doing it. But I have ideas for original screenplays too, and I've got blind deals for two TV pilots this year. Technically, that means I'll be writing two TV pilots, and one pitch is completely original while the other is based on this comic idea I've got. It's an odd situation, but I'm still trying to learn how to navigate these waters more than anything. It's a learning experience.
The biggest advantage here is that this is the best time in history to be a comic book writer transitioning into film and TV work. Everybody at the studios reads comics! It's really weird for me to walk into a meeting where there are already preexisting fans of my comics there. [Laughs] And also, they're fans of my less known comics like "Sleeper." I'll go into a place, and someone tells me they like "Sleeper," and I think, "Only 10,000 people bought that book. I guess all of them live in Hollywood!" That's a good thing.
The other good thing is that I'm not going into these meetings and worrying about whether or not somebody wants to buy my pitch. I don't really care because no matter what, I still get to write cool stories for a living. I'm not some waiter who's looking for their big break. I already get to write. That's all I do. It's a really big plus. Even if I were to sell a comic as a film or TV show, and the project is turned into a terrible movie or the TV show doesn't deliver on the concept, I still get to do the comic. That will always exist, and it's always an outlet for me. I'm not leaving comics for Hollywood by any means. I'm just taking the part of my life that used to be reserved for superhero comics and putting that time towards TV and film work instead. I still spend just as much time and even more time doing comics I own. I'm lucky as hell to have that opportunity.
I've been hemming and hawing about doing this for a few years, and I realized that if I don't do it now, I'm going to miss that time. I'd get to a point ten years from now where I'll really regret not trying to do that. But I'll always be a comics guy, and I've told Sean several times that no matter what, he and I are going to be doing comics together until we're old men.
Bringing things full circle then, whatever comics you have planned for the future I'm assuming Sean can't draw all of them. Are you looking to re-team with some of your past collaborators for more Image books, or are you looking for new artists to team with?
I can't really say. Everything's supposed to be top secret right now, and I don't want to spoil any surprises or even get people speculating. But my goal is to have two comics a month every month. One will be by me and Sean, and one will be by me and someone else. Whether that means I'll have three or four other projects that are drawn by artists not as fast as Sean or two regular books, who knows? No matter what other stuff I have going on, I should always have time to write two comics a month. I've been working in comics my whole life, so I know how much time it actually takes, and two books is a comfortable workload. I've talked to Brian K. Vaughan about this, and it's his goal too to have a couple of comics coming out while he's working on Hollywood stuff. He works really hard and puts in long hours.
But if you can get two things out every month where it's exactly what you want and no one tells you to change it? I can't imagine what my life would be like if I hadn't met Sean way back when DC put us on "Gotham Noir." Forming that partnership means that pretty much ten times a year for the past 12 years, I've had a comic come out that's exactly what I want it to be every time. No work-for-hire stuff that I've ever done is like that. [Steve] Epting and I did some issues of "Cap" together that were absolutely perfect -- exactly what I wanted them to be. But there's always a fill-in arc here or there or advertising inserted in that you'd rather not have in your comic.
But while there's always something coming out from me and Sean, there's always a comic and a package I'm completely happy with. I like the paper and the design and the price point. I'm such a fetishist about print. [Laughs] But now I'm at the point where I'm old enough and where I've done enough writing that I only want to write the things I want to write. I've even turned down screenwriting gigs here that paid well, but I thought about it and said, "Do I really want to write this thing for two month? No. Something else will come up that's more in my wheelhouse."
I think a lot of that has to do with how long I worked on work-for-hire comics. Now I don't necessarily need the money. And than you, Marvel and DC, for that! [Laughs] They did help me build up my name, and keeping the "Criminal" and "Incognito" books in print through Icon has let me be really choosey in my midlife crisis of wanting to change my career around.
"Fatale" #7 is on sale this week from Image Comics. Stay tuned to CBR next week for more on Brubaker's last superhero ongoing: "The Winter Solider."
Tags: image comics, ed brubaker, sean phillips, winter soldier, fatale
Kieron Gillen & Dan Mora’s Once & Future Trailer Sets Up the Series' Story
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Intel Core vs AMD Fusion: Which Processor Should Power Your Next Laptop?
Computer Hardware / By M.S. Smith / Computer Processing, Graphics & Memory: Troubleshooting Tips, Tutorials & Reviews Of CPU & Memory To Help You Get the Most From Your Computer
The Title Fight
Since the release of the first-gen Core processors, Intel has had a strong hold on the mainstream laptop market. Although some laptops with AMD Athlon and Phenom based parts exist, they're relatively rare, and have to sell at low prices to justify themselves next to Intel's faster, more power-efficient processors.
Now, however, there's a new challenger. The AMD Fusion A-Series of APUs take the K10 processor architecture and pair it with Radeon graphics to create a formidable APU. How does this Intel Core vs. AMD Fusion A-Series fight play out? Let's have a look by considering different segments of the laptop market.
Budget Laptops – $499 and Below
The budget laptop space is extremely competitive for processors. In this price range you have not only the netbook processors from Intel and AMD but also a number of older processors that are now being re-sold at low prices for budget systems. It's still in rare cases possible to find laptops under $499 with Intel's Core 2 Architecture or AMD Turion branding.
For the most part, AMD intends this portion of the market to be addressed by its AMD Fusion E-Series products. However, the AMD A4 processors are intended to fit into this price bracket (just barely) to compete with Core i3 and Pentium branded systems from Intel. The A4 is a dual-core part, and the Radeon GPU integrated into the APU will have 240 Radeon cores clocked at 444 MHz.
The performance of this part will no doubt lag any second-gen Intel Core i3, but from what I've seen of the market so far, it's rare to find laptops with second-gen Core processors at $499 or under. You'll more likely be looking at first-gen Core i3/i5 processors and other Nehalem architecture parts slapped with the Pentium brand name. These parts will have better processor performance than AMD Fusion A4 components, but the difference is unlikely to be night-and-day.
The Radeon in the A4 is significantly slower than the one in the top-end A8 models, but it's still respectable and should be on par with the Intel HD 3000 graphics found on second-gen Core i3 processors. But as mentioned, you won't generally find those in laptops selling under $499. Instead the competition will be older processors most likely using the original Intel HD IGP, which offers about half the performance.
Overall, the A4 looks to be very competitive in this price range. The processor performance will be only slightly worse than Intel competitors, and the GPU performance will be much better.
The Mid-Range – $500 to $699
The mid-range market of $500 to $700 is important, as it's where most laptops are sold. Over the last five years the average transaction price of a laptop has typically hovered around $600.
AMD will be deploying all three of its A-series lines into this market – the A4, A6 and A8. We already talked about the A4, so let's address the other two.
The A6 is a quad-core CPU with a GPU that features 320 Radeon cores clocked at 400 MHz, while the A8 is a quad-core CPU with a GPU that features 400 Radeon cores clocked at 444 MHz. The A6 targets the Core i3 and is built for systems with a minimum MSRP of $599, while the A8 is built to match up against the Core i5/i7 and is aimed for systems with a minimum MSRP of $699.
This fight is a tough one for the A-series processors, and becomes tougher as the price increases. At the low end of this bracket we'll still be seeing the A4 combating older Intel architectures, which it should do well. The A6 will have its work cut out against the second-gen Core i3, however, as the Core i3 has far better processor performance. The A6 will offer a better GPU, but it's not clear if it will be good enough to make up for the slacking CPU. This is complicated by the fact that some laptops with second-gen Intel Core i5 processors are beginning to filter in just under $599.
Laptops with the A8 will just barely fit into this price range and will compete against Intel's Core i5. Despite having twice the number of cores, the A8's processor performance significantly lags the Core i5. However, the 400 Radeon cores provide impressive gaming performance, generally exceeding that of Intel's HD 3000 by 20% to 40% and sometimes more. The Radeon also has better driver support. Low-end Fusion A8 powered laptops will no doubt be popular among casual gamers.
High-End Laptops: $700 And Above
Once you start to look above $700 you're entering the realm of high-end laptops that almost always have quad-core processors (with the exception of ultraportables). In this market the AMD will be using the AMD A8 to compete with Intel's Core i7, as well as those laptops closer to $700 that offer the Intel Core i5.
The performance gap between Intel's second-gen Core processors only widens as the price gap becomes larger. An Intel Core i7 will thoroughly cream the A8, sometimes 2 or 3 times over. Indeed, the A8 often struggles to keep up with dual-core Intel Core i5 processors. Given this, it's unlikely we'll see many A8s in laptops close to $1000. They simply won't be competitive.
However, the A8's fully loaded Radeon GPU is quite powerful and perfectly adequate for casual gamers. It will likely be paired frequently with an additional discrete Radeon GPU to provide even better performance. AMD refers to this as "dual graphics" and will be using this strategy to provide excellent GPU performance to high-end laptops without dinging battery life, as the separate discrete GPU can be turned off when it's unneeded.
Indeed, battery life may end up being the main draw of the AMD A-Series in high-end systems. So long as the battery isn't skimped on by the laptop manufacturer, most will be capable of 5 hours of battery life in light use. That's quite good for a quad-core with excellent integrated graphics and potentially discrete graphics as well.
The Fusion A-Series isn't going to suddenly spring AMD into dominance, no matter how good it is. The truth is that AMD could sell every processor it makes as soon as it leaves the fabrication facility and still barely put a dent in Intel's market share.
With that said, however, the A-Series is competitive. The A4 and A6 processors are great choices for laptops under $600 dollars, particularly for buyers who want to do some casual gaming while also enjoying excellent battery life. If choosing between an Intel Core i3 vs AMD's Fusion A4/A6, you will likely be better with the A4/A6 unless you have a specific need for superior CPU performance.
As prices increase and Intel's processors become more powerful, the A-series runs up against stiffer competition. The $600-$700 price range is difficult, as the Fusion A6 is put up against the Intel Core i5, which has much better processor performance. The A8 is also at a huge CPU performance disadvantage, but its quick Radeon IGP is a legitimate reason to buy it rather than a Core i5/i7 system. For reference, the AMD A8 offers GPU performance almost on par with the first generation of Alienware M11x laptops, and the battery life is similar as well. The difference, however, is that you can now obtain that same performance in a larger chassis for just $700.
PC Perspective: AMD A-Series Llano APUs Notebook Platform Review
Author Experience
All images are from manufactuer press materials
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Victoria County History - Gloucestershire
A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 11, Bisley and Longtree Hundreds
Minchinhampton: Manors and other estates
A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 11, Bisley and Longtree Hundreds. Originally published by Victoria County History, London, 1976.
MANORS AND OTHER ESTATES.
The manor of MINCHINHAMPTON, comprising 8 hides and including Rodborough, was held before the Conquest by Goda (fn. 1) (or Godgifu), sister of Edward the Confessor and wife of Eustace, count of Boulogne. (fn. 2) In 1082 King William and Queen Maud granted it to the nuns of Caen Abbey in Normandy. (fn. 3) The manor, together with Avening which descended with it until the early 19th century, was apparently held at farm by Simon of Felstead for a period in the early 12th century, (fn. 4) and later it was farmed by Simon's son William, who quitclaimed his rights to the abbey in 1192. (fn. 5) For most of the 14th century the manor was forfeit because of the war with France and was held under the Crown by a succession of farmers or custodians, and it passed irrevocably to the Crown by the Act of 1414. In 1324 after a short period of forfeiture the manor was restored to Caen Abbey's proctors for a fine of £200 (fn. 6) but in 1341 it was in the custody of Maud de Burgh, countess of Ulster. (fn. 7) Later it was granted to Thomas of Woodstock, duke of Gloucester, who made a 7-year lease to Philip Rodborough and John Craft in 1390. (fn. 8) In 1397 after the expiry of the lease and Thomas's death the Crown granted the manor to Andrew Haake and his wife Blanche at a farm of £80, (fn. 9) and in 1399 it was granted at farm to Hugh Waterton and his wife Catherine. (fn. 10) Catherine, as a widow, retained possession in 1411 (fn. 11) but in 1413 the manor was granted at an increased farm to Catherine, widow of John Bromwich, who soon afterwards married Roger Leech and died in 1420. (fn. 12) It then passed, under a reversionary grant of 1414, to Alice, widow of John Phillips, (fn. 13) who married secondly Thomas Montague, earl of Salisbury (d. 1428), and thirdly William de la Pole, earl (later duke) of Suffolk (d. 1450); (fn. 14) Alice retained the manor until her death in 1475. (fn. 15) The rent paid by the farmers of the manor was settled on Queen Joan (d. 1437) in 1409, (fn. 16) and in 1424 Henry V granted the reversion of the farm rent and the reversion of the manor itself to his foundation Syon Abbey (Mdx.). (fn. 17) The abbey evidently took possession of the manor on the duchess of Suffolk's death and retained it until the Dissolution. (fn. 18)
In 1542 Henry VIII granted the manor to Andrew Windsor, Lord Windsor (d. 1543), who was compelled to surrender to the king his manor of Stanwell (Mdx.), (fn. 19) and it passed in direct line to Sir William Windsor (d. 1558), (fn. 20) Sir Edward (d. 1575), and Frederick (fn. 21) (d. 1585). Frederick was succeeded by his brother Henry (d. 1605), whose son Thomas (d. 1641) settled the manor on his nephew Thomas Windsor Hickman on condition that he took the surname Windsor. (fn. 22) The younger Thomas sold the manor in 1656 to Philip Sheppard (fn. 23) (d. 1713), (fn. 24) from whom it passed in direct line to Samuel (d. 1724), Samuel (d. by 1754), (fn. 25) and Samuel (d. 1770). The last Samuel was succeeded in the manor by his brother Edward but a considerable estate in Minchinhampton and Avening had been settled on Samuel's marriage in 1747 and was retained by his widow Jane; the four daughters of the marriage, Jane (who married Francis Boughton), Ann, Sarah, and Mary, made a partition of their reversionary right to the estate in 1784. (fn. 26) Edward Sheppard (d. 1803) was succeeded in the manor by his son Philip, whose extravagance led to the piecemeal selling of parts of the estate and some of the manorial assets. (fn. 27) Finally, in 1814, Philip sold the manor to David Ricardo, (fn. 28) the political economist. Ricardo devised it on his death in 1823 to his second son David, (fn. 29) whose estate in the parish covered 1,709 a. in 1839, by which time most of the property alienated by Philip Sheppard had been bought back. (fn. 30) The younger David was M.P. for Stroud 1832-3 and chairman of the board of guardians of the Stroud union until 1856, (fn. 31) and, like all the Ricardos, he took an active and beneficial interest in the affairs of the parish. On his death in 1864 he was succeeded by his son Henry David (d. 1873), after whose death trustees held the manor until the coming of age of his son Henry George in 1881. The younger Henry, who followed a military career, held the estate until a year or two before his death in 1940, (fn. 32) when he sold it to Samuel Courtauld (d. 1947), who was succeeded by his son-in-law, the politician R. A. Butler, later Lord Butler of Saffron Walden. Lord Butler retained the estate in 1973 when it comprised c. 530 a. of farm-land and c. 270 a. of woodland. (fn. 33)
The ancient manor-house of Minchinhampton stood west of the church with a well-wooded park on its north and west sides. At the beginning of the 14th century it had fairly extensive farm buildings including a cattleshed, dairy, wool-house, granary, and grange, (fn. 34) and in 1450 a chapel and a gatehouse with a chamber over were also mentioned. (fn. 35) In the early 18th century it was a gabled house in traditional style with a formal garden on the north side and a farmyard and buildings, including a circular dovecot, on the south. Philip Sheppard made it his residence (fn. 36) and his descendants lived there or at Avening (fn. 37) until the 1770s when a new house was built at Gatcombe Park in the south part of the parish. The old manorhouse, then known as Hampton Park but formerly called the Farm, with its park and other lands was sold by Philip Sheppard to Richard Harris in 1809. Harris, originally of Bourne but later of Wood House in Minchinhampton, built up a considerable estate in the parish at that period but he later became heavily mortgaged (fn. 38) and sold the Hampton Park estate back to the owner of the manor, David Ricardo, in 1830. Some years previously William Whitehead had contracted to buy the property and, although the transaction was uncompleted at the time of his bankruptcy in 1827, (fn. 39) he is said to have demolished the house and begun the foundations of an extensive new residence. The site was later occupied by the school. (fn. 40)
The house at Gatcombe Park, for which Francis Franklin of Chalford was the mason-in-charge and possibly the designer, was begun by Edward Sheppard in 1771 (fn. 41) and he was living there by 1774. (fn. 42) It was a simple rectangular block with a central entrance hall and staircase, to which bow-fronted wings were added by Basevi for David Ricardo c. 1820. At the same period a curved iron conservatory was added on the west, joining the house to a summer-house, and stable buildings around an oval yard were built to the east. (fn. 43)
Among several estates whose owners held from the chief manor by the service of helping to carry Caen Abbey's money to Southampton, (fn. 44) was one anciently called the manor of SEINCKLEY or SEYNTCLEY, a name later corrupted to St. Loe or St. Chloe. It was held in 1273 and 1294 by John of Seyntcley (fn. 45) but c. 1300, when it comprised 1½ yardland and 2½ a., it belonged to Miles of Rodborough. (fn. 46) Miles's son Thomas forfeited the estate by involvement in the rebellion of 1322. (fn. 47) An estate, described as a house and yardland at Seinckley, belonged to Maurice, Lord Berkeley, at his death in 1368 (fn. 48) and was held in dower by his widow Elizabeth (d. 1389), reverting to their son Thomas, (fn. 49) Lord Berkeley (d. 1417). The estate passed to Thomas's nephew James (d. 1463), whose son William, Lord Berkeley, held it in 1470. (fn. 50) Antony Wye with Guy Hill and Susan his wife were dealing with the manor of Seinckley in 1573, (fn. 51) and in 1605 it belonged to James Dunning. (fn. 52) In the later 17th century it passed to Nathaniel Ridler of Edgeworth and in 1698 the estate, comprising St. Loe's House and 44 a., was bought from him by the trustees of Nathaniel Cambridge for the purposes of a charity school. (fn. 53) The house remained a school until 1908, (fn. 54) and from then until 1940 was tenanted by H. A. Payne, a stained glass painter. (fn. 55) In 1973 it was owned and occupied by Mr. J. F. Swatton.
The medieval house at St. Loe's appears to have been built around two courtyards, separated by a range of buildings which may have included the hall but of which only one wall survives. On the lower, western court there survives a two storeyed, late14th-century range on the north, and a long range, probably 15th-century, on the west. The eastern court is surrounded by a high wall, considerably reconstructed, with a late medieval gateway in the south-east corner, but there is no surviving evidence of buildings. In the earlier 17th century a new range, incorporating some old materials, was built on the south side of the lower court, and at the end of that century the conversion of the north range for use as the schoolroom involved the removal of the upper floor, the insertion of tall windows in its north wall, the reconstruction of its roof, and the placing of a bell over the east end. Early in the 18th century the west range was remodelled with new windows and floors and a reconstructed roof, incorporating the main timbers of its medieval predecessor; at the same period a new staircase was built in the angle of the west and south ranges. Twentieth-century restoration revealed an original staircase and a probable garderobe in the north range.
Another small manor, called DELAMERES or LAMBERDES, may have represented lands in Minchinhampton in which Malmesbury Abbey claimed rights c. 1234, (fn. 56) for it carried a rent of 40s. to the abbey in 1292. (fn. 57) The estate apparently included only the house and ½ yardland which Richard Syred granted to Robert de la Mare in 1259 (fn. 58) but by the end of that century ½ hide at Hyde had been added to it. (fn. 59) It descended with the de la Mares' Cherington manor until 1410 (fn. 60) when William Roach was succeeded by her infant grandson John Baynton. (fn. 61) The estate later passed to Robert Baynton on whose attainder in 1471 it was taken by the Crown (fn. 62) which granted it to John Cheyne in 1475. (fn. 63) In 1485 Delameres was being farmed by William Gyan, rector of Minchinhampton, when George Neville had a grant of the reversion. (fn. 64) The later descent of the estate has not been traced but tradition associates it with the house called the Lammas, south-west of the main cross-roads in Minchinhampton town. (fn. 65) That house belonged in the later 18th century to Nathaniel Perks, who was succeeded before 1787 by Mary and Elizabeth Pinfold. (fn. 66) They devised it to William Cockin, rector of Minchinhampton (d. 1841), and Cockin's heir sold it in 1876 to C. R. Bayries. (fn. 67) Cockin appears to have rebuilt the house, a large villa standing in extensive pleasure grounds, soon after he came into possession of the estate.
One of the estates which owed the money-carrying service to Caen Abbey was held c. 1300 by Alan of Forwood when it comprised 3 yardlands, (fn. 68) and it later passed to William of Forwood (d. c. 1333). (fn. 69) It was apparently that estate which John Craft held in the later 14th century, passing by 1438 to the chantry of St. Mary, (fn. 70) among possessions of which in 1548 was a house called Forwood with 100 a. land. (fn. 71) It may have been either of two estates later bearing the name.
An estate, comprising FORWOOD FARM and 130 a., belonged to Thomas Elkington, a London merchant, in 1637 (fn. 72) and after his death was partitioned among his daughters, of whom Sarah and her husband William Plumley of Ratcliffe (Mdx.), mariner, held a fourth part in 1663. In 1696 Sarah, by then widowed, sold out to the mortgagee Nathaniel Owen of Sevenoaks (Kent), mercer, who appears to also have acquired the other shares in the property. Nathaniel died in 1705, leaving Forwood farm to his widow Elizabeth with reversion to his son Salem, and in 1710 Salem and Elizabeth sold the estate, then comprising the house and 113 a., to John Barnfield, clothier of Minchinhampton, (d. 1714 or 1715). John was succeeded by his son Samuel, who was in business as a clothier at Trowbridge in 1737 when he sold the equity of redemption to the mortgagee, John Purnell of Dursley. John Purnell, apparently the same man, retained the estate in 1782 but was dead by 1784, being succeeded by his son William who sold it that year to Edward Tugwell, a Tetbury wool-stapler. The estate passed to Edward's son John (d. 1790) and then to his daughter Elizabeth who with her husband, the Revd. Joseph Williams of Wickwar, owned it in 1807. In that year she contracted for its sale to Peter Playne, who took possession then although the transaction was not completed until 1815 pending the majority of her children. (fn. 73) Peter's brother George Playne (fn. 74) was occupying the house by 1808, (fn. 75) and in 1839 he owned the house with 29 a. and was working a brewery there. (fn. 76) George died in 1847 (fn. 77) and was succeeded by another George Playne (d. c. 1870). (fn. 78) Fitzarthur Henry Playne owned Forwood Farm in 1897. (fn. 79) The house, which is of the 17th century with 19thcentury additions, was in two occupations in 1973.
An estate of 101 a., including FORWOOD HOUSE and another house near by called Colthrops, was granted by the lord of Minchinhampton manor to Francis Manning, a butcher, in 1651. (fn. 80) In 1684 his son Francis Manning, clothier, (fn. 81) settled the two houses and part of the lands on his marriage to Sarah Showering, who apparently survived him. In 1724 Francis's daughter Martha and Thomas Hathway, who had married her sister Anna and held by right of his infant daughter Hester, agreed to partition the property until Hester's majority, and in 1737 Hester's moiety was settled on her marriage to James Chambers. (fn. 82) Martha later married Luke Showering of Bristol and in 1748 their daughter Sarah agreed that James and Hester should have the chief house and the bulk of the lands. (fn. 83) James died in 1787 and was succeeded by his son Thomas Chambers (fn. 84) who settled the estate on the marriage of his son James in 1802. (fn. 85) By 1839 an estate of 105 a. at Forwood belonged to Francis Chambers (fn. 86) (d. 1850). The estate passed with Thrupp House, Stroud, where the family afterwards resided, to W. C. Chambers who apparently sold it c. 1895. (fn. 87) Forwood House became detached from the estate in the early 19th century, apparently in 1827 when Francis Chambers conveyed it to James C. Chambers, (fn. 88) and subsequently it passed through various owners. In 1948 it was bought by Sir Robert Ricketts, Bt., a solicitor, who owned it in 1973. (fn. 89) The original small 17th-century house was extended to the north in the mid 18th century and provided with a central pediment and new window-surrounds to create a symmetrical eastern elevation. The symmetry was destroyed by alterations at the north end in the early 19th century, and a verandah was added to the main front in the middle of the century. Considerable alterations were made to the service quarters in the mid 20th century.
In 1438 John Hampton, senior, and John Hampton, junior, held property from Minchinhampton manor (fn. 90) and a John Hampton owned an estate comprising 20 tenements in Minchinhampton, Avening, and Frampton Mansell at his death c. 1461. Provision was made out of the estate for his widow Ellen but he was apparently succeeded by his daughter Alice (fn. 91) who was in possession of the estate in 1507 when it was claimed to be a manor. (fn. 92) At or before her death in 1516 she granted her estate to Syon Abbey, which she herself entered as a lay sister, (fn. 93) and it was absorbed in the chief manor.
1. Dom. Bk. (Rec. Com.), i. 166v.
2. Trans. B.G.A.S. xl. 57.
3. Cal. Doc. France, ed. Round, p. 141.
4. Glos. R.O., MF 339/5, f. 53; cf. ibid. f. 43v.
6. S.C. 6/1125/15.
7. Inq. Non. (Rec. Com.), 407; cf. Cal. Pat. 1345-8, 470.
8. Cal. Pat. 1396-9, 464.
9. Cal. Fine R. 1391-9, 246, 261.
10. Ibid. 1399-1405, 14.
11. Inq. p.m. Glos. 1359-1413, 262.
12. Cal. Fine R. 1413-22, 43; C 138/244 no. 94.
13. Cal. Pat. 1413-16, 257; C 138/244 no. 42.
14. Complete Peerage, xii (1), 446-7.
15. Cal. Pat. 1467-77, 65; Complete Peerage, xii (1), 448.
16. Cal. Pat. 1408-13, 87; 1413-16, 166.
17. Ibid. 1422-9, 205-7, which says that Cath. Bromwich still holds the man. and does not mention Alice's right; but in 1444 the abbey had another grant of the reversion from after Alice's death: ibid. 1441-6, 272.
18. S.C. 6/Hen. VIII/2396 rot. 142.
19. L. & P. Hen. VIII, xvii, p. 167; for the Windsors, see Complete Peerage, xii (2), 792-800.
20. C 142/173 no. 68.
23. Glos. R.O., D 131/T 14, deed of 1718; cf. Atkyns, Glos. 452, who says, however, that Philip's father Samuel was the purchaser.
24. For the Sheppards, see Visit. Glos. 1682-3, 167-8.
25. Glos. R.O., D 131/T 14.
26. Ibid. T 13.
27. Playne, Minch. and Avening, 41; Glos. R.O., D 1812, Ricardo fam.
29. For the Ricardos, see Burke, Land. Gent. (1937), 1912.
30. G.D.R., T 1/120.
31. Williams, Parl. Hist. of Glos. 224.
32. Kelly's Dir. Glos. (1870 and later edns.); inscr. to H. G. Ricardo in ch.
33. Ex inf. Lord Butler.
34. S.C. 6/856/15, 17.
35. S.C. 6/857/9.
36. Atkyns, Glos. plate at pp. 452-3; Bigland, Glos. ii. 5, records a tradition that another house, at the centre of the town, had been used as a residence by the Windsors.
37. Glos. R.O., D 131/T 13-14.
38. Ibid. D 1812, Ricardo fam.; cf. ibid. D 182/III/143.
39. Ibid. D 1812, Ricardo fam., deed of 1830.
40. Playne, Minch. and Avening, 43.
41. Glouc. Jnl. 22 July 1771; cf. Glos. R.O., D 131/T 14, deed of 1814.
42. Glos. R.O., D 1812, Ricardo fam., records of presentations to Minch. rectory.
43. Colvin, Biog. Dict. Eng. Architects, 64; Delineations of Glos., plate facing p. 42.
44. Trans. B.G.A.S. liv. 220-1.
47. S.C. 6/1145/15.
48. Cal. Inq. p.m. xii, pp. 194-5.
49. Berkeley MSS. i. 373-4; ii. 17.
50. Burke, Peerage (1959), 207; S.C. 2/175/88.
51. C.P. 25(2)/142/1814 no. 11.
52. C.P. 25(2)/297/3 Jas. I Trin. no. 1; cf. Inq. p.m. Glos. 1625-42, iii. 20.
53. Glos. R.O., D 2219/5/1.
54. See p. 205.
55. Inscr. on stained glass window at the house.
56. Cur. Reg. R. xv, p. 237.
57. Cal. Inq. p.m. iii, p. 30.
58. C.P. 25(1)/74/24 no. 534.
59. Trans. B.G.A.S. liv. 310.
61. Inq. p.m. Glos. 1359-1413, 261-2.
63. Cal. Pat. 1467-77, 534.
64. Ibid. 1476-85, 550.
65. Playne, Minch. and Avening, 117. The identification appears to be supported by the description of Delameres manor in 1475 as by the spring of Minchinhampton, for the Lammas is not far from the old town water supply in Well Hill: Cal. Pat. 1467-77, 534.
66. Taylor, Map of Glos. (1777); Glos. R.O., P 217/VE 2/1.
67. Playne, Minch. and Avening, 79, 117; and inscr. to Cockin in ch.
69. S.C. 2/175/85.
70. S.C. 11/239, 241; cf. Hockaday Abs. cclxxxiii, 1548, where John is given with Wm. of Prestbury as joint founder of the chantry.
71. Cal. Pat. 1548-9, 54.
72. Glos. R.O., D 2957/205.8.
73. Ibid. D 1265, Playne fam., deeds of Forwood Fm. 1663-1815.
74. For the relationship, see ibid. Minch. and Avening deeds 1605-1845, will of Wm. Playne 1819.
75. Ibid. Minch. deeds 1790-1821.
77. Tombstone in churchyard.
78. Kelly's Dir. Glos. (1856), 328; Glos. R.O., P 217/VE 2/4, entry for 1870.
79. Glos. Colln. RX 205.3.
80. Glos. R.O., D 1198/1.
81. Ibid. D 1705.
82. Ibid. D 1756/1.
84. Glouc. Jnl. 23 Apr. 1787; Glos. R.O., D 1157, Clutterbuck fam., deeds of Forwood and Nether Lypiatt 1649-1801.
87. See p. 115; Kelly's Dir. Glos. (1870 and later edns.).
88. Sched. of deeds, penes Sir Rob. Ricketts, of Forwood House; cf. G.D.R., T 1/120.
89. Ex inf. Sir Rob. Ricketts.
90. S.C. 11/241.
91. S.C. 11/242, a rental of John's est. drawn up in 1462 or 1463 by Wm. Hampton, alderman of London. Trans. B.G.A.S. liv. 340, states that Wm. succeeded John and was himself succeeded after 1472 by his brother, another John Hampton, who was father of Alice; but the Hampton brass in Minch. ch. shows Alice to have been the daughter of John and Ellen Hampton.
93. Playne, Minch. and Avening, 69; cf. S.C. 6/Hen. VIII/1176.
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Peoplenet Products
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Peoplenet Workforce Solutions
Perfecting workforce technologies is not your job. It’s ours.
Bullhorn Peoplenet delivers cloud-based time and attendance solutions built for managing today’s workforce. Whether you are a staffing company, buyer of staffing services, or looking to gain better visibility into your total workforce, Bullhorn Peoplenet is here to help.
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Why Bullhorn Peoplenet
We know workforce technology. With more than 350 leading staffing agencies and companies as our clients, we have the knowledge and expertise to solve all your time management needs. Why do so many companies trust Bullhorn Peoplenet? Because you won’t find another workforce management technology company that works harder for you.
Your most valuable asset and our passion. Our solutions will help you capture and approve time with ease.
Managing your workers’ attendance in our application gives you the opportunity to reward and encourage good performance.
Our Expense tools are designed to make it simple and fast to enter, approve and manage expenses, all within a single interface.
Bullhorn Peoplenet offers flexible scheduling options to fit a range of work environments. We make it easy for you to manage your workforce.
Our time management console gives you a real-time view into your workforce and allows you to make informed decisions.
All of our solutions can be integrated easily with your current technology platforms, allowing you to pay your workers and bill your clients with ease.
Collect Time and Expenses
Every business has unique needs…Bullhorn Peoplenet provides flexible capture for time and expense
Time Clocks + Mobile Punch
For companies that require time clocks, Bullhorn Peoplenet offers a variety of options to fit any requirement or budget – from traditional clocks to our new Mobile Clock solutions. Our time clocks are designed to fit the needs of the staffing industry and their clients. Easy to buy or rent, mount and connect, Bullhorn Peoplenet time clocks make time capture easy for you, too.
For companies that require time or expense entry via the web, Bullhorn Peoplenet offers a responsive mobile-enabled website allowing employees to access their online time sheet via their desktop, tablet or mobile device. By providing access via any device, you can rest assured that time is captured accurately and quickly in any environment.
For companies that want to connect to a VMS (Vendor Management System), Bullhorn Peoplenet has created a system to better capture time from VMS platforms. Bullhorn Peoplenet Exchange can connect any VMS to our database, so that importing and exporting time and information between the VMS and yours becomes a quicker and simpler task.
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After time and expense data is collected, manage your workforce with key features
Time & Expense Approvals
We don’t have to explain how frustrating timesheet approvals can be. When we speak with customers evaluating our software, many of them report that less than 50% of their clients approve time in a timely manner. You can improve this statistic for your business with an approvals system that has been designed to rectify this situation by accommodating for the behavioral nuances of clients and contractors. We offer fully email-driven timesheet approvals and modifications, temporary/backup approver designation, and a comprehensive management dashboard. Customers using our T&E software report weekly approval compliance at greater than 90% on average. Approvals have never been this easy.
Time Management & Interpretation
When staffing firms do business across multiple industries and in various regions, their resulting time management and interpretation needs become extremely complex. These firms need support for flexible overtime rules, shift differentials, overnight shifts, configurable workdays, absentee/tardiness tracking, lunch/break interpretation, and other nuanced time-tracking requirements. Our system delivers this functionality, all administered from a centralized management console that provides a single location to manage time and expense processing for your entire business.
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As the world of work has evolved so has the technology that enables it. An integral part of solving the equation is building strong partnerships with technology companies to ensure that you, the customer, receive the best experience within your unique and chosen technology environment. Peoplenet partners and integrates with many of the top staffing software companies in the world. Find yours below.
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Bullhorn is the global leader in software for the staffing industry. More than 10,000 companies rely on Bullhorn’s cloud-based platform to power their staffing processes from start to finish. Headquartered in Boston, with offices around the world, Bullhorn is founder-led and employs more than 950 people globally. To learn more, visit www.bullhorn.com or follow @bullhorn on Twitter.
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Executive Vice President of Enterprise and Salesforce
Ryan Murphy is the Executive Vice President of Enterprise and Salesforce. He began his 10-year career at Bullhorn as a finance and sales intern, affording him a 360-degree view of the software-as-a-service industry and Bullhorn’s business model. Prior to his current role, Ryan served as an Enterprise Account Executive where he honed his customer-first leadership style and championed Bullhorn’s offerings to its most strategic clients. Today, Murphy is charged with leading the enterprise strategy and go to market for both Bullhorn and Bullhorn for Salesforce, enabling customers to maximize their investments on both platforms and deliver an incredible experience to their customers and candidates. Ryan has a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Boston University.
Matt Fischer
President and Chief Technology Officer
As President and CTO, Matt leads Bullhorn’s architectural, technical, and software design and development efforts. He also directs the product management team’s work defining product strategy, and global customer support and success. Since joining Bullhorn in 2004, Matt has held a variety of leadership positions managing the growth of various technical and services teams, including Vice President of Professional Services. Prior to Bullhorn, Matt worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers, specializing in systems process assurance for such companies as Fidelity and State Street Global Advisors. Matt holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Boston University’s School of Management.
SVP, Customer Success
As the Senior Vice President of Customer Success, Tamsyn leads Bullhorn’s Services and Customer Success teams. She is responsible for the successful delivery of all products and services globally and is committed to creating and maintaining incredible long-term customer experiences in the Candidate to Cash process. Tamsyn has been delivering implementations for over 25 years with companies such as SAP, Ariba, Zuora and Apttus: specializing in HR, Payroll, Procurement and Quote To Cash capability. She trained as a software engineer after studying Maths, Statistics, and Computing in England.
J.R. Stricker
SVP, Client Services & Support
As Senior Vice President of Services and Support, J.R. leads global client services, professional services, and support for all Bullhorn product lines. J.R. directs both the company’s customer service and professional service efforts around the world, engaging customers throughout all points in the customer journey, both proactively and retroactively, and delivering incredible customer experiences via transactional interactions and client engagements. He brings a broad range of customer service leadership skills and experience to the company, spanning performance management, employee and leadership development, organizational design, and strategy, all of which align to a focus on driving an incredible customer experience. Prior to joining Bullhorn, J.R. led call center optimization efforts for AT&T Mobility, directing the call center strategy for more than 100 contact centers. J.R. has spent 20 years working in the contact center space and held a number of key leadership roles prior to joining Bullhorn.
Art Papas
Art Papas is the Founder and CEO of Bullhorn, Inc, the global leader in software for the staffing & recruitment industry. Art was the original architect of Bullhorn’s flagship Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, which now helps more than 8,000 companies around the world run their businesses. Art is the Chairman of the Board at Career Collaborative, an organization that teaches unemployed and underemployed adults how to build careers that change lives and strengthen families. In 2014, Ernst & Young named Art an EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award Winner in New England. Prior to starting Bullhorn, Art started his career as a software engineer at Thomson Reuters. Art is a graduate of Tufts University, holding a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics.
SVP, Workforce & Revenue Cloud
As Bullhorn’s SVP of Workforce & Revenue Cloud, Ed drives the company’s middle office strategy and overall product offering. Ed joined Bullhorn as part of the Peoplenet acquisition where he spent 7 years as the President/CEO leading up to the acquisition in late 2017. Prior to joining the Bullhorn family, Ed has spent his career designing, building and managing technology solutions for numerous Fortune 500 companies. He has been a Partner in an ERP-focused consulting firm, a CIO for a global pharmaceutical company, a supply-chain leader for a retail company and the leader of a services company from its inception to $50MM in revenue. Ed was born in Florida but has spent the last 20+ years in Atlanta, GA. Ed loves to play golf, tennis and basketball and occasionally gets out kite boarding when the wind is just right.
Ed holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology and an MBA from Goizueta Business School at Emory University.
Jonathan Novich
Vice President of Product
Jonathan Novich is Vice President, Product for Bullhorn, the global leader in CRM and operations software for the recruitment industry. A staffing technology innovator, he has developed broad and deep product and technical experience consulting to staffing firms over the past 15 years. Jonathan has acted as an independent consultant for some of the largest staffing companies in the world and advised companies on acquisition targets.
At Bullhorn, he oversees product initiatives as more than 7,000 staffing companies rely on Bullhorn’s cloud-based platform to drive sales, build relationships, and power their recruitment processes from end to end. He graduated with honors from Princeton University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Engineering in Computer Science and a certificate in Operations Research.
Brian Sylvester
Brian Sylvester is Bullhorn’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) with more than 15 years of financial leadership experience. Brian leads Bullhorn’s financial, accounting, and legal functions. Prior to becoming CFO, Brian spent three years at Bullhorn in various finance & accounting roles. Prior to Bullhorn, Brian was Corporate Controller at Pegasystems, a global provider of business process management software where he scaled the finance organization during a period of 2.5x revenue growth. Brian began his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers in their technology audit practice.
Brian is a CPA in Massachusetts, has a Master’s of Science in Accounting from Boston College and a Bachelor’s of Science in Accounting from Bryant University.
Nina Eigerman
VP of Alliances and Business Development
Nina Eigerman is Bullhorn’s VP of Alliances and Business Development, responsible for the company’s technology and services partnerships. Prior to joining Bullhorn, Nina ran the Business Services practice at G2 Capital Advisors, helping agencies and their providers with capital market transactions. Earlier in her career, she was the President of Aquent Solutions and a consultant with McKinsey & Company. She also ran a full desk at a-connect, a global strategic staffing firm. Nina has a Bachelor of Arts from Harvard College and graduated from the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Peter oversees Bullhorn’s international operations across EMEA and APAC in his role as Executive Vice President of Corporate Development and International. Peter joined Bullhorn in 2009 and was responsible for its highly successful UK launch. In addition to growing the international team to over 50 staff and establishing Bullhorn as the UK’s market leading recruitment software in fewer than three years, Peter has expanded Bullhorn’s reach into EMEA and APAC and achieved a user base of more than 10,000 international users. Prior to taking on the launch of Bullhorn in the UK, Peter spent 20 years working in the recruitment industry and held a number of senior director roles before moving into the technology space.
Kim Castelda
As the Chief People Officer, Kim is responsible for driving a highly effective people strategy, leading global talent acquisition, and directing training and learning programs while ensuring an engaging culture. Kim brings over 20 years of human resources management experience to Bullhorn. Prior to joining Bullhorn, Kim worked for Harvard University as the Director of Organizational Effectiveness and for E Ink Corporation as the Director of Human Resources. Kim started her career in the staffing industry as a recruiter placing temporary employees. Kim graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Syracuse University and has an Master of Science in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Mike Restivo
As Bullhorn’s Chief Revenue Officer, Mike drives the company’s global revenue growth. Mike was one of the first 15 team members of Bullhorn Inc. in Boston and relocated to London in 2010 to start up the International team. In his 6 years in London, Mike drove regional expansion into the Netherlands, Germany, Singapore, and Australia. He has supplied cloud-based solutions to recruitment consultancies in over 50 different countries worldwide for the past 10 years. Mike was born and raised in the Boston-area where he grew up an avid sport fan. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Babson College.
Gordon Burnes
As CMO, Gordon Burnes directs the company’s marketing and business development efforts, including product marketing, demand generation, PR, branding, creative, and Bullhorn Marketplace. He brings a broad range of skills and experience to the company across the product, marketing, sales, and business development functions to help drive growth. Gordon was previously the IBM executive in charge of worldwide marketing for the Risk Analytics group, which became the leading provider in the industry over the course of his tenure. Prior to IBM, Gordon ran marketing and business development for OpenPages, which was acquired by IBM in 2010. Gordon has a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology from Harvard College and an MBA from Columbia University.
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Cloud computing and the philosophy of trust
Some of the world’s finest minds in academic philosophy are debating the impact of the internet and cloud computing in Cambridge this week.
We have a choice about how we build and regulate the cloud.
Dr Alex Oliver
The event takes place today and tomorrow, and is hosted by the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Cambridge, and supported by Microsoft Research. An international workshop of world-renowned philosophers, ethicists, sociologists and practitioners will discuss the philosophical issues surrounding cloud computing, a concept that has been described as one of the most radical changes to the way we compute. There will also be two public lectures at Corpus Christi, Cambridge.
Cloud computing is first and foremost a change in the geography of computing. Instead of the hardware on your computer doing the computing, the data storage and processing are carried out by hardware held in a different location. Facebook, Gmail and Flickr are well-known examples of computing in the cloud; a widespread move to cloud computing would see third-party servers providing nearly all computing needs, with users accessing software and data as needed.
Benefits claimed for cloud computing include access to far more powerful computing facilities than ever before, convenience and reliability of communications, greater flexibility for a mobile workforce, and a cost-effective alternative for businesses needing to maintain an up-to-date IT infrastructure.
But the provision of computing as a utility also raises philosophical issues, particularly questions of responsibility. Among these are who should own what data, and what happens to privacy when we compute in the cloud? How do we ensure the trustworthiness of those who manage the cloud, so that people use it confidently? And what is it about their computing practices that lead people to want the cloud?
To discuss these and related issues, the conference has gathered together delegates from institutions such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Rutgers, Institute Marcel Mauss, Paris, TU Delft, and the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford.
“We have a choice about how we build and regulate the cloud,” said Dr Alex Oliver, from Cambridge’s Faculty of Philosophy. “The aim of the event is to initiate a new discussion on how the internet and cloud computing is changing business and personal relationships in the cloud era.”
The public lecture this evening will be given by Dr David D. Clark, Senior Research Scientist, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, MIT, at 6pm. Tomorrow’s lecture will be by Professor Ian Kerr, Canada Research Chair in Ethics, Law and Technology, University of Ottawa, at 5pm. Both lectures will be held in the McCrum Lecture Theatre, Corpus Christi, Cambridge.
European research network aims to tackle problematic internet use
Bridging the divide: philosophy meets science
Cambridge launches UK’s first quantum network
Blood and bodies: the messy meanings of a life-giving substance
Credit: Faculty of Philosophy
School of Arts and Humanities
Microsoft Research Ltd
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Taming the multiverse: Stephen Hawking’s final theory about the big bang
Professor Stephen Hawking’s final theory on the origin of the universe, which he worked on in collaboration with Professor Thomas Hertog from KU Leuven, has been published in the Journal of High Energy Physics.
We are not down to a single, unique universe, but our findings imply a significant reduction of the multiverse, to a much smaller range of possible universes.
The theory, which was submitted for publication before Hawking’s death earlier this year, is based on string theory and predicts the universe is finite and far simpler than many current theories about the big bang say.
Professor Hertog, whose work has been supported by the European Research Council, first announced the new theory at a conference at the University of Cambridge in July of last year, organised on the occasion of Professor Hawking’s 75th birthday.
Modern theories of the big bang predict that our local universe came into existence with a brief burst of inflation – in other words, a tiny fraction of a second after the big bang itself, the universe expanded at an exponential rate. It is widely believed, however, that once inflation starts, there are regions where it never stops. It is thought that quantum effects can keep inflation going forever in some regions of the universe so that globally, inflation is eternal. The observable part of our universe would then be just a hospitable pocket universe, a region in which inflation has ended and stars and galaxies formed.
“The usual theory of eternal inflation predicts that globally our universe is like an infinite fractal, with a mosaic of different pocket universes, separated by an inflating ocean,” said Hawking in an interview last autumn. “The local laws of physics and chemistry can differ from one pocket universe to another, which together would form a multiverse. But I have never been a fan of the multiverse. If the scale of different universes in the multiverse is large or infinite the theory can’t be tested. ”
In their new paper, Hawking and Hertog say this account of eternal inflation as a theory of the big bang is wrong. “The problem with the usual account of eternal inflation is that it assumes an existing background universe that evolves according to Einstein’s theory of general relativity and treats the quantum effects as small fluctuations around this,” said Hertog. “However, the dynamics of eternal inflation wipes out the separation between classical and quantum physics. As a consequence, Einstein’s theory breaks down in eternal inflation.”
“We predict that our universe, on the largest scales, is reasonably smooth and globally finite. So it is not a fractal structure,” said Hawking.
The theory of eternal inflation that Hawking and Hertog put forward is based on string theory: a branch of theoretical physics that attempts to reconcile gravity and general relativity with quantum physics, in part by describing the fundamental constituents of the universe as tiny vibrating strings. Their approach uses the string theory concept of holography, which postulates that the universe is a large and complex hologram: physical reality in certain 3D spaces can be mathematically reduced to 2D projections on a surface.
Hawking and Hertog developed a variation of this concept of holography to project out the time dimension in eternal inflation. This enabled them to describe eternal inflation without having to rely on Einstein’ theory. In the new theory, eternal inflation is reduced to a timeless state defined on a spatial surface at the beginning of time.
“When we trace the evolution of our universe backwards in time, at some point we arrive at the threshold of eternal inflation, where our familiar notion of time ceases to have any meaning,” said Hertog.
Hawking’s earlier ‘no boundary theory’ predicted that if you go back in time to the beginning of the universe, the universe shrinks and closes off like a sphere, but this new theory represents a step away from the earlier work. “Now we’re saying that there is a boundary in our past,” said Hertog.
Hertog and Hawking used their new theory to derive more reliable predictions about the global structure of the universe. They predicted the universe that emerges from eternal inflation on the past boundary is finite and far simpler than the infinite fractal structure predicted by the old theory of eternal inflation.
Their results, if confirmed by further work, would have far-reaching implications for the multiverse paradigm. “We are not down to a single, unique universe, but our findings imply a significant reduction of the multiverse, to a much smaller range of possible universes,” said Hawking.
This makes the theory more predictive and testable.
Hertog now plans to study the implications of the new theory on smaller scales that are within reach of our space telescopes. He believes that primordial gravitational waves – ripples in spacetime – generated at the exit from eternal inflation constitute the most promising “smoking gun” to test the model. The expansion of our universe since the beginning means such gravitational waves would have very long wavelengths, outside the range of the current LIGO detectors. But they might be heard by the planned European space-based gravitational wave observatory, LISA, or seen in future experiments measuring the cosmic microwave background.
S.W. Hawking and Thomas Hertog. ‘A Smooth Exit from Eternal Inflation?’’ Journal of High-Energy Physics (2018). DOI: 10.1007/JHEP04(2018)147
‘Forbidden’ planet found wandering ‘Neptunian Desert’
Design work on ‘brain’ of world’s largest radio telescope completed
Variations in the ‘fogginess’ of the universe identify a milestone in cosmic history
World first as Bell Burnell pulsar chart goes on display
Credit: Andre Pattenden
Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics
Centre for Theoretical Cosmology
Gonville and Caius College
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Study finds peanut allergy treatment safe for allergists to use with young kids
The children were aged nine months to five years and were treated from April 2017 to November 2018
Apr. 17, 2019 10:20 a.m.
A new study suggests preschoolers who are allergic to peanuts can be treated safely by eating small amounts of peanut protein with guidance from a medical specialist.
The findings offer assurances to allergists in clinics and hospitals that oral immunotherapy does not have to be confined to research settings.
Senior author and pediatric allergist Dr. Edmond Chan says many allergists shy away from the technique for fear it might trigger a serious allergic reaction. But he and other scientists and pediatric allergists at the University of British Columbia and BC Children’s Hospital say the risk is actually quite small.
Their study found just 0.4 per cent of 270 children who received oral immunotherapy had a severe reaction. Meanwhile, 11 children, or four per cent, received epinephrine. Researchers say nearly 68 per cent of the children experienced at least one allergic reaction, but 36.3 per cent were mild and 31.1 per cent were moderate.
The children were aged nine months to five years and were treated from April 2017 to November 2018.
The Canada-wide findings were published in the “Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.”
READ MORE: Finding safe preschool snacks can be a tough nut to crack
Oral immunotherapy is a relatively new approach in which a patient is directed to eat small amounts of an allergenic food to build up tolerance. The dose is gradually increased to a determined maximum, known as a maintenance level, that is continued for at least one year, even two.
At that point, a child might be ready for a food challenge to determine whether they have become desensitized to their allergen, for example by eating one serving of peanut.
It’s found success in clinical trials but Canadian allergists remain split in opinion, says Chan.
“There are some allergists who feel that it should only be done within research and then there are other allergists who feel that in carefully selected patients it could be offered outside of research,” says Chan, who adds the treatment should only be offered by an allergy specialist, not a family physician alone.
“I was observing several of my patients flying to the United States and going to far-away clinics to get this treatment and I felt it was very confusing…. They were told by one allergist that, ‘Oh yeah, it’s totally available and it’s time to do it,’ and then other allergists (said) that it wasn’t. And some (families) were left to their own devices.”
Chan is among those who offer oral immunotherapy, believing that peanut allergies are very treatable, especially among young children.
He considers the study “a game-changer” in encouraging other allergists to consider OIT, and hopes it will move the conversation to establishing national guidelines that can ensure safe practice.
“Because the ship has sailed already and there are a certain number of allergists offering it outside of research already, maybe we should try to make sure it’s safe for patients getting it in those offices by having more uniform criteria and guidelines for how to offer it.”
$1 billion raised to rebuild Paris’ Notre Dame after fire
BC Transit ordered to pay blind woman $11K after driver fails to call out stops
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ANUJ PRABHU-DESAI
Can hemp help save the environment? With Steve Barron from Margent Farm
Anuj: (00:00)
Okay. Welcome back to the cannabis conversation today. I have Steve Barron on the show. Steve is CEO of Margent farm in Cambridgeshire, which is a hemp farm. And Steve certainly walks the walk because the farmhouse at Margent is made entirely from hemp! Steve has a great backstory starting in entertainment, but is now focusing on hemp production and he's a passionate advocate for its use as an industrial material. He's the ideal person to help us understand what hemp is and how we could use it in the future. Steve, welcome.
Steve: (00:30)
So before we jump into your personal journey into the world of hemp, can you just give us a bit of a 101 on hemp, what it is and how it differs from marijuana?
Yes. The term hemp really refers to the uses of the plant. In particular in history, it's been really called industrial hemp because it uses are for products and for materials it's been used in things like, for rope and construction materials, paper and, and so on. And that is really the hemp side of things. I's a number of strains of the cannabis sativa plant, that provide the materials for that are under the umbrella of industrial hemp. In itself, it is one of the oldest food crops. And one of the oldest fabrics that has been used on this planet by humans. And in terms of how it differs from marijuana, marijuana is generally the cannabis Indica plant, although sativa as well because of crossbreeding, but it's all become a bit of a mishmash. But basically you can measure in the type of strain, you have a very low content of THC with hemp - THC which will get you high. Whereas with hemp, you really dealing with a plant that has maximum 0.2% of that THC high, and know you'd have to smoke the whole field and you'd probably get sick before you got high.
So essentially hemp is a low THC content variation of the plant
Yeah, there's at least a hundred strains of the cannabis plant and many of them just don't have the THC. And then there's hundreds of strains of the marijuana plants because they've all been made and doctored over the years too.
That's good to know. And where and, how is hemp farmed? Is it the same sort of conditions as marijuana or is there kind of specialist, attention and different ways of treating it?
It'll grow in different ways in different parts of the world and certain strains will fare better in warmer climates, Mediterranean climate or whatever, and others, others will fare very well in northern European climates. Perhaps you'll get three and a half metres of a, of a certain type of industrial hemp plant growing in Thailand because of the amount of sunshine hours and things in it. And that same strain might also work for northern Europer, but it, it would only maybe give you two and a half metres of growth.
Great. Following on from that, in a way that, as you said at at the top, hemp is mainly used as a material but in a number of different ways. Are there different varieties of hemp that are bred for rope versus fabric versus other types of material?
It's really spent the last 80 years as an ostracized plant because of it's marijuana cousin. So it's been kind of not studied and really in a way that other plants have. But definitely there are strains of have a better tensile strength which - so straight away you can get this stronger tensile strength, longer fibre that will suit much better for rope, will suit much better for any fibre composites. It's all being studied at the moment. We are working with Cambridge University on a number of different projects at the moment. And that part of that is really the going down to the molecular level and seeing what it's all about as a plant. So we don't know. We don't know so much about it, but we do know that yes, the right variety will give you great rope, will give you an alternative to plastics. A certain strain will have a real high content of cellulose, which is the building block for plastic. And then others will have more CBD content for the cannabidiol and it's uses, which are fantastic in terms of the food supplement.
Yeah. But we've talked on a previous show about CBD and its potential, but equally it's sort of unknown 'cure all' sales and marketing spiel that's been bandied around. So we are starting to kind of understand a bit more about it. There's a few things that you said which were really interesting. One of them is that hemp, similar to marijuana has been understudied because of the prohibition of the intoxicating variety. And so that's really interesting to see that hemp has similarly been held back in, in the same way. What's going on with the Cambridge study that you mentioned?
We got together with Dr Darshil Shah, the head of natural materials innovation at Cambridge University under the architecture wing at Cambridge, which is looking into different, different materials for building. And so we got together and we started developing initially actually a camera case, which is on our Instagram thing at the moment. And is, is an alternative with a similar strength to fibreglass for... it's an alternative for products, electrical products or things like hoovers or whatever that don't need the strength of carbon fibre and don't want to be one of those horrible plastics that are contaminating our seas and universe. So that is the aim with the, with, with what we're doing. We're also got another few projects with them I can't talk about yet, but we will be, uh, we will be getting onto that very exciting, real study of this plant and what it can do.
And we're working with, uh, somebody who's worked with natural material, Tim Swetton for a number of years in the Cambridge area, producing product for a Mayfair sustainability centre at the moment. And also for our house that we're building. We've used the inside of the hemp plant for, uh, the insulation value and of Hempcrete, which was invented 25, 30 years ago, we believe in France by a woman who'd use it for her building. It's a great, not fully structural version of concrete, like a breeze block that comes together as hempcrete and we've used it in our farmhouse for insulation. And the structural part of it comes by putting it into, prefabricating into wooden sustainable cassettes. So it's poured into that, it solidifies with addition of a little lime and it crystallizes and becomes this super insulating building. So what we've done is, and that's been done before, but we happen to have grown our own,
And sorry it's called hempcrete?
Hempcrete is it's name. And a lot of people have used it. I mean even on Grand Designs, they built some things on it. In this country, far less than say France, which is way ahead of us and even parts of buildings around the Black Sea that are made of hempcrete. You have this amazing value in that. So our farm house is built out of that. And then we decided that we wanted to go one step further and actually clad the farmhouse in the fibres from the outside of the plant. So we, we took those and use some technology that's been developed in the car manufacturing world to to put those fibres together with a bio-resin from farm waste, which is, consists of oathulls and a begass - a form of farm sugar. And the whole thing is then compressed in a, in our case in a tool that is a corrugated shape.
So we've ended up with a corrugated farmhouse look, it looks like a semi-industrial but definitely a farm type building, which is basically a recreation of the plant on a big scale because it has all the inside of the plant is the insulation and the outside is the cladding of the house. So it's kind of think is a little bit... Originally we were given by grand designs, the accolade, uh, Kevin's Green Heroes by Kevin McCloud for this year. So in May they're um, they're launching their Grand Designs live and we've been showcased there with this new product, which we hope to get out there and get people to, to use as an alternative for plastic, obviously for, for bitumen, which is a very commonly used on roofs and Garages and aluminium or for any kind of steel corrugation that we could get something with the strength for the cladding.
That's really. Firstly, Congratulations on the accolade. So, just to sort of recap, I suppose so it adds to the strength of the material in terms of the fundamental strength of, of the building material. Has it also got, um, kind of environmental benefits in relation to CO2 and things like that?
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, the figures, uh, for, for sequestering CO2 are really fantastic where because it grows so fast, it has a hundred days of growing. So you plant it and you know, with little or no water, unless you're in a really hot climate, you are then growing for a hundred days. This thing will grow for a hundred days and give you two and a half, three, three and a half metres with depending on your strain. And in that time what it's doing is it's, you know, one hectare of industrial hemp would absorb approximately 15 tons of CO2, uh, making it one of the fastest Co2 to biomass conversion tools in existence.
So CO2 per Hector hemp will absorb more annually, than any other commercial crop or commercial forestry.
So I mean that is an enormous advantage upfront. In fact, that's what made me want to get the hemp farm because I was looking, really searching for something to help give back to what my generation environmentally have done to get some of it back for my granddaughter. And that was, that was my motivation to come into this. And uh, uh, and I went looking around and uh, this friend of mine sort of brought up hemp as a possibility. In particular with human health. Then researching it and learning more about it and getting together with Joe McGann at hempen in Oxfordshire who was already growing and learning from him a lot. And research about how much this plant can give apart. You know, from the very moment of growing made me think, right, well I don't know quite what I'm going to do, but I'm going to get a farm and I'm going to start growing because straight away I'm doing it rather than talking about it, helping get those steps back towards, uh, where we all need to go to have a planet that we haven't mucked up.
So there's a real sustainability kind of drive and yeah. To, to your hemp kind of mission with. Yes. This is great. A lot of interesting things there. Um, I heard, and correct me if I'm wrong, that after the Chernobyl disaster in the 80s that they planted hemp around that sites because it's very good at?
I heard that as well. I didn't verify it. I don't, I didn't meet any Russians that said, yeah, we did. Yeah. But it sounds like, I mean, the tap roots on the plant go down way down so that you would think I can see it's going to absorb all kinds of stuff. So nitrogen and possibly all of all the bad stuff. So that would make sense.
I guess the main thing that I think would probably interest a lot of people given it's kind of high profile as a topic at the moment, is around plastic and finding alternatives. Can you talk a bit more about that area of hemp in the research and the work that you're doing in the area?
Yes. It turned out, and I didn't realize this, but I looking into it, I found that the EU in particular, the European car and auto trade industry were using quite a lot of natural fibres because they found them to be lighter, cheaper and um, and therefore save gas and, and go towards what the legislation was saying. You cannot just keep producing this stuff that gets thrown in the trash. So it wasn't even that environmental, constraint for them. It was more they would save money out of doing it this way, but a, the Mercedes C class and all kinds of auto companies actually made hemp and flax inlays into the doors, into the panels, into the trunks of cars. And that has been going on for 15 years.
Now who knew that? I didn't know that. And they didn't want to advertise it, possibly because they felt it was a, you know, obviously its as cheap as wood. Its a cheaper Material, but it was more that you know, your customer, you can't tell the customer your car is actually made a straw and you can't tell your customer that its cousin will get your high. Those two things. So you can see how, uh, you know, and hemp was really ostracized. So it wasn't something that they were ever going to shout about. But it was, it was basically, it had been developed in Europe. So I thought, well, but it's been hidden and nobody's used it, and shouted about it and gone about it that way. So I thought, let's get the message out there and this is why we came up with this corrugated product straight away because we thought if we can show that we can use it for clarity and say that is is hemp, instead of saying, you know, hiding the fact that it's natural.
And we were saying it is. So that's our, that's kind of our job as a farm and the brand that we've set up - Margent farm - which is to really shout about how good this plant is for us and how we need to Lord it and we need to grow it and we need to keep studying it now and put it back into, uh, our human society, which it used to be in 8,000 years ago. There's still finding in India temples that are made of Hemp that have what is now called hempcrete but you know, have those breeze block forms of yeah. And in temples they built and are still standing now.
Fantastic. It's good that you're promoting this now more loudly. Have you found that the general perception of it is changing?
Yes. I mean since we started, as I say, bought the farm just over two years ago and started growing in that first season since then and at a time, everyone, the perception was, I mean, truly where my kids were saying, I thought I was having a midlife crisis, my friends all thought i was turning into a drug lord.
Um, and so there was that whole perception that you'd always get that little smirk, that smile, even from people who smoke weed.
Me doing this podcast is my midlife crisis.
Exactly, yeah, the perception has definitely changed in those couple of years. What's happened is the CBD knowledge, about CBD has grown amazingly and far and wide. So suddenly it's like people saying, okay that plant's got other things and, and it's got other enzymes that could be really useful. Uh, then it's, you know, alongside that, those companies like Planet Organic and all the health food shops getting some hemp seeds that give you tremendous amount of Omega 3,6,9 and, and protein. That has all been happening as people were getting a bit more health savvy even in the last few years. And then alongside that, along comes David Attenborough and he does that program about plastics, and that has changed the world.
I mean that program alone, I mean he deserves everything we can give him because nothing could have changed it that fast except an emotional impact, widely watched impact from a, an amazing piece of cinematography. And, and the thought process that we're putting back to everyone without blaming and shaming, but like just saying this is beautiful. Do we want it to be with us? Do you want it to be with your kids? Because it's not going to be if you carry on living the way we live and we have to change. So that realization on a much bigger scale, it was obviously there, it's been there for many years and many decades. It was many advocates of it and um, soldiers of change and the environmental issues. But you know, now it's really widespread. It's the kids coming out of their classrooms at age five, six, seven knowing that plastics are bad.
I mean that is amazing. And it's been, once it's gone into the education system, you know, that is a tremendous step forward. So I'd say in the last couple of years it's moved amazingly, the perception has changed. So now I talk about hemp and people are like, cool, I hear it's great for bio, I hear it's great for CBD I hear it's this or it's that. And, and that is very exciting that it can happen that quickly. And, uh, so it's kind of changing what we need to do and we need and how we need to say things because it's moving.
That's a good message. And glad to hear that Attenborough was a real catalyst for this. I mean he's so revered that and it's such a well made program that I'm not surprised. I mean my six year old is lecturing me on use of plastic. So it is great to, uh, it's great. Great to hear that. One of the things I probably should have asked you about it, so it, so it's clear that the Margent farm is kind of the developing hemp from a material perspective, but is the plant able to be used for CBD as well or is it one or the other that generally happens in the process?
Uh, unfortunately we've got a real problem with CBD in, in the world generally at the moment, which is, uh, uh, nobody quite knows from the government level what, why it's so good and why people are finding it so useful in the, in their lives. And so they're were a bit worried about it and they're also a bit wanting to get involved in it. So right now as a farmer, and there are obviously a lot of farmers in this country and farming is a really difficult occupation that, you know, it's weather dependent and market dependent and you have to make all these decisions and you know, you can come under heavy bombardment from, from insects to environment to, to whatever.
You know, what we've really discovered with, or what I've just discovered with farming, is that farmers are treated so badly. I mean it just makes no sense. This law exists. You have to get a licence to grow hemp. So I go, I went ahead and applied for that licence and got that licence and it's a three year licence and it costs 500 pounds and it says you can grow industrial hemp. You must, you know, be careful that people don't think it's the wrong level of THC and you must keep it below 0.2% THC and then you can grow it and then you can, uh, get the seeds off it and use that for oil. Or you can get the seeds off it and then go to a protein or any, any other food. Um, and you can use the fibres and you can take the fibres off and do what you want to do with your, uh, making of mattresses or whatever you're going to do with it.
Construction materials. But you must take the flower, chop it off and destroy it and not process it, keep it, use it in any way and not extract CBD from it and not extract anything from it, which is absolutely crazy.
It's a huge amount of waste then. Quite apart from the madness of it
It is a waste because we can import it. I mean I can buy it in this country, but I can't, I'm not allowed to extract it unless I get into a Pharma licence, a pharmaceutical licence, I mean Ph pharma that then you, you have a licence to, to take THC, you have the licence to take the CBD. Which can be a completely different plant. So you know, the holy grail for farmers undoubtedly for the value of a crop and a way to get this crop grown and to, you know, really have it spread across the country, which it needs to do for all the reasons we've said.
The way to do that is to have it as a cash crop. Have a value. There isn't enough value in the fibre. There isn't enough value in the shive. There's value for people using them. But for the farmer you, you'd have to farm on quite a big scale. So it's like 10,000 acres in this country. There's 4 million acres of wheat being farmed in this country. 10,000 of hemp because financially you can't get the balance of that. If you had the CBD, it would be worth far more than wheat. It would be hundreds of thousands of acres would be grown in this country, which would be doing, giving our CO2 a good battering and it would make total sense for, for farmers financially and in every way. And it's not allowed. So anyway we're with everybody else, alongside the, British Hemp Association and everything, uh, we're all lobbying the government and saying it's not fair. That is not fair on farmers. Everyone's complying with 0.2% of THC. We're not talking about growing marijuana. You have taken away the food essential from a crop and we have to destroy it. That's just bad.
Very frustrating. Very frustrating. And not providing the right incentives to, to produce a crop, that'd be very useful and beneficial for the environment. Yeah, that's really good to, to hear that point of view because I'm sure I didn't know that stuff. So I'm assuming that'll be useful. So are there any kind of crazy uses of hemp that you've , as a material that you've kind of come across, because I mean maybe hempcrete sounds a bit crazy to alot of people, but as you say, it's been used for a long time and, and possibly from many hundreds of thousand years ago. Are there any kind of new modern uses that people are looking at?
Well, I think that's more the development of the plastics. That's more we're doing with Cambridge and the factory in Huntingdon, that is what we're finding out really how far to go with the fibre. We've given some of the, uh, hemp mat that we grew to, for instance, to Ben Ainsley's team for the America's Yacht because they feel that the potential for inside the hull of the carbon fibre hull, it could, it could reduce the amount of carbon fibre they use, which they'd love to reduce. It actually sucks the, a resin through the system. It draws the resin. So, which is very useful for them. That's one thing we've done. We've done seat a hemp seat for a go kart company that works really well. And uh, we're looking at all kinds of things. We've been approached by quite a lot of interesting designers that as full collaborations for different products, surfboard fins, you know what, there, there is endless possibilities. It's actually there's way more than we could sit here and list.
I'm sure. So you've laid out the benefits. Uh, so, well. What do you, what do you see as the real challenges and hurdles? One of them you mentioned is the kind of just the simple economics of incentivizing people to, to grow the crop. But what are the other kinds of hurdles to wide scale adoption?
The hurdles in this country are the technology and, and the uh, yeah, the industrialization of it, and in France for instance, they can produce those mats, those non-woven mats at a, at a really great rate for the car or auto world. And we've got nothing like that in the UK. We've got no company that really can get to that sort of level of production. We've got a number of mills up in Yorkshire, some really great people who own mills have certain could come with the help of the government towards that. They have parts of that process but not all of it so that there is getting together and saying, and committing to it, because if we have the technology we can obviously make it all cheaper. I mean one of the barriers for it to replacing plastic is that we are addicted as a society. We're addicted to cheap plastic. We've, we've come up with this thing which is amazing, which is terrible for our environment in its process and its in its end of life.
Both ends of it are terrible in the middle is great, we love it. It's cheap. You go to a, you buy it for 99p in the pound store. We've got to get off of that addiction and that is a, that's the one of the biggest barriers we've got where we have to live life differently. We have to treasure what we buy more and buy good stuff for the right reasons that is being made and can be disposed of in the right way. And we've got to pay a little bit more for it. But if we care for it a bit more, we'll do it like the plastic bags we're paying for plastic bags because we think, okay, well I understand why I'm doing that and I shouldn't be doing this, so I'm paying for it. We have to get that now across the globe so that it's a slightly different way of living. We're all going to be doing it. So you know, because we're so used to the consumer with a cheap deal and we have to get off that. If we don't get off that we'll never replace plastic, but, and the, and what's what stands in his way as there's, the price of it is going to be more expensive. It's, you know, it's not as easy a process. It's a natural process. So we can definitely replace it if we all choose to.
So kind of economies of scale issue in terms of cost, but equally a kind of change in the approach and mindset and how we value goods and things that make our life easier. I certainly with young kids, I'm often telling my kids so that they need to look after their stuff a bit better, but that applies to adults as well is as kids as well. Um, so that, yeah, it's really good to, to understand the sort of barriers that are holding it back. But it, it sounds that you are having lots of interesting conversations and if you know, very esteemed organisations such as Cambridge University and I'm sure lots of other people are taking it very seriously, this, this all bodes well for the future. I would say.
Yeah, it definitely does. I think everybody or everybody that we're coming across as is is on the right track there. How can we, how can it work? How can we make it work? We don't have all the answers and there's going to be a number of years of transition. Lego have just recently, they've scrapped a factory, a plastic factory, and spent $150 million on building a factory that now makes their bricks out of natural.
Natural materials out of plants. So, you know, when you get big companies to do it, they, you got to get the ones that you care enough to afford it because it is a hit they're going to take. But there are obviously a hugely wealthy company and they've gone for it and you know, that's great to hear.
And Yeah, as you say, kind of sets an example to, to everyone else, it makes you more open to the idea. So yeah. Good on Lego for doing that. Cool. So one of the things I've been sort of focusing on and on the show is, is people's story into cannabis in general, but in your case, hemp in particular, you've got very interesting backstory. So would you mind sharing a bit about it and how, I know you still do some of your, entertainment work, but what kind of prompted you really to look at this new... Very big trick question. Sorry.
Well, yeah, I'm from the film and TV world. I've done quite a few as a director films over the years and television things and I...
And can I just say directed the Billie Jean Video? Sorry, I had to get that in there!
Yeah, I just spent the acs doing music videos, which was amazing. And then I got asked to do featured films. I ended up doing some mad films like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and, and Coneheads and, and some odd ones. And then TV like Merlin and the Durrells and things over the, of the quite a period of time. And what I felt was, cause I think it, you know, as each decade comes along, You get to your 30s, you get to your 40s you get to your 50s. When I got to 60 which was a few years ago, I said I, what am I doing in the next 10 years? What am I, what does this all mean?
You know, now I'm, am I going to repeat the last 10 years and the 10 years before, which I've enjoyed. But yeah, I do. I felt like I wanted to move across on a different road and in particular my daughter had a daughter and I looked at this granddaughter and I thought, Wow, I'm, it was just kind of messed with my head and I thought I sort it from a different point of view. What's the world that she's going to be living in and what have I done towards it? And I thought, well, what I've done is nothing towards the stuff that our generation has obviously deteriorated this planet, and I thought I couldn't spend the next 10 years not trying to reverse some of that. And so that was, that was really motivation for...
Brilliant, very inspiring actually. Did you find it challenging to begin with? It's quite hard at any stage to sort of change track.
Yeah, very challenging. The thing about farming, I knew nothing about manufacturing. What I knew was that from my world in film, I used to in when I did well in films and videos and things, when I had success, I'd often taken a risk, I'd often done something that I didn't know about. I'd often entered the unknown and the, sometimes they were the biggest successes I had. Where I went, where, you know, I went kind of into a unique spot. So I thought if I apply that to this and go for farming, I'd find people, because again, in filmmaking, you build a team around you and you go for people that are obviously better than you at what they do because then you're, you're going to learn from them. And this, the end product's going to be better. So I, I've just built a team really around me and the project managers is Mike Radford and Katherine Brown, Mike has his own organic farm.
So all around me farmers were saying, you, you can't get organic because it's a waste of money. It's just too expensive to be organic. You crop will be tiny and it will be destroyed. And, and, and, and Mike stood throughout it and said, no, we're going to convert to organic. So this year, our third year, we are organic. We're an organic farm. I mean, and I love that. He also told me and taught me and said, look, if you put a margin around your farm, uh, of say six metres, then wildlife that doesn't want to live in the hedge and it doesn't want to be in the crop or the or this soil that has been farmed. Yeah. But it has got nowhere to go. So she, all these fields were nowhere for it to, to exist. And so we put margins around, all our farms are, that's why we called Margent farm, because it's the Shakespeare word for margin.
So you know, those, those sort of bits of inspiration on the way. I very quickly went to Cambridge University because they were only just up the road in Cambridgeshire. So I just thought, even though I didn't know anybody, but a friend of a friend knew somebody in sustainability there. I didnt even know there was a sustainability leadership program where we went there and were greeted with open arms about the study of it. And so it's been really, even though I've known nothing about it, the people that have jumped in around have, you know, more than made up for my ignorance.
Its fantastic. Really inspiring. I think with a career change it is a step into the unknown. Its good to understand that how important the people around you are sort of helping you with that. So I think you alluded to it a bit before we sort of coming towards the end. Did you, did you get any funny reactions from any people? I think you said, When you said, I'm moving into hemp.
Yeah, that was it. That was the first year. Immediate friends you say, look, I'm going to buy his farming, I'm going to get a licence and I'm going to be growing hemp. And then, you know, I was literally got, it's licenced by being checked out by the police and it being a, being something that, uh, you know, have I ever been busted for drugs before because I won't get a licence. Anyway. They were amazed because they, you know, they, they thought I'd become, yeah, they thought I was entering into a new field and bit becoming 'Narcos'. They thought it came to mind and a, yeah, we, you know, it had some mad stuff on the way. Uh, in fact, uh, I live in a flat in Barbican uh, with the farm where the house is still not quite finished although it's livable now.
I more often in the Barbican doing my day job as it were and when we first order the seeds, we ordered a ton of the hemp seeds where once we got the licence. And they accidentally got delivered to my flat in the Barbican. So my neighbours were like, uh, Hemp by this, by the tonne comes into my flat. He was supposed to go to the farm. But anyway...
That's great. Yeah, I mean certainly the genesis of this show is to pick up on the fact that it's much more in the public consciousness and as you say, things are moving fairly quickly because things are happening in different paces all around the world, which is sort of moving everyone on in general. So it's really good. I guess finally, do you have any advice for anyone that's interested in finding out more about this and...?
Well, I mean I suppose the advice is about hemp. It has so many possibilities. I think just just try and be creative with it. Um, be prepared that there's a really, there's a lot of elements to it. If you're going to grow it, it's a crop that you just need the right agronomist and the right people advising you know how to get the best out of it. Farming is very tough. It's not fair on farmers. My advice is if the law changes then that's the time to uh, to jump in financially into which obviously we're all hoping it does in terms of it being a crop that you can get CBD off. Because as I think I said, but you know the real holy grail is a, is a crop that can give you that CBD that can give you the fibre and give you the shive for construction and the leaves for tea and you're using the whole plant and you're really able to take that whole plant and get the best out of it.
And financially that is the way you know, the way forward,
Sorry, just to to ask, what is the shive?
The centre of the plant, which is the woody core. So the fibres are on the outside and the woody core is on the inside which is where a lot of the cellulose is and that's... You separate the two you you end up with because the fibres can be used for clothing and for woven mat or non-woven mats. And then inside is, this usually goes to farm waste. I actually, use it for horse bedding or um, you know, animals comfy spots, as they were or, or it goes to, gets checked back onto the land for nutrition. But it, um, it often is, is wasted. But when using it for hempcrete, they're building a house in Scotland, a house in Devon. Hempcrete houses are going up as we speak. So that is great. Often they're buying that shive, that centre the plant from France.
Which is a bit crazy. And we should be getting it from the UK. Other advice. I'd go to the BHA website, which is the British Hemp Association. They, they just, uh, you know, they talk a lot of sense and we're as a group of farmers, we're trying to, uh, get legislation changed and anyone who can help support that would be amazing.
Cool. Great Advice. I hope it's inspired people to find out more. And I think the sustainability and the ecological angle is, is so compelling that no doubt will hear much more about hemp in the kind of public consciousness to come. Cool. Well. Thank you very much, Steve, for your time today. It's been really, really good to chat and I'm sure everyone got a lot from that show. Great.
Thank you so much and thanks for caring and being interested and your time.
Pleasure. Okay, thanks, Steve.
Newer PostInside a CBD business with Hannah Skingle from Dragonfly Biosciences
Older PostPodcast Interview Transcript: Cannabis - a patient's story with Alex Fraser
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Government's ECE Taskforce Report Now Out
Published: Wednesday, 01 June 2011 17:45
The Government's ECE Taskforce report was released today
For background on the meaning/significance of the ECE Taskforce for early childhood education click here to go an article.
For commentary on the ECE Taskforce and its final report click here
The report titled "An Agenda for Amazing Children" is when looked at not about children but about policy for non-parental early childhood education and childcare: promotion of the childcare sector in particular, advocating for parents to be in paid employment, and tightening controls on the home-based sector and Nga Kohanga Reo.
Labour's Sue Moroney is critical of the Taskforce's report as it "recommends taking the fee controls off 20 hours ECE and argues that parents and employers should pay more of the funding for early childhood education".
The Green Party's spokesperson, Catherine Delahunty says "there are worrying hints that this report is trying to line up with the harmful recommendations of the Welfare Working Group, for example by recommending ‘incentives and support for parents to return to paid work’.
Delahunty and Moroney are both concerned that the Taskforce is reflecting government views that no more than 80% registered teachers in early childhood services is recommended.
Clare Wells of NZ Kindergartens Inc says she is worried about the potential for significant costs to be transferred to families if the reports funding model is accepted. Of concern also is the potential for a version of the national standards operating in schools to be the mechanism for measuring performance in the sector. And the future of kindergartens if the report's recommendation for kindergarten associations to negotiate salaries directly with teachers is supported: "Associations are dependent on government funding to meet the costs of teachers salaries and any changes in funding would put pay parity in jeopardy", says Clare Wells.
Education Minister Anne Tolley says in her press release:
“The Government was already concerned about the variability across services, the lack of accountability, poor access for many children, and the need for a more targeted funding system. It is heartening that these serious issues have been identified by the Taskforce, and that positive suggestions have been made to deal with these areas of concern.
“Some of the recommendations are already being addressed, through the $91.8 million increased participation programme announced in Budget 2010, and the $30 million early learning information system delivered in Budget 2011 to improve information about participation and system performance, which will allow better monitoring of funding and enable us to give more transparency for parents.
“The Taskforce also recommends eighty per cent registered staff in teacher-led services, which is in line with the Government’s target for 2012, and with 67 per cent of teachers qualified at the moment, we are well on course to reach that figure".
The listed recommendations of the Taskforce are as follows:
1. regulation for a minimum of 80% of all early childhood education staff in teacher-led, centre-based early childhood education services as registered teachers, and that the remaining 20% of staff may include staff in study, or staff with other relevant expertise such as health professionals or staff with fluency in languages other than English
2. establishment of incentives for teacher-led, centre-based services to increase their percentage of teaching staff qualified and registered as early childhood education teachers up to 100%
3. regulation for a ratio of one adult to four children for children under two years old and of one adult to ten children for children aged three to six years old attending licensed early childhood education
4. a group consisting of officials and sector representatives be established to provide advice on early childhood education for under two-year-olds and children with special educational needs that takes account of emerging research
5. officials, in consultation with the sector, investigate the benefits for children of reducing maximum group sizes, both for under and over two-year-olds; the comparative cost-effectiveness of any proposed changes to current regulations; and the feasibility of requiring all services to report to parents on their effective group sizes
6. further funding is allocated for New Zealand-based research into the capacity of all currently funded early childhood education service types to provide high-quality early childhood education for all children, but particularly for under two-year-olds.
7. a cross-government investment strategy is devised which plans proactively to shift Government’s existing money towards higher-value investments, for example those taking place earlier in education or in life
8. a specialist advisory function is put in place to support this strategy, independent of Government and with published criteria and methodology, to advise in detail on the value for money of different programmes and interventions
9. funds are shifted to higher-value early childhood education investments over time by introducing a new funding system for early childhood education in New Zealand
10.the new funding system contains significantly stronger mechanisms than those that currently exist for directing more expenditure to children who will benefit the most from participation in early childhood education, in particular Māori, Pasifika and children from lower socio-economic backgrounds
11. the new funding system supports high-quality early childhood education services through additional funding for features of quality, and discourages expenditure on low-quality services
12.early childhood education licensing regulations are amended to ensure that any new services opening promote the participation of Māori, Pasifika and children from lower socio-economic backgrounds in high-quality early childhood education, and support parents to remain connected to paid work
13. the introduction of more standardised performance and outcome reporting on early childhood education expenditure, to enable significantly better analysis of value in the future.
14. as part of our proposed new funding system, a new model of early childhood education funding is developed to meet two broad purposes:
subsidising delivery of services that are customised to meet the early
childhood education needs and circumstances of individual children; and
developing the capacity and improving the quality of early childhood
15. the development and implementation of the new funding system is undertaken in partnership with the early childhood education sector
16. the new funding mechanism is trialled and is implemented in phases
17. the new funding mechanism is implemented within four years.
18. funds are allocated directly to early childhood education services to recognise and resource settings operating as community hubs
19.work is undertaken with Māori and Pasifka communities to determine ways to provide an over-arching governance and management support structure in Māori immersion early childhood education settings and Pasifika language settings
20. work is undertaken to explore the feasibility of social marketing approaches to raising awareness of the value of early childhood education
21. development of policies that would ensure that children with special education needs are able to access suitable early childhood education services, including:
a. ensuring services have sufficient support, resources and well-qualified staff to identify and work effectively with children with special education needs;
b. making parents and service managers aware that being refused enrolment in an early childhood education service on the grounds of their child’s special education needs, or not being allowed to enrol for as many hours as other children, is a breach of the Human Rights Act 1993; and
c. considering ways to strengthen accountability mechanisms to ensure services comply with the Human Rights Act 1993, including considering amending the Education Act 1989 to enable the Minister of Education to
direct an early childhood education service to enrol a particular child, as she may do in the compulsory schooling sector
22. the development of better processes for capturing information about this group: for example, how many children with a special education need enrolled in early childhood education services are also receiving early intervention support
23. the introduction of the requirement that early childhood education initial teacher education providers ensure their programmes include sufficient study of special education to promote early identification of needs and appropriate teaching practices for children with a special education need
24. the employment or contracting of agents to assist parents of children with special educational needs to locate appropriate early childhood education services for those children and arrange places for them, along with ongoing monitoring for suitability and transition to school
25. as an interim measure, until a new funding system that includes additional targeted support for children with special education is in place, the Equity Funding mechanism for children with special education needs is reviewed to ensure that this funding is being well allocated, and if not, another formula is proposed.
26. a detailed, high-quality evaluation of the implementation of Te Whāriki,in particular focussing on its success for Māori and Pasifika children, children who have English as an additional language, and children with special education needs; and of the level and quality of the early childhood education sector’s assessment practices
27. evaluation of the effectiveness of the schooling sector at recognising and building on the skills and knowledge of children moving from early childhood settings to the early years of school
28. a review of the extent to which initial teacher education and later professional development prepare and support teachers to implement Te Whāriki effectively
29. development of a framework, in collaboration with the early childhood education sector, that measures the extent to which the outcomes of Te Whāriki are being achieved. This framework should be linked to sector performance monitoring.
30. as part of the new funding system, consideration is given to what professional development or other resourcing changes are required to support early childhood education services to provide effective parent support
31. a review of the coherence and effectiveness of current parent support interventions funded by New Zealand government agencies, to ensure they are effective and offer high value for money
32. a review of the effectiveness of spending by Government on non-government agencies providing parent support programmes, to ensure they are effective and offer high value for money.
33. consideration of incentives and assistance to enable employers to support their employees who have young children, possibly as part of the new funding system
34. creation of significantly stronger mechanisms to support parents to remain connected to paid work, by combining existing subsidies from the Ministry of Social Development and Ministry of Education into a single, coherent, transparent payment.
35. early childhood education licensing categories are amended to create two new categories: (1) teacher-led, centre-based services and (2) other services
36. an evidence-based investigation is conducted into whether the licensing criteria and quality measures associated with home-based services provide sufficient regulation; and that regulation and funding decisions are made based on the results of this investigation
37. an assessment of the quality of current home-based services is conducted prior to any further government investment
38. a mandatory performance report is required for early childhood education services aimed at high-quality early childhood education and linked to funding
39. interactive web-based tools are developed that allow parents to compare services in their area and that display services’ performance report results
40. biennial reviews of early childhood education regulations are undertaken with the goal of minimising unnecessary compliance costs, ensuring compliance costs are fairly borne, and that there are appropriate links between licensing, regulation, funding and quality assurance
41. a system of standardised quality assurance of ERO activities is implemented, including regular external audit of reports, to provide parents and services with assurance that information provided is consistent across New Zealand
42. ERO monitoring, evaluation and reporting processes in relation to the quality of early childhood education delivery for children under two years of age are tightened
43. a supplementary review is carried out within three months of the first ERO review
44. any early childhood education service that receives a supplementary ERO review is given immediate targeted support and guidance, and if a further negative review is received then the service’s future is reviewed
45. the nature and quality of the support and any interventions offered to early childhood education services receiving a supplementary review are subject to quality controls and review.
46.the current Tripartite Review by Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust, Te Puni Kōkiri and the Ministry of Education is completed
47.the recommendations of the Gallen Report (2001) and the PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Report (2006) on Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust are revisited, and where appropriate implemented
48.Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust’s reporting and compliance requirements become the same as those required of other early childhood education services
49. provision of governance and management professional development resources for early childhood education services, consistent with that offered to schools
50. setting minimum levels of professional development and training of management staff and governance boards (where applicable) of early childhood education services
51.exploring opportunities for developing governance and management skills for all early childhood education services, with a particular focus on Māori and Pasifika services and those enrolling children from lower socio-economic backgrounds
52.a review of early childhood education teaching qualifications across tertiary providers to ensure the consistency of programme delivery of qualifications. The review should include the content of early childhood education teaching qualifications, and the extent to which they promote elements such as education in cultural competence, positive behaviour guidance, working with children with special education needs and their families, working with under two-year-olds, and leadership education
53. an assessment of the accuracy, consistency and transparency of evidence provision across the teacher registration process
54. a review of the accountability arrangements for the New Zealand Teachers Council, which takes into account the extent to which the needs of the early childhood education sector are being recognised and met
55. a licensing requirement is created to embed into management practice a programme of self-improvement for teacher-led services that includes a specified minimum level of professional development
56. this programme of professional development is assessed as part of Education Review Office activities, and noted in our recommended performance report
57. government facilitates and shares the cost of increased leadership education and support to early childhood education services
58. the requirement for teacher-led early childhood education services to attest to remunerating registered teachers in their employ at a rate published in the Education Circular is removed
59. the development of a comprehensive Māori professional development and high quality advice and guidance programme, by both internal and external providers, and funded by government, is provided for Māori language services
60.the development of a comprehensive Pasifika professional development and high quality advice and guidance programme, by both internal and external providers, and funded by government, is provided for Pasifika language services.
61. establishment of a new, high-quality early childhood education innovation scheme
62. the systematic evaluation of any innovation set up under this funding, to ensure robustness of any new methodologies and ways of working
63. successful innovation in early childhood education is promoted through approving a set of national awards for excellence in early childhood education
64. reporting, every two years, on how policies in early childhood education are minimising or eliminating barriers to innovation
65. further exploration of innovative early childhood education delivery methods, for example, web-based, mobile technology, or distance learning methods for rural and isolated communities.
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Invest in You: Ready. Set. Grow.Self-made millionaire: A simple chart changed the way I think about money
Kathleen Elkins
Millennial MoneyHow a San Francisco couple lives 'comfortably' on $200,000 a year
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The UpstartsHow a struggling musician grew Blue Bottle Coffee into a $700 million brand
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Life insurance is confusing—here's everything millennials need to know
Published Tue, Jun 25 2019 10:09 AM EDT
Megan Leonhardt@Megan_Leonhardt
A mother and daughter play on the beach.
Alex Budaev | Twenty20
The last thing you want to think about in your twenties (er, anytime?) is your own death. It's difficult enough to juggle brunch plans, your love life and your micromanaging boss, let alone plan for what could happen to you decades from now.
But life comes at you fast — and suddenly you're 35, living with your partner and two gorgeous kids in the suburbs. OK, maybe you're not quite there yet, but some version of adulthood is likely staring you in the face.
Which means it may be time to sit down and think through what happens if you suddenly die. Certainly depressing, sure. But it's best to be prepared. Ask yourself: How is your family going to get by without your income? How will they pay for the funeral costs? Will they take on any debt that you leave behind?
If you've got people depending on you for financial support, you need to be prepared to give it, even if the worst should happen. One of the easiest ways to do that is by purchasing life insurance. And this goes beyond what you may get for free from your employer as a benefit.
"Insurance is really important when you have dependents and obligations," Barbara Ginty, a certified financial planner and host of the "Future Rich" podcast, tells CNBC Make It.
Ahead, some life insurance basics to help you get started.
When should you buy life insurance?
Let's set the record straight: Not everyone needs life insurance. It's more than likely that you'll start thinking about needing a policy as you hit major life milestones, whether that's starting a business, getting married or having your first child.
Young and single 20-somethings probably haven't thought much about life insurance, and that's OK. If you're 25 with no debt you probably don't need a life insurance policy, Ginty says.
But if you've co-signed a student loan with your parents, you may want to consider getting a life insurance policy because you have a financial obligation that could impact your parents. If you suddenly died, some private lenders have clauses in their contracts that require the loan balance to be repaid immediately. Your family may need a life insurance payout to cover that debt.
Or perhaps you help support other family members — siblings, parents or grandparents. What happens to them if you aren't capable of covering their expenses? Do they depend on your income? If so, then taking out a policy is a good bet.
The same is true if you're a business owner and took out a loan to fund your company. Not only do some small business loans require you to have life insurance coverage, but you need to ask yourself what happens to your employees and your company if you should suddenly die? In most cases, there will be expenses that will need to be wrapped up or perhaps a portion of the loan that will need to be repaid.
Getting married often prompts couples to have hard financial conversations, and it's not a bad idea to discuss life insurance while you're at it. You may want to consider getting a policy if your spouse depends on your income to fund your shared expenses (or vice versa).
Financial coach Dave Ramsey recommends life insurance for married couples in situations where they, individually or jointly, racked up a lot of debt. If you live in a community property state where assets and debts are divided equally, your widow could be stuck trying to pay off all your joint debt if you died. That includes residents of Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin.
Plus, if you plan to have kids one day, you may want to purchase life insurance before you become a parent. Your life insurance rate is based on your age, medical history and lifestyle choices (do you smoke, for example). It's generally easier to get a cheaper policy if you're young and relatively healthy.
This is especially true for women. Pregnancy is sometimes considered a pre-existing condition and may complicate the process of getting life insurance. And in some cases, a pregnancy may trigger lasting health effects for women, which again, may lead to higher insurance rates.
Married + Kids:
Once you have children, you almost always need life insurance. If something should happen to you or your co-parent, a life insurance policy will help your family handle expenses. Dave Ramsey recommends once you have kids to get a policy that is worth 10 times your annual pay.
What kind of life insurance should you buy?
You now know when to buy, but actually figuring out what to buy can still be stressful and confusing. That's why it's important to learn the basics of how to buy life insurance so you're more in control when you finally pull the trigger.
"As an educated consumer, you always make a better decision when it's not fear based," Ginty says. You also can choose to work with an insurance broker or financial advisor who can help you compare rates from multiple companies, giving you options.
There are two basic types of life insurance: term and permanent (whole life insurance is an example of this type of policy). When you buy a life insurance policy, you can specify the amount that will be paid out if you die (called the death benefit). Your monthly payment is the "premium." As long as you keep up with the premiums, your insurer will pay your beneficiaries when you die, usually as a lump sum.
Term life insurance is pretty much exactly what the name implies — it's insurance that covers you for a specific period of time, typically 10, 20 or 30 years. If you die while the policy is in place, you're covered. Once the term expires, you're no longer covered.
Permanent life insurance — which includes universal life, variable life and whole life — covers you throughout your life. Unlike term life, which is pure insurance that simply offers a payout if you should die, permanent policies, such as whole life, essentially create a savings account for you where you can earn a minimum guaranteed interest or a dividend. These earnings are generally tax-deferred and referred to as the "cash value." Over time, this builds up and you can borrow against it, (but you'll typically need to repay it) or even use it to cover your premiums.
Yet those extra perks on permanent policies also increase the price. They can cost up to 10 times more than term, which can lead to people missing a payment or abandoning them all together. About 45% of people surrendered their policies within the first 10 years, according to a comprehensive study from the Society of Actuaries.
That's why, for most people, term life insurance is the way to go, Ginty says. For example, a 30-year-old, relatively healthy woman who's considering buying a $500,000 policy will likely pay $35 a month for a 30-year term life policy, as opposed to $455 a month for whole life coverage, Ginty calculates.
When it comes to term life, experts advise consumers to take out level term life insurance, which guarantees you pay the same rate throughout the life of the policy. And if you're worried about being covered later in life, you usually can convert a term policy into a permanent policy up until a year before it expires, if that's of interest, Ginty says.
You've settled on the type of insurance policy. Now how much coverage do you need? Most standard policies range from $250,000 to $1 million. How much you need depends on how the money will be spent. Do you need the policy to help pay off any funeral costs? Your mortgage? Fund your children's college education? Or maybe it's simply to help cover day-to-day expenses, such as childcare, for a certain period of time. Once you decide on how the money will be spent, you can determine how much insurance you need.
The non-profit insurance information organization Life Happens offers several calculators that can help if you're not quite sure.
Some employers will offer life insurance as part of your benefits package, which is great. These policies are good for those who need little to no life insurance. But they're not usually portable, which can be a huge drawback. Your policy ends when your job ends, so if you quit or are let go, you'll be left with zero coverage.
"I always think of the work policy as the cherry on top, it's extra" Ginty says. "It's better than nothing if you're struggling."
Navigating life insurance policies and salespeople can be complicated, but that's not a good excuse for inaction. Many people think you need to know a lot about finance in order to successfully buy life insurance, but that's not true, Ginty says. "You just need to rely on your gut instincts," she says. "If it doesn't feel comfortable, it's probably not the right fit for you."
Check out: Here's what to do if you're 'bad with money,' says author of 'I Will Teach You to be Rich'
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Sports Biz with Darren Rovell
Official Rules: Darren Rovell’s Headline Contest
Darren Rovell | @darrenrovell
Published 12:54 PM ET Fri, 4 Feb 2011 Updated 1:06 PM ET Fri, 4 Feb 2011 CNBC.com
Darren Rovell’s Headline Contest: Official Rules
PRELIMINARY INFORMATION: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Void where prohibited. Darren Rovell’s Headline Contest(“Contest”) will begin on February 6, 2011, immediately following the conclusion of the football game being aired on FOX at 6:00 p.m. ET (the “Game”) and end twenty-five (25) minutes thereafter (“Contest Period”). All times in the Contest refer to Eastern Time (“ET”). Odds of winning depend upon the number of eligible Entries (defined below) received. Contest is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws.
Darren Rovell's Big Game Twitter Headline Contest
ELIGIBILITY: Open only to permanent, legal United States (“U.S.”) residents physically residing within the forty-eight (48) continental U.S. (residents of Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and other U.S. territories are excluded from entry and participation) who are eighteen (18) years of age or older and of the legal age of majority in their state of residence as of the start of the Contest Period. Contestants must have a valid U.S. Social Security Number or a valid U.S. personal tax identification number. Officers, directors, and employees of Contest Entities (as defined below), members of these persons’ immediate families (spouses and/or parents, children, and siblings, and their spouses, regardless of where they reside), and/or persons living in the same households as these persons (whether or not related thereto) are not eligible to enter or win the Contest. Contest Entities, as referenced herein, shall include CNBC, Inc., 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632, NBCUniversal Media, LLC, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112, and Sony Music Entertainment, Inc., 550 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10022 (collectively, “Sponsors”), and their respective parent, subsidiary, and affiliate companies, and their administrative, advertising, and promotion agencies, and any other entity involved in the development, administration, promotion, or implementation of the Contest. Contestants must also be of good moral character. Sponsors reserve the right to exclude anyone convicted of a crime (other than moving violations of a misdemeanor type that did not involve personal injury, drugs or alcohol). Contestants must have nothing in their background that would be an embarrassment to Sponsors. At Sponsors’ request, each contestant must be willing to sign a publicity release and an affidavit attesting that such contestant meets all of the foregoing eligibility requirements. Sponsors reserve the right to disqualify contestants for not meeting any of the requirements outlined above or for any other reasons, in Sponsors’ sole discretion.
Please note that by entering you agree that if you are chosen as a potential Winner (defined below) you may be asked to undergo a background check conducted by Sponsors and, if necessary, you may be asked to sign waiver forms authorizing the release of your personal and background information.
HOW TO ENTER: To enter the Contest, during the Contest Period go to www.twitter.com, (“Twitter Site”) and (1) if you already have a Twitter account, log on using your Twitter user name and password, then become a follower of Darren Rovell by searching for “Darren Rovell”, clicking on the “Darren Rovell” icon and then clicking the "Follow" button or (2) if you do not already have a Twitter account, create a Twitter account according to the instructions on the Twitter Site and follow Darren Rovell as indicated in (1) above. Please note that you must agree to comply with the Twitter Terms of Use in order to create a Twitter account. Once you become a follower of Darren Rovell, you will be asked to submit a "Tweet" of one hundred and forty (140) characters or less that states what you think would be the best headline describing the Game for the next day’s newspaper (“Statement”). In addition to your Statement, your tweet should include the hashtag "#cnbcheadline" and the @reply "@darrenrovell" ("Entry"). Your tweet should include a Statement, #cnbcheadline and @darrenrovell to be deemed one (1) Entry into the Contest. The content of your Statement will not affect your chances of winning the Contest. Limit one (1) Entry per person/Twitter account. Multiple Entries received from any person or Twitter account beyond this limit will void all such additional Entries. Contestants using multiple Twitter accounts to enter will be ineligible.
All Entries become the property of Sponsors, and will not be acknowledged or returned. Entries must be received within twenty-five (25) minutes of the conclusion of the Game.
By entering the Contest, contestants grant Sponsors the non-exclusive, royalty-free, and irrevocable rights to use, reproduce, copy, publish, display, distribute, perform, translate, adapt, modify, and otherwise exploit the Statement and to incorporate the Statement in other works in any and all markets and media worldwide in perpetuity without additional compensation, notification, permission or approval. You must have the permission of any person that you identify or otherwise refer to in your Statement. Contestants warrant that they have the sole and exclusive right to grant such rights to Sponsors and that the Sponsors' reproduction, publishing, displaying, and/or other use of the Statement will not infringe on any rights of third parties, including, without limitation, copyright, trademark, privacy, or publicity, or create claims for defamation, false light, idea misappropriation, intentional or negligent infliction of emotional distress, or breach of contract. If any Statement contains material that is violent, pornographic, obscene, illegal, inappropriate, or racially or morally offensive or if any Statement does not comply with these Official Rules or meet Sponsors’ standards for any reason, as determined by Sponsors in their sole discretion, such Statement (and the related Entries) may be rejected as ineligible for consideration and/or deleted from the Darren Rovell Twitter page. Entries must comply with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations. Sponsors shall have no obligation to copy, publish, display, or otherwise exploit the Statement. Sponsors’ computer shall be the official timekeeper for all matters related to this Contest. Entries generated by a script, macro, or other automated means will be disqualified. Entries that are incomplete, garbled, corrupted, or unintelligible for any reason, including, but not limited to, computer or network malfunction or congestion, are void and will not be accepted. In case of a dispute over the identity of a contestant, the authorized account holder of the Twitter account used to enter will be deemed to be the contestant. “Authorized account holder” is defined as the person who is assigned to a Twitter account by the Twitter Site. Entry constitutes permission (except where prohibited by law) to use contestant’s name, Twitter user name, city, state, likeness, image, and/or voice for purposes of advertising, promotion, and publicity in any and all media now or hereafter known, throughout the world in perpetuity, without additional compensation, notification, permission, or approval.
WINNER SELECTION AND NOTIFICATION: Approximately thirty (30) minutes after the end of the Game on February 6, 2011, one (1) or more qualified representatives of Sponsors will review all eligible Entries received during the Contest Period and score the Entries based equally on the following judging criteria: a) originality (50%) and b) creativity (50%) (“Judging Criteria”). The Entry that receives the highest score will be selected as a potential winner (“Winner”) and his or her Statement will be re-tweeted by Darren Rovell. Sponsors will make two (2) attempts to notify potential Winner via direct message to potential Winner’s Twitter account in order to obtain potential Winner’s contact information. Potential Winner may be required to execute and return an affidavit of eligibility, release of liability, and, except where prohibited, publicity release (collectively, “Contest Documents”) within five (5) days of such notification. Noncompliance within this time period will result in disqualification, and, at Sponsors’ sole discretion an alternate potential Winner may be selected from the remaining eligible Entries. If a potential Winner cannot be reached, is found to be ineligible, cannot or does not comply with these Official Rules, or if prize or prize notification is returned as undeliverable, such potential Winner will be disqualified and time permitting, at Sponsors’ sole discretion, an alternate potential Winner may be selected from the remaining eligible Entries.
PRIZE: There will be one (1) prize awarded (“Prize”) to Winner consisting of a Trip. Trip will consist of the following: 1) Winner and one (1) guest (“Guest”) will receive round trip coach-class airfare from the major airport closest to Winner’s residence to an airport in or near Boston, MA; 2) Winner and Guest will be the guests of Columbia Records at a Harry Connick Jr. concert in Boston, MA on a date to be mutually agreed on between April 26-30, 2011 (“Concert”); 3) Winner and Guest will receive two (2) orchestra seat tickets for the Concert and will meet Harry Connick, Jr. backstage after the Concert (“Meeting”); 4) Winner and Guest will each receive an autographed copy of "Harry Connick, Jr., In Concert On Broadway"; and 5) If Winner and Guest are traveling from the Mountain or Pacific Time zone, they will receive two (2) night’s hotel accommodations (standard room/double occupancy) at a hotel in or near Boston, MA. If Winner is travelling from the Central or ET zone, they will receive one (1) night hotel accommodations (standard room/double occupancy) at a hotel in or near Boston, MA. If Winner resides within a one hundred (100) mile radius of Boston, MA, ground transportation may be provided in lieu of air transportation and no compensation or substitution will be provided for any difference in value of Prize.
Estimated Retail Value (“ERV”) of Prize is three thousand five hundred dollars ($3,500). ERV of Meeting is zero dollars ($0). Sponsors will determine all details of Prizes in their sole discretion. Sponsors reserve the right to substitute a similar Prize (or Prize element) of comparable or greater value in their sole discretion. Actual retail value (“ARV”) of Prize may vary depending on point of departure, point of arrival, fare fluctuation and the various Prize elements. Any differences between stated ERV and ARV will not be awarded. Winner will receive an IRS Form 1099 from Sponsors for the total ARV of the Prize for the calendar year in which such Prize was awarded. All taxes and other expenses, costs, or fees associated with the acceptance and/or use of Prize are the sole responsibility of Winner. Prize cannot be transferred by Winner or redeemed for cash and is valid only for the items detailed above, with no substitution of Prize by Winner. If Prize is unclaimed within a reasonable time after notification from Sponsors or if Winner is unable to travel between April 26-30, 2011, as determined by Sponsors in their sole discretion, Prize will be forfeited, and time permitting, an alternate Winner may be selected from the remaining eligible Entries at Sponsors’ sole discretion. In the event the Meeting is canceled, that portion of the Prize will not be awarded and no other compensation will be awarded. Sponsors reserve the right to substitute a prize of comparable or greater value at their sole discretion. Prize will be awarded “as is” with no warranty or guarantee, either express or implied by Sponsors.
Concert and Meeting are subject to change and cancellation. Tickets for Concert are subject to certain terms and conditions as specified by issuer. Sponsors will determine the location of seats at Concert in their sole discretion. Winner agrees to comply with all applicable venue regulations in connection with Concert.
Trip, airline and hotel reservations will be subject to availability. Certain travel restrictions may apply. Travel and hotel arrangements will be determined by Sponsors in their sole discretion and must be made through Sponsors. All elements of the Prize must be redeemed at the same time. If Winner chooses to take Trip without Guest, the remaining elements of the Prize shall be awarded and will constitute full satisfaction of Sponsors’ Prize obligation to Winner. Once determined, no change, extension or substitution of trip dates is permitted, except by Sponsors in their sole discretion. Unless otherwise indicated, no other travel elements (including, without limitation, insurance, gasoline, meals, gratuities, souvenirs, etc.) are included in Prize. Tickets are non-refundable and are not valid for business-related or group travel. Tickets are valid only for travel on airlines chosen by Sponsors at Sponsors’ sole discretion. Sponsors have the right in their sole discretion to substitute ground transportation for air transportation depending on Winner’s location and/or place of residence. Once issued, tickets are non-transferable and may not be reissued once travel has commenced. Open tickets may not be issued and stopovers are not permitted. If an unscheduled stopover occurs, full fare will be charged from stopover point for the remaining segments, including return, of the trip. Sponsors are not liable for any expenses incurred as a consequence of flight cancellation/delay. Each Winner and guest, if any, must have valid travel documents (e.g., valid government-issued photo identification and/or passport) prior to departure. Sponsors shall have no responsibility or liability for cancellations, delays, or any other change by any company or person providing any element of Prize due to reasons beyond Sponsors’ control, and is not responsible or liable for any expenses incurred as a consequence thereof. All travel will be at the risk of Winner and Guest, if any.
CONDITIONS: By entering the Contest, each contestant agrees for contestant and for contestant’s heirs, executors, and administrators (a) to release and hold harmless Contest Entities and their respective officers, directors, and employees (collectively, “Released Parties”) from any liability, illness, injury, death, loss, litigation, or damage that may occur, directly or indirectly, whether caused by negligence or not, from such contestant’s participation in the or Contest and/or his/her acceptance, possession, use, or misuse of Prize or any portion thereof; (b) to indemnify Released Parties from any and all liability resulting or arising from the Contest and to hereby acknowledge that Released Parties have neither made nor are in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation, or guarantee, express or implied, in fact or in law, relative to Prize; (c) if selected as a Winner, to the posting of such contestant’s name and/or Twitter user name on www.cnbc.com (the “Website”) and the use by Released Parties of such contestants name, voice, image, and/or likeness for publicity, promotional, and advertising purposes in any and all media now or hereafter known, throughout the world in perpetuity, without additional compensation, notification, permission, or approval, and, upon request, to the giving of consent, in writing, to such use; and (d) to be bound by these Official Rules and to waive any right to claim any ambiguity or error therein or in the Contest itself, and to be bound by all decisions of the Sponsors, which are binding and final. Failure to comply with these conditions may result in disqualification from the Contest at Sponsors’ sole discretion.
ADDITIONAL TERMS: Sponsors reserve the right to permanently disqualify from any promotion any person they believe has intentionally violated these Official Rules. Any attempt to deliberately damage the Contest or the operation thereof is unlawful and subject to legal action by Sponsors, who may seek damages to the fullest extent permitted by law. The failure of Sponsors to comply with any provision of these Official Rules due to an act of God, hurricane, war, fire, riot, earthquake, terrorism, act of public enemies, actions of governmental authorities outside of the control of Sponsors (excepting compliance with applicable codes and regulations), or other “force majeure” event will not be considered a breach of these Official Rules. Released Parties assume no responsibility for any injury or damage to contestants’ or to any other person’s computer relating to or resulting from entering or downloading materials or software in connection with the Contest. Released Parties are not responsible for telecommunications, network, electronic, technical, or computer failures of any kind; for inaccurate transcription of entry information; for errors in any promotional or marketing materials or in these Official Rules; for any human or electronic error; or for Entries that are stolen, misdirected, garbled, delayed, lost, late, damaged, or returned. Sponsors reserve the right to cancel, modify, or suspend the Contest or any element thereof (including, without limitation, these Official Rules) without notice in any manner and for any reason (including, without limitation, in the event of any unanticipated occurrence that is not fully addressed in these Official Rules). In the event of cancellation, modification, or suspension, Sponsors reserve the right to select Winner from among all eligible, non-suspect Entries received prior to the time of the event warranting such cancellation, modification, or suspension based on the Judging Criteria above. Notice of such cancellation, modification, or suspension will be posted at Website. Sponsors may prohibit any contestant or potential contestant from participating in the Contest, if such contestant or potential contestant shows a disregard for these Official Rules; acts with an intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any other contestant, Sponsors, or Sponsors’ agents or representatives; or behaves in any other disruptive manner (as determined by Sponsors in their sole discretion). Sponsor reserves the right to modify these rules for clarification purposes without materially affecting the terms and conditions of the Contest.
DISPUTES: THE CONTEST IS GOVERNED BY, AND WILL BE CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, AND THE FORUM AND VENUE FOR ANY DISPUTE SHALL BE IN NEW YORK, NEW YORK. IF THE CONTROVERSY OR CLAIM IS NOT OTHERWISE RESOLVED THROUGH DIRECT DISCUSSIONS OR MEDIATION, IT SHALL THEN BE RESOLVED BY FINAL AND BINDING ARBITRATION ADMINISTERED BY JUDICIAL ARBITRATION AND MEDIATION SERVICES, INC., IN ACCORDANCE WITH ITS STREAMLINED ARBITRATION RULES AND PROCEDURES OR SUBSEQUENT VERSIONS THEREOF (“JAMS RULES”). THE JAMS RULES FOR SELECTION OF AN ARBITRATOR SHALL BE FOLLOWED, EXCEPT THAT THE ARBITRATOR SHALL BE EXPERIENCED AND LICENSED TO PRACTICE LAW IN NEW YORK. ALL PROCEEDINGS BROUGHT PURSUANT TO THIS PARAGRAPH WILL BE CONDUCTED IN THE COUNTY OF NEW YORK. THE REMEDY FOR ANY CLAIM SHALL BE LIMITED TO ACTUAL DAMAGES, AND IN NO EVENT SHALL ANY PARTY BE ENTITLED TO RECOVER PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING ATTORNEY’S FEES OR OTHER SUCH RELATED COSTS OF BRINGING A CLAIM, OR TO RESCIND THIS AGREEMENT OR SEEK INJUNCTIVE OR ANY OTHER EQUITABLE RELIEF.
WINNER ANNOUNCEMENT: For the name of the Winner, available after February 14, 2011 visit the Website or send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: CNBC, Inc., 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 07632, Attn: Darren Rovell.
Questions? Comments? SportsBiz@cnbc.com
Darren RovellCNBC Sports Business Reporter
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Feature Extras
AitN: January 29, 2018
Robert K. Kraft ’63 holds the 2017 Super Bowl Trophy
Courtesy of the New England Patriots/David Silverman
Robert K. Kraft ’63, owner of the New England Patriots, will be going to Super Bowl LII in Minneapolis. His team will face off against the Philadelphia Eagles on February 4. This will be the team’s tenth appearance at the Super Bowl; they have won five previous games (2017, 2015, 2005, 2004 and 2002).
Journalist Nellie Bowles ’10’s work for The New York Times appeared on the front pages of two sections of the paper (Sunday Styles and Sunday Business) during the weekend of January 14. The articles appeared online under the titles “Everyone Is Getting Hilariously Rich and You’re Not” and “Jeff Bezos, Mr. Amazon, Steps Out.” Sean Wilentz ’72 wrote a widely-shared Sunday Review Op-Ed in The New York Times’ January 21 edition (“They Were Bad. He May Be Worse.”), comparing Presidents Andrew Johnson and James Buchanan to Donald Trump. Selby Drummond ’09, accessories editor at Vogue, published an article in Vogue on January 25 on uncomfortable questions about engagement and marriage (“What to Say Next Time You’re Asked ‘When Are You Getting Engaged?’”). Nicole Ellis ’10, JRN’16 is launching a three-part original series on fertility for The Washington Post, called “Should I Freeze My Eggs?”. The episodes begin Tuesday, January 30.
Robert J. Speyer ’92, president and CEO of Tishman Speyer, received the 2018 Harry B. Helmsley Distinguished New Yorker Award at the Real Estate Board of New York’s 122nd Annual Banquet on January 18. Speyer chairs the Real Estate Board of New York.
Benjamin Feldman ’73, LAW’76, executive producer and chair of the board for New Yiddish Rep, has secured all Yiddish translation rights to Henry Roth’s 1934 classic work, Call It Sleep. The agreement covers all published print and electronic editions, as well as any potential stage adaptations in Yiddish. “It is only with the translation into Yiddish that the optimal authenticity will be achieved. Roth grew up in Yiddish, spoke Yiddish, wrote in Yiddish with English words,” Feldman said in a press release. “I am honored by Henry’s son Hugh to have him place his trust in me.”
More “Alumni in the News”
AitN: July 15, 2019
AitN: June 17, 2019
AitN: June 3, 2019
AitN: May 20, 2019
AitN: May 6, 2019
AitN: April 22, 2019
AitN: April 8, 2019
AitN: March 25, 2019
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Akebaecks-kyrka-Gotland-N; Karl Brodowsky - Own | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0 ||| Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0
Karl Brodowsky - Own">
Akebäcks kyrka; Carl Wilhelm Pettersson - Kulturmiljöbild, | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0 ||| Public domain
Akebäck Church
Visby, Sweden
What`s here?
History and museums
attractions, sightseeing, walking, culture, temple, church, cathedral
Akebäck Church (Swedish: Akebäcks kyrka) is a medieval Lutheran church on the Swedish island of Gotland, in the Diocese of Visby.
History and architecture
Akebäck Church is, with the exception of the sacristy, a completely Romanesque church. Most of the building was done at the end of the 12th century, with the tower added during the mid-13th century. The church was inaugurated in 1149. Only the sacristy is considerably later, from 1931.
The church has an almost square nave, a semi-circular apse and a rectangular nave. It has a simple interior. Notable are the original ceramic pots which have been immured in the vault of the church, as a way to improve the acoustics. Another unusual detail is a stone sculpture depicting a stonemason lying down which is immured in the church portal. According to tradition, it was made in memory of one of the men who worked at the church but fell and died during the construction; scholars have suggested that it may on the other hand simply be a stone that was placed in the wrong direction with the picture lying down instead of standing up.
Among the furnishings, the altar is unusual in that while it is from the 17th century, the crucifix in the middle is a re-used medieval cross, from the 15th century. The baptismal font is from the 13th century. Of later date is a chandelier, donated in 1850 by a carpenter as a votive gift, "in thanks to divine providence, that kept him safe during fourteen years abroad". The smallest of the two church bells was donated in 1993.
The church underwent a renovation in 1931–32. During the renovation, a large picture stone was found immured in the church. It was extracted and is now displayed outside the church.
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Akebäck_Church
Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0
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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Comic Con Trailer Is Out
Action packed Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Comic-Con trailer is out now. This second trailer feels like it is a direct response to the leaked initial trailer which came with unclear voice and several doubts. This new trailer has more action, more take-your-breath-away moments. The trailer also shows the first look at Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) in action. Director Zack Snyder released this official trailer at San Diego Comic Con 2015
The movie looks totally similar to Frank Miller's comics. This new trailer appears amazing and it features the new Batman - played by Ben Affleck. Selecting Ben Affleck was an attempt to reinvent the character and move beyond Christian Bale's trademark. But the fans will surely miss the likes of Christian Bale as Batman. On the other hand, another special character of Wonder Women is shown which looks mind blowing. You can see Lex Luthor and a uniform hanging in the Batcave that is a hint at the fate of Robin.
There is a lot of action in this trailer - all this adds up to make the trailer more promising than the one we saw in April. Watch the full trailer below...
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 Trailer
Also see below the first teaser of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2. The film is expected to release this November. While the film has been a big worldwide hit, the first part of Mockingjay was not that effective, but there is no doubt that we are excited to see the end of this series with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2. See the trailer below…
Author : Syed Mohammed Ameen
Designation: Associate Blogger
Bio: I am a computer science engineer who believes that there is no substitute to hard work, I am a technology freak and currently a Blogger at Techies Net.
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Kaiser takes Sunkist title
By dailybreeze | dailybreeze@dfmdev.com |
PUBLISHED: November 14, 2008 at 12:00 am | UPDATED: September 6, 2017 at 10:25 am
RIVERSIDE – Coming into Friday, Dick Bruich had engineered 291 wins at the high school level by adhering to two specific guidelines – control the ball on the ground and play hard-nosed, physical defense.
So its no surprise that Kaiser High School didn’t throw a single pass in its 35-14 victory over Riverside Patriot at Rubidoux High School.
It’s also fitting that the Cats held Patriot to 85 total yards, giving the outgoing coach career victory No. 292 and his eighth straight Sunkist League title. The win also gives the Cats five in a row going into the Eastern Division playoffs and a six-game unbeaten streak dating to Oct. 3.
Bruich, who is retiring after the season to devote his full attention toward being the Kaiser athletic director, was predictably coy about getting the victory over the Warriors (7-3 overall, 4-1 Sunkist League), who were tied with the Cats (6-3-1, 5-0) for first in the league before being smacked around Friday night.
“This win has nothing to do with me leaving or any of that stuff,” Bruich said. “This victory was all about the kids playing their hearts out. We are improving every game and we feel pretty good going into the playoffs.”
Several television outlets, including NBC’s Channel 4 in Los Angeles, came out to film Bruich’s last regular-season game and the hubbub behind it. In the process, they saw a clinic in power football from the Kaiser offense, namely a gritty offensive line and the 1-2 tailback punch of seniors Adam Ramirez and Anthony Brown.
The two combined for 346 of Kaiser’s 435 yards on the ground, with Ramirez rolling for 229 yards on 18 carries and four touchdowns – including long scoring runs of 44 and 54 yards – while Brown added 117 yards on 21 carries, scoring on a 6-yard run in the first quarter to give the Cats a 14-0 lead.
While Bruich hasn’t discussed his inevitable departure much with his players – if at all – Ramirez, who started off the scoring with a 7-yard run on Kaiser’s first drive, says that its been a topic of discussion among the players.
“We all know its out there,” said Ramirez, who scored one touchdown in every quarter. “It’s my senior year, and it’s kind of like Coach B’s senior year too. I wanted to go out with a Sunkist League title and we wanted to get one for Coach B too. It’s like he’s one of the seniors.”
While Kaiser was controlling the line of scrimmage with its running, it prevented Patriot from doing anything on the ground at all. The Warriors only rushed for 30 yards, 24 coming on a fourth-quarter touchdown run by Miles Basham when the game was already decided.
Patriot’s other touchdown came on a 36-yard pass from Kyle Sullivan to Kevin Washington in the third quarter.
“That’s what we do,” Bruich said. “If you go back and look at our stats all year, no one has been able to run the ball on us. Los Osos has been killing people all year and they only gained 50 yards on the ground when they played us. This isn’t new.”
With eight Sunkist League titles in a row and a combined 39-1 record in league play, qualifying for the playoffs isn’t anything new, as the Cats will go for their third CIF-SS title starting next week. But even Bruich, as hesitant as he is to play up his retirement, realizes that this year’s playoff run will be unique.
“It’s kind of sad,” Bruich said. “(With the playoffs starting) the next game you coach could be the last one you ever coach. It’s something that is going to feel really bad right after it happens, but will get better in time.
“We aren’t planning on that happening next week, though.”
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dailybreeze
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Healthy living: This is where Fast Food Nation…
Healthy living: This is where Fast Food Nation meets the Blue Zone
(Shutterstock)
By Contributing Writer | |
PUBLISHED: June 25, 2019 at 3:17 pm | UPDATED: June 25, 2019 at 3:34 pm
By John Howard Weeks
I come from a long line of skinny people. So, why was I getting fat?
I am descended from a lineage of ridiculously healthy people who live far longer than others. Why was I feeling like a physical wreck? Finally, I figured it out.
I live in the craziest place on Earth, nutritionally speaking, where the angels of health food gather around and whisper in one ear while the devils of junk food swarm and whisper in the other ear.
This crazy place is the Inland Empire, home of the X spot where the world capital of plant-based nutrition, Loma Linda, butts up against the world capital of meat-based nutrition, San Bernardino.
I not only got wise to what’s going on, I’ve now written a book about it, “The Healthiest People on Earth” (BenBella Books, available wherever books are sold including Amazon.com).
Here’s the premise. My hometown is Loma Linda, which is famous for its large population of Seventh-day Adventists and their huge health care institutions and their healthful lifestyle based on vegetarian nutrition, temperate habits, regular exercise and sound rest.
Loma Linda also is renown as America’s only entry on the short list of so-called Blue Zones, regions of Earth identified by National Geographic-supported research as being oases of healthfulness where people live about a decade longer than average. (The other Blue Zones are Okinawa Island in Japan, the Barbagia region of Sardinia in Italy, the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica and the Greek island of Ikaria.)
OK, Loma Linda is where I was raised, but the place where I’ve worked and lived for most of my adult life is San Bernardino, which is Loma Linda’s immediate next-door neighbor to the north. And San Bernardino is definitely not a Blue Zone.
In fact, it’s famous for being the birthplace of the fast-food revolution, where McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Der Wienerschnitzel, Del Taco, Baker’s, Taco Tia and other chains got their start.
So, here I am, an apparently impressionable fellow raised and inspired in Loma Linda, then tempted and beguiled in San Bernardino. It’s a Jekyll and Hyde situation.
I’m definitely an expert on the whole Blue Zone thing. In fact, I’m an insider of a special kind. I’m the great-great grandson of Ellen G. White, the founder and prophet of the Seventh-day Adventist church, who established Loma Linda in 1905 as the bastion of the worldwide Adventist health ministry.
My grandfather, Herbert C. White, was the author of many health books. My father, Howard B. Weeks, was a longtime Loma Linda University administrator.
But, you know what? I’m also an expert on getting my kicks on Route 66. I grew up and moved on to become a career journalist based at the San Bernardino Sun. I’ve lived in San Bernardino for 35 years.
It’s no wonder I got confused. I wavered from the healthful lifestyle of my youth. And, as an adult, I started living large, eating large, drinking large. I got fat. And lazy. And unhealthy.
Oh dear yes, I got to know everything there is to know about this weird Inland Empire where the angels of health food and good habits vie, side-by-side, with the devils of junk food and bad habits. But getting to know about something is not the same thing as getting smart about it.
I got smart when I realized that I needed to make a course change, and that my best way forward was to go back, to circle around and return to my roots. I discovered that my path to better health and longer life was where it had been all along, waiting for me to find it again.
I re-studied and relearned the wisdom of my heritage. I worked hard at it. I started eating better, which made my body work better, which made me feel better, and sleep better, and look better.
Hey, this Blue Zone thing really works! I’m so excited I wrote a book about it. I want to share this positively incredible (and incredibly positive) news with everyone.
Anyone has the power, you have the power, to create a Blue Zone of your own, no matter where you live (even San Bernardino!), and you can turn it as many deeper shades of blue as you like.
Let me stress one thing. My book, “The Healthiest People on Earth,” is not about religion. There’s not a single word of religious dogma anywhere in it. It’s a book about health and happiness. It’s full of Blue Zone secrets, stories, tips and insider information. There are chapters on food, drink, fixing bad habits, developing good habits, enjoying better digestion, better sex and better sleep. Even better dreams. There’s also a whole chapter of time-proven home remedies for whatever ails you.
And there are more than 50 Adventist family recipes, including the favorite dishes of Ellen G. White, my greatgreat-grandmother. These recipes, many of them handwritten on scraps of paper that are more than a hundred years old, appear in print in this book for the first time anywhere.
And there are very modern recipes, too, representing the best from the kitchens of today’s Blue Zoners. Avocado tacos with Mexican slaw, lentil roast and other meatless casseroles, power salads and snacks, and sexy desserts like Cherry Cha Cha. And lots, lots more.
OK, that’s enough talk. Let’s eat. The best way to embrace and celebrate a plant-based whole foods diet is to put good food on the table. This book and these recipes will help you do just that.
John Howard Weeks is a career journalist and longtime columnist for Southern California’s largest newspaper group. He is author, co-author or editor of six previous books: “Mojave Desert,” “Inland Empire,” “San Bernardino Bicentennial,” “Choice Words,” “Dream Weavers” and a novel, “Window Beyond the World.”
Editor’s note: A version of this story appeared in the summer 2019 issue of Riverside Magazine.
Unraveling the mystery behind one LADWP worker’s $313,865 in overtime pay
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Generations of families and friends will come together to celebrate seniors in the region thanks to NSW Government grants for Dubbo Neighbourhood Centre and United Hospitals Auxiliaries to show gratitude for local grandparents. Member for Dubbo Troy Grant has announced the Dubbo Neighbourhood Centre and United Hospitals Auxiliaries in Dubbo have received $6,080 and $3,935 to bring Grandparents Day to life in the community. “Grandparents Day is a wonderful opportunity to say thank you to the seniors in our community,” Mr Grant said. “I hope to see local residents young and old enjoying Grandparents Day and I encourage everyone to bring their grandparents or the older people in their lives along to the events.” NSW Grandparents Day celebrates the role grandparents and older people play in communities across NSW, and it is held annually on the last Sunday in October. The day was launched by the NSW Government in 2011. Minister for Ageing Tanya Davies said that more than $200,000 has been delivered to councils, schools and community organisations to hold Grandparents Day celebrations this October. “Grandparents Day gives us a chance to recognise the older people in our lives for the invaluable contributions they make to their families and communities,” Mrs Davies said. Last year, the NSW Government doubled the amount of funding available to organisations so they could deliver a diverse range of events that reach more people. In 2018, NSW Grandparents Day will be celebrated on Sunday 28 October, while the NSW Grandparent of the Year Awards will be presented at a ceremony on 24 October. Nominations are currently open for the 2018 Grandparent of the Year Award and the Grandparents Day Photography Competition, and will close in early September.
https://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/9nQYdrBHQxDB6mMpJRZdp8/86fbd438-4c9b-426e-ba25-343e21e08d04.jpg/r409_104_814_333_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg
Grants bring friends and families together ahead of Grandparent’s Day
Generations of families and friends will come together to celebrate seniors in the region thanks to NSW Government grants for Dubbo Neighbourhood Centre and United Hospitals Auxiliaries to show gratitude for local grandparents.
Member for Dubbo Troy Grant has announced the Dubbo Neighbourhood Centre and United Hospitals Auxiliaries in Dubbo have received $6,080 and $3,935 to bring Grandparents Day to life in the community.
“Grandparents Day is a wonderful opportunity to say thank you to the seniors in our community,” Mr Grant said.
“I hope to see local residents young and old enjoying Grandparents Day and I encourage everyone to bring their grandparents or the older people in their lives along to the events.”
READ ALSO: Dubbo mayor Ben Shields urges region to support Fly Corporate
NSW Grandparents Day celebrates the role grandparents and older people play in communities across NSW, and it is held annually on the last Sunday in October.
The day was launched by the NSW Government in 2011.
Minister for Ageing Tanya Davies said that more than $200,000 has been delivered to councils, schools and community organisations to hold Grandparents Day celebrations this October.
READ ALSO: Dubbo’s Pink angels to drive the outback for cancer
“Grandparents Day gives us a chance to recognise the older people in our lives for the invaluable contributions they make to their families and communities,” Mrs Davies said.
Last year, the NSW Government doubled the amount of funding available to organisations so they could deliver a diverse range of events that reach more people. In 2018, NSW Grandparents Day will be celebrated on Sunday 28 October, while the NSW Grandparent of the Year Awards will be presented at a ceremony on 24 October.
Nominations are currently open for the 2018 Grandparent of the Year Award and the Grandparents Day Photography Competition, and will close in early September.
READ ALSO: Data shows Return and Earn reverse vending machines cutting litter
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Football legend's Anglesey holiday home sells for £585,000
Idyllic hideaway of one of the game's biggest names has been snapped up at auction
Mari JonesReporter
5 bed beachside cottage on Anglesey that was once owned by football legend Sir Bobby Charlton. Called Tyddyn Barcud, the cottage overlooks Llanddona Beach, part of Red Wharf Bay. It is on the market with EA Joan Hopkin Estate Agents for £585k. Simon Ranshaw Photography (Image: Joan Hopkin Estate Agents / Simon Ranshaw Photography)
Sir Bobby Charlton's idyllic Anglesey holiday home has been snapped up just five days after it first came on the market.
The former footballer who is regarded by some as one of the greatest players of all time, was a member of the England team that won the 1966 World Cup.
Charlton became one of the famed Busby Babes , the collection of talented footballers who emerged through the system at Old Trafford as Matt Busby set about a long-term plan of rebuilding the club after the Second World War .
He and his wife Lady Charlton used to escape to their Welsh bolthole overlooking Llanddona beach in the 1970s, during the height of his fame.
Called Tyddyn Barcud, the home regularly welcomed the football legend as a perfect place to get away from the madding crowds.
Dafydd Rowlands of Beaumaris based Joan Hopkins Estate Agent, said: "The house went on the market last Thursday, and we've had an offer this morning for the asking price.
"It will be sold as a second home for a couple from Cheshire.
Police chief says there are more county lines gangs in North Wales than force originally thought
"Sir Bobby's name is on the deeds, he bought it as a holiday home in the 1970s."
The recently modernised and extended four bedroom cottage is adjacent to the long, sandy beach of Llanddona, which forms one end of the substantial Red Wharf Bay, and is part of the Anglesey coastal path.
And the cottage enjoys uninterrupted beach and sea views from all of its tranquil surroundings.
The bedrooms have all been decorated in a classic coastal cottage style, with white washed walls.
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Democratic Governor Candidate: Illegals Part Of November 'Blue Wave'
Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams said this week that illegal aliens will be part of the Democratic Party’s "blue wave" in the upcoming midterm elections.
Abrams made the remark while campaigning with Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) on Tuesday at the Clayton County campaign office, the Free Beacon reported.
"The thing of it is, the blue wave is African American. It is white. It is Latino. It is Asian-Pacific Islander," Abrams said. "It is made up of those who've been told that they are not worthy of being here. It is comprised of those who are documented and undocumented."
The Free Beacon contacted Abrams' campaign "to ask what role undocumented immigrants will play in the midterms if they are not legal voters."
Her campaign did not respond.
Read More: Democratic Party
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9/11 survivors demand Islam extremism funding report release
Saudi's Oil Minister Khalid al-Falih, left, poses with British Prime Minister Theresa May,
by Andrew Buncombe New York
Survivors of the 9/11 attacks have written to Prime Minister Theresa May - urging her to make public a British government report into the extent of Saudi Arabia's funding of Islamist extremism in the UK.
The report into the significance of the financing of Islamic extremists in Britain by Saudi Arabia and other nations was commissioned by Ms May's predecessor, David Cameron, as part of a deal to obtain political support for a parliamentary vote on UK airstrikes on Syria.
Last week, British Home Secretary Amber Rudd said the report was not being published "because of the volume of personal information it contains and for national security reasons".
Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas suggested the refusal to make public the report was linked to a reluctance to criticise the kingdom, with which Britain has long had close strategic and economic ties.
Now, a group representing US survivors of the 9/11 attacks and the relatives of some of the almost 3,000 people who died, has urged Ms May to seize the chance to release the report, even if it is not fully complete.
"The UK now has the unique historic opportunity to stop the killing spree of Wahhabism-inspired terrorists by releasing the UK government's report on terrorism financing in the UK which, according to media reports, places Saudi Arabia at its centre of culpability," says the letter, signed by 15 people.
"The longer Saudi Arabia's complicity is hidden from sunlight, the longer terrorism will continue. They must be stopped; but who will stop them? We submit that you are uniquely situated to shine the cleansing light of public consciousness."
It adds: "We respectfully urge you to release the report now, finished or unfinished. We ask you to consider all the victims of state-sponsored, Saudi-financed terrorism, their families and their survivors in the UK and all over the world."
Sharon Premoli, one of the authors of the letter, was on the 80th floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Centre when the first Al-Qaeda plane struck and rushed to safety. She is among those who have been pursuing legal action against Saudi Arabia and is adamant the attacks could not have happened without its support.
Ms Premoli, from Vermont, told The Independent that in the 16 years since the attacks were carried out, she and others have pursued the "money trail". "We are always led to the source - Saudi Arabia," she said.
She added: "This has been a long time coming. If you think, we're 16 years on from the murder of 3,000 people and the injuring of another 6,000 and the deaths and illnesses from countless others."
Others who have signed the letter are Brett and Gail Eagleson, the son and widow of John Eagleton, who died on the 17th floor of the Second Tower, Ellen Saracini, the widow of Victor Saracini, a pilot of United Airlines Flight 175, which was hijacked as it made its way from Boston to Los Angeles and flown into the South Tower, and Kathy Owens, whose husband, Peter, perished on the 104th Floor of the North Tower.
Copies of the letter have been sent to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott, Ms Rudd, and Sir Kim Darroch, Britain's Ambassador to Washington.
Ms Premoli, the author of a memoir Autumn: On the Way Back from 9/11, said the US government was actively involved in a cover-up of Saudi Arabia's role. In addition, she said the US and Britain were promoting closer ties with Riyadh, and the sale of arms and weapons.
She said the weapons were now being used to devastating effect in Yemen, where the Saudis have been attacking Shia Houthi rebels, resulting in thousands of civilian deaths.
Though 15 of the 19 hijackers who carried out the attacks on New York and Washington were from Saudi Arabia, the government has always denied having any role. The bi-partisan 9/11 Commission Report "found no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded the organisation".
Last year, a long-classified section comprising 28 pages that detailed potential Saudi government ties to the attack but which had not been verified, were finally made public.
Earlier this spring, a lawsuit was filed in New York on behalf of the families of 850 individuals who were killed and 1,500 who were injured.
The suit, which was filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York and will be heard US District Judge George Daniels, seeks unspecified monetary damages and says Saudi supported Al-Qaeda in four critical ways - supporting government-linked charities that ran training camps, directly funding Osama Bin Laden's terror group, supporting the hijackers by providing them with passports and, finally, and providing on-the-ground support to the hijackers in the 18 months leading up to the attacks.
"9/11 could not have happened without Saudi Arabia's support for al-Qaeda," said lead lawyer Jim Kreindler.
Many believe Britain and the US share a long history of promoting and using Islamist extremists when it has benefited their strategic, economic or military goals. Mark Curtis, the historian and author of Secret Affairs: Britain's Collusion with Radical Islam, wrote recently that Saudi Arabia's role in promoting Wahhabism had been known for decades.
"The British elite is perfectly aware of the insidious role that Saudi Arabia plays in fomenting terrorism," he said. "In October 2014, General Jonathan Shaw, a former Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff, told the Telegraph that Saudi Arabia and Qatar were primarily responsible for the rise of the extremist Islam that inspires Isis terrorists."
This is not the first time that a British government has sought to protect strategic ties with Saudi Arabia by covering up embarrassing or damaging information.
In 2006, Tony Blair halted a major criminal investigation into alleged corruption by the arms company BAE Systems and payments to Saudi officials involved in the Al-Yamamah arms deal, after it was decided continuing the probe would endanger Britain's security - the same excuse cited by Ms Rudd.
Downing Street directed enquiries to the Foreign Office. The Foreign Office did not immediately respond. The Saudi Arabia Embassy in Washington also did respond to questions.
The attacks of 2001 killed people from around the world. In addition to the more than 2,600 US victims, 372 foreign nationals from 61 countries lost their lives. The second largest number, 67, were British.
Ms Lucas, the MP Brighton Pavilion said she supported the efforts of the survivors.
"I fully support these 9/11 survivors in their appeal to Theresa May to release this report. The Government's refusal to publish it, and their recent vague statement on the issue, are completely unacceptable," she said in a statement.
"The Government accepts that foreign funding is a significant source of income for some extremist groups here in Britain - but they won't say in public where that money is coming from. This group of 9/11 survivors are right to demand answers... and I hope Theresa May takes heed of their calls."
German schoolgirl turned ISIS sniper found in warzone
Massacre in Mosul: 40,000 civilians killed
Inside 9/11’s most heroic story
9/11 islam saudi arabia terrorism
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Microsoft open sources MS-DOS (for real this time!)
01 October 2018, 16:04 p.m.
Industry, Microsoft
After over 30 years, Microsoft is making MS-DOS fully open source as part of a “re-release” without the restrictions of the last.
Many will not have seen MS-DOS for decades, but the 1983 OS remains among the most important software ever written.
Indicating the importance of the OS, MS-DOS was added to the Computer History Museum in 2013. In doing so, the original source codes were transferred.
The clause of MS-DOS in the Computer History Museum was that people were prohibited from using it for commercial projects and distributing it elsewhere. Not really open source, then.
Microsoft is now publishing the source code under the MIT license which allows it to be modified, used, and distributed without penalty.
The company provided some interesting facts alongside its release:
All the source for MS-DOS 1.25 and 2.0 was written in 8086 assembly code
The source code for the initial release of 86-DOS dates from around December 29th 1980
The MS-DOS 1.25 code dates from around May 9th 1983, and is comprised of just 7 source files, including the original MS-DOS Command-Line shell - COMMAND.ASM!
MS-DOS 2.0 dates from around August 3rd 1983, and grew considerably in sophistication (and team size), and is comprised of 100 .ASM files
There are some interesting documentation (.TXT, .DOC) files interspersed with the source and object files - many are well worth a read, as are many of the source code comments!
As expected, the code is being hosted on GitHub which Microsoft acquired back in June for $7.5 billion. It’s worth noting the company will not accept pull requests and will treat it as a static copy.
Interested in hearing industry leaders discuss subjects like this and sharing their use-cases? Attend the co-located IoT Tech Expo, Blockchain Expo, AI & Big Data Expo and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo World Series with upcoming events in Silicon Valley, London and Amsterdam and explore the future of enterprise technology.
» Samsung releases a blockchain SDK for smartphone dApps
» Embracing DevOps by developing your product and your people
» JetBrains report highlights changes in the 2019 programming landscape
1q1q1q
13 Nov 2018, 12:48 p.m.
For those of you who share my passion for all DOS games you might wanna check out https://classicreload.com , tons of DOS based games , ZX, commodore 64.
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Devon councillor elected national chair of school funding campaign
Councillor James McInnes
Devon has a new national champion in the continuing fight for fair funding for schools.
Devon County Council’s deputy leader and Cabinet member for schools, James McInnes, has been elected chairman of the influential lobbying group f40.
It’s made up of the worst funded education authorities in the country and regularly meets with Government Ministers, MPs and civil servants in the Department of Education to press for fairer school funding.
On Monday (15), Mr McInnes will officially take over from the current long-serving chairman, Ivan Ould, from Leicestershire and help lead a briefing for MPs at Westminster.
Mr McInnes has regularly campaigned with heads, parents and governors from Devon schools for better funding.
The county has moved up from sixth from bottom of 152 local authorities when every pupil was worth £480 less than the national average.
But the latest figures show every child in a Devon school still gets £304 less in funding than the national average. That means schools are losing out on £27 million every year.
The county’s Early Years’ funding also falls short with children getting £279 less than the national average – a funding gap of £2.8 million.
And the funding for the county’s most vulnerable children – the high needs block – has failed to keep pace with the rise in demand.
Since 2015 there has been a 14.5 per cent increase in the number of children with education, health and care plans.
But funding from national government has only gone up by two per cent from £62.6 million to £64.1 million.
Mr McInnes said today:
“I am delighted to have been elected as chairman of f40 but a little apprehensive about trying to step into Ivan’s shoes.
“During a time of austerity for all public services, he and f40 have done an excellent job of keeping school funding high up the agenda.
“This Government has put more money into education and tried to make the funding system fairer to rural areas.
“But I have to say the system still penalises Devon schools and there isn’t enough money nationally to take account of the rise in the number of children being educated and all the extra pressures and responsibilities that have been placed on heads.
“The fact that schools in Devon have had to cut around 600 teaching and support staff posts in the past year to keep their budgets in the black is testament to that.
“Every child deserves a decent education because education in itself is something to which we should all aspire.
“But for purely selfish reasons we also want to be producing well-educated children.
“In a world in which competition is increasingly global, we will be relying on them to keep our economy competitive and generating the profits on which we all rely to pay for our vital public services.
“The Prime Minister has signalled that we are moving towards the end of austerity.
“There will be a clamour for more funding from no end of services. But I intend to make sure that education and our schools make their case powerfully and cogently to Ministers and civil servants nationally and at the same time continue fighting for a fair deal for Devon.”
Community Celebrates New School
Devon MPs urge the Chancellor to increase education funding and make it fairer
Devon’s Deputy Leader calls for more cash for schools and special education
Cash boost for volunteers and communities in Devon to help themselves
Exeter pupils rewarded for life skills
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Nobody Unprepared - The History of No.78 Squadron RAF, by Vernon Holland
Published by Woodfield in 2002, 250 pages. Large A4 size softback (N4459)
From the rear side cover: This book tells the story of No.78 Squadron RAF, a bomber squadron which became operational in July 1940 and remained so until the end of the Second World War. The squadron originally flew twin-engined Whitley aircraft, later converting to the 4-engined Halifax. They belonged to 4 Group, RAF Bomber Command and were based at Dishforth, Middleton-St-George, Croft, Linton-on-Ouse and Breighton at various times.
No.78 Squadron flew the most sorties in 4 Group (6,337), suffered the highest percentage losses of any Halifax squadron (245 aircraft lost) and the third highest losses in Bomber Command as a whole. They are also believed to have dropped the greatest tonnage of bombs in 4 Group – approximately 17,000 tons.
Until D-Day, 6th June 1944, the aircraft of Bomber Command were the only means available to the Allies to mount attacks on the German Fatherland - a job they carried out with dogged determination and outstanding bravery, as night after night, the aircrews risked their lives over enemy-occupied Europe, supported by a small army of hard-working personnel on the ground, whose job it was to keep the aircraft flying.
The full story of the wartime operations of No.78 Squadron is recorded here for the first time in well-researched detail, accompanied by an appendix which includes full facts and figures and a roll of honour naming every 78 Squadron airman killed, wounded or taken prisoner.
The condition of the book is generally excellent. The covers are clean and bright, the spine is tight and intact, and all pages are clean, intact, unblemished and tightly bound - the book looks like it has never been read!
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Southern and West Country Airfields of the D-Day Invasion Air Force, by Peter Jacobs
Southern and West Country Airfields of the D-Day Invasion Air Force, by Peter Jacobs, subtitled '2nd Tactical Air Force in Southern and South West England in WWII'
Book published by Pen and Sword in 2013, 194 pages. Paperback (N5813PECHUP1)
From the rear side cover:As part of the Aviation Heritage Trail series, the airfields and interest in this book are concentrated in a particular area - in this case West Sussex, Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and Cornwall.
The South and South-west of England emerged from six years of war with a rich diversity of RAF bomber and fighter airfields used by the 2nd Tactical Air Force, both before and after the D-Day landings. Much of this proud legacy is now threatening to disappear. However, the tourist can combine visits to an abundance of disused and active airfields, country houses and museums with countless attractions, imaginative locations and broadland and coastal hideaways that have no equal.
The airfields and other places of interest include Hartford Bridge, Lasham, Westhamptonett,Merston, Odiham, Holmsley South, Funtington, Hurn, Ford, Tangmere, Ibsley, Perranporth, Thruxton, Thorney Island, Appledram, Selesy,Needs Oar Point, Zeals, Lee-on-Solent and Bognor Regis.
This book looks at the history and personalities associated with each base, what remains today and explores the favourite local wartime haunts where aircrew and ground crew would have sought well-deserved entertainment and relaxation. Other museums and places that are relevant will also be described and general directions on how to get them included.
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Supreme Court gives Judgment in landmark case for Inheritance and Testamentary Freedom.
Mrs Ilott pursued a claim under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 (the “Act”) having been estranged and ultimately disinherited by her mother Mrs Jackson, who died in 2004. The legal proceedings which were concluded yesterday, over a decade after Mrs Jackson’s death, are largely seen as one of the most important test cases for testamentary freedom and the proper application of the Act.
In 1978 Mrs Jackson had not approved of Mrs Ilott’s then boyfriend, as a consequence Mrs Ilott, ran away from home and ultimately got married. This triggered an irreconcilable breakdown in relationship between mother and daughter. This dispute was at the heart of the daughter’s disinheritance under Mrs Jackson’s Will in 2002. Mrs Jackson’s estate was valued at £486,000 upon her death in 2004. This was left to a number of charitable bodies and Mrs Ilott, of limited financial means, was left without.
At first instance Mrs Ilott was awarded £50,000 as the Court found that reasonable financial provision had not been made by Mrs Jackson for her daughter’s maintenance. A number of appeals and hearings took place before the Court of Appeal awarded Mrs. Ilott the sum of £143,000 to buy a house and a further £20,000. The Court of Appeal found that the original Judge was in error in the method of calculating what constituted “reasonable financial provision”. In addition, the Court of Appeal found error in the making of the award without knowledge of the effect it would have on Mrs Ilott’s benefits, upon which she largely depended.
The Supreme Court found that that Mrs Ilott was not wronged as a consequence if indeed the Judge was in error. Mrs Ilott’s original award of £50,000 was reinstated and the Court set out a thorough interpretation of the current law, but pointed to the need for law reform to meet the need of modern family structures and the broad spectrum of opinions on the subject of inheritance.
Today’s Judgment will provide useful guidance for the application of the Act for the foreseeable future. Click the link for the full Judgment: https://www.supremecourt.uk/cases/uksc-2015-0203.html
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Other organisations > World Trade Organisation
More reports on: Trade
Cabinet approves India's stand at WTO Ministerial
The union cabinet on Wednesday gave ex-post facto approval to the stand adopted by India at the ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) held in Argentina last month. "The mandate exercised and approach adopted at the conference was aimed at protecting India's interests, priorities and concerns," the government said in an official statement.
The 11th ministerial conference of the WTO in Buenos Aires from 10 to 13 December collapsed after the US reneged on its commitment to give a permanent solution to the food stockpiling issues of developing countries.
"India did not support the draft ministerial declaration as it excluded or failed to adequately cover important issues such as multilateralism, the Doha Development Agenda and special and differential treatment of developing countries," the government said.
In fisheries, India was able to push to 2019 the commitment to prohibit certain forms of subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, and eliminate subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
In ecommerce, India managed to convince other countries to continue with the old work programme that links a two-year continuation of the moratorium on ecommerce with the continuation of one on TRIPS and non-violation complaints.
Ministerial decisions on new issues like investment facilitation, MSMEs, gender and trade, which lacked a mandate or consensus, were not taken forward.
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Philosophical Battles: Empiricism versus Rationalism
The Philosophy of Shapeshifters, Socks, and Personal Identity
Philosophy For Dummies Cheat Sheet
Ethics For Dummies Cheat Sheet
Existentialism For Dummies Cheat Sheet
The history of philosophy has seen many warring camps fighting battles over some major issue or other. One of the major battles historically has been over the foundations of all our knowledge. What is most basic in any human set of beliefs? What are our ultimate starting points for any world view? Where does human knowledge ultimately come from?
Empiricists have always claimed that sense experience is the ultimate starting point for all our knowledge. The senses, they maintain, give us all our raw data about the world, and without this raw material, there would be no knowledge at all. Perception starts a process, and from this process come all our beliefs. In its purest form, empiricism holds that sense experience alone gives birth to all our beliefs and all our knowledge. A classic example of an empiricist is the British philosopher John Locke (1632–1704).
It’s easy to see how empiricism has been able to win over many converts. Think about it for a second. It’s interestingly difficult to identify a single belief that you have that didn’t come your way by means of some sense experience — sight, hearing, touch, smell, or taste. It’s natural, then, to come to believe that the senses are the sole source and ultimate grounding of belief.
But not all philosophers have been convinced that the senses fly solo when it comes to producing belief. We seem to have some beliefs that cannot be read off sense experience, or proved from any perception that we might be able to have. Because of this, there historically has been a warring camp of philosophers who give a different answer to the question of where our beliefs ultimately do, or should, come from.
Rationalists have claimed that the ultimate starting point for all knowledge is not the senses but reason. They maintain that without prior categories and principles supplied by reason, we couldn’t organize and interpret our sense experience in any way. We would be faced with just one huge, undifferentiated, kaleidoscopic whirl of sensation, signifying nothing. Rationalism in its purest form goes so far as to hold that all our rational beliefs, and the entirety of human knowledge, consists in first principles and innate concepts (concepts that we are just born having) that are somehow generated and certified by reason, along with anything logically deducible from these first principles.
How can reason supply any mental category or first principle at all? Some rationalists have claimed that we are born with several fundamental concepts or categories in our minds ready for use. These give us what the rationalists call “innate knowledge.” Examples might be certain categories of space, of time, and of cause and effect.
We naturally think in terms of cause and effect. And this helps organize our experience of the world. We think of ourselves as seeing some things cause other things to happen, but in terms of our raw sense experience, we just see certain things happen before other things, and remember having seen such before-and-after sequences at earlier times. For example, a rock hits a window, and then the window breaks. We don’t see a third thing called causation. But we believe it has happened. The rock hitting the window caused it to break. But this is not experienced like the flight of the rock or the shattering of the glass. Experience does not seem to force the concept of causation on us. We just use it to interpret what we experience. Cause and effect are categories that could never be read out of our experience and must therefore be brought to that experience by our prior mental disposition to attribute such a connection. This is the rationalist perspective.
Rationalist philosophers have claimed that at the foundations of our knowledge are propositions that are self-evident, or self-evidently true. A self-evident proposition has the strange property of being such that, on merely understanding what it says, and without any further checking or special evidence of any kind, we can just intellectually “see” that it is true. Examples might be such propositions as:
Any surface that is red is colored.
If A is greater than B, and B is greater than C, then A is greater than C.
The claim is that, once these statements are understood, it takes no further sense experience whatsoever to see that they are true.
Descartes was a thinker who used skeptical doubt as a prelude to constructing a rationalist philosophy. He was convinced that all our beliefs that are founded on the experience of the external senses could be called into doubt, but that with certain self-evident beliefs, like “I am thinking,” there is no room for creating and sustaining a reasonable doubt. Descartes then tried to find enough other first principles utterly immune to rational doubt that he could provide an indubitable, rational basis for all other legitimate beliefs.
Philosophers do not believe that Descartes succeeded. But it was worth a try. Rationalism has remained a seductive idea for individuals attracted to mathematics and to the beauties of unified theory, but it has never been made to work as a practical matter.
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Electronic Design Europe News Brand
Technologies>Analog
D 'NA
Why does delivering digital designs rely on the right analogue attitudes?
Sam Fuller | Jan 25, 2007
Digital devices have truly changed forever how we communicate, work, travel, and enjoy our leisure time. We can quickly and accurately collect images, voice, and audio data from the environment around us, and then manage and manipulate it in the digital domain. It’s given us sophisticated communications and higher performance computing, and yielded more reliable and affordable consumer, industrial, automotive, and medical electronics.
However, the advantages of digital technology are only as powerful as the analogue technologies that reproduce the digital 1s and 0s into “real-world” signals that can be heard, seen, felt, or perceived by human beings. Such technologies also must capture these signals and convert them into digital bits.
We should never forget that all of these technologies are only as good as the people behind them. And for analogue electronics, it all comes back to the design engineers who work on the new technologies and products.
I believe it is vital that we, as an electronics industry, continue to nurture and develop analogue design engineers. We need to ensure that the supply of new graduates continues to be available to the industry from educational establishments, and we need to provide the right training, support, and incentives to retain our engineers.
ANALOGUE’S PLACE IN A DIGITAL WORLD
The profusion of digital products in thousands of end markets and applications has triggered a similar, and often proportionately larger, need for high-quality analogue technology. In fact, market research firm DataBeans estimates that for every dollar of digital content added to an electronic end-product design, as much as $1.40 in analogue technology is required as well.
Digital products are often differentiated more by analogue innovation than digital circuitry. Let’s look at some application trends and how analogue technology defines digital products.
Advanced TV: The development of advanced TV is being driven as much by new analogue technology as by digital. Even in the era of digital broadcasting, TVs require dual interfaces—digital and analogue—to support legacy VCRs, DVD players and camcorders. Moreover, there’s market demand for high-performance analogue audio circuits. The approximately $20 of analogue content used in today’s average digital TV and audio/video system is expected to reach the $40-60 range during the next few years.
Digital still cameras: The quality of digital-camera images depends on the ability of highperformance data converters in the camera’s analogue front end (AFE) to lower noise and increase dynamic range. The AFE can also address other conventional performance issues, such as lowering power to extend battery life and raising conversion sample rates to increase camera shutter speed.
The analogue semiconductor content in a typical digital still camera has risen from less than $2 a few years ago to more than $5 today. And, forecasts show that it will push into the $10 to $15 range in next-generation cameras.
Audio processing: Whether processing Dolby 5.1-channel Surround Sound in a home-theatre application or 12-channel audio in a high-end automotive system, today’s audio signal chain is increasingly digital. In reality, however, the signal chain is “all-digital” in name only. The profusion of multi-channel audio places new performance demands on analogue technology, such as for multiple high-performance analogue power amplifiers and audio codecs.
Mobile phone handsets: More intelligent, function-rich phones, replete with features like MP3 music and broadcast TV, drive the need for new analogue capability. High-performance analogue image processing for cameras, backlight power devices for colour LCD displays, and power management all elevate the average analogue content of a wireless handset.
Medical imaging: High-speed digital computation allows doctors to review higher-resolution CT scans and ultrasound images, requiring increased channel density and improved performance in signal acquisition. Such innovations lead to faster, less intrusive medical diagnostic procedures for patients, as well as increase the speed and throughput of medical diagnostic processing for physicians and lab technicians. Analysts estimate medical imaging will constitute a $1.5 billion market for analogue components in the near future.
FINDING ENGINEERS
Analogue design is a specialist discipline that requires specific skills. For Analog Devices, it’s important that we work hard to ensure the long-term supply of talented engineers. It’s not enough for us to sit back and wait for engineers to apply for jobs; we must actively help create the right environment for them to flourish.
Links with academia are vital for a company like ADI to find the right talent. The company’s recruitment programme at universities brings in approximately half of our new engineering talent each year. At universities across North America, Europe, and Asia, we recruit graduates from engineering, mathematics, physics, and computer science to join our team and learn the craft of analogue design.
By working with universities, we can help ensure that students follow the right courses to equip them with the right skills. And we can help keep them motivated and focused on the opportunities that will exist upon completion of their undergraduate or postgraduate education.
Europe is important to ADI’s continued developments in analogue electronics. One of our major centres for analogue development is in Limerick, Ireland. We’ve enjoyed an excellent relationship with Limerick University, under which ADI provides engineering instruction assistance, and a wafer manufacturing facility established 25 years ago.
ADI is also seeing an excellent source of talent in China and India, where hiring locally has helped with the recruitment of many talented engineers. The company consistently recruits around 40% of engineers with first or Bachelor’s degrees, 50% with Master’s, and 10% PhDs.
The new graduates work alongside experienced designers at ADI, including ADI fellows, who are our most distinguished and experienced engineers. On-thejob training, primarily through mentoring with experienced staff, builds on our recruits’ basic skills and teaches them how to apply their knowledge toward designing in the data-converter, amplifier, and high-performance signalprocessing realms.
SHORTAGE?
Is there a shortage of analogue design engineers? While some industry reports suggest a shortage, ADI doesn’t view that as a negative. In fact, it’s considered a competitive advantage to be able to attract, nurture, and challenge the world’s top technical graduates. Though perhaps not as prevalent as software programmers, and not as easily automated as some aspects of digital IC design, graduates interested in exploring technologies that link the real world of analogue signals to the digital world of electronics, are out there.
TAGS: Automotive
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Power Semiconductors: Past, Present, and Future (.PDF Download)
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Book review: Varoufaki...
Forum: Interview with Lance Taylor: ‘Wage repression and secular stagnation are rather close in kind’
Currency regime crises, real wages, functional income distribution and production
Quantity-of-money fluctuations and economic instability: empirical evidence for the USA (1958–2006)
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Macroeconomic policy regimes in emerging markets: the case of Latvia
Book review: Varoufakis, Y.(2011): <i>The Global Minotaur: America, the True Origins of the Financial Crisis and the Future of the World Economy,</i> 1st Edition, London, UK and New York, USA (196 pages, hardcover, Zed Books, ISBN 978-1-78032-015-1)
Book review: King, J.E. (2015): <i>Advanced Introduction to Post Keynesian Economics,</i> Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, MA, USA (139 pages, softcover, Edward Elgar, ISBN 978-1-78254-843-0) and Holcombe, R.G. (2014): <i>Advanced Introduction to the Austrian School of Economics,</i> Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, MA, USA (126 pages, softcover, Edward Elgar, ISBN 978-1-78195-574-1)
Book review: Varoufakis, Y.(2011): The Global Minotaur: America, the True Origins of the Financial Crisis and the Future of the World Economy, 1st Edition, London, UK and New York, USA (196 pages, hardcover, Zed Books, ISBN 978-1-78032-015-1)
https://doi.org/10.4337/ejeep.2015.03.06
Original Pages
This article does not contain an abstract
In The Global Minotaur, Yanis Varoufakis makes a fascinating depiction of the role played by the United States in the world economy since 1929. The author focuses, in particular, on the crucial political and economic aspects underlying the creation of strong ties between the US and other nations. Besides making a captivating portrayal of several major episodes in recent economic history, the book is also extremely insightful in giving an accessible exposition of several core concepts in economic theory.
In the aftermath of the 2008 crisis, various attempts have been made to understand the accumulation and persistence of current-account imbalances between countries and the large role played by the US trade deficit in this setting. More conventional explanations have highlighted factors determining the current account, either by paying attention to (the lack of) domestic demand in some countries, or by attributing to prices – usually to their rigidity – the major role of preventing imbalances from being corrected over time. Analysts have adopted the latter point of view when they blamed, for instance, the overvaluation of the exchange rate or the lack of business competitiveness for the accumulation of trade deficits in Europe or in the United States.
An alternative view, argued at length by Ben Bernanke (2005), has taken the capital account as the primary driver of imbalances between US and China. According to Bernanke, a global savings glut caused by savers in China has exceeded available investment opportunities and has been injected into the US, resulting in a fall in US long-term interest rates, asset price inflation and excess consumption. By also considering the financial dimension of global imbalances while shifting the origin of the problem to the United States, another set of arguments has focused on the role of the US dollar as a reserve currency in the so-called ‘revived Bretton Woods system’ (see for instance Dooley et al. 2002 or Bibow 2008). Palley (2011) criticized both views by defending the role of corporate globalization and outsourcing as major drivers of imbalances.
One element that the narrative depicted in The Global Minotaur illuminates is that the separation between current- and capital-account factors may be useful for accounting purposes, but it does not help us to understand the underpinnings of the accumulation of global imbalances, and even less so of its linkages with the real economy. Such a distinction has been criticized by Blecker (2003) in connection with the divide between international trade and international finance, which itself only gained force based on the idea of money neutrality.
Yanis Varoufakis does a great job not only in connecting the dots and attributing a particular role or responsibility to all the current- and capital-account factors leading to the accumulation of global imbalances since the end of the Bretton Woods system, but also for understanding this process in the historical context of the hegemonic role played by the United States since World War II.
In the book's central metaphor, which is based on a tragic figure in Greek mythology, the Global Minotaur represents the specific role played by the United States as an enormous source of demand for goods from the rest of the world, in exchange for being nourished by a massive inflow of capital from all countries. Such capital flows have been directed both to Wall Street and to the purchase of US Treasury bonds and bills, thus allowing the domestic private and public sectors to become net borrowers. The collapse of the Minotaur in 2008, which, as the author argues, may not ever be able to consume enough surplus output from Europe, Japan, China and Southeast Asia to re-establish what he calls a global recycling surplus mechanism, is now creating a high level of instability and uncertainty in the global economy.
Before the formulation of the Bretton Woods system, Keynes (1980) was concerned that the problem of maintaining equilibrium in the balance of payments had not been solved by the laissez-faire system and was a major cause of impoverishment and discontent. He argued that relying on freely fluctuating exchange rates, the free flow of gold or even international loans as a means to equilibrate the system would place the burden of adjustment on the debtor countries, which at the time were weaker and smaller economies. Moreover, the use by debtor countries of competitive deflation (to bring down wage- and price-levels) or exchange-rate depreciation could create another problem, by their potential adverse effect on the terms of trade. The new international system should then attribute the initiative to creditor countries, which would be responsible for investing abroad, reducing tariffs and stimulating domestic demand and employment. As Varoufakis highlights, even if Keynes's (1929) proposition for a formal transfer system was not adopted in Bretton Woods, the United States accepted its surplus recycling duty when it established what the author calls the ‘Global Plan’, and reinvested its trade surplus in a war-devastated Europe and in other countries around the world.
As the US switched its position from creditor to debtor around 1980 and the capital account was further liberalized, the accumulation of current-account imbalances has assumed a different character. Using Keynes's terminology, ‘the burden of adjustment’ did not fall on the deficit country (the United States) in this case, at least not until the crisis hit. The safe-haven status of US dollars and US government bonds, as well as the debt-led features of the country's domestic demand, may have allowed the US economy to grow more with a current-account deficit than it would have done otherwise, while expanding its hegemonic power.
When analysing the different aspects of this process and how it paved the way to the crisis, Varoufakis also makes an original and fascinating account of the role played by the Minotaur's ‘handmaidens’ – in just another of the author's brilliant metaphors – namely, Wall Street and its financial innovations, the Walmart model of wage and price repression, and mainstream economic theory. After the crisis and due to the help of economic policy, the ‘Minotaur’ is survived by its ‘handmaidens’, who, as the author argues, can be even more harmful to the global economy without the ‘beast's stabilizing influences’ as a final source of demand.
Toward the end of the book, Varoufakis also addresses developments in Europe, China and other emerging markets before and after 2008, in what he calls the Minotaur's ‘global legacy’. Thanks to the well-developed argument of the previous chapters, the reader easily grasps at this point that the refusal by Germany and other European surplus countries to boost their own domestic demand while still benefiting from the peripheral consumption market for their products has contributed to the creation of unsustainable patterns of private and public indebtedness in these countries. Varoufakis's proposal to increase the role of the existing European Investment Bank, as financed by ECB-issued bonds, as a means to channel surpluses to European deficit regions thus appears as a very interesting alternative to deal with European imbalances.
Four years after the publication of this first edition of the book, the tremendous failure of the commitment to fiscal austerity and so-called structural reforms as imposed in the different bail-out programs in offering a way out of the crisis to periphery countries is clearer than ever. Varoufakis could not have predicted how much of the burden of adjustment would still fall on deficit countries without leading to a shift in the political agenda toward the need for a more balanced and sustainable solution – in spite of his own assiduous efforts during his short period as Greek Finance Minister at the beginning of 2015. In this context, and for the most unfortunate of reasons, the book's arguments appear as timely as ever.
When it comes to his views on the future configuration of the global economy, however, the author's analysis is less enlightening. While the idea that the United States wants to take jobs back from China by calling for a renminbi revaluation is appropriately depicted as naïve, especially given the huge presence of American multinationals producing output abroad, Varoufakis's belief in the death of the Global Minotaur is left somewhat unjustified.
It is true that the US current-account deficit has decreased substantially after the crisis. In fact, only after the Plaza Accord of 1985, when the dollar largely depreciated relative to the yen, did the US experience a comparable rebalancing. A closer look reveals, however, that after an initial improvement resulting from a sharp fall in imports in 2009, the current-account deficit has remained low in recent years due solely to the decrease in factor payments to the rest of the world, while imports have been growing more than exports. This means that as soon as US interest rates on Treasury bonds and bills reach their pre-crisis levels, net factor payments will also increase, deepening the deficit once again. Moreover, both the household and the business sectors, which had decreased their net borrowing substantially in 2008, have already reached their pre-crisis levels.
Finally, and contrary to what Varoufakis suggests, the Minotaur's capacity to attract a tsunami of foreign capital seems far from over. This is clear from the enormous repercussions that the so-called tapering of expansionary policies by the Federal Reserve and the threat of a rise in US interest rates have had in most emerging markets since 2013, basically leading to a massive depreciation of emerging market (and other) currencies relative to the dollar. In this context, the author's idea that China is creating its own ‘Global Plan’ with Latin America and other emerging markets is thought-provoking, but unrealistic for the near future.
The safe-haven status of US dollars and treasuries, as well as the debt-led features of the country's domestic demand, may very well allow, once again, the US to act as The Global Minotaur. In this case, if Varoufakis's lessons were to be followed, the global system's long-run stability would depend on an unlikely attack on the Minotaur's ‘handmaidens’. In other words, reducing the creation of private money and redistributing income toward wages would be the only effective way to avoid another debt-led spiral in the household sector, while keeping consumption in the US as one of the guarantors of world aggregate demand.
Bernanke B.S. (2005): The global saving glut and the U.S. current account deficit The Sandridge Lecture Virginia Association of Economists.
Bibow J. (2008): The international monetary (non-) order and the global capital flows paradox Working Paper 531 Levy Economics Institute.
Blecker R.A. (2003): Global Keynesianism versus New Mercantilism: international economics after Joan Robinson Working paper Joan Robinson Centennial Conference.
Dooley M. Folkerts-Landau D. Garber P. (2002): An essay on the revived Bretton Woods system Working paper no 9971 Cambridge MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.
Keynes J. , 'The German transfer problem' ( 1929 ) 39 ( 155 ) The Economic Journal : 388 - 408 .
Keynes J. The German transfer problem The Economic Journal 1929 39 155 388 408 )| false
Keynes J. (1980): Post-war currency policy in: Activities 1940–44: Shaping the Post War World Collected Writings of J.M. Keynes vol. XXV London: Macmillan 21–33.
Palley T. (2011): Explaining global financial imbalances: a critique of the saving glut and reserve currency hypotheses Working Paper no 13 IMK.1.
Carvalho, Laura - Department of Economics, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
European Journal of Economics and Economic Policies: Intervention
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Marc Lavoie
Emiliano Brancaccio and Nadia Garbellini
Panayotis G. Michaelides, John G. Milios, Konstantinos N. Konstantakis and Panayiotis Tarnaras
Robert Vergeer, Steven Dhondt, Alfred Kleinknecht and Karolus Kraan
Milka Kazandziska
Book review: King, J.E. (2015): Advanced Introduction to Post Keynesian Economics, Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, MA, USA (139 pages, softcover, Edward Elgar, ISBN 978-1-78254-843-0) and Holcombe, R.G. (2014): Advanced Introduction to the Austrian School of Economics, Cheltenham, UK and Northampton, MA, USA (126 pages, softcover, Edward Elgar, ISBN 978-1-78195-574-1)
Torsten Niechoj
Open Section Economics and Finance
Institutional Economics
Post-Keynesian Economics
Radical and Feminist Economics
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Are Dual-Enrollment Programs Overpromising?
Sabrina Villanueva, a sophomore at the University of Rochester in New York, earned 12 college credits in high school through a dual-enrollment program with a community college in her hometown of Dallas. None of her college credits were accepted at the university.
—Mike Bradley for Education Week
By Catherine Gewertz
The popularity of dual-enrollment programs has soared nationally as high school students clamor to try college-level work. But the movement is dogged by questions about one of its key selling points: that students can get a jump-start on college by transferring those credits.
Take the case of Sabrina Villanueva. As an ambitious high school student in Dallas, she earned 12 credits at a local community college by taking speech, government, psychology, and sociology. Because the courses were part of a dual-enrollment partnership, they counted toward her high school graduation requirements, too.
But when Sabrina moved into her dorm at the University of Rochester last fall, she got bad news: None of her college credits were accepted for transfer. So much for her dream of minoring in psychology or sociology while majoring in engineering. Without those credits, she won't be able to assemble enough coursework in those disciplines to do it on the typical four-year college timetable.
"I was kind of upset," said Sabrina, who's now a sophomore at the New York college. "The work I did didn't get accounted for in every aspect I wanted it to."
The dual-enrollment movement is having growing pains, as issues with credit transfer arise alongside its well-documented benefits. A lot is at stake for the students who invest time, hard work, hope, and in many cases, money, in the courses they're told will produce college credit.
About 1.9 million students—11.4 percent of the secondary school population—were taking some form of dual-enrollment course in 2010-11, the most recent federal data show, up from 1.2 million in 2002-03.
A new pilot program offered by the federal government might lure even more students into dual-enrollment classes: the chance to use Pell grants to cover costs at 44 institutions.
Even the staunchest advocates of dual enrollment, however, are concerned about the potential fallout of its rapid expansion, such as difficulty transferring credit.
Leaders in the field are encouraging a "guided pathway" approach, in which more colleges and universities would spell out which courses will transfer for credit, and high school counselors would use that information to help students create "sequences of courses that are planned and thoughtfully designed" so they'll be more likely to transfer, said Joel Vargas, who's researched dual enrollment as a vice president of Jobs for the Future, a group that studies college and career readiness.
Where Are Dual-Enrollment Programs Offered?
The proportion of schools that offer dual-enrollment classes varies significantly from state to state. In 2013-14, 10 states reported that 70 percent or more of their schools had students enrolled in such programs.
Source: Education Week analysis of Civil Rights Data Collection, 2016
The issue of dual-enrollment-credit transfer "is certainly on people's radar. It's something people are concerned about," said Melinda M. Karp, who has studied dual enrollment and is the assistant director of the Community College Research Center at Teachers College of Columbia University.
"There is a disconnect between what students are being told—that college credits are good—and the fact that college credit really needs to add up to something in order to graduate. That second half isn't often expressed," she said. "Accumulating credits that ultimately don't transfer or apply to a major can put students at risk to drop out" or use up their lifetime maximum of Pell grants, Karp said.
A Little-Documented Problem
Very little research has been done on the proportion of students' dual-enrollment credits that are accepted by the colleges they attend. The courses can be taught at high schools or colleges, by high school teachers with appropriate qualifications or by college instructors.
"Dual enrollment is like the Wild West," Davis Jenkins, a senior research associate at the Community College Research Center, said about the question of credit transfer. "No one seems to know [nationally] what credits students are earning and whether those credits are applicable toward any sort of degree."
Only a handful of small studies have explored the transfer question. The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers asked about dual-enrollment credits in a recent survey of its 2,700 institutional members. According to preliminary findings, one-quarter of the respondents said they're aware of problems with acceptance of such credits at other institutions, according to Michael V. Reilly, the association's executive director.
A study of alumni of the University of Connecticut's Early College Experience program found that students lose 13 percent of their credits, on average, when they enroll in college.
The Greater Texas Foundation, which awards scholarships to students in early-college high schools, where they can graduate with both diplomas and associate degrees, studied the experiences of 226 of its scholars. It found that while all their credits transferred, only 73 percent were accepted toward their major courses of study. As a result, most students didn't earn bachelor's degrees in two years as they had envisioned, "mainly due to credits earned that do not apply to chosen degree programs," the foundation said in its report last October.
Some university-high school partnerships have secured rigorous national accreditation from the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships. Of those programs, three-quarters report that 80 percent or more of the students successfully transfer credits to other colleges they attend, according to Executive Director Adam I. Lowe. Those 98 programs account for only a small fraction of programs operating nationally and include only a subset of dual-enrollment courses: those taught in high schools, by approved high school teachers.
Only half the states have agreements that require public colleges and universities to accept dual-enrollment credits, according to the Education Commission of the States, and those agreements don't require the compliance of private institutions.
Sonia A. Gonzalez found that out the hard way. The 11 credits she earned in government and physics at a community college in Dallas wouldn't transfer to the University of Notre Dame in Indiana when she enrolled there last fall. Had she attended a public university in Texas, where her credits would have been guaranteed to transfer, she probably could have graduated a semester early, she said.
Even some states that guarantee transfer of dual-enrollment credits to state institutions impose restrictions. Florida, for instance, allows its flagship institutions to refuse the credits. Tennessee requires dual-enrollment students to pass an exam and allows each institution to set its own passing score.
Revising the Pitch?
The problems with transferring dual-enrollment credit have sparked concern that it's being oversold.
The courses have long been pitched as a way to build academic muscle and prepare for college, a benefit few dispute.
Study after study has found that participants are more likely to enroll in college right after high school, get better grades once they're there, and have the academic momentum to stay in college and finish in four years. Entering college with credits—even if they apply only to elective or general education requirements—can allow students to dive into more advanced courses or explore new subjects.
But more recently, in the wake of the Great Recession, with college costs and student debt soaring, they've also been promoted as a way to save money and finish college more quickly.
Some students find that to be the case. But others with similar dreams end up feeling misled and disappointed.
Florida's state college system says on its website that dual-enrollment courses "can save a student and their family hundreds if not thousands of tuition and fee dollars and expedite entry into the workforce." The Rhode Island education department says that with dual-enrollment, "all students have the opportunity to reduce the amount of time and expense required to obtain a college degree."
Sabrina Villanueva waits for her Spanish class to start at the University of Rochester. She said she had to rethink her plans to minor in psychology or sociology while majoring in engineering when her dual-enrollment credits failed to transfer.
In a 2013 statement about President Barack Obama's initiatives to make college more affordable, the White House said: "Dual-enrollment opportunities let high school students earn credits before arriving at college, which can save them money by accelerating their time to degree."
"It's definitely being oversold," said Barmak Nassirian, the director of federal relations for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. "The notion of promoting more rigorous work in high school is fabulous. The problem comes when you build on that the notion that it's a cheaper way of solving the vexing problem of college costs. It's coming from policymakers who are terrified about where to go next in reducing college costs."
Qualms About High School
Most dual-enrollment courses are taught by high school teachers, on high school campuses, and are sometimes called "concurrent enrollment" courses. Even though such teachers typically have master's degrees, and work closely with their partner universities, these high-school-based programs are the ones that colleges view with the most skepticism.
Reilly, of the national registrars' and admissions' group, said his members "tend to be pretty confident when students take courses taught by [college] faculty." A course taught by a high school teacher "just doesn't quite ring the same way" when his members evaluate the coursework for transfer, he said.
Amy Roy, the director of college counseling at Westerly High School in Rhode Island, said that nearly 40 percent of her seniors are taking dual-enrollment courses—more than ever. But in the past few years, she's noticed that more colleges are reluctant to accept the course credits, which students earn through a community college or state university.
"There are so many schools my kids aren't getting credit at," Roy said. "When I call them, they kind of beat around the bush, but I get the impression that they don't feel they can guarantee the rigor of the course when it's taught at a high school," a reaction that frustrates her, because the students' teachers have master's degrees, and their curricula and pacing guides are approved by their partner colleges.
To ward off disappointment, Roy makes sure she explains to students—and their parents—that dual-enrollment credit transfer isn't a sure thing, she said.
Higher Education's Discretion
The University of Illinois Laboratory High School took steps to insulate students from potential loss of earned college credits. Its partnership allows students to take college courses, but only in college classrooms, with college students, and not for simultaneous high school credit.
Lisa R. Micele, the director of college counseling at the small, selective school in Urbana, said her school's policy is based on feedback from the 15 colleges and universities that its students most often attend.
"They were telling us, 'We don't want these kids double dipping,' " Micele said, adding that many expressed doubt that students were "truly working at a college level" in classes taught by high school teachers. "We have not had problems with credits being accepted at other colleges, but I think it's because we're not double dipping."
Jason L. Taylor, who's studied dual enrollment as an assistant professor of educational leadership and policy at the University of Utah, sees the credit-transfer problem as just another arm of the broader problem that plagues students who transfer from one college to another. Higher education has long exerted its discretion to accept some credits, and reject others, costing students time and money, he noted.
But many states are working in various ways to improve transferability of dual-enrollment credits, or, at the very least, ensure that students are well informed about their chances.
Florida requires its department of education to develop and circulate a statement that tells students and parents that dual-enrollment credits might transfer only for general education or elective credit.
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North Carolina requires state-funded dual-enrollment courses to be taken in one of 12 coherent programs of study. Oregon set up a committee to conduct quality reviews of dual-enrollment programs. And three other states—Hawaii, Nevada, and Oklahoma—require students to take dual-enrollment courses in college, with college faculty, or online.
More states are pursuing the concurrent-enrollment alliance's accreditation, which can increase the chances of credit transfer. Iowa in 2015 became the first state to have all its community colleges—where dual-enrollment partnerships reside in that state—accredited.
Lowe, the organization's leader, argued that states' keen attention to quality will affect dual-enrollment credit-transfer rates. "Quality and transfer," he said, "go hand in hand."
Researcher Alex Harwin, assistant editor Sarah D. Sparks, and library intern Teresa Lewandowski contributed to this report.
Vol. 36, Issue 03, Pages 1, 12-13
Published in Print: September 7, 2016, as Are Dual-Enrollment Programs Being Oversold?
“Teacher Requirements Found to Vary for High School Dual-Enrollment Classes,” (High School & Beyond) July 12, 2016.
“44 Colleges to Participate in Pell Grant Dual-Enrollment Experiment,” (Politics K-12) May 16, 2016.
“New Teacher Requirements Jeopardize Dual-Credit Classes,” October 14, 2015.
“States Take Varied Approaches to Expanding Access to Dual Enrollment,” (College Bound) May 14, 2015.
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Marty Foord
Marty Foord reviews Michael Bird's Evangelical Theology.Zondervan 2013. 912 pages. ISBN 0310494419
Michael Bird writes books faster than I can read them! In his latest publication, Evangelical Theology, Bird has turned from his usual work in NT studies to the discipline of systematic theology. It arrives amidst the release of several other significant systems of theology by the likes of Michael Horton (The Christian Faith), Gerald Bray (God is Love), and John Frame (Systematic Theology). Bray and Frame have produced their systems of theology late in their career, whereas Bird has authored his early on in his career.
Putting ‘Evangelical’ Back Into Theology
Why has Bird written Evangelical Theology? In his words, “I do not believe that there is yet a genuinely evangelical theology textbook” (11). Quite a claim! For Bird, a truly evangelical theology is one “that has its content, structure, and substance singularly determined by the evangel [Gospel]” (11). This is magnificent. Not only is it evangelical more importantly it is Scriptural. Bird’s desire for a Gospel-centred theology follows in the vein of the Gospel Coalition, recent theologians such as John Webster and Peter Jensen, and ultimately goes back to Martin Luther who said the Gospel is the “principal article of Christian teaching, in which the knowledge of all godliness is comprehended”.1
But what, for Bird, characterises a Gospel-centred system of theology? He uses a five step method (81-82). Firstly, Bird provides a careful and helpful definition of the Gospel as the proper subject of theological prolegomena. Secondly, he seeks to show how the Gospel relates to the traditional topics in a system of theology. Thirdly, each of the major topics is then elucidated via a “creative dialogue between the sources of theology”, which he has defined as Scripture, tradition, nature, and experience (62-76). Next, the elucidated topic is then to be practically applied; the topic is to be lived out. And finally, the Christian is then encouraged to go back and follow the same five-step process in light of what has been learned by living out the doctrine.
Bird follows his “Gospel-driven” method according to eight sections that indicate something of how the Gospel is kept central throughout:
1. Prolegomena: Beginning to Talk about God
2. The God of the Gospel: The Triune God in Being and Action
3. The Gospel of the Kingdom: The Now and the Not Yet
4. The Gospel of God’s Son: The Lord Jesus Christ
5. The Gospel of Salvation
6. The Promise and Power of the Gospel: The Holy Spirit
7. The Gospel and Humanity
8. The Community of the Gospelized
Here we can see that Bird covers the traditional topics of systematic theology, but they have been somewhat re-ordered. For example, eschatology (section 3) has moved from its usual final position and placed prior to soteriology (sections 5-6) presumably because the now / not-yet Kingdom proclaimed in the Gospel provides the appropriate framework with which properly to grasp soteriology.
Bird’s self-conscious Gospel-driven approach is nothing less than a breath of fresh air for the discipline of systematics. Moreover, Bird’s NT background means that this systematic theology interacts strongly with Scripture. He regularly engages in both exegesis and biblical theology. An example of how this shapes Bird’s theological conclusions is in his discussion of “sanctification” (541-544). He notes that in the past systematic theology used the word “sanctification” to signify a process of ongoing growth in personal holiness. But Bird rightly contends that in Scripture “sanctification” is fundamentally (but not exclusively) a once-off experience where a believer is set apart or consecrated for special use. Hence, Bird appropriately renames the ongoing process of a believer’s inner renewal as “transformation”. Here, he superbly allows Scripture to shape his theological vocabulary. This is exactly how an evangelical theology should proceed.
Putting Theology Back into ‘Evangelical’
Systematic theology is the attempt to summarise Christian belief according to the major biblical topics and show how they relate to each other. It is a notoriously difficult field to master in depth because it draws upon an array of disciplines. One needs some competence in biblical studies, historical theology, biblical theology, hermeneutics, and philosophy, at least. This has been made all the more difficult with the contemporary demand for ever-increasing specialisation. Just mastering one theological topic properly can be quite a task! That is why theologians tend to produce in depth systems of theology later in life because time is needed to master a large area of learning. I wonder therefore if Bird, a NT specialist, has bitten off more than he can chew producing a 900 page system of theology.
This is seen, firstly, in many discrepancies. Here are some examples. Bird says that “the Apostles’ Creed precedes the existence of a biblical canon” (66). However, the origin of the Apostles’ Creed as we know it today was in the late sixth or seventh century, hundreds of years after the biblical canon formed.2 Bird asserts that “During the Middle Ages there emerged a different view of tradition as something apart from Scripture that was considered as authoritative as revelation” (68). In fact this idea arose in the patristic era, not least through Basil of Caesarea. He asserts that God as timeless means he “knows neither the past nor the future” (128). No reputable theologian has ever claimed such. Bird believes that “Only love is predicated of God in an absolute way (1 John 4:8, 16)” (139). Not so. There is also “God is light” (1 John 1:5), “God is spirit” (John 4:24), and “God is faithful” (1 Cor. 1:9; 10:13). Bird states that the Monophysites advocated that “Jesus had one nature where his divinity was absorbed by his humanity” (483). In fact, it was the other way around: Christ’s humanity was absorbed into his divinity. Then Bird asserts that monophysitism is the teaching of the Coptic and Ethiopic Orthodox churches, and calls it “two natures in a blender Christology” (483). Not only is this statement likely to offend our Oriental Orthodox sisters and brothers, it is also false. Oriental Orthodoxy is miaphysite not monophysite: Christ’s humanity and deity are united in one nature, without the two being altered, separated, or confused. Bird identifies the “integrating motif” or “organic principle” in the systems of Luther, Calvin, Wesley, Barth, and Dispensationalism (43). Not only are Bird’s identifications dubious, but as Richard Muller has so effectively shown, the notion of an “integrating motif” is alien to systematic theology prior to Schleiermacher.3 One gets the sense Bird has not gotten familiar enough with the theological discipline.
Secondly, Bird’s discussion of the Gospel’s relation to systematic theology lacks clarity. Five times he states that the Gospel is the “center and boundary” (21, 41, 45, 85, 807) of systematic theology. “Center” yes, but “boundary”? How can the Gospel be the “boundary” when certain NT teachings not in the Gospel are critical for salvation (1 Cor. 6:9-10)? Paul taught his churches the “word of God”, the Gospel (e.g. 1 Thess. 2:13), as well as the “will of God”, a Christian way of life commensurate with the Gospel but not strictly found in the Gospel (e.g. 1 Thess. 4:1-7). Recent Lutheran thinkers have argued, for example, that because the Gospel says nothing about monogamous gay marriage, it is an indifferent issue for Christians. It is not helped when Bird speaks of the Gospel as the “canon within the canon” (21), a typical Lutheran dictum. Is the Gospel more inspired than the rest of Scripture? Essential to Christian living is a code of conduct that accords with the Gospel but is not actually the Gospel (Titus 2:1-10). It is a sad development that modern systems do not expound this Christian code of conduct, also absent from Bird’s work. Moreover, Bird asserts that the Gospel “permeates all other doctrines” (21). But when Paul preaches to the Athenian pagans in Acts 17 he covers the doctrines of creation, God, general revelation, and sin before there is any mention of the Gospel. The Gospel presupposes certain doctrines rather than “permeates” them all. Bird’s position runs the risk of being Gospel-monist not Gospel-centric. It is evidenced in his ordering of theological topics. The doctrine of sin (section 7) is covered after Christ’s person and work (section 4), and soteriology (sections 5-6). This is conceptually and pedagogically awkward if indeed “Christ died for sins” (1 Cor. 15:3). Indeed, sin is an enormously important topic that deserves to be covered as a doctrine in its own right. But Bird examines it as a subtopic of humanity.
Thirdly, Bird’s theological discussion is, at times, shallow. An example is his rejection of verbal inspiration (which does not sit comfortably in a volume entitled ‘Evangelical’). Bird believes inspiration is at the “level of concepts, framework, worldview, and idea” not words. He avers that 2 Peter 1:20-21 speaks only of the inspiration of biblical authors and “God-breathed” in 2 Tim. 3:16 as a “neologism” is “ambiguous” (639). But there is no interaction with the classic biblical texts used to prove verbal inspiration. For example, Paul believed the apostles’ message was inspired right down to the very words they used (1 Cor. 2:13). Israel received the “very words [ta logia] of God” (Rom. 3:2; Acts 7:38). Jesus cited the human comment in Gen. 2:24 with the introduction “the creator [God] said” (Matt. 19:4-5). Indeed, the NT uses “God said” and “Scripture said” interchangeably (e.g. Rom. 9:13, 15, 17). When the OT prophets proclaimed, “Thus says the Lord” was it true or not? These are well-trodden paths but Bird seems unaware of them and that about a critical topic.
Michael Bird’s books as NT specialist are superb. I have found them spectacularly helpful and recommend them highly. I wish I could say the same about Evangelical Theology.
Marty Foord is an ordained Anglican minister and for the last fourteen years has been teaching systematic theology at Trinity Theological College, Perth
1 Luther, Lectures on Galatians (1535) 2:4-5, D. Martin Luthers Werke. Kritische Gesamtausgabe, ed. Jaroslav Pelikan and Helmut Lehmann (Hermann Böhlaus Nachfolger, 1883-), 40:168.20-26.
2 J. N. D. Kelly, Early Christian Creeds (3d ed.; New York: D. McKay Co., 1972), 420. See especially Liuwe H. Westra, The Apostles’ Creed: Origin, History and Some Early Commentaries (Instrumenta Patristica Et Mediaevalia 43; Turnhout: Brepols, 2002).
3 Richard A. Muller, Post-Reformation Reformed Dogmatics: The Rise and Development of Reformed Orthodoxy, Ca. 1520 to Ca. 1725 (4 vols., 2nd ed.; Grand Rapids: Baker Academics, 2003).
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These Friends Memories Are Just So Wholesome
by Lauren Piester | Wed., Jun. 19, 2019 2:43 PM
NBCU Photo Bank
Bless you, Today, for this wholesome gift.
In new interviews with a whole bunch of iconic Friends guest stars, Today has given us new behind-the-scenes tidbits that we will now cherish forever, as they are adorable, like a splashing-in-puddles kind of adorable.
To hear these guest stars, including Christina Applegate, Cole Sprouse, and Kristin Davis, tell it, the Friends set was a beautiful place to be, led by incredibly talented people who loved each other so very much, accompanied by some of the most treasured writing on TV. We pulled out a few of the best bits of the interviews, which you can see below.
Friends' Ross & Monica Gellar's Mom Settles Break Debate
1. Three seasons into Sex and the City, Kristin Davis lost sleep over the "tiny" role of Erin, Joey's one-time love interest.
"I remember losing sleep," she said. "Sex and the City was in production, but I was nervous to be the tiny character of Erin, losing sleep, partly because of the live audience, but partly because you're in this world that has been created that is so alive and so specific and you're trying to make sure you're fitting yourself in there properly. And I remember, like, ‘Will I set that joke up OK? Will Matt [LeBlanc] be happy? Will I just go blank?' Things go through your head when you're in those situations that are heightened like that. Obviously it was the highest of the high at that point."
2. Davis also recalled that during a guest stint on E.R., which shot right next to Friends, she and George Clooney sat and watched a rehearsal of a season one episode.
"When I was on E.R., which was the first season, Friends was doing an episode that was one of the iconic episodes, where they played poker. And George [Clooney] and I went over to watch at lunch and we sat up in the stands and watched them rehearse and it was so funny and amazing. And James Burrows was directing, whom I love so much, and to watch that show and then see that show on the air and to see that chemistry that the cast had come together. They were so on it in terms of their voices and their characters and the beats, and they just knew what they were doing, and I remember being blown away by their confidence level and their synergy as a group."
Courteney Cox Has an Epic Friends Reunion on Her 55th Birthday
3. Davis also remembered watching Lisa Kudrow taking charge.
"I remember watching Lisa Kudrow especially, because she had this very involved storyline that she wanted to work on, and the way that she worked with the writing staff … David Schwimmer was directing, which was also fascinating, and he was obviously a great director and a great actor's director and a combination of fun and low-key but also the boss, which was amazing to see. But watching Lisa rework her character's arc or what was happening in that episode was really something that I hadn't really seen in that way where someone who obviously knew her own power and knew what was right and knew what was funny—because there's no one funnier than Lisa Kudrow—really went and reworked it in a way that was amazing."
Just to repeat: There's no one funnier than Lisa Kudrow.
4. Christina Applegate, who played Rachel's sister later in the series, says her favorite line she got to say was one that was written on the spot.
"I think my favorite line, though, is when I keep saying Lisa's [Kudrow] name wrong. And then she goes, ‘Phoebe.' And I say, ‘Why does she keep making that noise?' That was written as a rewrite in front of the audience, and I thought it was hilarious."
5. Cole Sprouse, who played Ross' son Ben, had a crush on Jennifer Aniston, because who the heck didn't?
"I'm pretty sure I fell in love with Jennifer Aniston, which the whole world had at that point. But I do remember being quite intimidated around her, because of that. I remember blanking on my lines, and having a kind of stage fright when she sat next to me on the couch in one episode. And I remember there was a camera man who was like, ‘Little boy's got a crush,' or I forget what they said. Of course, I turned bright red. But I do remember feeling like I fell in love."
And obviously he loved shooting the Holiday Armadillo episode, because who wouldn't?
Jennifer Aniston Reveals Whether Friends’ Ross and Rachel Would Still Be Together Today
6. Even David Schwimmer got nervous, Jane Sibbett (who played Carol) recalled about a scene in "The One With the Candy Hearts."
"It was the sweetest, sweetest scene and we had to kiss," she said. "It was so emotional and he made me cry. My eyes welled with tears as we were doing the scene because he was so tender and so loving and just ‘Can we make this work again?' You know, when you're in it, the acting kind of dissolves away. And he kissed me and the thought that went through my mind is ‘He's really sweaty right now,' 'cause he was so nervous."
Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank
7. Jane Sibbett's favorite memory on set literally made us go "Awww!" out loud, just trying to put this picture in our heads:
"I'd come back from the commissary at Warner Brothers and I came around the corner and I saw Courteney and Jen and Lisa splashing in a puddle. It was raining. They were splashing in the puddle like children and laughing. No one could see them. And literally, it was between sound stages in this little area. I get choked up when I think about it. I said, like, if they could capture that, that's lightning in a bottle. If they could capture that kind of freedom and that friendship, this show is golden."
Can you just imagine Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, and Lisa Kudrow splashing in a puddle in the rain??
Jennifer Aniston Is Open to a Friends Reunion—and Says Her Co-Stars Are Too
8. Lauren Tom, who played Ross' lovely girlfriend Julie, also shared a favorite memory that may just give you all the warm and fuzzy feelings.
"The rest of the cast was so welcoming to me. It was very authentic, their friendship. They were very bonded. When I started, it was the point at which they were just taking off like a rocket ship. Sometimes I think that even a success can feel like a crisis, because it's so huge. And so they kind of really clung onto each other. They would literally walk down the set on Warner Brothers arm-in-arm. I still remember it was my birthday on my first day of rehearsal, and so they all took me out to lunch. It was very, very fancy, and it was so, so sweet of them to welcome me in that way."
The cast would walk down the set arm-in-arm!
9. Tom also dealt with some not-so-nice memories, as the audience booed her for keeping Ross and Rachel apart.
"I wasn't prepared for the amount of venom I was about to receive in a live audience where they actually booed my character," she said. "And, of course, I was trying very hard not to get my feelings hurt. So I had to get used to that. But I did understand intellectually that, you know, the audience was meant to be rooting for Rachel. Even I was rooting for Rachel, on some level, 'cause I was a fan of the show."
10. Vincent Ventresca, who played Fun Bobby (who was not actually so fun), described sports team-esque huddles that the cast would have, even in front of the audience, where they figured out how to make scenes funnier.
"I was a basketball player when I was younger, and that's why I liked acting. They kind of made acting like sports again. It was a team. And they played it together and they worked together. And they knew what was funny and they used the audience as a way to kind of check if their instincts were right. And they knew if they could make the audience laugh they knew they'd make America laugh. Things didn't always go perfectly when you were taping the show—and they knew it. And they didn't just gloss over it. They were like, ‘Hey, we can do better.' And then they literally would, like, huddle up in front of, like, a studio audience. And they'd be like, ‘What if you did this, or what if you did that? And let's try this.' And they'd break, and then they'd go and do it."
Friends aired on NBC from 1994 to 2004.
TAGS/ Friends , TV , Top Stories , Entertainment , Apple News
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About EpicTogether
It's Gonna Be Epic!
EpicTogether
A Message from Leadership
We are pleased to announce that Columbia, Weill Cornell Medicine, and NewYork-Presbyterian have signed a contract with Epic to create a single electronic health record (EHR) system across our three institutions.
The new system will make it easier and more efficient for our physicians and other clinical staff to deliver outstanding patient care. It will also integrate scheduling, billing, and revenue cycle tools into a single platform, replacing a range of outdated tools and providing new analytic capabilities.
This is a major commitment of time and resources for our institutions. Over the next four months, we will assemble a joint team of hundreds of faculty and staff from across Columbia, Weill Cornell Medicine, and NewYork-Presbyterian who will learn to build and operate the system. In 2018 and 2019, the team will identify best practices across our institutions, build and test the system, and begin to train end-users. Throughout the process, we will leverage the experience of Weill Cornell Medicine, which has used Epic for more than 15 years.
Weill Cornell Medicine will take the first step toward the shared EHR by moving its instance of Epic from New York into Epic hosting in Wisconsin in mid-2018. The first new implementation of our shared Epic system will take place in January 2020 at Columbia. Work will continue across Weill Cornell Medicine with upgrades to their existing Epic system, and across all of NewYork-Presbyterian, until the last go-live in January 2022.
One hallmark of a good, integrated EHR implementation is a commitment to identify best practices and then standardize them. We will need to plan, train, learn, and optimize together. If we commit to this approach, the benefits for our patients and everyone who works here will be enormous.
We look forward to this journey together and are committed to the work necessary to achieve our shared success.
Lee Goldman, MD
Dean of the Faculties of Health Sciences and Medicine
Chief Executive, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Steven J. Corwin, MD
Augustine M.K. Choi, MD
Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean, Weill Cornell Medicine; Provost for Medical Affairs
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Stewardship focus shifts to year-round giving, community building
By Pat McCaughan
[Episcopal News Service] This year, St. Bartholomew’s parishioners posted notes to a “Giving Wall” in the sanctuary, sharing the reasons they give to the Poway, California church.
One of the many Post-It notes on the Giving Wall at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Poway, California. Photo: St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church
“Because I so easily ‘fall in love’ with money,” wrote one Post-It respondent. “Giving, even though it scares me, forces me to notice when materialism is driving me more than trust in God.”
The invitation to link church members’ money lives to their faith lives transforms the totality of their lives, according to the Rev. Chris Harris, St. Bart’s curate.
The Giving Wall, like the money autobiographies and simple-living classes he offers, are spiritual exercises and are part of the church’s year-round formation efforts – not to be confused with seasonal pledge drives.
The focus and emphasis of traditional stewardship campaigns are changing, according to Richard Felton, executive director of The Episcopal Network for Stewardship, or TENS, which partners with and offers resources to dioceses throughout the Episcopal Church.
Gone are traditional seasonal money pitches. Big red thermometers with dollar-and-cent signs inching upward have been replaced by budgets detailing ways staff and office hours translate to mission and ministry.
The once church-wide dinner galas marking stewardship campaigns have been replaced by smaller potluck meals, and more intimate opportunities for conversation and deeper relationship in members’ homes, according to Felton.
Gone also are pleas for assistance with campus repairs from finance-minded parishioners. Instead, parishioners hear personal stories of transformation, of deepening faith and ministry that, said Harris, when “authentic and vulnerable, end up building community in a way that giving flows from that.”
The new stewardship focus includes stories like the one Joyce Vidal recently told Sunday morning worshippers at St. Barnabas on the Desert about her shift from being a “reluctant churchgoer under the radar” to gratitude for “the opportunity to serve, to grow in faith and in my relationship with God and to experience the healing presence of Jesus.”
After participating in the choir and various ministries, the eight-year member of the Scottsdale, Arizona, congregation said she began to understand that “this community is such an expression of discipleship on so many levels.
“I belong,” Vidal said. “The more I participate at St. Barnabas, the more my gratitude grows.”
The church’s mission: making disciples
Making disciples is the church’s mission, said the Rev. Jim Clark, St. Barnabas’ rector.
“People give to cancer research because it’s clear to them what the mission is and people value that; they give to the mission of a university because it’s clear what the university is doing,” Clark told the Episcopal News Service. “Other people give in a very particular way because they believe in what is being accomplished.
“But the church has not done a good job of (communicating the) great value in making disciples of Jesus. That is the church’s mission.”
He said the church’s mission “is not to be a soup kitchen or a food bank. If disciples go out and do all those things, that’s the genius, but the charism, the unique thing the church has to offer the world, is to make people like Jesus. It is worthwhile, perhaps the most important thing any human being can do to support one another.”
Marcia Shetler, executive director of the Richmond, Indiana-based Ecumenical Stewardship Center, said the most successful stewardship happens in churches that offer year-round formation and that practice generosity as a spiritual discipline, as “part of what God calls us to do as Christians.”
At the same time, the ESC director said, a pledge drive is also necessary because “it’s the way to show and to practice what we are planning to do” especially if churches present mission-based budgets detailing how giving impacts various ministries of the church.
ESC offers resources and educational opportunities to 20 North American denominational partners, including the Episcopal Church and TENS, an associate partner.
But a huge challenge is our culture’s reluctance or inability to talk about money, and that often spills over into church life, she said.
Unlike the early church where members pooled financial resources to help one another, “the challenge for us in North America in general is this attitude of secrecy about money, that our finances are a private matter, not really something we should talk about in church,” Shetler said.
And for those heavily in debt, “it becomes a matter almost of shame, and the last thing they want to do is share their finances with their sisters and brothers in Christ, unfortunately, because the church has not always done a good job of creating safe space for them.”
The Giving Wall at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Poway, California, is filled with parishioners’ reasons for why they commit to giving to the church. Photo: St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church
Harris, a former attorney, agreed that money talk is a challenge. “Take a look at social media. We put all kinds of stuff up on Facebook. We share our love lives, our health, if our dog dies, but how often do you see a post where someone says, ‘Anyone know a good bankruptcy attorney? I’m getting worried about my debt.’ ”
And yet, says Harris, 47, most Episcopalians are statistically three paychecks away from having a concern about whether or not they will be able to make their next mortgage or rent payment. “It’s hard to preach about abundance when people are living in that reality,” he said.
“There’s a reason Jesus talked about money as often as he did,” added Harris. “It is a complete disservice in this hyper-consumer culture we live in when we don’t talk about it. If money was one of the major distractions to our relationship to God 2,000 years ago, tell me it’s not a thousand times more so today. Besides sex, it’s the other reason our relationships break up.
“If we don’t want to talk about money and we’re nervous about that, then you really need to talk about it.”
Or, he said, if money talk prompts eyes to start rolling and people are hoping we’ll get back to spiritual matters and off this money talk, “pay attention – because that’s ground zero of what Jesus was trying to get us to notice,” Harris said. “That whole notion is false – that I can let Jesus into part of my life but not my lifestyle, not my pocketbook, (because) I don’t want to change that much.”
Often rectors, too, are uncomfortable with money talk – St. Barnabas’ Clark acknowledges he once was.
But he realized that “making disciples is not just about money … it is about the much bigger picture – of my whole life in response to God’s goodness, abundance and generosity to me, God’s grace – and what is my response to that?”
With 455 pledging households, St. Barnabas’ three-pronged financial pledging campaign this year included sharing stories of parishioners’ growth in faith, presenting to the congregation a mission-based budget, and a series of potluck meals in homes to share gratefulness for the church.
“We had conversations. We told stories. We put it on Post-It notes on boards positioned around the campus,” Clark said. “Everybody said it is one of the most meaningful things we’ve done. It changes people’s lives. It’s a mission worth giving to.”
Shetler said another challenge results from churches’ reluctance to adopt acceptable philanthropic practices, such as using legacy programs and endowments. “Many church members make big gifts to their alma maters and to other charities but somehow the church isn’t looked at in the same way,” she said. “And the majority (of churches) do not encourage folks to consider leaving a legacy through their will to the church.”
But she said there is hope – and help. The Lake Institute for Faith and Giving, a research and educational arm of Indiana University, offers assistance and resources for religious fundraising.
TENS’ Felton said perceptions about stewardship have evolved from being a dreaded seasonal task to “teaching and inspiring generosity in all sorts of ways. That is what the church should be about, generosity – not just in money but in how we forgive people and how we welcome strangers.”
The organization’s “Living Generously” stewardship resources offered assistance to member partners for 2016. An annual conference, “Journey to Generosity,” is planned for May 18-20, 2017 at St. Mark’s Cathedral in Minneapolis.
St. Barnabas’ Vidal said she still isn’t all that comfortable talking about money, but “I am comfortable talking about my gratitude for St. Barnabas that includes my commitment to pledge … and how this gratitude is manifested in my pledge.
“Writing my check is an act of prayer for the mission of St. Barnabas,” she said in her remarks to parishioners. “Dropping that check in the basket, seeing it raised and blessed reminds me that God is blessing my gift of gratitude.”
–The Rev. Pat McCaughan is a correspondent for the Episcopal News Service.
Program Budget & Finance
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FAQ ELT
What is the purpose of this document?
Is the ELT fully funded?
What is the expected date of ELT first light?
What are the first big ELT contracts?
What are the benefits for Chile of hosting the largest telescope in the world?
What are the main differences between the ELT and the existing telescopes?
Which site has been selected for the ELT?
What was the process leading up to the decision for the ELT site and who took the final decision?
When did construction of the ELT start?
What is the cost of the ELT?
What is the operating cost of the ELT?
For how long will the ELT be used?
Where will the ELT money be spent?
Why spend such a considerable amount of money on astronomical research?
Why do we need such a large telescope as the ELT?
Why is the ELT a 39-metre telescope?
Aren’t earthquakes a problem for the ELT?
How much light will the ELT be able to gather?
What are researchers hoping to find and achieve with the ELT?
What are the main differences between the ELT and existing telescopes?
How will the ELT and other facilities work together?
When and how did ESO decide to build the ELT?
Why jump directly from four 8-metre telescopes (VLT) to a much bigger 39-metre ELT?
Will the ELT be able to take direct images of “mature” exoplanets around stars like the Sun?
Will astronomers use the ELT to study Solar System bodies, like Mars, Neptune, Pluto or Kuiper-Belt Objects?
Will the ELT be able to see the first galaxies that ever formed?
What about the OWL 100-metre project?
What kind of advantages will the ELT offer, compared with the larger virtual telescope VLTI?
Could the ELT take a picture of the Moon-landing sites?
What is the E-ELT?
Q: What is the purpose of this document?
A: We acknowledge that there is an enormous interest in the largest optical-infrared telescope ever conceived, and that ESO’s scientific, technical and industrial community is extensive. ESO is committed to providing as detailed information about the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) as possible.
Q: Is the ELT fully funded?
A: The funds committed at the December 2014 ESO Council Meeting cover the construction costs for a fully working 39-metre aperture telescope with a suite of instruments that will be the most powerful in the world.
The procurement of some components was moved to a second phase of the project, which would require additional funding, for instance when another Member State joins ESO.
In December 2017 ESO’s governing body, the Council, authorised additional spending to cover the cost of both the five inner rings of segments for the main mirror (M1) of the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), and one spare set of 133 mirror segments (one-sixth of the total M1), and also an additional mirror segment maintenance unit.
Q: What is the date of ELT first light?
A: First light for the ELT remains targeted for 2025. All major contracts placed as of mid-2018 (more than 30) are compatible with this deadline. This is however very challenging and there is a natural risk that difficulties along the way impact this target. This is unavoidable when building such a one-of-a-kind huge and complex machine.
Q: What are the first big ELT contracts?
A: Most of the major ELT contracts have already been placed. These include:
Construction of the road and platform to ICAFAL (Chile) in late-2013 in anticipation of Council green light
Construction of the M4 Unit to ADOPTICA (Italy) in mid-2015
During 2015, ESO signed agreements with consortia around Europe for the construction of three first-light ELT instruments as well as an adaptive optics system.
In July 2015 ESO signed a contract with the French optics company Reosc, a subsidiary of Sagem, Safran group to manufacture the deformable shell mirrors that will comprise the telescope’s fourth mirror (M4).
A contract for the construction of the telescope’s dome and main structure was awarded in May 2016 to the ACe consortium of Astraldi and Cimolai. This was the largest contract in ESO’s history.
In July 2016 a contract with Safran-Reosc was placed for the polishing of the telescope’s difficult convex secondary mirror (M2).
In January 2017, ESO signed four contracts — with SCHOTT, SENER Group, and the FAMES consortium (Fogale and Micro-Epsilon) — for major components of the ELT. These included the casting of the telescope’s giant secondary and tertiary mirrors, the cells to support these mirrors, and the supply of edge sensors that are vitally important for the functioning of the ELT’s enormous 39-metre primary mirror.
In May 2017 contracts for the manufacture of the 39-metre primary mirror of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) were signed. The German company SCHOTT will produce the blanks of the mirror segments, and the French company Safran Reosc will polish, mount and test the segments.
In May 2018 ESO signed a contract with VDL ETG Projects B.V. (the Netherlands) for the manufacture, assembly, testing and delivery of the Segment Support Mechanics for the primary mirror of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT).
Q: What are the benefits for Chile of hosting the largest telescope in the world?
A: ESO has a long tradition of close and very fruitful collaboration with Chile — its government, universities, science centres and industry. The main benefit for the Chilean astronomical community is observing time on the world’s biggest eye on the sky. Besides this, a Chilean university has already participated in an international team that developed one of the concepts for the first generation of ELT instruments. It is reasonable to expect that the emerging Chilean scientific community will take similar initiatives in the next few years in related areas, such as engineering or the development of instrumentation.
Q: What are the main differences between the ELT and the existing telescopes?
A: The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) will have a 39-metre mirror (almost half the length of a football pitch) and will thus be by far the biggest telescope in the world to observe in the visible and the near-infrared (there are larger radio telescopes). The current largest optical telescopes have diameters of up to ten metres, and the ELT's diameter will thus be four times greater. This diameter was chosen because it is the minimum diameter needed to achieve some of the driving science cases. For example, the ELT will be able to image rocky exoplanets and to characterise their atmospheres, while the VLT can only indirectly detect such Earth-like planets. Moreover, the ELT will be able to measure the acceleration of the expansion of the Universe directly. Adaptive optics systems are fully incorporated into the design of the telescope to compensate for the fuzziness in the stellar images introduced by atmospheric turbulence. The ELT will have more than 5000 actuators that can change the shape of its mirrors a thousand times per second.
Q: Which site has been selected for the ELT?
A: The ESO Council selected Cerro Armazones as the site for the Extremely Large Telescope. Armazones is a peak in the Chilean Atacama Desert, with an altitude slightly above 3000 metres. It is located roughly 20 km away from Cerro Paranal, home of the Very Large Telescope, and is another exceptional site for astronomical observations. In anticipation of the choice of Cerro Armazones as the future site of the ELT and to facilitate and support the project, the Chilean Government has agreed to donate to ESO a substantial tract of land contiguous to ESO’s Paranal property and containing Armazones in order to ensure the continued protection of the site against all adverse influences, in particular light pollution and mining activities.
Q: What was the process leading up to the decision for the ELT site and who took the final decision?
A: The independent ELT Site Selection Advisory Committee (SSAC) has been analysing in great detail results from several possible sites worldwide. Similar efforts have been carried out by the Thirty-Meter Telescope (TMT) site selection team from the US. For the sake of efficiency, the sites pre-selected by the TMT team (all in North and South America) were not studied by the SSAC, as the TMT team shared their data with the SSAC. The SSAC drew up a short list comprising four sites in Chile and one in the Canary Islands, Spain. Two of the sites on the SSAC shortlist, including Armazones, were on the TMT list.
On 2–3 March 2010, the ELT Site Selection Advisory Committee presented their report to the ESO Council, confirming that all the sites examined in the final shortlist have very good conditions for astronomical observing, each one with its particular strengths. The technical report concluded that Cerro Armazones, near Paranal, stands out as the clearly preferred site, because it has the best balance of sky quality across all the aspects considered, and it can be operated in an integrated fashion with the existing ESO Paranal Observatory. The ESO Council, ESO’s governing body, convened on 26 April 2010, and, taking into account the recommendations of the Site Selection Advisory Committee and all other relevant aspects, selected Cerro Armazones.
Q: When did construction of the ELT start?
A: Construction of the road and platform started in early 2014. The M2 and M3 mirror blanks were cast in 2017 and the first segments of the main mirror were cast in 2018. The construction work on Cerro Armazones is also progressing well.
Q: What is the cost of the ELT?
A: The construction cost of the full baseline ELT is estimated to be 1174 million euros in 2018 economic conditions.
Q: What is the operating cost of the ELT?
A: The ELT will be operated as an integral part of the ESO observatories. The operating cost includes not only the cost of running the observatory in Chile, but also the cost of operation support in Garching as well as re-investment costs for telescope upgrades and new instruments/cameras for the telescope. The total operating cost is estimated to be 50 million euros per year.
Q: For how long will the ELT be used?
A: The current operation plan foresees that the ELT will be used for at least 30 years. This is a typical lifetime for such a large facility and implies, as is the case for example at the Very Large Telescope, regular maintenance and a programme of new instrument development. Note that ESO’s La Silla Observatory will have its 50th anniversary in 2019 and is still in operation and highly productive.
Q: Where will the ELT money be spent?
A: The money will be primarily spent in the ESO Member States through industrial contracts. A fair industrial return to all partners is an important component of the endeavour and is carefully evaluated at all phases of the project.
Q: Why spend such a considerable amount of money on astronomical research?
A: Astronomy contributes to our cultural and economic well-being in a number of ways. It is an integral part of our culture and contributes to a better understanding of our fragile environment. Astronomers tackle key questions that challenge our minds and our imagination. How did the planets form? Is life ubiquitous in the Universe? What is the Universe made of? What are dark matter and dark energy?
Beyond these questions, astronomy often inspires young people to choose natural sciences as a career, from where they go on to scientific and technical careers in academia and industry in a wide range of other fields, and thus contributes to a balanced, future-oriented society.
Astronomy is also a modern, high-tech science relying on a strong collaboration with industry to realise challenging large-scale engineering tasks. This brings benefits to both sides.
The ELT, as an example, is a high technology science-driven project that incorporates many innovative developments, offering numerous possibilities for technology spin-off and transfer, together with challenging technology contract opportunities and providing a dramatic showcase for European industry. It will create many high technology jobs.
Q: Why do we need such a large telescope as the ELT?
A: The current generation of large telescopes has allowed astronomers to make tremendous discoveries, opening up whole new areas of study. For example, the current generation of 8–10-metre class telescopes allowed us to take the first pictures of planets orbiting around other stars. Our knowledge in astronomy continues to progress at an incredible pace, answering many questions, but also raising exciting new ones. The ELT will address these new questions, but will also make discoveries that we cannot even imagine yet.
Q: Why is the ELT a 39-metre telescope?
A: The size of a telescope is important for two reasons: one is the amount of light it can collect and the other is the level of detail it can see. As a 39-metre telescope, the ELT will gather 15 times more light than the largest optical telescopes operating today. It will also provide images 15 times sharper than those from the Hubble Space Telescope. The ELT performance is thus orders of magnitude better than the currently existing facilities. Such a telescope may, eventually, revolutionise our perception of the Universe, much as Galileo's telescope did, 400 years ago.
This diameter turned out to be the minimum diameter needed to achieve some of the driving science cases: to image rocky exoplanets to characterise their atmospheres and to directly measure the acceleration of the expansion of the Universe.
Q: Aren’t earthquakes a problem for the ELT?
A: The ELT Project Office has considered the seismic risk in all of the design aspects of the telescope. The quantification of seismic risk was the subject of extensive analysis at the time of the selection of Paranal for the VLT. The design criteria for the ELT follow closely those used for the VLT in terms of accelerations, but take into account the most recent international norms for their application. Two studies were commissioned to re-evaluate the design criteria and this work was reviewed by three independent teams of experts. In addition to these studies, four independent contractors developed options for seismically isolating the telescope and the dome. Most of the resulting precautions against rapid accelerations for the telescope, its optical systems and the dome, would have to be in place in any case to avoid accidental damage. These protections do not carry large budgetary impacts for the telescopes.
Q: How much light will the ELT be able to gather?
A: The ELT alone will gather more light than all of the existing 8–10-metre class telescopes on the planet combined, and 100 million times more light than the human eye, and will be able to detect objects millions of millions of times fainter.
Q: What are researchers hoping to find and achieve with the ELT?
A: The ELT will tackle the biggest scientific challenges of our time, and aim for a number of notable firsts, including tracking down Earth-like planets around other stars in the "habitable zones" where life could exist — one of the Holy Grails of modern observational astronomy. It will also perform ”stellar archaeology” in nearby galaxies, as well as make fundamental contributions to cosmology by measuring the properties of the first stars and galaxies and probing the nature of dark matter and dark energy. On top of this astronomers are also planning for the unexpected — new and unforeseeable questions will surely arise from the new discoveries made with the ELT. The ELT may, eventually, revolutionise our perception of the Universe, much as Galileo’s telescope did, 400 years ago.
Q: What are the main differences between the ELT and existing telescopes?
A: The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) will have a 39-metre mirror (almost half the length of a soccer pitch) and will thus be by far the biggest telescope in the world to observe in the visible and the near-infrared (there are of course larger radio telescopes). In other words, it will be the world’s biggest “eye” on the sky. The current largest optical telescopes have a diameter of about 10 metres, and the ELT will thus be four times greater. This diameter was chosen because it is the minimum diameter needed to achieve some of the driving science cases: to image rocky exoplanets to characterise their atmospheres, and to measure the acceleration of the expansion of the Universe directly. The main principle behind the telescope is that it is an adaptive telescope. Adaptive mirrors are incorporated into the optics of the telescope to compensate for the fuzziness in the stellar images introduced by atmospheric turbulence. One of these mirrors is supported by more than 5000 actuators that can distort its shape a thousand times per second.
Q: How will the ELT and other facilities work together?
A: Given the geographical proximity between Cerro Paranal — home of the VLT/VLTI and VISTA — and the site chosen for the ELT, Cerro Armazones — they are 20 km apart — the future ELT observatory will be operated in an integrated fashion with ESO’s Paranal Observatory. Adding the transformational scientific capabilities of the ELT to the already tremendously powerful integrated VLT observatory guarantees the long-term future of Paranal as the most advanced optical/infrared observatory in the world and further strengthens ESO’s position as the world-leading organisation for ground-based astronomy. The synergy between the ELT and Paranal will thus be both operational and scientific. Other scientific synergies have been identified and will be crucial, in particular with ALMA and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), but also with the Square Kilometre Array and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope. The synergy between the ELT and the JWST will be very similar to the very successful synergy between the Hubble Space Telescope and ESO’s Very Large Telescope. Astronomers have known for many years that to comprehend the Universe, they need to combine observations done at various wavelengths and make observations both in space and on the ground.
Q: When and how did ESO decide to build the ELT?
A: In December 2004, the ESO Council defined ESO’s highest priority strategic goal as “the retention of European astronomical leadership and excellence in the era of Extremely Large Telescopes (ELT)”, asking that “the construction of an ELT on a competitive timescale be addressed by radical strategic planning”. Following an extensive international review in October 2005 of a first concept study — the OWL project — the ESO project offices conducted a new study in 2006, produced with the help of more than 100 astronomers, to carefully evaluate performance, cost, schedule and risk. In November 2006, the results were subject to detailed discussions by more than 250 European astronomers at a conference in Marseille. Their enthusiastic welcome paved the way for the decision by the ESO Council to move to the crucial next phase of detailed design of the full facility.
ESO’s highest Governing Body, the Council, approved the ELT programme in June 2012 (http://www.eso.org/public/announcements/ann12096/).
The groundbreaking ceremony at Cerro Armazones was held on 19 June 2014 (http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1419/).
Green light for the construction of the ELT was given by ESO Council on 3 December 2014 (http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1440/).
Q: Why jump directly from four 8-metre telescopes (VLT) to a much bigger 39-metre ELT?
A: The current generation of large telescopes has allowed astronomers to make tremendous discoveries, opening up whole new areas of study. For example, the current generation of 8–10-metre class telescopes allowed us to take the first pictures of planets orbiting around other stars. Our knowledge in astronomy continues to progress at an incredible pace, answering many questions, but also raising exciting new ones. To address these new questions, but to also make discoveries that we cannot even imagine yet, it is necessary to significantly increase the sensitivity and the angular resolution of our facilities. This is why astronomers worldwide have shown the need for extremely large telescopes in the 30- to 60-metre range. The 39-metre mirror turned out to be the minimum diameter needed to achieve some of the driving science cases: to image rocky exoplanets, to characterise their atmospheres, and to directly measure the acceleration of the expansion of the Universe. ESO has thus decided to work towards consolidating a design for a 39-metre telescope.
Q: Will the ELT be able to take direct images of “mature” exoplanets around stars like the Sun?
A: Discovering and characterising planets and protoplanetary systems around other stars will be one of the most important and exciting aspects of the ELT science programme. This will include not only the discovery of planets down to Earth-like masses using the radial velocity technique, but also the direct imaging of larger planets and possibly even the characterisation of their atmospheres. The ELT will be capable of detecting reflected light from mature giant planets (Jupiter to Neptune-like) and may be able to probe their atmospheres through low-resolution spectroscopy. It will also enable us to directly study planetary systems during their formation from protoplanetary discs around many nearby very young stars. Furthermore, observations of giant planets in young stellar clusters and star-forming regions will trace their evolution as a function of age. Thus, the ELT will answer fundamental questions regarding planet formation and evolution, the planetary environment of other stars, and the uniqueness (or otherwise) of the Solar System and the Earth.
Q: Will astronomers use the ELT to study Solar System bodies, like Mars, Neptune, Pluto or Kuiper-Belt Objects?
A: As the ELT will have a much larger sensitivity and resolution than the current generation of large telescopes, it will certainly be most useful in the study of faint objects in the Solar System. The VLT has already made many discoveries concerning Neptune, Pluto and Kuiper-Belt Objects, and there is no doubt that the ELT will play a very important role there as well.
Q: Will the ELT be able to see the first galaxies that ever formed?
A: The ELT will pursue a vigorous scientific programme of exploring the formation and evolution of galaxies in the distant Universe. With the enormous sensitivity and resolution gains of the ELT we will be able to peer beyond our present horizons and uncover the physical processes that form and transform galaxies across cosmic time. The ELT will provide us with spatially resolved spectroscopic surveys of hundreds of massive galaxies all the way out to the most distant galaxies presently known, supplying us with the kind of detailed information on their stellar masses, ages, composition, star formation rates and dynamical states that is currently only available for nearby galaxies. The ELT will also unveil the crucial earliest stages of galaxy formation, right at the end of the “Dark Ages” after the Big Bang, by identifying the galaxies responsible for the re-ionisation of the Universe and by informing us of their basic properties. Through these observations, the ELT will drive the transition from the current phenomenological models to a much more physical understanding of galaxy formation and evolution.
Q: What about the OWL 100-metre project?
A: The Overwhelmingly Large Telescope (OWL) was a concept study, in the same way as carmakers are making concept cars. It has helped the ELT project teams to explore new ways to build telescopes, and many of these technologies are now considered for the ELT. ESO has no current plan to build a 100-metre optical telescope.
Q: What kind of advantages will the ELT offer, compared with the larger virtual telescope VLTI?
A: By combining four telescopes using interferometry, the achieved resolution is the same as a single telescope whose diameter is equal to the maximum distance between the individual telescopes in the interferometer. In this way, the VLTI allows us to create a virtual telescope up to 130 metres in diameter when combining the 8.2-metre Unit Telescopes (UTs), or up to 200 metres in diameter when combining the 1.8-metre Auxiliary Telescopes (ATs). In spite of this, the 39-metre ELT will have considerable advantages with respect to the VLTI. First, the ELT will have a collecting area that is a hundred times larger than the four VLT ATs combined. This means that the ELT will collect one hundred times more light and therefore will allow observations of much fainter objects. Secondly, in order to create images from a virtual telescope, the VLTI has to observe over a long period of time. Thinking of the four 1.8-metre ATs as a tiny fraction of the full 200-metre virtual telescope, the gaps in the 200-metre virtual mirror must be "filled in" by moving the ATs between positions on the mountaintop, or allowing the Earth's rotation to reorient them relative to the astronomical target. For the ELT the "aperture" is fully filled at all times. Last, but not least, the data from the VLTI must go through a very complex form of data processing. This method only provides a very tiny field of view and currently only works well on relatively bright objects. In conclusion, the VLTI is very powerful for certain applications, but can only compete with the ELT on a fraction of science projects.
Q: Could the ELT take a picture of the Moon-landing sites?
A: The short answer is yes, the sites could be imaged, but no, the images would not be detailed enough to show the equipment left behind by the astronauts. The longer reply needs to consider several technical aspects.
Firstly, the resolution of the 39-metre ELT, using its built-in adaptive optics and observing at visible wavelengths, will correspond to about 10 metres on the surface of the Moon (5 milliarcseconds). However, the parts of the lunar modules that are left on the Moon are less than 10 metres in size. So, the ELT is not big enough to show the shape of the lander, even if it could be imaged, and it would be indistinguishable from a rock. A perfect telescope of about 200 metres in diameter would be needed to show the landers as anything more than an unresolved blob and resolve their shapes.
As an aside — the VLT, when used as an interferometer (VLTI), reaches the required equivalent size of 200 metres, and hence the needed resolution, but it cannot be used to observe the Moon.
Secondly, the contrast between the landers and the brilliant lunar surface is low in almost all circumstances, which makes the imaging problem even harder.
Thirdly, to achieve the finest resolution (image sharpness) the ELT needs adaptive optics. The ELT adaptive optics system relies on natural or artificial guide stars, which would not work in the case of trying to image the lunar surface as the surface is very bright.
The shadow cast by the landers when the Sun is low in the sky would be much longer than 10 metres, which might make the problem a little easier, but they are still narrow. The landers also catch the Sun briefly when the surrounding plain is still in darkness, at sunrise or sunset. In these cases, they would appear as a point of light that might be seen — but could still not be distinguished from a boulder or other natural light-coloured surface feature of the Moon.
You may be wondering whether the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope would have better luck. In fact, while space telescopes are not affected by the atmosphere of the Earth, they are not substantially closer to the Moon. Also, Hubble is much smaller than the ELT, so isn’t able to obtain images that show the surface of the Moon with higher resolution. Read this FAQ for more information. The sharpest recent images of the lunar landers have been taken by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter: Apollo Landing Sites Revisited, from lunar orbit!
Q: What is the E-ELT?
A: The E-ELT was renamed to the ELT on 12 June 2017. Before this date it was referred to as the European Extremely Large Telescope.
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M11 Junction 7a
Latest News - 11 June 2019: M11 Junction 7a Public Inquiry
The Public Inquiry for M11 Junction 7a is now closed.
We await the inspectors decision to be expected in line with their recommended timescales.
Highways Schemes
Publication of Orders
Essex County Council has worked with Highways England to investigate options to improve access to Harlow’s road network to help facilitate growth and create better connectivity for residents, businesses and visitors. A strategic options appraisal study concluded that a new junction on the M11, known as Junction 7A, was the best solution.
The new M11 Junction 7A and widening of Gilden Way will:
Create a new east-west link, which will move traffic smoothly out of Harlow on to the M11
Reduce congestion on the north-south links through Harlow and towards Junction 7 and
Provide new opportunities for housing and business developments
The scheme begins by widening Gilden Way from the London Road roundabout to Marsh Lane to create a three-lane road. This would provide an additional lane for traffic approaching Harlow. The widening will be accommodated within the existing highway boundaries or on land that will be transferred to the highway authority’s ownership.
From near the junction with Marsh Lane, a new road to the east will be built to link the improved Gilden Way to the M11 via a new roundabout called The Campions roundabout. A section of the old Sheering Road as it passes The Campions will become access-only for residents, while access to Mayfield Farm will also be improved.
From the new The Campions roundabout, the link will continue towards the new motorway roundabout junction on the western side of the M11. This is one of two new roundabouts that will be built on either side of the M11 and connected by a new bridge over the motorway. There will be slip roads on and off the M11 for both northbound and southbound traffic.
Traffic travelling from the new M11 junction towards Harlow will use the new roundabouts, on either side of the M11, and travel along a new wide two-lane link road to The Campions roundabout.
The material that we produced for the public consultation on these proposals contains detailed information on the scheme and how it will achieve its objectives. That information can be found in the ‘Useful documents and links’ section at the bottom of this page.
Current works
Advanced drainage, clearance and utility works are currently ongoing along Gilden Way to help facilitate the main works.
The scheme is being constructed under a design and build contract. In February 2019 we issued the tender for the contract. We expect to make an announcement on the successful contractor in late 2019 / early 2020.
From May-July 2016, we carried out an extensive public consultation on the proposals for the M11 Junction 7A and the widening of Gilden Way. As part of the consultation, we ensured the proposals were well publicised, including holding public information events and displaying information at Harlow Council Civic Centre during the consultation period. We received 149 responses, including one petition with 155 signatures.
You can download our Consultation document using the link below, along with other information about the scheme.
We are grateful to everyone who took the time to consider our proposals and provide their feedback. We read and analysed each response to gain a thorough understanding of the issues, suggestions and any concerns that they contained. This information was passed onto the relevant technical leads working on the proposals, and was used to help inform future decisions on the scheme.
At the end of this process, a Preferred Route was approved by the ECC Cabinet and announced on 13 December 2016.
During the 2016 public consultation, we committed to putting in place measures to reduce the impact of traffic noise on residents once the M11 Junction 7A scheme is in place. This is why we are proposing the installation of noise barriers along parts of Gilden Way and Sheering Road. Find out more about our proposed noise barriers.
In addition to installing the noise barriers, we were proposing the removal of the underpass under Gilden Way between The Oxleys and Gilden Close. Having considered feedback from residents, this underpass removal proposal is under review.
On 11th and 12th May 2018 two public events, the Orders Exhibitions, took place in Old Harlow. These events provided people with an opportunity to discuss the noise barrier and underpass removal proposals with project staff.
Please contact us via m11j7a@essex.gov.uk if you have any questions about the scheme. We aim to respond to enquiries within 10 working days.
Useful documents and links
Documents relating to the scheme can be downloaded using the following links
Consultation document M11 Junction 7a 06a
PDF 30/01/2017
M11 Junction 7a / M11J7A Technical Approval Report
Harlow Option Assessment Report Part 1
Proposed Site Plan overview
Further information about our plans, including a summary of responses to our earlier consultation and other engagement activity, can be found by viewing the documents submitted as part of our application to the Local Planning Authority
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Etihad Airways teams up with lifestyle concierge service provider Ten Group
Etihad Airways has teamed up with leading global concierge service provider Ten Group to serve the unique needs of guests travelling in The Residence by Etihad onboard the airline’s Airbus A380 fleet.
Ten Group will provide a specially trained Etihad Lifestyle Concierge team who will work closely with the airline’s London Savoy-trained Residence by Etihad Butlers. Utilising intelligent systems, global support and unmatched supplier relationships, the Etihad Lifestyle Concierge team will deliver a highly personalised and discreet experience, providing access to a range of services including dining reservations, entertainment bookings, special events, destination information and lifestyle services.
Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer said: “We have chosen to collaborate with a provider possessing the global reach and expertise which meet the demands and expectations of our most discerning guests. With the launch of the Etihad Lifestyle Concierge, in partnership with Ten Group, we are taking luxury airline travel to levels never experienced before.
“Whether it is for a last-minute booking at a top London restaurant, tickets for a Broadway show, or even the purchase of a rare blue diamond, our fully connected fleet will enable us to assist guests staying in the Residence by Etihad with their requirements immediately, 24 hours a day, at 35,000 feet, and with the most professional levels of service.”
Toby Gauvain, Managing Director International at Ten Group, said: “Building a strong network of trust between our dedicated lifestyle manager team and our valued clients is integral to ensuring we are the world leaders in concierge services.
“Discerning guests travelling in the incredible Residence by Etihad will be provided with bespoke lifestyle solutions, delivered with the utmost discretion, convenience and sophistication no matter where they are flying in the world.”
Ten Group’s unique niche is in serving the needs of the affluent in 22 languages from its offices located in major commercial centres around the world, including: New York, San Francisco, Miami, Sao Paulo, Mumbai, Mexico City, Cape Town, London, Brussels, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai, Melbourne and Dubai.
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SODELPA Manifesto revealed
Aliki Bia
The Social Democratic Liberal Party manifesto has been partially revealed with the main theme as “Sustainable Management of Fiji’s Economy.”
Speaking at their Annual General Meeting, Party General Secretary Adi Litia Qionibaravi says the manifesto will also include the management of Fiji’s debt level, inclusive growth and general partnership.
Adi Litia says all party members and officials took part in producing the manifesto that will take them into the 2018 General Elections.
“The party facilitated the meeting of all MP’s with the party leader and officials to hear the views of our parliamentarians on the draft manifesto, these views have been included in the manifesto and I am happy to report that the manifesto have been completed.”
Meanwhile, Under Ro Temumu Kepa’s leadership in the last election, SODELPA’s manifesto was focused on “Reclaiming Fiji” in making amendments to the 2013 constitution.
Adi Litia says the SODELPA 2018 election manifesto is ready and will be circulated soon.
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Category Archives: Jordan
atheism | Definition, Philosophy, & Comparison to …
Atheism, in general, the critique and denial of metaphysical beliefs in God or spiritual beings. As such, it is usually distinguished from theism, which affirms the reality of the divine and often seeks to demonstrate its existence. Atheism is also distinguished from agnosticism, which leaves open the question whether there is a god or not, professing to find the questions unanswered or unanswerable.
The dialectic of the argument between forms of belief and unbelief raises questions concerning the most perspicuous delineation, or characterization, of atheism, agnosticism, and theism. It is necessary not only to probe the warrant for atheism but also carefully to consider what is the most adequate definition of atheism. This article will start with what have been some widely accepted, but still in various ways mistaken or misleading, definitions of atheism and move to more adequate formulations that better capture the full range of atheist thought and more clearly separate unbelief from belief and atheism from agnosticism. In the course of this delineation the section also will consider key arguments for and against atheism.
A central, common core of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam is the affirmation of the reality of one, and only one, God. Adherents of these faiths believe that there is a God who created the universe out of nothing and who has absolute sovereignty over all his creation; this includes, of course, human beingswho are not only utterly dependent on this creative power but also sinful and who, or so the faithful must believe, can only make adequate sense of their lives by accepting, without question, Gods ordinances for them. The varieties of atheism are numerous, but all atheists reject such a set of beliefs.
Atheism, however, casts a wider net and rejects all belief in spiritual beings, and to the extent that belief in spiritual beings is definitive of what it means for a system to be religious, atheism rejects religion. So atheism is not only a rejection of the central conceptions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; it is, as well, a rejection of the religious beliefs of such African religions as that of the Dinka and the Nuer, of the anthropomorphic gods of classical Greece and Rome, and of the transcendental conceptions of Hinduism and Buddhism. Generally atheism is a denial of God or of the gods, and if religion is defined in terms of belief in spiritual beings, then atheism is the rejection of all religious belief.
It is necessary, however, if a tolerably adequate understanding of atheism is to be achieved, to give a reading to rejection of religious belief and to come to realize how the characterization of atheism as the denial of God or the gods is inadequate.
To say that atheism is the denial of God or the gods and that it is the opposite of theism, a system of belief that affirms the reality of God and seeks to demonstrate his existence, is inadequate in a number of ways. First, not all theologians who regard themselves as defenders of the Christian faith or of Judaism or Islam regard themselves as defenders of theism. The influential 20th-century Protestant theologian Paul Tillich, for example, regards the God of theism as an idol and refuses to construe God as a being, even a supreme being, among beings or as an infinite being above finite beings. God, for him, is being-itself, the ground of being and meaning. The particulars of Tillichs view are in certain ways idiosyncratic, as well as being obscure and problematic, but they have been influential; and his rejection of theism, while retaining a belief in God, is not eccentric in contemporary theology, though it may very well affront the plain believer.
Second, and more important, it is not the case that all theists seek to demonstrate or even in any way rationally to establish the existence of God. Many theists regard such a demonstration as impossible, and fideistic believers (e.g., Johann Hamann and Sren Kierkegaard) regard such a demonstration, even if it were possible, as undesirable, for in their view it would undermine faith. If it could be proved, or known for certain, that God exists, people would not be in a position to accept him as their sovereign Lord humbly on faith with all the risks that entails. There are theologians who have argued that for genuine faith to be possible God must necessarily be a hidden God, the mysterious ultimate reality, whose existence and authority must be accepted simply on faith. This fideistic view has not, of course, gone without challenge from inside the major faiths, but it is of sufficient importance to make the above characterization of atheism inadequate.
Finally, and most important, not all denials of God are denials of his existence. Believers sometimes deny God while not being at all in a state of doubt that God exists. They either willfully reject what they take to be his authority by not acting in accordance with what they take to be his will, or else they simply live their lives as if God did not exist. In this important way they deny him. Such deniers are not atheists (unless we wish, misleadingly, to call them practical atheists). They are not even agnostics. They do not question that God exists; they deny him in other ways. An atheist denies the existence of God. As it is frequently said, atheists believe that it is false that God exists, or that Gods existence is a speculative hypothesis of an extremely low order of probability.
Yet it remains the case that such a characterization of atheism is inadequate in other ways. For one it is too narrow. There are atheists who believe that the very concept of God, at least in developed and less anthropomorphic forms of Judeo-Christianity and Islam, is so incoherent that certain central religious claims, such as God is my creator to whom everything is owed, are not genuine truth-claims; i.e., the claims could not be either true or false. Believers hold that such religious propositions are true, some atheists believe that they are false, and there are agnostics who cannot make up their minds whether to believe that they are true or false. (Agnostics think that the propositions are one or the other but believe that it is not possible to determine which.) But all three are mistaken, some atheists argue, for such putative truth-claims are not sufficiently intelligible to be genuine truth-claims that are either true or false. In reality there is nothing in them to be believed or disbelieved, though there is for the believer the powerful and humanly comforting illusion that there is. Such an atheism, it should be added, rooted for some conceptions of God in considerations about intelligibility and what it makes sense to say, has been strongly resisted by some pragmatists and logical empiricists.
While the above considerations about atheism and intelligibility show the second characterization of atheism to be too narrow, it is also the case that this characterization is in a way too broad. For there are fideistic believers, who quite unequivocally believe that when looked at objectively the proposition that God exists has a very low probability weight. They believe in God not because it is probable that he existsthey think it more probable that he does notbut because belief is thought by them to be necessary to make sense of human life. The second characterization of atheism does not distinguish a fideistic believer (a Blaise Pascal or a Soren Kierkegaard) or an agnostic (a T.H. Huxley or a Sir Leslie Stephen) from an atheist such as Baron dHolbach. All believe that there is a God and God protects humankind, however emotionally important they may be, are speculative hypotheses of an extremely low order of probability. But this, since it does not distinguish believers from nonbelievers and does not distinguish agnostics from atheists, cannot be an adequate characterization of atheism.
It may be retorted that to avoid apriorism and dogmatic atheism the existence of God should be regarded as a hypothesis. There are no ontological (purely a priori) proofs or disproofs of Gods existence. It is not reasonable to rule in advance that it makes no sense to say that God exists. What the atheist can reasonably claim is that there is no evidence that there is a God, and against that background he may very well be justified in asserting that there is no God. It has been argued, however, that it is simply dogmatic for an atheist to assert that no possible evidence could ever give one grounds for believing in God. Instead, atheists should justify their unbelief by showing (if they can) how the assertion is well-taken that there is no evidence that would warrant a belief in God. If atheism is justified, the atheist will have shown that in fact there is no adequate evidence for the belief that God exists, but it should not be part of his task to try to show that there could not be any evidence for the existence of God. If the atheist could somehow survive the death of his present body (assuming that such talk makes sense) and come, much to his surprise, to stand in the presence of God, his answer should be, Oh! Lord, you didnt give me enough evidence! He would have been mistaken, and realize that he had been mistaken, in his judgment that God did not exist. Still, he would not have been unjustified, in the light of the evidence available to him during his earthly life, in believing as he did. Not having any such postmortem experiences of the presence of God (assuming that he could have them), what he should say, as things stand and in the face of the evidence he actually has and is likely to be able to get, is that it is false that God exists. (Every time one legitimately asserts that a proposition is false one need not be certain that it is false. Knowing with certainty is not a pleonasm.) The claim is that this tentative posture is the reasonable position for the atheist to take.
An atheist who argues in this manner may also make a distinctive burden-of-proof argument. Given that God (if there is one) is by definition a very recherch realitya reality that must be (for there to be such a reality) transcendent to the worldthe burden of proof is not on the atheist to give grounds for believing that there is no reality of that order. Rather, the burden of proof is on the believer to give some evidence for Gods existencei.e., that there is such a reality. Given what God must be, if there is a God, the theist needs to present the evidence, for such a very strange reality. He needs to show that there is more in the world than is disclosed by common experience. The empirical method, and the empirical method alone, such an atheist asserts, affords a reliable method for establishing what is in fact the case. To the claim of the theist that there are in addition to varieties of empirical facts spiritual facts or transcendent facts, such as it being the case that there is a supernatural, self-existent, eternal power, the atheist can assert that such facts have not been shown.
It will, however, be argued by such atheists, against what they take to be dogmatic aprioristic atheists, that the atheist should be a fallibilist and remain open-minded about what the future may bring. There may, after all, be such transcendent facts, such metaphysical realities. It is not that such a fallibilistic atheist is really an agnostic who believes that he is not justified in either asserting that God exists or denying that he exists and that what he must reasonably do is suspend belief. On the contrary, such an atheist believes that he has very good grounds indeed, as things stand, for denying the existence of God. But he will, on the second conceptualization of what it is to be an atheist, not deny that things could be otherwise and that, if they were, he would be justified in believing in God or at least would no longer be justified in asserting that it is false that there is a God. Using reliable empirical techniques, proven methods for establishing matters of fact, the fallibilistic atheist has found nothing in the universe to make a belief that God exists justifiable or even, everything considered, the most rational option of the various options. He therefore draws the atheistical conclusion (also keeping in mind his burden-of-proof argument) that God does not exist. But he does not dogmatically in a priori fashion deny the existence of God. He remains a thorough and consistent fallibilist.
Such a form of atheism (the atheism of those pragmatists who are also naturalistic humanists), though less inadequate than the first formation of atheism, is still inadequate. God in developed forms of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam is not, like Zeus or Odin, construed in a relatively plain anthropomorphic way. Nothing that could count as God in such religions could possibly be observed, literally encountered, or detected in the universe. God, in such a conception, is utterly transcendent to the world; he is conceived of as pure spirit, an infinite individual who created the universe out of nothing and who is distinct from the universe. Such a realitya reality that is taken to be an ultimate mysterycould not be identified as objects or processes in the universe can be identified. There can be no pointing at or to God, no ostensive teaching of God, to show what is meant. The word God can only be taught intralinguistically. God is taught to someone who does not understand what the word means by the use of descriptions such as the maker of the universe, the eternal, utterly independent being upon whom all other beings depend, the first cause, the sole ultimate reality, or a self-caused being. For someone who does not understand such descriptions, there can be no understanding of the concept of God. But the key terms of such descriptions are themselves no more capable of ostensive definition (of having their referents pointed out) than is God, where that term is not, like Zeus, construed anthropomorphically. (That does not mean that anyone has actually pointed to Zeus or observed Zeus but that one knows what it would be like to do so.)
In coming to understand what is meant by God in such discourses, it must be understood that God, whatever else he is, is a being that could not possibly be seen or be in any way else observed. He could not be anything material or empirical, and he is said by believers to be an intractable mystery. A nonmysterious God would not be the God of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
This, in effect, makes it a mistake to claim that the existence of God can rightly be treated as a hypothesis and makes it a mistake to claim that, by the use of the experimental method or some other determinate empirical method, the existence of God can be confirmed or disconfirmed as can the existence of an empirical reality. The retort made by some atheists, who also like pragmatists remain thoroughgoing fallibilists, is that such a proposed way of coming to know, or failing to come to know, God makes no sense for anyone who understands what kind of reality God is supposed to be. Anything whose existence could be so verified would not be the God of Judeo-Christianity. God could not be a reality whose presence is even faintly adumbrated in experience, for anything that could even count as the God of Judeo-Christianity must be transcendent to the world. Anything that could actually be encountered or experienced could not be God.
At the very heart of a religion such as Christianity there stands a metaphysical belief in a reality that is alleged to transcend the empirical world. It is the metaphysical belief that there is an eternal, ever-present creative source and sustainer of the universe. The problem is how it is possible to know or reasonably believe that such a reality exists or even to understand what such talk is about.
It is not that God is like a theoretical entity in physics such as a proton or a neutrino. They are, where they are construed as realities rather than as heuristically useful conceptual fictions, thought to be part of the actual furniture of the universe. They are not said to be transcendent to the universe, but rather are invisible entities in the universe logically on a par with specks of dust and grains of sand, only much, much smaller. They are on the same continuum; they are not a different kind of reality. It is only the case that they, as a matter of fact, cannot be seen. Indeed no one has an understanding of what it would be like to see a proton or a neutrinoin that way they are like Godand no provision is made in physical theory for seeing them. Still, there is no logical ban on seeing them as there is on seeing God. They are among the things in the universe, and thus, though they are invisible, they can be postulated as causes of things that are seen. Since this is so it becomes at least logically possible indirectly to verify by empirical methods the existence of such realities. It is also the case that there is no logical ban on establishing what is necessary to establish a causal connection, namely a constant conjunction of two discrete empirical realities. But no such constant conjunction can be established or even intelligibly asserted between God and the universe, and thus the existence of God is not even indirectly verifiable. God is not a discrete empirical thing or being, and the universe is not a gigantic thing or process over and above the things and processes in the universe of which it makes sense to say that the universe has or had a cause. But then there is no way, directly or indirectly, that even the probability that there is a God could be empirically established.
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Posted in Jordan
Atheism | CARM.org
Atheism is a lack of belief in any God and deities as well as a total denial of the existence of any god. It is a growing movement that is becoming more aggressive, more demanding, and less tolerant of anything other than itself – as is exemplified by its adherents. Is atheism a sound philosophical system as a worldview or is it ultimately self-defeating? Is the requirement of empirical evidence for God a mistake in logic or is it a fair demand? Can we prove that God exists or is that impossible? Find out more about atheism, its arguments, and its problems here at CARM. Learn how to deal with the arguments raised against the existence of God that seek to replace Him with naturalism, materialism, and moral relativism.
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Atheism – Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Atheism is rejecting the belief in a god or gods. It is the opposite of theism, which is the belief that at least one god exists.A person who rejects belief in gods is called an atheist.Theism is the belief in one or more gods. Adding an a, meaning “without”, before the word theism results in atheism, or literally, “without theism”.. Atheism is not the same as agnosticism: agnostics say that …
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atheism r/atheism – reddit: the front page of the internet
This happened around last year when they just found out that i was an atheist. My parents sat down with me (and for some reason they roped my brother in too) to kinda talk it out with them, the why and how and all that.
So my father was talking about how god had blessed him and his family with a luxurious and comfortable life. I, thinking that my parents would hear me out since they got out of their own way just to talk about religion with us, told them that i believed that they worked hard and earned the money themselves.
Surprisingly enough, my father immediately blew his top off and yelled at me, insisting that it was by god’s grace that we are now able to live such a good life. He then, for some reason told me that my ability to draw was a god-given talent. Naturally, i was pissed. After all, i went to years and years of art class just to be able to draw like i do now, though it only looks nice in my family’s standards since i’m the only one in my family that can draw. But i didn’t say anything back since i don’t want to start another war with m parents.
Seriously, if it really was just god’s grace that allowed my family to live comfortably, why have i never seen god just bestow upon my father a paycheck? Why is it that he’s so happy about having all his hard work credited to an invisible sky daddy? Call me greedy or selfish, but if someone took all the credit to my hard work i’d be bloody pissed. But hey, thanks for reading this.
Ripple Price Forecast: XRP vs SWIFT, SEC Updates, and More
Ripple vs SWIFT: The War Begins
While most criticisms of XRP do nothing to curb my bullish Ripple price forecast, there is one obstacle that nags at my conscience. Its name is SWIFT.
The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) is the king of international payments.
It coordinates wire transfers across 11,000 banks in more than 200 countries and territories, meaning that in order for XRP prices to ascend to $10.00, Ripple needs to launch a successful coup. That is, and always has been, an unwritten part of Ripple’s story.
We’ve seen a lot of progress on that score. In the last three years, Ripple wooed more than 100 financial firms onto its.
The post Ripple Price Forecast: XRP vs SWIFT, SEC Updates, and More appeared first on Profit Confidential.
Cryptocurrency News: This Week on Bitfinex, Tether, Coinbase, & More
On the whole, cryptocurrency prices are down from our previous report on cryptos, with the market slipping on news of an exchange being hacked and a report about Bitcoin manipulation.
However, there have been two bright spots: 1) an official from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said that Ethereum is not a security, and 2) Coinbase is expanding its selection of tokens.
Let’s start with the good news.
SEC Says ETH Is Not a Security
Investors have some reason to cheer this week. A high-ranking SEC official told attendees of the Yahoo! All Markets Summit: Crypto that Ethereum and Bitcoin are not.
The post Cryptocurrency News: This Week on Bitfinex, Tether, Coinbase, & More appeared first on Profit Confidential.
Cryptocurrency News: Looking Past the Bithumb Crypto Hack
Another Crypto Hack Derails Recovery
Since our last report, hackers broke into yet another cryptocurrency exchange. This time the target was Bithumb, a Korean exchange known for high-flying prices and ultra-active traders.
While the hackers made off with approximately $31.5 million in funds, the exchange is working with relevant authorities to return the stolen tokens to their respective owners. In the event that some is still missing, the exchange will cover the losses. (Source: “Bithumb Working With Other Crypto Exchanges to Recover Hacked Funds,”.
The post Cryptocurrency News: Looking Past the Bithumb Crypto Hack appeared first on Profit Confidential.
Cryptocurrency News: Bitcoin ETFs, Andreessen Horowitz, and Contradictions in Crypto
This was a bloody week for cryptocurrencies. Everything was covered in red, from Ethereum (ETH) on down to the Basic Attention Token (BAT).
Some investors claim it was inevitable. Others say that price manipulation is to blame.
We think the answers are more complicated than either side has to offer, because our research reveals deep contradictions between the price of cryptos and the underlying development of blockchain projects.
For instance, a leading venture capital (VC) firm launched a $300.0-million crypto investment fund, yet liquidity continues to dry up in crypto markets.
Another example is the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s.
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Cryptocurrency News: XRP Validators, Malta, and Practical Tokens
Cryptocurrency News & Market Summary
Investors finally saw some light at the end of the tunnel last week, with cryptos soaring across the board. No one quite knows what kicked off the rally—as it could have been any of the stories we discuss below—but the net result was positive.
Of course, prices won’t stay on this rocket ride forever. I expect to see a resurgence of volatility in short order, because the market is moving as a single unit. Everything is rising in tandem.
This tells me that investors are simply “buying the dip” rather than identifying which cryptos have enough real-world value to outlive the crash.
So if you want to know when.
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Cryptocurrency News: What You Need to Know This Week
Cryptocurrencies traded sideways since our last report on cryptos. However, I noticed something interesting when playing around with Yahoo! Finance’s cryptocurrency screener: There are profitable pockets in this market.
Incidentally, Yahoo’s screener is far superior to the one on CoinMarketCap, so if you’re looking to compare digital assets, I highly recommend it.
But let’s get back to my epiphany.
In the last month, at one point or another, most crypto assets on our favorites list saw double-digit increases. It’s true that each upswing was followed by a hard crash, but investors who rode the trend would have made a.
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Cryptocurrency News: New Exchanges Could Boost Crypto Liquidity
Even though the cryptocurrency news was upbeat in recent days, the market tumbled after the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) rejected calls for a Bitcoin (BTC) exchange-traded fund (ETF).
That news came as a blow to investors, many of whom believe the ETF would open the cryptocurrency industry up to pension funds and other institutional investors. This would create a massive tailwind for cryptos, they say.
So it only follows that a rejection of the Bitcoin ETF should send cryptos tumbling, correct? Well, maybe you can follow that logic. To me, it seems like a dramatic overreaction.
I understand that legitimizing cryptos is important. But.
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Cryptocurrency News: Vitalik Buterin Doesn’t Care About Bitcoin ETFs
While headline numbers look devastating this week, investors might take some solace in knowing that cryptocurrencies found their bottom at roughly $189.8 billion in market cap—that was the low point. Since then, investors put more than $20.0 billion back into the market.
During the rout, Ethereum broke below $300.00 and XRP fell below $0.30, marking yearly lows for both tokens. The same was true down the list of the top 100 biggest cryptos.
Altcoins took the brunt of the hit. BTC Dominance, which reveals how tightly investment is concentrated in Bitcoin, rose from 42.62% to 53.27% in just one month, showing that investors either fled altcoins at higher.
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Bitcoin Rise: Is the Recent Bitcoin Price Surge a Sign of Things to Come or Another Misdirection?
What You Need to Know About the Bitcoin Price Rise
It wasn’t that long ago that Bitcoin (BTC) dominated headlines for its massive growth, with many cryptocurrency millionaires being made. The Bitcoin price surged ever upward and many people thought the gravy train would never stop running—until it did.
Prices crashed, investors abandoned the space, and lots of people lost money. Cut to today and we’re seeing another big Bitcoin price surge; is this time any different?
I’m of a mind that investors ought to think twice before jumping back in on Bitcoin.
Bitcoin made waves when it once again crested above $5,000. Considering that it started 2019 around $3,700,.
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Jordan – Wikipedia
Arab country in Western Asia
and largest city
Water(%)
2018 estimate
2015census
Jordan (Arabic: Al-Urdunn [al.ur.dun]), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (Arabic: Al-Mamlakah Al-Urdunnyah Al-Hshimyah), is an Arab country in Western Asia, on the East Bank of the Jordan River. Jordan is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south and the east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and Israel and Palestine (West Bank) to the west. The Dead Sea is located along its western borders and the country has a small coastline to the Red Sea in its extreme south-west, but is otherwise landlocked.[7] Jordan is strategically located at the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe.[8] The capital, Amman, is Jordan’s most populous city as well as the country’s economic, political and cultural centre.[9]
What is now Jordan has been inhabited by humans since the Paleolithic period. Three stable kingdoms emerged there at the end of the Bronze Age: Ammon, Moab and Edom. Later rulers include the Nabataean Kingdom, the Roman Empire, and the Ottoman Empire. After the Great Arab Revolt against the Ottomans in 1916 during World War I, the Ottoman Empire was partitioned by Britain and France. The Emirate of Transjordan was established in 1921 by the Hashemite, then Emir, Abdullah I, and the emirate became a British protectorate. In 1946, Jordan became an independent state officially known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan, but was renamed in 1949 to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan after the country captured the West Bank during the 1948 ArabIsraeli War and annexed it until it was lost to Israel in 1967. Jordan renounced its claim to the territory in 1988, and became one of two Arab states to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1994.[10] Jordan is a founding member of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation. The sovereign state is a constitutional monarchy, but the king holds wide executive and legislative powers.
Jordan is a relatively small, semi-arid, almost landlocked country with an area of 89,342km2 (34,495sqmi) and a population numbering 10 million, making it the 11th-most populous Arab country. Sunni Islam, practiced by around 95% of the population, is the dominant religion in Jordan and coexists with an indigenous Christian minority. Jordan has been repeatedly referred to as an “oasis of stability” in a turbulent region. It has been mostly unscathed by the violence that swept the region following the Arab Spring in 2010.[11] From as early as 1948, Jordan has accepted refugees from multiple neighbouring countries in conflict. An estimated 2.1 million Palestinian and 1.4 million Syrian refugees are present in Jordan as of a 2015 census.[3] The kingdom is also a refuge to thousands of Iraqi Christians fleeing persecution by ISIL.[12] While Jordan continues to accept refugees, the recent large influx from Syria placed substantial strain on national resources and infrastructure.[13]
Jordan is classified as a country of “high human development” with an “upper middle income” economy. The Jordanian economy, one of the smallest economies in the region, is attractive to foreign investors based upon a skilled workforce.[14] The country is a major tourist destination, also attracting medical tourism due to its well developed health sector.[15] Nonetheless, a lack of natural resources, large flow of refugees and regional turmoil have hampered economic growth.[16]
Jordan takes its name from the Jordan River which forms much of the country’s northwestern border.[17] While several theories for the origin of the river’s name have been proposed, it is most plausible that it derives from the Semitic word Yarad, meaning “the descender”, reflecting the river’s declivity.[18] Much of the area that makes up modern Jordan was historically called Transjordan, meaning “across the Jordan”, used to denote the lands east of the river.[18] The Old Testament refers to the area as “the other side of the Jordan”.[18] Early Arab chronicles referred to the river as Al-Urdunn, corresponding to the Semitic Yarden.[19] Jund Al-Urdunn was a military district around the river in the early Islamic era.[19] Later, during the Crusades in the beginning of the second millennium, a lordship was established in the area under the name of Oultrejordain.[20]
The oldest evidence of hominid habitation in Jordan dates back at least 200,000 years.[21] Jordan is rich in Paleolithic (up to 20,000 years ago) remains due to its location within the Levant where expansions of hominids out of Africa converged.[22] Past lakeshore environments attracted different hominids, and several remains of tools have been found from this period.[22] The world’s oldest evidence of bread-making was found in a 14,500 years old Natufian site in Jordan’s northeastern desert.[23] The transition from hunter-gatherer to establishing populous agricultural villages occurred during the Neolithic period (10,0004,500 BC).[24] ‘Ain Ghazal, one such village located in today’s eastern Amman, is one of the largest known prehistoric settlements in the Near East.[25] Dozens of plaster statues of the human form dating to 7250 BC or earlier were uncovered there and they are among the oldest ever found.[26] Other than the usual Chalcolithic (45003600 BC) villages such as Tulaylet Ghassul in the Jordan Valley,[27] a series of circular stone enclosures in the eastern basalt desertwhose purpose remains uncertainhave baffled archaeologists.[28]
Fortified towns and urban centers first emerged in the southern Levant early on in the Bronze Age (36001200 BC).[29] Wadi Feynan became a regional center for copper extraction, which was exploited on a large-scale to produce bronze.[30] Trade and movement of people in the Middle East peaked, spreading and refining civilizations.[31] Villages in Transjordan expanded rapidly in areas with reliable water resources and agricultural land.[31] Ancient Egyptians expanded towards the Levant and controlled both banks of the Jordan River.[32] During the Iron Age (1200332 BC) after the withdrawal of the Egyptians, Transjordan was home to Ammon, Edom and Moab.[33] They spoke Semitic languages of the Canaanite group, and are considered to be tribal kingdoms rather than states.[33] Ammon was located in the Amman plateau; Moab in the highlands east of the Dead Sea; and Edom in the area around Wadi Araba down south.[33]
These Transjordanian kingdoms were in continuous conflict with the neighbouring Hebrew kingdoms of Israel and Judah, centered west of the Jordan Riverthough the former was known to have at times controlled small parts east of the river.[34] One record of this is the Mesha Stele erected by the Moabite king Mesha in 840 BC on which he lauds himself for the building projects that he initiated in Moab and commemorates his glory and victory against the Israelites.[35] The stele constitutes one of the most important direct accounts of Biblical history.[36] Around 700 BC, the kingdoms benefited from trade between Syria and Arabia when the Assyrian Empire controlled the Levant.[37] Babylonians took over the empire after its disintegration in 627 BC.[37] Although the kingdoms supported the Babylonians against Judah in the 597 BC sack of Jerusalem, they rebelled against them a decade later.[37] The kingdoms were reduced to vassals, and they remained to be so under the Persian and Hellenic Empires.[37] However, by the time of Roman rule around 63 BC, Ammon, Edom and Moab had lost their distinct identities, and were assimilated into Roman culture.[33]
Alexander the Great’s conquest of the Persian Empire in 332 BC introduced Hellenistic culture to the Middle East. After Alexander’s death in 323 BC, the empire split among his generals, and in the end much of Transjordan was disputed between the Ptolemies based in Egypt and the Seleucids based in Syria. The Nabataeans, nomadic Arabs based south of Edom, managed to establish an independent kingdom in 169 BC by exploiting the struggle between the two Greek powers. The Nabataean Kingdom controlled much of the trade routes of the region, and it stretched south along the Red Sea coast into the Hejaz desert, up to as far north as Damascus, which it controlled for a short period (8571) BC. The Nabataeans massed a fortune from their control of the trade routes, often drawing the envy of their neighbors. Petra, Nabataea’s barren capital, flourished in the 1st century AD, driven by its extensive water irrigation systems and agriculture. The Nabataeans were also talented stone carvers, building their most elaborate structure, Al-Khazneh, in the first century AD.[42] It is believed to be the mausoleum of the Arab Nabataean King Aretas IV.[42]
Roman legions under Pompey conquered much of the Levant in 63 BC, inaugurating a period of Roman rule that lasted four centuries.[43] In 106 AD, Emperor Trajan annexed Nabataea unopposed, and rebuilt the King’s Highway which became known as the Via Traiana Nova road.[43] The Romans gave the Greek cities of TransjordanPhiladelphia (Amman), Gerasa (Jerash), Gedara (Umm Qays), Pella (Tabaqat Fahl) and Arbila (Irbid)and other Hellenistic cities in Palestine and southern Syria, a level of autonomy by forming the Decapolis, a ten-city league.[44] Jerash is one of the best preserved Roman cities in the East; it was even visited by Emperor Hadrian during his journey to Palestine.[45]
In 324 AD, the Roman Empire split, and the Eastern Roman Empirelater known as the Byzantine Empirecontinued to control or influence the region until 636 AD.[46] Christianity had become legal within the empire in 313 AD and the official state religion in 390 AD, after Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity.[46] Transjordan prospered during the Byzantine era, and Christian churches were built everywhere. The Aqaba Church in Ayla was built during this era, it is considered to be the world’s first purpose built Christian church.[48] Umm ar-Rasas in southern Amman contains at least 16 Byzantine churches.[49] Meanwhile, Petra’s importance declined as sea trade routes emerged, and after a 363 earthquake destroyed many structures, until it became an abandoned place.[42] The Sassanian Empire in the east became the Byzantines’ rivals, and frequent confrontations sometimes led to the Sassanids controlling some parts of the region, including Transjordan.[50]
In 629 AD, during the Battle of Mu’tah in what is today Al-Karak, the Byzantines and their Arab Christian clients, the Ghassanids, staved off an attack by a Muslim Rashidun force that marched northwards towards the Levant from the Hejaz (in modern-day Saudi Arabia).[51] The Byzantines however were defeated by the Muslims in 636 AD at the decisive Battle of Yarmouk just north of Transjordan.[51] Transjordan was an essential territory for the conquest of Damascus.[52] The first, or Rashidun, caliphate was followed by that of the Ummayads (661750).[52] Under the Umayyad Caliphate, several desert castles were constructed in Transjordan, including: Qasr Al-Mshatta and Qasr Al-Hallabat.[52] The Abbasid Caliphate’s campaign to take over the Umayyad’s began in Transjordan.[53] A powerful 747 AD earthquake is thought to have contributed to the Umayyads defeat to the Abbasids, who moved the caliphate’s capital from Damascus to Baghdad.[53] During Abbasid rule (750969), several Arab tribes moved northwards and settled in the Levant.[52] Concurrently, growth of maritime trade diminished Transjordan’s central position, and the area became increasingly impoverished. After the decline of the Abbasids, Transjordan was ruled by the Fatimid Caliphate (9691070), then by the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem (11151187).
The Crusaders constructed several Crusader castles as part of the Lordship of Oultrejordain, including those of Montreal and Al-Karak.[56] The Ayyubids built the Ajloun Castle and rebuilt older castles, to be used as military outposts against the Crusaders. During the Battle of Hattin (1187) near Lake Tiberias just north of Transjordan, the Crusaders lost to Saladin, the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty (11871260). Villages in Transjordan under the Ayyubids became important stops for Muslim pilgrims going to Mecca who travelled along the route that connected Syria to the Hejaz.[58] Several of the Ayyubid castles were used and expanded by the Mamluks (12601516), who divided Transjordan between the provinces of Karak and Damascus. During the next century Transjordan experienced Mongol attacks, but the Mongols were ultimately repelled by the Mamluks after the Battle of Ain Jalut (1260).[60]
In 1516, the Ottoman Caliphate’s forces conquered Mamluk territory. Agricultural villages in Transjordan witnessed a period of relative prosperity in the 16th century, but were later abandoned.[62] Transjordan was of marginal importance to the Ottoman authorities.[63] As a result, Ottoman presence was virtually absent and reduced to annual tax collection visits.[62] More Arab bedouin tribes moved into Transjordan from Syria and the Hejaz during the first three centuries of Ottoman rule, including the Adwan, the Bani Sakhr and the Howeitat. These tribes laid claims to different parts of the region, and with the absence of a meaningful Ottoman authority, Transjordan slid into a state of anarchy that continued till the 19th century. This led to a short-lived occupation by the Wahhabi forces (18031812), an ultra-orthodox Islamic movement that emerged in Najd (in modern-day Saudi Arabia). Ibrahim Pasha, son of the governor of the Egypt Eyalet under the request of the Ottoman sultan, rooted out the Wahhabis by 1818. In 1833 Ibrahim Pasha turned on the Ottomans and established his rule over the Levant.[68] His oppressive policies led to the unsuccessful peasants’ revolt in Palestine in 1834.[68] Transjordanian cities of Al-Salt and Al-Karak were destroyed by Ibrahim Pasha’s forces for harbouring a peasants’ revolt leader.[68] Egyptian rule was forcibly ended in 1841, with Ottoman rule restored.[68]
Only after Ibrahim Pasha’s campaign did the Ottoman Empire try to solidify its presence in the Syria Vilayet, which Transjordan was part of. A series of tax and land reforms (Tanzimat) in 1864 brought some prosperity back to agriculture and to abandoned villages, while it provoked a backlash in other areas of Transjordan. Muslim Circassians and Chechens, fleeing Russian persecution, sought refuge in the Levant.[70] In Transjordan and with Ottoman support, Circassians first settled in the long-abandoned vicinity of Amman in 1867, and later in the surrounding villages.[70] After having established its administration, conscription and heavy taxation policies by the Ottoman authorities, led to revolts in the areas it controlled. Transjordan’s tribes in particular revolted during the Shoubak (1905) and the Karak Revolts (1910), which were brutally suppressed.[70] The construction of the Hejaz Railway in 1908stretching across the length of Transjordan and linking Mecca with Istanbulhelped the population economically as Transjordan became a stopover for pilgrims.[70] However, increasing policies of Turkification and centralization adopted by the Ottoman Empire disenchanted the Arabs of the Levant.
Four centuries of stagnation during Ottoman rule came to an end during World War I by the 1916 Arab Revolt; driven by long-term resentment towards the Ottoman authorities, and growing Arab nationalism.[70] The revolt was led by Sharif Hussein of Mecca, and his sons Abdullah, Faisal and Ali, members of the Hashemite dynasty of the Hejaz, descendants of the Prophet Muhammad.[70] Locally, the revolt garnered the support of the Transjordanian tribes, including Bedouins, Circassians and Christians. The Allies of World WarI, including Britain and France, whose imperial interests converged with the Arabist cause, offered support. The revolt started on 5 June 1916 from Medina and pushed northwards until the fighting reached Transjordan in the Battle of Aqaba on 6 July 1917.[75] The revolt reached its climax when Faisal entered Damascus in October 1918, and established the Arab Kingdom of Syria, which Transjordan was part of.
The nascent Hashemite Kingdom was forced to surrender to French troops on 24 July 1920 during the Battle of Maysalun.[76] Arab aspirations failed to gain international recognition, due mainly to the secret 1916 SykesPicot Agreement, which divided the region into French and British spheres of influence, and the 1917 Balfour Declaration, which promised Palestine to Jews. This was seen by the Hashemites and the Arabs as a betrayal of their previous agreements with the British, including the 1915 McMahonHussein Correspondence, in which the British stated their willingness to recognize the independence of a unified Arab state stretching from Aleppo to Aden under the rule of the Hashemites.[79]:55 Abdullah, the second son of Sharif Hussein, arrived from Hejaz by train in Ma’an in southern Transjordan on 21 November 1920 to redeem the Kingdom his brother had lost. Transjordan then was in disarray; widely considered to be ungovernable with its dysfunctional local governments. Abdullah then moved to Amman and established the Emirate of Transjordan on 11 April 1921.
The British reluctantly accepted Abdullah as ruler of Transjordan. Abdullah gained the trust of Transjordan’s tribal leaders before scrambling to convince them of the benefits of an organized government. Abdullah’s successes drew the envy of the British, even when it was in their interest. In September 1922, the Council of the League of Nations recognised Transjordan as a state under the British Mandate for Palestine and the Transjordan memorandum, and excluded the territories east of the Jordan River from the provisions of the mandate dealing with Jewish settlement.[86][87] Transjordan remained a British mandate until 1946, but it had been granted a greater level of autonomy than the region west of the Jordan River.[88]
The first organised army in Jordan was established on 22 October 1920, and was named the “Arab Legion”.[89] The Legion grew from 150 men in 1920 to 8,000 in 1946.[90] Multiple difficulties emerged upon the assumption of power in the region by the Hashemite leadership.[89] In Transjordan, small local rebellions at Kura in 1921 and 1923 were suppressed by Emir Abdullah with the help of British forces.[89] Wahhabis from Najd regained strength and repeatedly raided the southern parts of his territory in (19221924), seriously threatening the Emir’s position.[89] The Emir was unable to repel those raids without the aid of the local Bedouin tribes and the British, who maintained a military base with a small RAF detachment close to Amman.[89]
The Treaty of London, signed by the British Government and the Emir of Transjordan on 22 March 1946, recognised the independence of Transjordan upon ratification by both countries’ parliaments.[91] On 25 May 1946, the day that the treaty was ratified by the Transjordan parliament, Transjordan was raised to the status of a kingdom under the name of the Hashemite Kingdom of Transjordan, with Abdullah as its first king.[92] The name was shortened to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on 26 April 1949.[10] 25 May is now celebrated as the nation’s Independence Day, a public holiday.[93] Jordan became a member of the United Nations on 14 December 1955.[10]
On 15 May 1948, as part of the 1948 ArabIsraeli War, Jordan invaded Palestine together with other Arab states.[94] Following the war, Jordan controlled the West Bank and on 24 April 1950 Jordan formally annexed these territories after the Jericho conference.[95][96] In response, some Arab countries demanded Jordan’s expulsion from the Arab League.[95] On 12 June 1950, the Arab League declared that the annexation was a temporary, practical measure and that Jordan was holding the territory as a “trustee” pending a future settlement.[97] King Abdullah was assassinated at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in 1951 by a Palestinian militant, amid rumours he intended to sign a peace treaty with Israel.[98]
Abdullah was succeeded by his son Talal, who would soon abdicate due to illness in favour of his eldest son Hussein.[99] Talal established the country’s modern constitution in 1952.[99] Hussein ascended to the throne in 1953 at the age of 17.[98] Jordan witnessed great political uncertainty in the following period.[100] The 1950s were a period of political upheaval, as Nasserism and Pan-Arabism swept the Arab World.[100] On 1 March 1956, King Hussein Arabized the command of the Army by dismissing a number of senior British officers, an act made to remove remaining foreign influence in the country.[101] In 1958, Jordan and neighbouring Hashemite Iraq formed the Arab Federation as a response to the formation of the rival United Arab Republic between Nasser’s Egypt and Syria.[102] The union lasted only six months, being dissolved after Iraqi King Faisal II (Hussein’s cousin) was deposed by a bloody military coup on 14 July 1958.[102]
Jordan signed a military pact with Egypt just before Israel launched a preemptive strike on Egypt to begin the Six-Day War in June 1967, where Jordan and Syria joined the war.[103] The Arab states were defeated and Jordan lost control of the West Bank to Israel.[103] The War of Attrition with Israel followed, which included the 1968 Battle of Karameh where the combined forces of the Jordanian Armed Forces and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) repelled an Israeli attack on the Karameh camp on the Jordanian border with the West Bank.[103] Despite the fact that the Palestinians had limited involvement against the Israeli forces, the events at Karameh gained wide recognition and acclaim in the Arab world.[104] As a result, the time period following the battle witnessed an upsurge of support for Palestinian paramilitary elements (the fedayeen) within Jordan from other Arab countries.[104] The fedayeen activities soon became a threat to Jordan’s rule of law.[104] In September 1970, the Jordanian army targeted the fedayeen and the resultant fighting led to the expulsion of Palestinian fighters from various PLO groups into Lebanon, in a conflict that became known as Black September.[104]
In 1973, Egypt and Syria waged the Yom Kippur War on Israel, and fighting occurred along the 1967 Jordan River cease-fire line.[104] Jordan sent a brigade to Syria to attack Israeli units on Syrian territory but did not engage Israeli forces from Jordanian territory.[104] At the Rabat summit conference in 1974, Jordan agreed, along with the rest of the Arab League, that the PLO was the “sole legitimate representative of the Palestinian people”.[104] Subsequently, Jordan renounced its claims to the West Bank in 1988.[104]
At the 1991 Madrid Conference, Jordan agreed to negotiate a peace treaty sponsored by the US and the Soviet Union.[104] The Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace was signed on 26 October 1994.[104] In 1997, Israeli agents entered Jordan using Canadian passports and poisoned Khaled Meshal, a senior Hamas leader.[104] Israel provided an antidote to the poison and released dozens of political prisoners, including Sheikh Ahmed Yassin after King Hussein threatened to annul the peace treaty.[104]
On 7 February 1999, Abdullah II ascended the throne upon the death of his father Hussein.[105] Abdullah embarked on economic liberalisation when he assumed the throne, and his reforms led to an economic boom which continued until 2008.[106] Abdullah II has been credited with increasing foreign investment, improving public-private partnerships and providing the foundation for Aqaba’s free-trade zone and Jordan’s flourishing information and communication technology (ICT) sector.[106] He also set up five other special economic zones.[106] However, during the following years Jordan’s economy experienced hardship as it dealt with the effects of the Great Recession and spillover from the Arab Spring.[107]
Al-Qaeda under Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s leadership launched coordinated explosions in three hotel lobbies in Amman on 9 November 2005, resulting in 60 deaths and 115 injured.[108] The bombings, which targeted civilians, caused widespread outrage among Jordanians.[108] The attack is considered to be a rare event in the country, and Jordan’s internal security was dramatically improved afterwards.[108] No major terrorist attacks have occurred since then.[109] Abdullah and Jordan are viewed with contempt by Islamic extremists for the country’s peace treaty with Israel and its relationship with the West.[110]
The Arab Spring were large-scale protests that erupted in the Arab World in 2011, demanding economic and political reforms.[111] Many of these protests tore down regimes in some Arab nations, leading to instability that ended with violent civil wars.[111] In Jordan, in response to domestic unrest, Abdullah replaced his prime minister and introduced a number of reforms including: reforming the Constitution, and laws governing public freedoms and elections.[111] Proportional representation was re-introduced to the Jordanian parliament in the 2016 general election, a move which he said would eventually lead to establishing parliamentary governments.[112] Jordan was left largely unscathed from the violence that swept the region despite an influx of 1.4 million Syrian refugees into the natural resources-lacking country and the emergence of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).[112]
Jordan sits strategically at the crossroads of the continents of Asia, Africa and Europe,[8] in the Levant area of the Fertile Crescent, a cradle of civilization.[113] It is 89,341 square kilometres (34,495sqmi) large, and 400 kilometres (250mi) long between its northernmost and southernmost points; Umm Qais and Aqaba respectively.[17] The kingdom lies between 29 and 34 N, and 34 and 40 E. The east is an arid plateau irrigated by oases and seasonal water streams.[17] Major cities are overwhelmingly located on the north-western part of the kingdom due to its fertile soils and relatively abundant rainfall.[114] These include Irbid, Jerash and Zarqa in the northwest, the capital Amman and Al-Salt in the central west, and Madaba, Al-Karak and Aqaba in the southwest.[114] Major towns in the eastern part of the country are the oasis towns of Azraq and Ruwaished.[113]
In the west, a highland area of arable land and Mediterranean evergreen forestry drops suddenly into the Jordan Rift Valley.[113] The rift valley contains the Jordan River and the Dead Sea, which separates Jordan from Israel and the Palestinian Territories.[113] Jordan has a 26 kilometres (16mi) shoreline on the Gulf of Aqaba in the Red Sea, but is otherwise landlocked.[7] The Yarmouk River, an eastern tributary of the Jordan, forms part of the boundary between Jordan and Syria (including the occupied Golan Heights) to the north.[7] The other boundaries are formed by several international and local agreements and do not follow well-defined natural features.[113] The highest point is Jabal Umm al Dami, at 1,854m (6,083ft) above sea level, while the lowest is the Dead Sea 420m (1,378ft), the lowest land point on earth.[113]
Jordan has a diverse range of habitats, ecosystems and biota due to its varied landscapes and environments.[115] The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature was set up in 1966 to protect and manage Jordan’s natural resources.[116] Nature reserves in Jordan include the Dana Biosphere Reserve, the Azraq Wetland Reserve, the Shaumari Wildlife Reserve and the Mujib Nature Reserve.[116]
The climate in Jordan varies greatly. Generally, the further inland from the Mediterranean, greater contrasts in temperature occur and the less rainfall there is.[17] The country’s average elevation is 812m (2,664ft) (SL).[17] The highlands above the Jordan Valley, mountains of the Dead Sea and Wadi Araba and as far south as Ras Al-Naqab are dominated by a Mediterranean climate, while the eastern and northeastern areas of the country are arid desert.[117] Although the desert parts of the kingdom reach high temperatures, the heat is usually moderated by low humidity and a daytime breeze, while the nights are cool.[118]
Summers, lasting from May to September, are hot and dry, with temperatures averaging around 32C (90F) and sometimes exceeding 40C (104F) between July and August.[118] The winter, lasting from November to March, is relatively cool, with temperatures averaging around 13C (55F).[117] Winter also sees frequent showers and occasional snowfall in some western elevated areas.[117]
Over 2,000 plant species have been recorded in Jordan.[119] Many of the flowering plants bloom in the spring after the winter rains and the type of vegetation depends largely on the levels of precipitation. The mountainous regions in the northwest are clothed in forests, while further south and east the vegetation becomes more scrubby and transitions to steppe-type vegetation.[120] Forests cover 1.5 million dunums (1,500km2), less than 2% of Jordan, making Jordan among the world’s least forested countries, the international average being 15%.[121]
Plant species and genera include the Aleppo pine, Sarcopoterium, Salvia dominica, black iris, Tamarix, Anabasis, Artemisia, Acacia, Mediterranean cypress and Phoenecian juniper.[122] The mountainous regions in the northwest are clothed in natural forests of pine, deciduous oak, evergreen oak, pistachio and wild olive.[123] Mammal and reptile species include, the long-eared hedgehog, Nubian ibex, wild boar, fallow deer, Arabian wolf, desert monitor, honey badger, glass snake, caracal, golden jackal and the roe deer, among others.[124][125][126] Bird include the hooded crow, Eurasian jay, lappet-faced vulture, barbary falcon, hoopoe, pharaoh eagle-owl, common cuckoo, Tristram’s starling, Palestine sunbird, Sinai rosefinch, lesser kestrel, house crow and the white-spectacled bulbul.[127]
Jordan is a unitary state under a constitutional monarchy. Jordan’s constitution, adopted in 1952 and amended a number of times since, is the legal framework that governs the monarch, government, bicameral legislature and judiciary.[128] The king retains wide executive and legislative powers from the government and parliament.[129] The king exercises his powers through the government that he appoints for a four-year term, which is responsible before the parliament that is made up of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The judiciary is independent according to the constitution.[128]
The king is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the army. He can declare war and peace, ratify laws and treaties, convene and close legislative sessions, call and postpone elections, dismiss the government and dissolve the parliament.[128] The appointed government can also be dismissed through a majority vote of no confidence by the elected House of Representatives. After a bill is proposed by the government, it must be approved by the House of Representatives then the Senate, and becomes law after being ratified by the king. A royal veto on legislation can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in a joint session of both houses. The parliament also has the right of interpellation.[128]
The 65 members of the upper Senate are directly appointed by the king, the constitution mandates that they be veteran politicians, judges and generals who previously served in the government or in the House of Representatives.[130] The 130 members of the lower House of Representatives are elected through party-list proportional representation in 23 constituencies for a 4-year term.[131] Minimum quotas exist in the House of Representatives for women (15 seats, though they won 20 seats in the 2016 election), Christians (9 seats) and Circassians and Chechens (3 seats).[132]
Courts are divided into three categories: civil, religious, and special.[133] The civil courts deal with civil and criminal matters, including cases brought against the government.[133] The civil courts include Magistrate Courts, Courts of First Instance, Courts of Appeal,[133] High Administrative Courts which hear cases relating to administrative matters,[134] and the Constitutional Court which was set up in 2012 in order to hear cases regarding the constitutionality of laws.[135] Although Islam is the state religion, the constitution preserves religious and personal freedoms. Religious law only extends to matters of personal status such as divorce and inheritance in religious courts, and is partially based on Islamic Sharia law.[136] The special court deals with cases forwarded by the civil one.[137]
The capital city of Jordan is Amman, located in north-central Jordan.[9] Jordan is divided into 12 governorates (muhafazah) (informally grouped into three regions: northern, central, southern). These are subdivided into a total of 52 nawahi, which are further divided into neighbourhoods in urban areas or into towns in rural ones.[138]
The current monarch, Abdullah II, ascended to the throne in February 1999 after the death of his father King Hussein. Abdullah re-affirmed Jordan’s commitment to the peace treaty with Israel and its relations with the United States. He refocused the government’s agenda on economic reform, during his first year. King Abdullah’s eldest son, Prince Hussein, is the current Crown Prince of Jordan.[139] The current prime minister is Omar Razzaz who received his position on 4 June 2018 after his predecessor’s austerity measures forced widespread protests.[140] Abdullah had announced his intentions of turning Jordan into a parliamentary system, where the largest bloc in parliament forms a government. However, the underdevelopment of political parties in the country has hampered such moves.[141] Jordan has around 50 political parties representing nationalist, leftist, Islamist, and liberal ideologies.[142] Political parties contested a fifth of the seats in the 2016 elections, the remainder belonging to independent politicians.[143]
According to Freedom House, Jordan is ranked as the 3rd freest Arab country, and as “partly free” in the Freedom in the World 2019 report.[144] The 2010 Arab Democracy Index from the Arab Reform Initiative ranked Jordan first in the state of democratic reforms out of 15 Arab countries.[145] Jordan ranked first among the Arab states and 78th globally in the Human Freedom Index in 2015,[146] and ranked 55th out of 175 countries in the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) issued by Transparency International in 2014, where 175th is most corrupt.[147] In the 2016 Press Freedom Index maintained by Reporters Without Borders, Jordan ranked 135th out of 180 countries worldwide, and 5th of 19 countries in the Middle East and North Africa region. Jordan’s score was 44 on a scale from 0 (most free) to 105 (least free). The report added “the Arab Spring and the Syrian conflict have led the authorities to tighten their grip on the media and, in particular, the Internet, despite an outcry from civil society”.[148] Jordanian media consists of public and private institutions. Popular Jordanian newspapers include Al Ghad and the Jordan Times. The two most-watched local TV stations are Ro’ya TV and Jordan TV.[149] Internet penetration in Jordan reached 76% in 2015.[150]
The first level subdivision in Jordan is the muhafazah or governorate. The governorates are divided into liwa or districts, which are often further subdivided into qda or sub-districts.[151] Control for each administrative unit is in a “chief town” (administrative centre) known as a nahia.[151]
The kingdom has followed a pro-Western foreign policy and maintained close relations with the United States and the United Kingdom. During the first Gulf War (1990), these relations were damaged by Jordan’s neutrality and its maintenance of relations with Iraq. Later, Jordan restored its relations with Western countries through its participation in the enforcement of UN sanctions against Iraq and in the Southwest Asia peace process. After King Hussein’s death in 1999, relations between Jordan and the Persian Gulf countries greatly improved.[152]
Jordan is a key ally of the US and UK and, together with Egypt, is one of only two Arab nations to have signed peace treaties with Israel, Jordan’s direct neighbour.[153] Jordan views an independent Palestinian state with the 1967 borders, as part of the two-state solution and of supreme national interest.[154] The ruling Hashemite dynasty has had custodianship over holy sites in Jerusalem since 1924, a position re-inforced in the IsraelJordan peace treaty. Turmoil in Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque between Israelis and Palestinians created tensions between Jordan and Israel concerning the former’s role in protecting the Muslim and Christian sites in Jerusalem.[155]
Jordan is a founding member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and of the Arab League.[156][157] It enjoys “advanced status” with the European Union and is part of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), which aims to increase links between the EU and its neighbours.[158] Jordan and Morocco tried to join the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in 2011, but the Gulf countries offered a five-year development aid programme instead.[159]
The first organised army in Jordan was established on 22 October 1920, and was named the “Arab Legion”. Jordan’s capture of the West Bank during the 1948 ArabIsraeli War proved that the Arab Legion, known today as the Jordan Armed Forces, was the most effective among the Arab troops involved in the war.[90] The Royal Jordanian Army, which boasts around 110,000 personnel, is considered to be among the most professional in the region, due to being particularly well-trained and organised.[90] The Jordanian military enjoys strong support and aid from the United States, the United Kingdom and France. This is due to Jordan’s critical position in the Middle East.[90] The development of Special Operations Forces has been particularly significant, enhancing the capability of the military to react rapidly to threats to homeland security, as well as training special forces from the region and beyond.[160] Jordan provides extensive training to the security forces of several Arab countries.[161]
There are about 50,000 Jordanian troops working with the United Nations in peacekeeping missions across the world. Jordan ranks third internationally in participation in U.N. peacekeeping missions,[162] with one of the highest levels of peacekeeping troop contributions of all U.N. member states.[163] Jordan has dispatched several field hospitals to conflict zones and areas affected by natural disasters across the region.[164]
In 2014, Jordan joined an aerial bombardment campaign by an international coalition led by the United States against the Islamic State as part of its intervention in the Syrian Civil War.[165] In 2015, Jordan participated in the Saudi Arabian-led military intervention in Yemen against the Shia Houthis and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was deposed in the 2011 uprising.[166]
Jordan’s law enforcement is under the purview of the Public Security Directorate (which includes approximately 50,000 persons) and the General Directorate of Gendarmerie, both of which are subordinate to the country’s Ministry of Interior. The first police force in the Jordanian state was organised after the fall of the Ottoman Empire on 11 April 1921.[167] Until 1956 police duties were carried out by the Arab Legion and the Transjordan Frontier Force. After that year the Public Safety Directorate was established.[167] The number of female police officers is increasing. In the 1970s, it was the first Arab country to include females in its police force.[168] Jordan’s law enforcement was ranked 37th in the world and 3rd in the Middle East, in terms of police services’ performance, by the 2016 World Internal Security and Police Index.[11][169]
Jordan is classified by the World Bank as an “upper-middle income” country.[170] However, approximately 14.4% of the population lives below the national poverty line on a longterm basis (as of 2010[update]),[170] while almost a third fell below the national poverty line during some time of the yearknown as transient poverty.[171] The economy, which boasts a GDP of $39.453 billion (as of 2016[update]),[4] grew at an average rate of 8% per annum between 2004 and 2008, and around 2.6% 2010 onwards.[17] GDP per capita rose by 351% in the 1970s, declined 30% in the 1980s, and rose 36% in the 1990scurrently $9,406 per capita by purchasing power parity.[172] The Jordanian economy is one of the smallest economies in the region, and the country’s populace suffers from relatively high rates of unemployment and poverty.[17]
Jordan’s economy is relatively well diversified. Trade and finance combined account for nearly one-third of GDP; transportation and communication, public utilities, and construction account for one-fifth, and mining and manufacturing constitute nearly another fifth. Despite plans to expand the private sector, the state remains the dominant force in Jordan’s economy.[16] Net official development assistance to Jordan in 2009 totalled US$761 million; according to the government, approximately two-thirds of this was allocated as grants, of which half was direct budget support.[173]
The official currency is the Jordanian dinar, which is pegged to the IMF’s special drawing rights (SDRs), equivalent to an exchange rate of 1 US$ 0.709 dinar, or approximately 1 dinar 1.41044 dollars.[174] In 2000, Jordan joined the World Trade Organization and signed the JordanUnited States Free Trade Agreement, thus becoming the first Arab country to establish a free trade agreement with the United States. Jordan enjoys advanced status with the EU, which has facilitated greater access to export to European markets.[175] Due to slow domestic growth, high energy and food subsidies and a bloated public-sector workforce, Jordan usually runs annual budget deficits.[176]
The Great Recession and the turmoil caused by the Arab Spring have depressed Jordan’s GDP growth, damaging trade, industry, construction and tourism.[17] Tourist arrivals have dropped sharply since 2011.[177] Since 2011, the natural gas pipeline in Sinai supplying Jordan from Egypt was attacked 32 times by Islamic State affiliates. Jordan incurred billions of dollars in losses because it had to substitute more expensive heavy-fuel oils to generate electricity.[178] In November 2012, the government cut subsidies on fuel, increasing its price.[179] The decision, which was later revoked, caused large scale protests to break out across the country.[176][177]
Jordan’s total foreign debt in 2011 was $19 billion, representing 60% of its GDP. In 2016, the debt reached $35.1 billion representing 93% of its GDP.[107] This substantial increase is attributed to effects of regional instability causing: decrease in tourist activity; decreased foreign investments; increased military expenditure; attacks on Egyptian pipeline; the collapse of trade with Iraq and Syria; expenses from hosting Syrian refugees and accumulated interests from loans.[107] According to the World Bank, Syrian refugees have cost Jordan more than $2.5 billion a year, amounting to 6% of the GDP and 25% of the government’s annual revenue.[180] Foreign aid covers only a small part of these costs, 63% of the total costs are covered by Jordan.[181] An austerity programme was adopted by the government which aims to reduce Jordan’s debt-to-GDP ratio to 77 percent by 2021.[182] The programme succeeded in preventing the debt from rising above 95% in 2018.[183]
The proportion of well-educated and skilled workers in Jordan is among the highest in the region in sectors such as ICT and industry, due to a relatively modern educational system. This has attracted large foreign investments to Jordan and has enabled the country to export its workforce to Persian Gulf countries.[14] Flows of remittances to Jordan grew rapidly, particularly during the end of the 1970s and 1980s, and remains an important source of external funding.[184] Remittances from Jordanian expatriates were $3.8 billion in 2015, a notable rise in the amount of transfers compared to 2014 where remittances reached over $3.66 billion listing Jordan as fourth largest recipient in the region.[185]
Jordan is ranked as having the 35th best infrastructure in the world, one of the highest rankings in the developing world, according to the 2010 World Economic Forum’s Index of Economic Competitiveness. This high infrastructural development is necessitated by its role as a transit country for goods and services to Palestine and Iraq. Palestinians use Jordan as a transit country due to the Israeli restrictions and Iraqis use Jordan due to the instability in Iraq.[186]
According to data from the Jordanian Ministry of Public Works and Housing, as of 2011[update], the Jordanian road network consisted of 2,878km (1,788mi) of main roads; 2,592km (1,611mi) of rural roads and 1,733km (1,077mi) of side roads. The Hejaz Railway built during the Ottoman Empire which extended from Damascus to Mecca will act as a base for future railway expansion plans. Currently, the railway has little civilian activity; it is primarily used for transporting goods. A national railway project is currently undergoing studies and seeking funding sources.[187]
Jordan has three commercial airports, all receiving and dispatching international flights. Two are in Amman and the third is in Aqaba, King Hussein International Airport. Amman Civil Airport serves several regional routes and charter flights while Queen Alia International Airport is the major international airport in Jordan and is the hub for Royal Jordanian Airlines, the flag carrier. Queen Alia International Airport expansion was completed in 2013 with new terminals costing $700 million, to handle over 16 million passengers annually.[188] It is now considered a state-of-the-art airport and was awarded ‘the best airport by region: Middle East’ for 2014 and 2015 by Airport Service Quality (ASQ) survey, the world’s leading airport passenger satisfaction benchmark programme.[189]
The Port of Aqaba is the only port in Jordan. In 2006, the port was ranked as being the “Best Container Terminal” in the Middle East by Lloyd’s List. The port was chosen due to it being a transit cargo port for other neighbouring countries, its location between four countries and three continents, being an exclusive gateway for the local market and for the improvements it has recently witnessed.[190]
The tourism sector is considered a cornerstone of the economy and is a large source of employment, hard currency, and economic growth. In 2010, there were 8 million visitors to Jordan. The majority of tourists coming to Jordan are from European and Arab countries.[15] The tourism sector in Jordan has been severely affected by regional turbulence.[191] The most recent blow to the tourism sector was caused by the Arab Spring, which scared off tourists from the entire region. Jordan experienced a 70% decrease in the number of tourists from 2010 to 2016.[192] Tourist numbers started to recover as of 2017.[192]
According to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Jordan is home to around 100,000 archaeological and tourist sites.[193] Some very well preserved historical cities include Petra and Jerash, the former being Jordan’s most popular tourist attraction and an icon of the kingdom.[192] Jordan is part of the Holy Land and has several biblical attractions that attract pilgrimage activities. Biblical sites include: Al-Maghtasa traditional location for the Baptism of Jesus, Mount Nebo, Umm ar-Rasas, Madaba and Machaerus.[194] Islamic sites include shrines of the prophet Muhammad’s companions such as ‘Abd Allah ibn Rawahah, Zayd ibn Harithah and Muadh ibn Jabal.[195] Ajlun Castle built by Muslim Ayyubid leader Saladin in the 12th century AD during his wars with the Crusaders, is also a popular tourist attraction.[8]
Modern entertainment and recreation in urban areas, mostly in Amman, also attract tourists. Recently, the nightlife in Amman, Aqaba and Irbid has started to emerge and the number of bars, discos and nightclubs is on the rise.[196] Alcohol is widely available in tourist restaurants, liquor stores and even some supermarkets.[197] Valleys like Wadi Mujib and hiking trails in different parts of the country attract adventurers. Moreover, seaside recreation is present on the shores of Aqaba and the Dead Sea through several international resorts.[198]
Jordan has been a medical tourism destination in the Middle East since the 1970s. A study conducted by Jordan’s Private Hospitals Association found that 250,000 patients from 102 countries received treatment in Jordan in 2010, compared to 190,000 in 2007, bringing over $1 billion in revenue. Jordan is the region’s top medical tourism destination, as rated by the World Bank, and fifth in the world overall.[199] The majority of patients come from Yemen, Libya and Syria due to the ongoing civil wars in those countries. Jordanian doctors and medical staff have gained experience in dealing with war patients through years of receiving such cases from various conflict zones in the region.[200] Jordan also is a hub for natural treatment methods in both Ma’in Hot Springs and the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is often described as a ‘natural spa’. It contains 10 times more salt than the average ocean, which makes it impossible to sink in. The high salt concentration of the Dead Sea has been proved as being therapeutic for many skin diseases. The uniqueness of this lake attracts several Jordanian and foreign vacationers, which boosted investments in the hotel sector in the area.[201] The Jordan Trail, a 650km (400mi) hiking trail stretching the entire country from north to south, crossing several of Jordan’s attractions was established in 2015.[202] The trail aims to revive the Jordanian tourism sector.[202]
Jordan is the world’s second poorest country in terms of water resources per capita, and scarce water resources were aggravated by the influx of Syrian refugees.[203] Water from Disi aquifer and ten major dams historically played a large role in providing Jordan’s need for fresh water.[204] The Jawa Dam in northeastern Jordan, which dates back to the fourth millennium BC, is the world’s oldest dam.[205] The Dead Sea is receding at an alarming rate. Multiple canals and pipelines were proposed to reduce its recession, which had begun causing sinkholes. The Red SeaDead Sea Water Conveyance project, carried out by Jordan, will provide water to the country and to Israel and Palestine, while the brine will be carried to the Dead Sea to help stabilise its levels. The first phase of the project is scheduled to begin in 2019 and to be completed in 2021.[206]
Natural gas was discovered in Jordan in 1987, however, the estimated size of the reserve discovered was about 230 billion cubic feet, a minuscule quantity compared with its oil-rich neighbours. The Risha field, in the eastern desert beside the Iraqi border, produces nearly 35 million cubic feet of gas a day, which is sent to a nearby power plant to generate a small amount of Jordan’s electricity needs.[207] This led to a reliance on importing oil to generate almost all of its electricity. Regional instability over the decades halted oil and gas supply to the kingdom from various sources, making it incur billions of dollars in losses. Jordan built a liquified natural gas port in Aqaba in 2012 to temporarily substitute the supply, while formulating a strategy to rationalize energy consumption and to diversify its energy sources. Jordan receives 330 days of sunshine per year, and wind speeds reach over 7m/s in the mountainous areas, so renewables proved a promising sector.[208] King Abdullah inaugurated large-scale renewable energy projects in the 2010s including: the 117 MW Tafila Wind Farm, the 53 MW Shams Ma’an and the 103 MW Quweira solar power plants, with several more projects planned. By early 2019, it was reported that more than 1090 MW of renewable energy projects had been completed, contributing to 8% of Jordan’s electricity up from 3% in 2011, while 92% was generated from gas.[209] After having initially set the percentage of renewable energy Jordan aimed to generate by 2020 at 10%, the government announced in 2018 that it sought to beat that figure and aim for 20%.[210] A report by pv magazine described Jordan as the Middle East’s “solar powerhouse”.[211]
Jordan has the 5th largest oil-shale reserves in the world, which could be commercially exploited in the central and northwestern regions of the country.[212] Official figures estimate the kingdom’s oil shale reserves at more than 70 billion tonnes. The extraction of oil-shale had been delayed a couple of years due to technological difficulties; and the relatively higher costs.[213] The government overcame the difficulties and in 2017 laid the groundbreaking for the Attarat Power Plant, a $2.2 billion oil shale-dependent power plant that is expected to generate 470 MW after it is completed in 2020.[214] Jordan also aims to benefit from its large uranium reserves by tapping nuclear energy. The original plan involved constructing two 1000 MW reactors but has been scrapped due to financial constraints.[215] Currently, the country’s Atomic Energy Commission is considering building small modular reactors instead, whose capacities hover below 500 MW and can provide new water sources through desalination. In 2018, the Commission announced that Jordan was in talks with multiple companies to build the country’s first commercial nuclear plant, a Helium-cooled reactor that is scheduled for completion by 2025.[216] Phosphate mines in the south have made Jordan one of the largest producers and exporters of the mineral in the world.[217]
Jordan’s well developed industrial sector, which includes mining, manufacturing, construction, and power, accounted for approximately 26% of the GDP in 2004 (including manufacturing, 16.2%; construction, 4.6%; and mining, 3.1%). More than 21% of Jordan’s labor force was employed in industry in 2002. In 2014, industry accounted for 6% of the GDP.[218] The main industrial products are potash, phosphates, cement, clothes, and fertilisers. The most promising segment of this sector is construction. Petra Engineering Industries Company, which is considered to be one of the main pillars of Jordanian industry, has gained international recognition with its air-conditioning units reaching NASA.[219] Jordan is now considered to be a leading pharmaceuticals manufacturer in the MENA region led by Jordanian pharmaceutical company Hikma.[220]
Jordan’s military industry thrived after the King Abdullah Design and Development Bureau (KADDB) defence company was established by King Abdullah II in 1999, to provide an indigenous capability for the supply of scientific and technical services to the Jordanian Armed Forces, and to become a global hub in security research and development. It manufactures all types of military products, many of which are presented at the bi-annually held international military exhibition SOFEX. In 2015, KADDB exported $72 million worth of industries to over 42 countries.[221]
Science and technology is the country’s fastest developing economic sector. This growth is occurring across multiple industries, including information and communications technology (ICT) and nuclear technology. Jordan contributes 75% of the Arabic content on the Internet.[223] In 2014, the ICT sector accounted for more than 84,000 jobs and contributed to 12% of the GDP. More than 400 companies are active in telecom, information technology and video game development. There are 600 companies operating in active technologies and 300 start-up companies.[223]
Nuclear science and technology is also expanding. The Jordan Research and Training Reactor, which began working in 2016, is a 5 MW training reactor located at the Jordan University of Science and Technology in Ar Ramtha.[224] The facility is the first nuclear reactor in the country and will provide Jordan with radioactive isotopes for medical usage and provide training to students to produce a skilled workforce for the country’s planned commercial nuclear reactors.[224]
Jordan was also selected as the location for the Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME) facility, supported by UNESCO and CERN.[225] This particle accelerator that was opened in 2017 will allow collaboration between scientists from various rival Middle Eastern countries.[225] The facility is the only particle accelerator in the Middle East, and one of only 60 synchrotron radiation facilities in the world.[225]
The 2015 census showed Jordan’s population to be 9,531,712 (Female: 47%; Males: 53%). Around 2.9 million (30%) were non-citizens, a figure including refugees, and illegal immigrants.[3] There were 1,977,534 households in Jordan in 2015, with an average of 4.8 persons per household (compared to 6.7 persons per household for the census of 1979).[3] The capital and largest city of Jordan is Amman, which is one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities and one of the most modern in the Arab world.[227] The population of Amman was 65,754 in 1946, but exceeded 4 million by 2015.
Arabs make up about 98% of the population. The remaining 2% consist largely of peoples from the Caucasus including Circassians, Armenians, and Chechens, along with smaller minority groups.[17] About 84.1% of the population live in urban areas.[17]
Jordan is a home to 2,175,491 Palestinian refugees as of December 2016; most of them, but not all, were granted Jordanian citizenship.[228] The first wave of Palestinian refugees arrived during the 1948 ArabIsraeli War and peaked in the 1967 Six-Day War and the 1990 Gulf War. In the past, Jordan had given many Palestinian refugees citizenship, however recently Jordanian citizenship is given only in rare cases. 370,000 of these Palestinians live in UNRWA refugee camps.[228] Following the capture of the West Bank by Israel in 1967, Jordan revoked the citizenship of thousands of Palestinians to thwart any attempt to permanently resettle from the West Bank to Jordan. West Bank Palestinians with family in Jordan or Jordanian citizenship were issued yellow cards guaranteeing them all the rights of Jordanian citizenship if requested.[229]
Up to 1,000,000 Iraqis moved to Jordan following the Iraq War in 2003,[230] and most of them have returned. In 2015, their number in Jordan was 130,911. Many Iraqi Christians (Assyrians/Chaldeans) however settled temporarily or permanently in Jordan.[231] Immigrants also include 15,000 Lebanese who arrived following the 2006 Lebanon War.[232] Since 2010, over 1.4 million Syrian refugees have fled to Jordan to escape the violence in Syria,[3] the largest population being in the Zaatari refugee camp. The kingdom has continued to demonstrate hospitality, despite the substantial strain the flux of Syrian refugees places on the country. The effects are largely affecting Jordanian communities, as the vast majority of Syrian refugees do not live in camps. The refugee crisis effects include competition for job opportunities, water resources and other state provided services, along with the strain on the national infrastructure.[13]
In 2007, there were up to 150,000 Assyrian Christians; most are Eastern Aramaic speaking refugees from Iraq.[233] Kurds number some 30,000, and like the Assyrians, many are refugees from Iraq, Iran and Turkey.[234] Descendants of Armenians that sought refuge in the Levant during the 1915 Armenian Genocide number approximately 5,000 persons, mainly residing in Amman.[235] A small number of ethnic Mandeans also reside in Jordan, again mainly refugees from Iraq.[236] Around 12,000 Iraqi Christians have sought refuge in Jordan after the Islamic State took the city of Mosul in 2014.[237] Several thousand Libyans, Yemenis and Sudanese have also sought asylum in Jordan to escape instability and violence in their respective countries.[13] The 2015 Jordanian census recorded that there were 1,265,000 Syrians, 636,270 Egyptians, 634,182 Palestinians, 130,911 Iraqis, 31,163 Yemenis, 22,700 Libyans and 197,385 from other nationalities residing in the country.[3]
There are around 1.2 million illegal, and 500,000 legal, migrant workers in the kingdom.[238] Thousands of foreign women, mostly from the Middle East and Eastern Europe, work in nightclubs, hotels and bars across the kingdom.[239][240][241] American and European expatriate communities are concentrated in the capital, as the city is home to many international organizations and diplomatic missions.[197]
Sunni Islam is the dominant religion in Jordan. Muslims make up about 95% of the country’s population; in turn, 93% of those self-identify as Sunnis.[242] There are also a small number of Ahmadi Muslims,[243] and some Shiites. Many Shia are Iraqi and Lebanese refugees.[244] Muslims who convert to another religion as well as missionaries from other religions face societal and legal discrimination.[245]
Jordan contains some of the oldest Christian communities in the world, dating as early as the 1st century AD after the crucifixion of Jesus.[246] Christians today make up about 4% of the population,[247] down from 20% in 1930, though their absolute number has grown.[12] This is due to high immigration rates of Muslims into Jordan, higher emigration rates of Christians to the West and higher birth rates for Muslims.[248] Jordanian Christians number around 250,000, all of whom are Arabic-speaking, according to a 2014 estimate by the Orthodox Church, though the study excluded minority Christian groups and the thousands of Western, Iraqi and Syrian Christians residing in Jordan.[247] Christians are exceptionally well integrated in the Jordanian society and enjoy a high level of freedom.[249] Christians traditionally occupy two cabinet posts, and are reserved nine seats out of the 130 in the parliament.[250] The highest political position reached by a Christian is the Deputy Prime Minister, currently held by Rajai Muasher.[251] Christians are also influential in the media.[252] Smaller religious minorities include Druze, Bah’s and Mandaeans. Most Jordanian Druze live in the eastern oasis town of Azraq, some villages on the Syrian border, and the city of Zarqa, while most Jordanian Bah’s live in the village of Adassiyeh bordering the Jordan Valley.[253] It is estimated that 1,400 Mandaeans live in Amman, they came from Iraq after the 2003 invasion fleeing persecution.[254]
The official language is Modern Standard Arabic, a literary language taught in the schools.[255] Most Jordanians natively speak one of the non-standard Arabic dialects known as Jordanian Arabic. Jordanian Sign Language is the language of the deaf community. English, though without official status, is widely spoken throughout the country and is the de facto language of commerce and banking, as well as a co-official status in the education sector; almost all university-level classes are held in English and almost all public schools teach English along with Standard Arabic.[255] Chechen, Circassian, Armenian, Tagalog, and Russian are popular among their communities.[256] French is offered as an elective in many schools, mainly in the private sector.[255] German is an increasingly popular language; it has been introduced at a larger scale since the establishment of the German-Jordanian University in 2005.[257]
Many institutions in Jordan aim to increase cultural awareness of Jordanian Art and to represent Jordan’s artistic movements in fields such as paintings, sculpture, graffiti and photography.[258] The art scene has been developing in the past few years[259] and Jordan has been a haven for artists from surrounding countries.[260] In January 2016, for the first time ever, a Jordanian film called Theeb was nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.[261]
The largest museum in Jordan is The Jordan Museum. It contains much of the valuable archaeological findings in the country, including some of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Neolithic limestone statues of ‘Ain Ghazal and a copy of the Mesha Stele.[262] Most museums in Jordan are located in Amman including The Children’s Museum Jordan, The Martyr’s Memorial and Museum and the Royal Automobile Museum. Museums outside Amman include the Aqaba Archaeological Museum.[263] The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts is a major contemporary art museum located in Amman.[263]
Music in Jordan is now developing with a lot of new bands and artists, who are now popular in the Middle East. Artists such as Omar Al-Abdallat, Toni Qattan, Diana Karazon and Hani Metwasi have increased the popularity of Jordanian music.[264] The Jerash Festival is an annual music event that features popular Arab singers.[264] Pianist and composer Zade Dirani has gained wide international popularity.[265] There is also an increasing growth of alternative Arabic rock bands, who are dominating the scene in the Arab World, including: El Morabba3, Autostrad, JadaL, Akher Zapheer and Aziz Maraka.[266]
Football is the most popular sport in Jordan.[197] The national football team has improved in recent years, though it has yet to qualify for the World Cup.[263] In 2013, Jordan spurned the chance to play at the 2014 World Cup when they lost to Uruguay during inter-confederation play-offs. This was the highest that Jordan had advanced in the World Cup qualifying rounds since 1986.[267] The women’s football team is also gaining reputation,[268] and in March 2016 ranked 58th in the world.[269] Jordan hosted the 2016 FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup, the first women’s sports tournament in the Middle East.[270]
Less common sports are gaining popularity. Rugby is increasing in popularity, a Rugby Union is recognised by the Jordan Olympic Committee which supervises three national teams.[271] Although cycling is not widespread in Jordan, the sport is developing rapidly as a lifestyle and a new way to travel especially among the youth.[272] In 2014, a NGO Make Life Skate Life completed construction of the 7Hills Skatepark, the first skatepark in the country located in Downtown Amman.[273] Jordan’s national basketball team is participating in various international and Middle Eastern tournaments. Local basketball teams include: Al-Orthodoxi Club, Al-Riyadi, Zain, Al-Hussein and Al-Jazeera.[274]
As the 8th largest producer of olives in the world, olive oil is the main cooking oil in Jordan.[275] A common appetizer is hummus, which is a puree of chick peas blended with tahini, lemon, and garlic. Ful medames is another well-known appetiser. A typical worker’s meal, it has since made its way to the tables of the upper class. A typical Jordanian meze often contains koubba maqliya, labaneh, baba ghanoush, tabbouleh, olives and pickles.[276] Meze is generally accompanied by the Levantine alcoholic drink arak, which is made from grapes and aniseed and is similar to ouzo, rak and pastis. Jordanian wine and beer are also sometimes used. The same dishes, served without alcoholic drinks, can also be termed “muqabbilat” (starters) in Arabic.[197]
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Jordan | History, Population, Flag, Map, & Facts …
Jordan, Arab country of Southwest Asia, in the rocky desert of the northern Arabian Peninsula.
Jordan is a young state that occupies an ancient land, one that bears the traces of many civilizations. Separated from ancient Palestine by the Jordan River, the region played a prominent role in biblical history. The ancient biblical kingdoms of Moab, Gilead, and Edom lie within its borders, as does the famed red stone city of Petra, the capital of the Nabatean kingdom and of the Roman province of Arabia Petraea. British traveler Gertrude Bell said of Petra, It is like a fairy tale city, all pink and wonderful. Part of the Ottoman Empire until 1918 and later a mandate of the United Kingdom, Jordan has been an independent kingdom since 1946. It is among the most politically liberal countries of the Arab world, and, although it shares in the troubles affecting the region, its rulers have expressed a commitment to maintaining peace and stability.
The capital and largest city in the country is Ammannamed for the Ammonites, who made the city their capital in the 13th century bce. Amman was later a great city of Middle Eastern antiquity, Philadelphia, of the Roman Decapolis, and now serves as one of the regions principal commercial and transportation centres as well as one of the Arab worlds major cultural capitals.
Slightly smaller in area than the country of Portugal, Jordan is bounded to the north by Syria, to the east by Iraq, to the southeast and south by Saudi Arabia, and to the west by Israel and the West Bank. The West Bank area (so named because it lies just west of the Jordan River) was under Jordanian rule from 1948 to 1967, but in 1988 Jordan renounced its claims to the area. Jordan has 16 miles (26 km) of coastline on the Gulf of Aqaba in the southwest, where Al-Aqabah, its only port, is located.
Jordan has three major physiographic regions (from east to west): the desert, the uplands east of the Jordan River, and the Jordan Valley (the northwest portion of the great East African Rift System).
The desert region is mostly within the Syrian Desertan extension of the Arabian Desertand occupies the eastern and southern parts of the country, comprising more than four-fifths of its territory. The deserts northern part is composed of volcanic lava and basalt, and its southern part of outcrops of sandstone and granite. The landscape is much eroded, primarily by wind. The uplands east of the Jordan River, an escarpment overlooking the rift valley, have an average elevation of 2,0003,000 feet (600900 metres) and rise to about 5,755 feet (1,754 metres) at Mount Ramm, Jordans highest point, in the south. Outcrops of sandstone, chalk, limestone, and flint extend to the extreme south, where igneous rocks predominate.
The Jordan Valley drops to about 1,410 feet (430 metres) below sea level at the Dead Sea, the lowest natural point on Earths surface.
The Jordan River, approximately 186 miles (300 km) in length, meanders south, draining the waters of Lake Tiberias (better known as the Sea of Galilee), the Yarmk River, and the valley streams of both plateaus into the Dead Sea, which occupies the central area of the valley. The soil of its lower reaches is highly saline, and the shores of the Dead Sea consist of salt marshes that do not support vegetation. To its south, Wadi al-Arabah (also called Wadi al-Jayb), a completely desolate region, is thought to contain mineral resources.
In the northern uplands several valleys containing perennial streams run west; around Al-Karak they flow west, east, and north; south of Al-Karak intermittent valley streams run east toward Al-Jafr Depression.
The countrys best soils are found in the Jordan Valley and in the area southeast of the Dead Sea. The topsoil in both regions consists of alluviumdeposited by the Jordan River and washed from the uplands, respectivelywith the soil in the valley generally being deposited in fans spread over various grades of marl.
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Shop Sofas, Mattresses, Sectionals and more at Jordan’s …
Jordan’s Furniture offers the largest selection of quality name-brand furniture and mattresses in New England. Visit any of our locations in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire or Rhode Island and experience the Jordans difference. Stroll through hundreds of sofas and sectionals and choose from thousands of fabric and leather options for your sofa, chair, sectional, recliners, even ottomans! Let our sleep technicians help you select the perfect mattress from the best brands in the industry. Create the ultimate backyard retreat with our extensive selection of outdoor furniture ranging in all styles from rustic country to traditional to contemporary. Pick the perfect pool table for the family room. We offer the best prices every day on sofas, sectionals, mattresses, dining sets, bedroom sets, kids furniture, rugs and more. Each store offers a unique experience for the entire family to enjoy; grab a bite to eat, watch the latest blockbuster at one of our Sunbrella IMAX theaters in Natick or Reading, or have an adventure at one of our two ropes courses in Reading or New Haven. Visit a Jordan’s Furniture and see for yourself why its not just a store, its an experience!
Jordan travel – Lonely Planet
Ancient Hospitality
Jordan has a tradition of welcoming visitors: camel caravans plied the legendary Kings Highway transporting frankincense in exchange for spices while Nabataean tradesmen, Roman legionnaires, Muslim armies and zealous Crusaders all passed through the land, leaving behind impressive monuments. These monuments, including Roman amphitheatres, Crusader castles and Christian mosaics, have fascinated subsequent travellers in search of antiquity and the origins of faith. The tradition of hospitality to visitors remains to this day.
Petra, the ancient Nabataean city locked in the heart of Jordans sandstone escarpments, is the jewel in the crown of the countrys many antiquities. Ever since explorer Jean Louis Burckhardt brought news of the pink-hued necropolis back to Europe in the 19th century, the walk through the Siq to the Treasury (Petras defining monument) has impressed even the most travel weary of visitors. With sites flung over a vast rocky landscape and a mood that changes with the shifting light of dawn and dusk, this is a highlight that rewards a longer visit.
Take a ride through Wadi Rum at sunset, and it’s easy to see why TE Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) was so drawn to this land of weathered sandstone and reddened dunes. But Jordan’s desert landscapes are not confined to the southeast: they encompass a salt sea at the lowest point on earth, canyons flowing with seasonal water, oases of palm trees and explosions of springtime flowers scattered across arid hills. Minimal planning and only a modest budget is required for an adventure.
It takes tolerance to host endless waves of incomers, and Jordan has displayed that virtue amply, absorbing thousands of refugees from the Palestinian Territories, Iraq and most recently Syria. Despite contending with this and with large numbers of tourists who are often insensitive to conservative Jordanian values, rural life in particular has managed to keep continuity with the traditions of the past. While Jordan faces the challenges of modernisation and growing urbanisation, it remains one of the safest countries in which to gain an impression of the quintessential Middle East.
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Air Jordan Shoes for Men & Women – Nike | Flight Club
Since 1985, the sneakers with Michael Jordans name and world-renowned Jumpman silhouette have helped define and shape sneaker culture. It began with a standard Nike high-top and evolved with daring designs with each iteration. From graphic prints to patent leather to fighter planes and Ferrari-inspired designs, Jordan sneakers routinely transcend their basketball roots by refreshing their initial offering with new looks and color schemes to remain relevant to each new generation.
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Liberty – Wikipedia
Broadly speaking, liberty (Latin: Libertas) is the ability to do as one pleases.[1] In politics, liberty consists of the social, political, and economic freedoms to which all community members are entitled.[2] In philosophy, liberty involves free will as contrasted with determinism.[3] In theology, liberty is freedom from the effects of “sin, spiritual servitude, [or] worldly ties.”[4]
Sometimes liberty is differentiated from freedom by using the word “freedom” primarily, if not exclusively, to mean the ability to do as one wills and what one has the power to do; and using the word “liberty” to mean the absence of arbitrary restraints, taking into account the rights of all involved. In this sense, the exercise of liberty is subject to capability and limited by the rights of others.[5] Thus liberty entails the responsible use of freedom under the rule of law without depriving anyone else of their freedom. Freedom is more broad in that it represents a total lack of restraint or the unrestrained ability to fulfill one’s desires. For example, a person can have the freedom to murder, but not have the liberty to murder, as the latter example deprives others of their right not to be harmed. Liberty can be taken away as a form of punishment. In many countries, people can be deprived of their liberty if they are convicted of criminal acts.
The word “liberty” is often used in slogans, such as “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”[6] or “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”.[7]
Philosophers from earliest times have considered the question of liberty. Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (121180 AD) wrote:
a polity in which there is the same law for all, a polity administered with regard to equal rights and equal freedom of speech, and the idea of a kingly government which respects most of all the freedom of the governed.[8]
According to Thomas Hobbes (15881679):
a free man is he that in those things which by his strength and wit he is able to do is not hindered to do what he hath the will to do.
John Locke (16321704) rejected that definition of liberty. While not specifically mentioning Hobbes, he attacks Sir Robert Filmer who had the same definition. According to Locke:
In the state of nature, liberty consists of being free from any superior power on Earth. People are not under the will or lawmaking authority of others but have only the law of nature for their rule. In political society, liberty consists of being under no other lawmaking power except that established by consent in the commonwealth. People are free from the dominion of any will or legal restraint apart from that enacted by their own constituted lawmaking power according to the trust put in it. Thus, freedom is not as Sir Robert Filmer defines it: ‘A liberty for everyone to do what he likes, to live as he pleases, and not to be tied by any laws.’ Freedom is constrained by laws in both the state of nature and political society. Freedom of nature is to be under no other restraint but the law of nature. Freedom of people under government is to be under no restraint apart from standing rules to live by that are common to everyone in the society and made by the lawmaking power established in it. Persons have a right or liberty to (1) follow their own will in all things that the law has not prohibited and (2) not be subject to the inconstant, uncertain, unknown, and arbitrary wills of others.[9]
John Stuart Mill (18061873), in his work, On Liberty, was the first to recognize the difference between liberty as the freedom to act and liberty as the absence of coercion.[10] In his book Two Concepts of Liberty, Isaiah Berlin formally framed the differences between these two perspectives as the distinction between two opposite concepts of liberty: positive liberty and negative liberty. The latter designates a negative condition in which an individual is protected from tyranny and the arbitrary exercise of authority, while the former refers to the liberty that comes from self-mastery, the freedom from inner compulsions such as weakness and fear.
The modern concept of political liberty has its origins in the Greek concepts of freedom and slavery.[11] To be free, to the Greeks, was not to have a master, to be independent from a master (to live as one likes).[12] That was the original Greek concept of freedom. It is closely linked with the concept of democracy, as Aristotle put it:
This applied only to free men. In Athens, for instance, women could not vote or hold office and were legally and socially dependent on a male relative.[14]
The populations of the Persian Empire enjoyed some degree of freedom. Citizens of all religions and ethnic groups were given the same rights and had the same freedom of religion, women had the same rights as men, and slavery was abolished (550 BC). All the palaces of the kings of Persia were built by paid workers in an era when slaves typically did such work.[15]
In the Buddhist Maurya Empire of ancient India, citizens of all religions and ethnic groups had some rights to freedom, tolerance, and equality. The need for tolerance on an egalitarian basis can be found in the Edicts of Ashoka the Great, which emphasize the importance of tolerance in public policy by the government. The slaughter or capture of prisoners of war also appears to have been condemned by Ashoka.[16] Slavery also appears to have been non-existent in the Maurya Empire.[17] However, according to Hermann Kulke and Dietmar Rothermund, “Ashoka’s orders seem to have been resisted right from the beginning.”[18]
Roman law also embraced certain limited forms of liberty, even under the rule of the Roman Emperors. However, these liberties were accorded only to Roman citizens. Many of the liberties enjoyed under Roman law endured through the Middle Ages, but were enjoyed solely by the nobility, rarely by the common man.[citation needed] The idea of inalienable and universal liberties had to wait until the Age of Enlightenment.
The social contract theory, most influentially formulated by Hobbes, John Locke and Rousseau (though first suggested by Plato in The Republic), was among the first to provide a political classification of rights, in particular through the notion of sovereignty and of natural rights. The thinkers of the Enlightenment reasoned that law governed both heavenly and human affairs, and that law gave the king his power, rather than the king’s power giving force to law. This conception of law would find its culmination in the ideas of Montesquieu. The conception of law as a relationship between individuals, rather than families, came to the fore, and with it the increasing focus on individual liberty as a fundamental reality, given by “Nature and Nature’s God,” which, in the ideal state, would be as universal as possible.
In On Liberty, John Stuart Mill sought to define the “…nature and limits of the power which can be legitimately exercised by society over the individual,” and as such, he describes an inherent and continuous antagonism between liberty and authority and thus, the prevailing question becomes “how to make the fitting adjustment between individual independence and social control”.[5]
England (and, following the Act of Union 1707, Great Britain), laid down the cornerstones of the concept of individual liberty.
In 1166 Henry II of England transformed English law by passing the Assize of Clarendon. The act, a forerunner to trial by jury, started the abolition of trial by combat and trial by ordeal.[19]
In 1215 Magna Carta was enacted, arguably becoming the cornerstone of liberty in first England, then Great Britain, and later the world.
In 1689 the Bill of Rights granted “freedom of speech in Parliament”, which laid out some of the earliest civil rights.[22]
In 1859 an essay by the philosopher John Stuart Mill, entitled On Liberty, argued for toleration and individuality. “If any opinion is compelled to silence, that opinion may, for aught we can certainly know, be true. To deny this is to assume our own infallibility.”[23][24]
In 1958 Two Concepts of Liberty, by Isaiah Berlin, identified “negative liberty” as an obstacle, as distinct from “positive liberty” which promotes self-mastery and the concepts of freedom.[25]
In 1948 British representatives attempted to but were prevented from adding a legal framework to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (It was not until 1976 that the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights came into force, giving a legal status to most of the Declaration.)[26]
According to the 1776 United States Declaration of Independence, all men have a natural right to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. But this declaration of liberty was troubled from the outset by the presence of slavery. Slave owners argued that their liberty was paramount, since it involved property, their slaves, and that Blacks had no rights that any White man was obliged to recognize. The Supreme Court, in the Dred Scott decision, upheld this principle. It was not until 1866, following the Civil War, that the US Constitution was amended to extend these rights to persons of color, and not until 1920 that these rights were extended to women.[27]
By the later half of the 20th century, liberty was expanded further to prohibit government interference with personal choices. In the United States Supreme Court decision Griswold v. Connecticut, Justice William O. Douglas argued that liberties relating to personal relationships, such as marriage, have a unique primacy of place in the hierarchy of freedoms.[28] Jacob M. Appel has summarized this principle:
I am grateful that I have rights in the proverbial public square but, as a practical matter, my most cherished rights are those that I possess in my bedroom and hospital room and death chamber. Most people are far more concerned that they can control their own bodies than they are about petitioning Congress.[29]
In modern America, various competing ideologies have divergent views about how best to promote liberty. Liberals in the original sense of the word see equality as a necessary component of freedom. Progressives stress freedom from business monopoly as essential. Libertarians disagree, and see economic freedom as best. The Tea Party movement sees big government as the enemy of freedom.[30][31]
France supported the Americans in their revolt against English rule and, in 1789, overthrew their own monarchy, with the cry of “Libert, galit, fraternit”. The bloodbath that followed, known as the reign of terror, soured many people on the idea of liberty. Edmund Burke, considered one of the fathers of conservatism, wrote “The French had shewn themselves the ablest architects of ruin that had hitherto existed in the world.”[32]
According to the Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics, liberalism is “the belief that it is the aim of politics to preserve individual rights and to maximize freedom of choice”. But they point out that there is considerable discussion about how to achieve those goals. Every discussion of freedom depends on three key components: who is free, what they are free to do, and what forces restrict their freedom.[33] John Gray argues that the core belief of liberalism is toleration. Liberals allow others freedom to do what they want, in exchange for having the same freedom in return. This idea of freedom is personal rather than political.[34] William Safire points out that liberalism is attacked by both the Right and the Left: by the Right for defending such practices as abortion, homosexuality, and atheism, and by the Left for defending free enterprise and the rights of the individual over the collective.[35]
According to the Encyclopdia Britannica, Libertarians hold liberty as their primary political value.[36] Their approach to implementing liberty involves opposing any governmental coercion, aside from that which is necessary to prevent individuals from coercing each other.[37]
According to republican theorists of freedom, like the historian Quentin Skinner[38][39] or the philosopher Philip Pettit,[40] one’s liberty should not be viewed as the absence of interference in one’s actions, but as non-domination. According to this view, which originates in the Roman Digest, to be a liber homo, a free man, means not being subject to another’s arbitrary will, that is to say, dominated by another. They also cite Machiavelli who asserted that you must be a member of a free self-governing civil association, a republic, if you are to enjoy individual liberty.[41]
The predominance of this view of liberty among parliamentarians during the English Civil War resulted in the creation of the liberal concept of freedom as non-interference in Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan.[citation needed]
Socialists view freedom as a concrete situation as opposed to a purely abstract ideal. Freedom is a state of being where individuals have agency to pursue their creative interests unhindered by coercive social relationships, specifically those they are forced to engage in as a requisite for survival under a given social system. Freedom thus requires both the material economic conditions that make freedom possible alongside social relationships and institutions conducive to freedom.[42]
The socialist conception of freedom is closely related to the socialist view of creativity and individuality. Influenced by Karl Marx’s concept of alienated labor, socialists understand freedom to be the ability for an individual to engage in creative work in the absence of alienation, where “alienated labor” refers to work people are forced to perform and un-alienated work refers to individuals pursuing their own creative interests.[43]
For Karl Marx, meaningful freedom is only attainable in a communist society characterized by superabundance and free access. Such a social arrangement would eliminate the need for alienated labor and enable individuals to pursue their own creative interests, leaving them to develop and maximize their full potentialities. This goes alongside Marx’s emphasis on the ability of socialism and communism progressively reducing the average length of the workday to expand the “realm of freedom”, or discretionary free time, for each person.[44][45] Marx’s notion of communist society and human freedom is thus radically individualistic.[46]
Some authors have suggested that a virtuous culture must exist as a prerequisite for liberty. Benjamin Franklin stated that “only a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.”[47] Madison likewise declared: “To suppose that any form of government will secure liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people, is a chimerical idea.”[48] John Adams acknowledged: “Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.”[49]
“This also is remarkable in India, that all Indians are free, and no Indian at all is a slave. In this the Indians agree with the Lacedaemonians. Yet the Lacedaemonians have Helots for slaves, who perform the duties of slaves; but the Indians have no slaves at all, much less is any Indian a slave.”
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State reps pass bill on NorthPoint
State legislators took a big step forward last week in clearing up at least some of the confusion that has been stalling a gigantic East Cambridge development.
The state Senate approved a bill earlier this week to correct a licensing issue highlighted in a 2006 lawsuit filed by a group of Cambridge residents. The bill, which passed a House vote last week, would essentially grant the state’s Department of Environmental Protection the same authority it had been exercising for years.
The bill, which passed 147-3 in the House, would give the state’s DEP the right to grant exemptions from laws protecting waterways — more specifically, landlocked filled tidelands — known as Chapter 91. In February, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled that the department had improperly given NorthPoint developers such an exemption. The bill does not force NorthPoint developers, who are currently locked in a legal battle of their own, to obtain a new Chapter 91 permit.
Earlier this year, the House and Senate filed competing bills to correct the problem created by the SJC ruling. The House version called for the creation of a newly minted state department to oversee tideland and pond protection. The conference committee convened to manufacture some sort of compromise between the two bills reached resolution Wednesday night. In lieu of a new regulatory department, the bill adds a "public benefit review," to be overseen by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
State Rep. Tim Toomey, who’s also a city councilor, was one of three dissenters in the vote.
The bill is awaiting Gov. Deval Patrick’s approval.
Recently, developers of the $2 billion development announced they were putting the project up for sale, on the order of a Delaware judge. The real estate brokerage handling the development's sale, Cushman and Wakefield of Massachusetts, has said the firm is not anticipating the pending legislation to deter prospective buyers.
No one at Cushman and Wakefield, nor Pan Am Railways — the development’s principal owner — would comment last week as to any progress made in finding a new owner for NorthPoint.
City Manager Bob Healy earlier this week told officials the city could begin to see property tax revenues from the two residential buildings as soon as January 2008, but could also begin to lose up to $1.2 million a year in projected property tax revenue if the project is not completed in the next six years.
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What to watch: One World Trade Center gets 100th floor
Daily entertainment news with what to watch tonight on TV and raw footage of the One World Trade Center becoming the tallest building in New York.
What to watch: 'The Costco Craze: Inside the Warehouse Giant' on CNBC at 9 p.m. EDT/ 8 p.m. CDT
Costco is a warehouse chain that racks up $88 billion in annual sales. Go behind the scenes and talk to the CEO of the company to find out how he made his deep-discount warehouse idea such a success.
Trending topic: One World Trade Center
Today, the new One World Trade Center –– the building that is replacing the twin towers that were destroyed in the 9/11 attacks –– became the tallest building in New York. Workers erected the first column of the building's 100th floor this morning, making it a little more than 1,250 feet high, according to CBSNews.com.
Video: One World Trade Center becomes tallest building in N.Y.
-- GateHouse News Service
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Ireland Universities
Home » Europe » Regional » Ireland » Education » Universities
Dublin City University - DCU - Dublin City University (DCU), providing undergraduate and graduate studies in wide area of studies.
Irish Federation of University Teachers - Information about the Irish Federation of University Teachers.
Irish Universities Association - The representative body for the seven Irish universities. Aims to promote the development of university education and research.
National University of Ireland, Maynooth - Offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the Arts, Science, Engineering, Philosophy and Celtic Studies.
Queen's University Belfast - Detailing the University Structure, historical information ,senior staff pen portraits, and the University's Mission Statement.
The Open University in Ireland - Provides high-quality university education to all. Includes description, research facilities, local services and contact details.
University College Cork - UCC is Ireland 's leading research institute, situated in south-west Ireland.
University College Dublin - Ireland's premier University offering a comprehensive range of undergraduate & postgraduate programmes in humanities & sciences.
University of Limerick - Includes general information about the university, services ,facilities, courses, colleges, staff and location details.
University of Ulster - Includes information on faculties departments, e-learning, programms, research, staff vacancies, students, & contact details.
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F5 Networks Reports Inducement Grants Under NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635
SEATTLE—F5 Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ: FFIV) today announced that on May 1, 2013, the company issued a total of 98,006 restricted stock units (“RSUs”) to 20 employees who joined F5 in connection with the company’s acquisition of LineRate Systems, a developer of software defined networking (SDN) services. This acquisition was completed on February 11, 2013. The RSUs were granted as inducements to employment in accordance with NASDAQ Listing Rule 5635(c)(4). The RSUs vest over four years, with 25 percent of the RSUs vesting on the one-year anniversary of the grant date and the remainder vesting in equal quarterly installments thereafter, subject to the employee’s continued service relationship with the company. The grants will be subject to the terms and conditions of the F5 Networks, Inc. LineRate Acquisition Equity Incentive Plan.
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health benefits of Floor- Barre® at Steps on Broadway and workshops in Europe, the USSR and Asia. For over 60 years, Zena Rommett has earned the respect of the medical profession as a pioneer in injury prevention and rehabilitation. Floor-Barre® receives endorsements from prominent physicians specializing in the treatment of dance and sports injuries. Her influence and her fame are global. Her lifetime work has elevated the art form of dance to a science of movement. Seeking to pass on her life-long passion and achievement to future generations, to
Zena went on to dance in “Song of Norway” choreographed by George Balanchine, and in “Paint Your Wagon” by Lerner and Loewe. Zena toured Austria, France and Germany with the United Stated Overseas (USO)
In 1965, American dance legend Robert Joffrey invited Zena to teach ballet at his American Ballet Center. Three years later Zena opened her own school on West 3rd Street in Greenwich Village known as ththee
the ‘Oasis of Dance’. In her own domain Zena originated Floor-Barre®, her revolutionary proto-technique. By utilizing the floor, and without the stress of gravity associated with ‘standing’ at the ballet barre, dancers learn to align their bodies, lengthen their muscles, strengthen their joints, and fine-tune their movements. Floor-Barre® makes it possible for dancers to execute classical ballet movements with principles of alignment which are anatomically correct, and by using only the appropriate muscles. Dancers from every discipline and major company flocked to Zena’s studio to experience this new found freedom, to maximize their talents and to extend their professional careers. Zena continued to offer her invention to professional dancers, young dancers, and people from all walks of life and ages desiring the alignment and strengthening health benefits of Floor-Barre® at Steps on Broadway and workshops in Europe, the USSR and Asia.
For over 60 years, Zena Rommett has earned the respect of the medical profession as a pioneer in injury prevention and rehabilitation. Floor-Barre® receives endorsements from prominent physicians specializing in the treatment of dance and sports injuries. Her influence and her fame are global. Her lifetime work has elevated the art form of dance to a science of movement. Seeking to pass on her life-long passion and achievement to future generations, Ms. Rommett and her daughter Camille Rommett have been training and certifying dance instructors and physical therapists in Floor-Barre® since 1998. Participants travel from all over the world to become certified, and return yearly to participate in the sharing and the deepening of their understanding of Floor-Barre®. In addition to her regular and people from all walks of life and ages desiring the alignment and strengthening.
sharing and the deepening of their understanding of Floor-Barre®. In addition In addition to her regular classes in New York City for the past sixty years, and training Floor-Barre® teachers, Zena Rommett has been a guest teacher in schools and for companies through out the United States, in Germany, Italy, Russia, and Asia. Zena’s long lists of devotees include stars of Broadway, ballet, film and sports, and prominent professionals in sports medicine and rehabilitation. Ms. Rommett has acquired a reputation as a “modest legend” among countless gifted performers whose careers “owe it all to her genius”, helping them achieve a new level of confidence and freedom in pursuit of perfection. Zena’s quest for purity in movement impulses allows these dancers freedom, helps them maximize their talents and extend their professional careers. Zena offered her invention to professional dancers, young dancers, and people from all walks of life and ages desiring the alignment and
strengthening health benefits of Floor-Barre®
Z E N A B I O
Ms. Rommett and her daughter Camille Rommett (left) have been training and certifying dance instructors and physical therapists in Floor-Barre® since 1998 Participants travel from all over the world to become certified, and return yearly to participate
(USO), the Rockettes Corps de Ballet and with the famed Ruloff Trio. Zena went on to dance in “Song of Norway” choreographed by George Balanchine, and in “Paint Your Wagon” by Lerner and Loewe. Zena toured Austria, France and Germany with the United States Overseas (USO), the Rockettes Corps de Ballet and with the famed Ruloff Trio (photo right). xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
She convinced her parents to let her take classes in Manhattan. Zena’s innate grace, her ability in the intricate technique of ballet, as well as hard work enabled her to surpass her peers. For eight years she trained on full scholarship with Anatole Vilzak and Ludmilla Schollar of Ballets Russes, Elisabeth Anderson-Ivantzova of the Bolshoi, and with choreographer Chester Hale. On December 7, 1944, Zena Rommett made her Broadway debut at the Ziegfeld Theater in the Billy Rose production of “Seven Lively Arts,” featuring Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin.
Zena, 5 yrs. old (top right)
On March 10, 1925, from Genoa, Italy, the ship S.S. Duilio (photo right) set sail for America, Land of Dreams. On board was Maria Buttignol with children Valentino and Angelina (Zena). Zena was five. Eleven days later, on March 21, they arrived at Ellis Island. Met by father Antonio, two years already in America; the family settled in Elmsford, New York. As the family thrived in this new land, Zena’s singular dream was to dance.
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[Decision Number]
United States Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, El Paso, Texas (Respondent) and American Federation of Government Employees, National Border Patrol Council, Local 1929, AFL-CIO (Charging Party)
65 FLRA No. 88
U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION
AMERICAN FEDERATION
OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES
NATIONAL BORDER PATROL COUNCIL
LOCAL 1929, AFL-CIO
(Charging Party)
DA-CA-09-0286
DECISION AND ORDER
Before the Authority: Carol Waller Pope, Chairman, and Thomas M. Beck and Ernest DuBester, Members
This unfair labor practice (ULP) case is before the Authority on exceptions to the attached decision of the Administrative Law Judge (the Judge) filed by the General Counsel (GC). The Respondent filed an opposition to the GC’s exceptions.
The amended complaint alleges that the Respondent violated § 7116(a)(1) and (5) of the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute (the Statute) by changing an established practice of granting certain employees administrative leave on their birthdays without bargaining, and by failing to respond to the Charging Party’s (Union’s) request to bargain over that matter. The Judge dismissed the amended complaint as untimely.
For the reasons that follow, we reverse the Judge’s decision and remand the amended complaint for a resolution on the merits.
The facts are set forth in detail in the Judge’s decision and are only briefly summarized here. The Respondent had an established practice of first-line supervisors granting certain employees administrative leave on their birthdays (hereinafter “birthday leave”). Judge’s Decision at 3. In July 2008, the Union’s President (the President) “heard rumors” that the Respondent planned to eliminate that practice. Id. The President wrote a letter to the Respondent, in which the President “protested the termination of the practice and requested that the Respondent re-implement the practice immediately . . . .” Id. In response, the Respondent informed the Union that it was “rescinding the previous notice to the [employees]” regarding not granting birthday leave, and stated that “[i]f management determines to revisit this issue, the [U]nion will be given official notification.” Id.
On July 29, 2008, the Respondent sent the President a letter stating, in pertinent part:
This is to inform you that first line supervisors . . . do not have the authority or discretion to grant [employees birthday leave]. Therefore, effective December 28, 2008, management will terminate the practice of allowing first line supervisors the discretion of granting [birthday leave] . . . . Management will continue to approve or disapprove “excused absences” in accordance with regulations and policy.
Id. at 3-4.
On August 8, 2008, the President responded by letter stating, in pertinent part:
While we are not entirely sure if the [Respondent’s] proposal is intended to impact, in any way, the affected bargaining unit employees’ entitlement to [birthday] leave,[[1]] we will, in an exercise of caution, nonetheless make known our demand to bargain over the proposed change(s), to the fullest extent allowed by law. Moreover, the Union hereby proposes and insists that the [Respondent] hold any change(s) pertaining to the [Respondent’s] proposal in abeyance until the completion of all phases of bargaining . . . .
Id. at 4. The President then submitted five proposals and reserved the right to submit additional proposals. Id.
The Respondent did not respond to the President’s letter or communicate further with the Union regarding this matter during 2008. Id. In 2009, an employee whose birthday was January 2 did not receive birthday leave. Id. Subsequently, other employees ceased receiving such leave. Id. at 4.
When the Union learned that employees had been denied birthday leave, the President contacted the Respondent’s liaison with the Union (the liaison). Id. at 5. The liaison told the President that he would “look into the situation,” but did not follow up with the President. Id. at 5. Later, the President again discussed the situation with the liaison, who suggested that the President should contact the Respondent’s legal office. Id. The President did so, but on June 29, 2009, filed the ULP charge at issue in this case. Id.
III. Judge’s Decision
The Judge noted that, in its prehearing disclosure, the Respondent argued that the ULP charge was not timely filed and, thus, that the complaint should be dismissed based on § 7118(a)(4)(A) of the Statute.[2] Judge’s Decision at 5. Addressing this issue, the Judge found that “[t]he Union was not aware that the change had been implemented, specifically that . . . employees were no longer receiving [birthday leave] until employees began to complain in early 2009.” Id. at 6. In this regard, the Judge found that “[t]he first known instance in which an employee was not given [birthday leave] was on January 2, 2009[,]” which the Judge found was a Friday “in the middle of a pay period.” Id. The Judge then determined that “[a]pparently, the beginning of the pay period . . . was December 28, 2008, the date referenced in the Respondent’s July 29, 2008, letter to the Union.” Id.
The Judge stated that although the Respondent’s July 29 letter “is framed in terms of first line supervisors no longer having certain authority, it is also apparent that the asserted change will impact on bargaining unit employees . . . .” Id. The Judge also stated that the July 29 letter “gave an implementation date of December 28, 2008, and, although the Respondent did not afford the Union the opportunity to bargain prior to implementation, it also never indicated to the Union that it had rescinded the implementation date.” Id. The Judge then concluded: “The Union was aware of the impact of the change on bargaining unit employees in early January 2009 and, therefore, should have been aware that the implementation date for the change was December 28, 2008.” Id. The Judge dismissed the amended complaint as based on an untimely charge. For support, the Judge cited United States Department of Labor, 20 FLRA 296 (1985), rev’d on other grounds, 834 F.2d 174 (D.C. Cir. 1987) (DOL), and United States Department of the Treasury, IRS & United States Department of the Treasury, IRS, Houston District, 20 FLRA 51 (1985), petition for review denied, 798 F.2d 113 (5th Cir. 1986) (IRS).
IV. Positions of the Parties
A. GC’s Exceptions
The GC argues that the Judge erred in finding that the charge was untimely filed. Exceptions at 9. As an initial matter, the GC argues that the disputed change occurred on January 2, 2009, and that the Judge erred in finding that it occurred on December 28, 2008. In this connection, according to the GC, the Respondent “has consistently taken the position that the change announced on July 29, 2008, was an intra-management change” -- i.e., a change in which specific management officials could approve birthday leave -- “over which [the Respondent] had no duty to bargain with the Union.” Id. at 5. Also according to the GC, the Respondent’s July 29 notice did not indicate that the policy of allowing birthday leave would change, and that the Union’s August 8 letter sought clarification regarding the scope of the change. In this regard, the GC contends that if the proposed change merely changed the identity of the management official that could approve birthday leave, then the change would not be negotiable, but if it was intended to eliminate the entitlement to birthday leave entirely, then “this was a matter on which the Union wanted to bargain.” Id. at 6. The GC asserts that, based on the Respondent’s failure to respond to “the Union’s request for clarification and bargaining[,]” the Union “interpreted the notice as meaning on its face [that] it was to be simply an internal management change.” Id. Further, the GC asserts that the change actually implemented was different from the change announced, in that it discontinued the practice of granting birthday leave altogether, rather than merely change the first-line supervisors’ authority to approve such leave. Id. at 7. The GC contends that, consequently, the Respondent’s July 29 notice did not provide adequate notice of the change. Id. at 11.
The GC also argues that the Judge erred by relying on the Respondent’s argument concerning § 7118(a)(4) because, even though the Respondent’s pre-hearing disclosure raised the issue of timeliness, the Respondent did not raise timeliness as a defense in its answer or its post-hearing brief. Id. at 8. Further, the GC contends that the Judge erred by failing to draw an adverse inference from the Respondent’s failure to call a particular witness during the hearing. See id. at 3-5. Finally, the GC requests that the Authority find that the Respondent violated § 7116(a)(1) and (5) of the Statute as alleged and order various remedies. See id. at 13.
B. Respondent’s Opposition
The Respondent argues that the evidence supports the Judge’s conclusion that the charge was untimely. Opp’n at 3. In this regard, the Respondent notes that the President was aware that several employees were denied birthday leave “during or before the summer of 2008[.]” Id. Further, the Respondent contends that the Judge appropriately exercised her discretion to decline to make an adverse inference. Id. at 5-7.
Section 7118(a)(4)(A) of the Statute requires that a charge be filed within six months of the alleged ULP. U.S. DHS, Border & Transp. Sec. Directorate, Bureau of Customs & Border Prot., Wash., D.C., 60 FLRA 943, 950 (2005) (then-Member Pope concurring in part and dissenting in part on other grounds), rev’d on other grounds, 446 F.3d 162 (D.C. Cir. 2006), decision on remand, 63 FLRA 406, reconsid. denied, 63 FLRA 600 (2009). The Authority has recognized that, at times, a charging party may not learn of an alleged ULP immediately, either due to a respondent’s failure to perform a duty owed to the charging party or because of the respondent’s concealment of the alleged ULP. 60 FLRA at 950. In such circumstances, § 7118(a)(4)(B) of the Statute permits the GC to issue a complaint when the charging party has filed a ULP charge within six months of discovery of the alleged ULP. Id.
In addition, the Authority has held that notice of a proposed change in conditions of employment must be sufficiently specific and definitive to adequately provide the exclusive representative with a reasonable opportunity to request bargaining. U.S. DOD, Def. Commissary Agency, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo. Springs, Colo., 61 FLRA 688, 692 (2006). For example, the notice must apprise the exclusive representative of the scope and nature of the proposed change in conditions of employment, the certainty of the change, and the planned timing of the change. Id. In this regard, the Authority has stated that “[t]he notice must be sufficient to inform the exclusive representative of what will be lost if it does not request bargaining.” U.S. Army Corps of Eng’rs, Memphis Dist., Memphis, Tenn., 53 FLRA 79, 82 (1997). Further, the Authority has held that the obligation to bargain under the Statute includes, at a minimum, the requirement that a party respond to a bargaining request. Pension Benefit Guar. Corp., 59 FLRA 48, 52 (2003) (then-Member Pope dissenting in part on other grounds).
Although the Judge stated that “the change was implemented, as announced, on December 28,” Judge’s Decision at 7, she did not find that the Respondent actually took any actions on that date. In addition, there is conflicting record evidence on this point. In this regard, while the employee whose birthday is January 2 testified that the Respondent announced the change “a week before my birthday,” Tr. at 57, another employee testified that he “believe[d] it was the first of the year[]” when the Respondent announced the change. Id. at 66.
Even assuming that the Respondent actually implemented the change on December 28, the Union did not learn of the change immediately because the Respondent failed to perform duties owed to the Union. In this regard, the Respondent did not provide the Union with adequate notice of the scope and nature of the change -- specifically, whether it merely eliminated the authority of first-line supervisors to grant birthday leave, or whether it wholly eliminated employees’ entitlement to such leave. Although the Union reasonably questioned the scope and nature of the proposed change and requested bargaining as “an exercise of caution,” Judge’s Decision at 4, the Respondent neither clarified the scope and nature of the change nor responded to the bargaining request. In these circumstances, even assuming that the Respondent wholly eliminated employees’ entitlement to birthday leave on December 28, the Union’s lack of awareness, prior to January 2, that management had done so was due to the Respondent’s failure to perform duties that it owed to the Union -- in particular, its duties to provide adequate notice of the change and to respond to the Union’s bargaining request. Thus, the above-cited Authority precedent supports a finding that the charge, which was filed within six months of January 2, was timely filed.
The decisions cited by the Judge do not support a contrary conclusion. In this regard, unlike the charging party in DOL, the President did not merely wait over eight months after discovering the ULP before filing the charge. See 20 FLRA at 297. Instead, the President repeatedly attempted to seek more information from the Respondent, and filed the charge only after those attempts were unfruitful. See Judge’s Decision at 5. Thus, unlike the charging party in DOL, the President had a reasonable reason for not immediately filing the charge.
Further, in IRS, the Authority found that: the Respondent announced an immediate change at “open meetings of employees[,]” to which the Union was invited; “thereafter, with rare exception,” the newly implemented rule was followed; and the incident that the union asserted was the first time that it learned of the new rule “was but a continuation of the open and undisguised enforcement of this rule.” 20 FLRA at 52. Similar circumstances are not present here.
For the foregoing reasons, we find that the charge was timely filed, and we reverse the Judge’s dismissal of the amended complaint.
With regard to the GC’s request that the Authority find a violation of the Statute and order various remedies, where a judge erroneously dismisses a complaint without addressing the merits of the complaint, and the record does not provide a sufficient basis for resolving those merits, the Authority remands the case. E.g., U.S. Dep’t of the Army, Human Res. Command, St. Louis, Mo., 64 FLRA 140, 144 (2009) (Member Beck dissenting in part on other grounds) (remanding where judge erroneously found complaint barred by § 7116(d) of the Statute). Here, before the Judge, the Respondent raised various affirmative defenses that the Judge did not resolve. See, e.g., GC Ex. 1(g) at 4 (Respondent’s Answer to Complaint). As the Judge did not resolve those defenses, and there is an insufficient basis in the record for doing so, we remand the amended complaint to the Judge for a determination on the merits.[3]
VI. Order
The amended complaint is remanded to the Judge for a determination on the merits.
NATIONAL BORDER PATROL COUNCIL LOCAL 1929, AFL-CIO
CHARGING PARTY
Case No. DA-CA-09-0286
Nora E. Hinojosa, Esq.
For the General Counsel
Mark W. Hannig, Esq.
For the Respondent
James Stack
For the Charging Party
Before: SUSAN E. JELEN
This case arose under the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute, Chapter 71 of Title 5 of the United States Code, 5 U.S.C. §7101, et. seq. (the Statute), and the Rules and Regulations of the Federal Labor Relations Authority (the Authority/FLRA), 5 C.F.R. Part 2423.
On June 29, 2009, the American Federation of Government Employees, National Border Patrol Council, Local 1929, AFL-CIO (Charging Party/Union) filed an unfair labor practice charge with the Dallas Region of the Authority against the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, El Paso, Texas (Respondent). (G.C. Ex. 1(a)) On March 31, 2010, the Regional Director of the Dallas Region of the Authority issued a Complaint and Notice of Hearing, which alleged that the Respondent violated section 7116(a)(1) and (5) of the Statute by failing to respond to the Union’s request to negotiate over the termination of the practice of allowing first-line supervisors the discretion of granting excused absence/administrative leave to bargaining unit employees and by implementing said change without providing the Union with an opportunity to negotiate over this change to the extent required by the Statute. (G.C. Ex. 1(c)) On April 16, 2010, the Respondent filed an Answer to the complaint, in which it admitted certain allegations while denying the substantive allegations of the complaint. (G.C. Ex. 1(g)) On April 21, 2010, the Dallas Regional Director issued an Amended Complaint and Notice of Hearing, which alleged that the Respondent violated section 7116(a)(1) and (5) of the Statute by terminating the practice of allowing first-line supervisors the discretion of granting excused absence/administrative leave to bargaining unit employees, thereby discontinuing the practice of granting administrative leave on or near the birthdays of the Sector Enforcement Specialists at the El Paso Sector. (G.C. Ex. 1(h)) At the hearing, Counsel for the General Counsel amended the complaint to change the date of the alleged termination of the above practice to January 2, 2009. (Tr. 6).
A hearing was held in El Paso, Texas, on May 11, 2010, at which time all parties were afforded a full opportunity to be represented, to be heard, to examine and cross-examine witnesses, to introduce evidence and to argue orally. The General Counsel and the Respondent filed timely post-hearing briefs, which have been fully considered.[4]
Based upon the entire record, including my observation of the witnesses and their demeanor, I make the following findings of fact, conclusions and recommendations.
STATEMENT OF THE FACTS
The Respondent is an agency within the meaning of section 7103(a)(3) of the Statute. (G.C. Ex. 1(c), 1(g), 1(h)). Victor Manjarrez occupied the position of Chief Patrol Agent for the El Paso Sector from approximately 2008 through 2010. He has since transferred to the Tucson Sector of U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Randy Hill has been the interim Chief Patrol Agent since May 2010. (G.C. Exs. 1(c), 1(g), 1(h); Tr. 86-87) At all times material to this matter, Manjarrez has been a supervisor and/or management official within the meaning of section 7103(a)(10) and (11) of the Statute. (G.C. Ex. 1(c), 1(g), 1(h)).
The Union is a labor organization within the meaning of section 7103(a)(4) of the Statute. James Stack is a border patrol agent within the El Paso Sector and has served as President of AFGE Local 1929 since January 1999. (Tr. 19) Included within the bargaining unit are Sector Enforcement Specialists (SES), who work in communications and serve as support for border patrol agents in the field. There are approximately fifty (50) SES, with forty-three (43) located in El Paso and seven (7) located in Deming. SES work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are three shifts: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; 4:00 p.m. to midnight; midnight to 8:00 a.m. (Tr. 19-21, 54, 63, 72, 110).
SES employees are considered essential personnel who must be present whenever border patrol agents are in the field. In general, this means when employees were granted administrative leave on Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve, SES employees remained at work, although they were apparently paid holiday pay for this time. (Tr. 32-33, 54-55) Prior to January 2009, a practice had developed that, in compensation for not being allowed to leave work on administrative leave like other employees, the SES employees were allowed administrative leave on or near their birthdays. The testimony indicated that this practice had been ongoing for several years, since around 1988. (Tr. 64) Employees were not required to request administrative leave for their birthdays and their birthdays were automatically included in the work schedules. If, somehow, a birthday was not on the schedule, the employee would ask about it and it would be placed on the schedule. Generally, employees took their specific birthday, but could also take the administrative leave at any time during that two week leave period. (Tr. 65-66, 76).[5]
In July 2008,[6] Stack heard rumors that the administrative leave for the SES was going to be eliminated and wrote to Alvon Williams, Supervisory Sector Enforcement Specialist, El Paso Sector. In his letter of July 3, Stack protested the termination of the practice and requested that the Respondent re-implement the practice immediately, while suggesting slight modifications to the manner in which the employees claim compensation for this date. (G.C. Ex. 2; Tr. 24).
On July 22, Chief Patrol Agent Manjarrez sent a letter informing Stack that he was rescinding the previous notice to the SESs, regarding the granting of a paid day-off for their birthdays. The letter also stated that “If management determines to revisit this issue, the union will be given official notification.” (G.C. Ex. 3; Tr. 25-26).
On July 29, Manjarrez sent a letter to Stack, pursuant to provisions of Article 3A of the Negotiated Agreement between U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service and National Border Patrol Council, stating, in part:
This is to inform you that first line supervisors for the El Paso Sector do not have the authority or discretion to grant the El Paso Border Patrol Sector, Sector Enforcement Specialists (SESs), nor any other employee, excused absence to offset for time off-duty provided to other employees on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. Therefore, effective December 28, 2008, management will terminate the practice of allowing first line supervisors the discretion of granting excused absence/administrative leave related to holidays or birthdays. Terminating this practice on this date should provide affected employees, that is, those currently employed within El Paso Border Patrol Sector as of the date of this notice, with an adequate adjustment period. Management will continue to approve or disapprove “excused absences” in accordance with regulations and policy.
(G.C. Ex. 4).
Stack responded on August 8, stating that the Union was in need of additional information and clarification. The Union referred to its July 3 letter to Alvon Williams (G.C. Ex. 2) and requested certain information.[7]
Stack then stated:
While we are not entirely sure if the agency’s proposal is intended to impact, in any way, the affected bargaining unit employees’ entitlement to excused absences/administrative leave, we will, in an exercise of caution, nonetheless make known our demand to bargain over the proposed change(s), to the fullest extent allowed by law. Moreover, the Union hereby proposes and insists that the agency hold any change(s) pertaining to the agency’s proposal in abeyance until the completion of all phases of bargaining, including any attendant third-party resolution procedures, such as, but not limited to, assistance from the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service or the Federal Service(s) Impasses Panel.
The Union then submitted five proposals, while it reserved the right to submit additional proposals. (G.C. Ex. 5 at 2; Tr. 27-29).
The Union received no response from this letter and had no further communications with the Respondent on this issue until 2009.
Guillermo Acosta has been an SES since June 2006. He received administrative leave for his birthday, January 2, in 2007 and 2008. He did not receive administrative leave for his birthday in 2009. (Tr. 55) He expressed his concern to his supervisor (Tr. 59), as did other SESs. (Tr. 79) None of the other SESs have received administrative leave for their birthdays since January 2009. (Tr. 66, 76).
After learning that the SES were not receiving administrative leave for their birthdays, Stack contacted Bill Torres, a supervisory border patrol agent and the Respondent’s liaison with the Union. Torres told him he would look into the situation, but Stack never heard from him. (Tr. 22, 42) Stack discussed this issue with Torres again, who suggested that Stack contact the Respondent’s legal office. (Tr. 23) Stack spoke to attorneys in that office but eventually filed the unfair labor practice charge in this case on June 29, 2009. (G.C. Ex. 1(a); Tr. 23).
TIMELINESS
In its prehearing disclosure,[8] the Respondent raised the issue of timeliness, arguing that the unfair labor practice charge in this matter was not filed in a timely manner and thus, the complaint should be dismissed based on section 7118(a)(4)(A) of the Statute. The Respondent made no mention of this defense in its brief; however, the General Counsel (GC) did argue that the charge had been timely filed. Specifically, the GC asserted that the change in the established practice of granting eight hours of excused absence/administrative leave to the SES on or near their birthdays was implemented on January 2, 2009. The parties’ collective bargaining agreement provides that the Union is to receive notifications from Respondent of intended changes and provide the appropriate level of bargaining when the Respondent proposes changes in the working conditions of bargaining unit employees. The GC asserts that the record evidence shows that adequate notice was not provided to the Union President of the change and that the Union was not provided an opportunity to bargain over the change prior to its implementation. Since the change was implemented on January 2, 2009, and the unfair labor practice charge in this matter was filed on June 29, 2009, the charge was timely filed and the Respondent’s argument should be rejected.
Section 7118(a)(4) states:
(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, no complaint shall be issued on any alleged unfair labor practice which occurred more than 6 months before the filing of the chargewith the Authority.
(B) If the General Counsel determines that the person filing any charge was prevented from filing the charge during the 6-month period referred to in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph by reason of –
(i) Any failure of the agency or labor organization against which the charge is made to perform a duty owed to the person; or
(ii) any concealment which prevented discovery of the alleged unfair labor practice during the 6-month period.
The General Counsel may issue a complaint based on the charge if the charge was filed during the 6-month period beginning on the day of the discovery by the person of the alleged unfair labor practice.
In U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Ctr., Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., 52 FLRA 527, 532 (1996), the Authority states that “[s]tatutes of limitation[s] are affirmative defenses and, as such, are waived unless raised in the pleadings or at trial.” Id. at 532. The Authority further found that section 7118(a)(4) of the Statute “is an affirmative defense[.]” Id. at 534. Although the Respondent did not argue this defense in its brief, since the issue of timeliness was raised in the pleadings, I find this issue is properly before me.
The record evidence shows that the Respondent sent a letter to the Union on July 29, 2008, giving the Union notice that “… effective December 28, 2008, management will terminate the practice of allowing first line supervisors the discretion of granting excused absence/administrative leave related to holidays or birthdays. Terminating this practice on this date should provide affected employees, that is, those currently employed within El Paso Border Patrol Sector as of the date of this notice, with an adequate adjustment period….” (G.C. Ex. 4) The Union responded on August 8, requesting clarification and also requesting to bargain over the proposed change(s) to the fullest extent allowed by law. (G.C. Ex. 5) The Union received no further correspondence from the Respondent on this issue. The Union was not aware that the change had been implemented, specifically that SES employees were no longer receiving administrative leave/excused absence on or around their birthdays until employees began to complain in early 2009. The first known instance in which an employee was not given administrative leave for his birthday was on January 2, 2009. January 2 occurred on a Friday in 2009, which would be in the middle of a pay period. Apparently, the beginning of the pay period for the Respondent’s employees was December 28, 2008, the date referenced in the Respondent’s July 29, 2008, letter to the Union. (G.C. Ex. 4).
Although Respondent’s July 29 notice to the Union is framed in terms of first line supervisors no longer having certain authority, it is also apparent that the asserted change will impact on bargaining unit employees, i.e. by essentially eliminating administrative leave on or around the SES birthdays. The evidence is clear that the Respondent’s July 29 letter gave an implementation date of December 28, 2008, and, although the Respondent did not afford the Union the opportunity to bargain prior to implementation, it also never indicated to the Union that it had rescinded the implementation date. The Union was aware of the impact of the change on bargaining unit employees in early January 2009 and, therefore, should have been aware that the implementation date for the change was December 28, 2008. See U.S. Dep’t of the Treas., IRS and U.S. Dep’t of the Treas., IRS, Houston District, 20 FLRA 51 (1985) (Respondent’s conduct did not prevent the Union from filing the charge within six months of the meetings where the dress code was announced.) See also U.S. Dep’t of Labor, 20 FLRA 296 (1985).
Even though the GC amended the complaint to allege that the change was implemented on or about January 2, 2009, I find the record evidence establishes that the change was implemented, as announced, on December 28, 2008, rather than the date of the first affected employee’s birthday. With the implementation date of December 28, 2008, the Union had six months from that date to file the charge in this matter. I find that the Respondent’s conduct did not preclude the Union from filing the charge within six months. Cf. Air Force Accounting and Finance Ctr., Lowry AFB, Denver, Colo., 42 FLRA 1226 (1991). Since the charge was filed on June 29, 2009, it was untimely filed under section 7118(4)(A) and thus no violation may be found.
Since I have found that the charge in this matter was untimely filed under section 7118(4)(A) of the Statute, no other discussion is necessary.
Accordingly, I recommend that the Authority adopt the following Order:
It is ordered that the complaint be, and hereby is, dismissed.
Issued, Washington, D.C., September 16, 2010
SUSAN E. JELEN ADMINISTRATIVE LAW JUDGE
[1]. At the hearing, the President testified that he found it unclear whether the Respondent was proposing to change “what level of supervision[]” would be able to approve birthday leave, or whether the Respondent was proposing to change the entire practice of changing birthday leave. Tr. at 26. In this regard, the President testified that he believed that the Respondent would be obligated to bargain only in the latter situation, not the former. Id. at 27.
[2]. Section 7118(a)(4) of the Statute provides, in pertinent part:
(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, no complaint shall be issued on any alleged [ULP] which occurred more than 6 months before the filing of the charge with the Authority.
(B) If the [GC] determines that the person filing any charge was prevented from filing the charge during the 6-month period referred to in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph by reason of--
(i) any failure of the agency . . . against which the charge is made to perform a duty owed to the person; or
(ii) any concealment which prevented discovery of the alleged [ULP] during the 6‑month period,
the [GC] may issue a complaint based on the charge if the charge was filed during the 6-month period beginning on the day of the discovery by the person of the alleged [ULP].
[3]. Accordingly, it is unnecessary to resolve the GC’s remaining exceptions.
[4]. The GC’s unopposed Motion to Correct the Transcript is granted.
[5]. This practice only existed in the El Paso office; the SES in Deming did not receive administrative leave on or around their birthdays. (Tr. 110).
[6]. All dates are in 2008 unless otherwise specified.
[7]. The complaint in this matter does not include any allegations regarding section 7114 (b)(4) and this request for information.
[8]. Section 2423.23 of the Authority’s Rules and Regulations requires that the parties shall exchange information which includes “[a] brief statement of the theory of the case, including relief sought, and any and all defenses to the allegations in the complaint.”
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The Best Things To Do In Berlin
Guy Martin Senior Contributor
This story was written in collaboration with Forbes Finds. Forbes Finds covers products and experiences we think you’ll love. Featured products are independently selected and linked to for your convenience. If you buy something using a link on this page, Forbes may receive a small share of that sale.
Museum island in Berlin.
Berlin is full of ancient history and possibly the darkest modern history, so that the choice you have when embarking on a day in the city is: Which epoch would you most like to visit? There are innumerable choices, and hilarious ones to boot. No pool at the hotel? No matter, hit the saunas at the Badeschiff, literally the "bathing ship." A fan of Bauhaus? Some of the world's finest examples of architecture are all around town.
Here, a short list of ways to wind, and unwind, while getting the most out of your stay in Berlin.
The Ishtar Gate at the Pergamonmuseum.
(Photo by Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images)
This is Berlin's classic must-see on the Museum Island. Exhilarating, and on the global bucket list of the world's greatest antiquities, about the only downside of its multiyear renovation is that the Pergamon altar friezes are closed to the public until 2023. But don't let that deter you. If you want to stay close by, the elegant Regent hotel at the Gendarmenmarkt, just south of the Museum Island, is a fine choice.
Museum Berggruen
The Berggruen Museum in Berlin.
(Photo by Olaf Protze/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Arguably one of the greatest and most soulful private collections of the classic modern artists—Picasso, Matisse, Klee, and Giacometti, among others—the Museum Berggruen's impressive holdings, worth hundreds of millions, were half-sold and half-donated to the city by the collector and art dealer Heinz Berggruen, who had, with his parents, escaped the Holocaust from Berlin. The city renovated one of the gatehouses to the Charlottenburg Palace for the jewel-box museum, including an apartment for Mr. Berggruen on the top floor. His sons, Olivier and Nicolas, are buying masterpieces for the museum to this day. For a great hotel nearby, the Ellington Hotel (named after Duke himself) hits all the right notes.
The Badeschiff
Swimming in th 'Badeschiff' floating pool on the Spree River.
(Photo by Ralf Hirschberger/picture alliance via Getty Images)
You can't swim in Berlin's Spree River, but you can swim in a pool floating in it—the Badeschiff, just on the district line between Treptow and Kreuzberg. In the summer, a DJ spins as the crowd cavorts in a swimming pool inserted into an old river barge. In the winter, it's covered and turns into a spa, specifically, a sauna in which full frontal nudity is required. Winter or summer, in the Badeschiff, you want to make sure that your bikini body is ready for that. A great place to stay close to the Badeschiff is The Dude hotel, just north, in Kreuzberg.
The Neues Museum in Museumsinsel in Berlin.
The "New" Museum isn't exactly new, but along with the Pergamon, the Bode and the Altes (Old) museums, it forms the pantheon of the UNESCO heritage site of Museum Island. Spiffed up significantly since the Communists of East Germany left it to rot, it now houses the Greek and Roman collections and the famous Egyptian collection (that had been in West Berlin), the absolute star of which is the bust of the Great Royal Wife Nefertiti. Yes, that Nefertiti, whose bust was found at Amarna in 1912. If you're in Berlin, you have to go meet her. She's been the queen of the town for the last hundred years.
The Berlin Zoo
The most-visited zoo in Europe, and, rightly, one of the most popular zoos in the world, the Berlin Zoo—formally, Der Zoologischer Garten, or the Zoological Garden—is a lovely way to spend an afternoon in the scholarly embrace of keepers and zoologists who take their ethical and academic duties of preserving the species seriously. (A great place to stay just a short walk away is the elegant Hotel Bristol.) The zoo houses some 1,800 species and counting, and over 85-plus idyllic acres right in the middle of West Berlin, which means that you'll be visiting the habitat of some 18,000 animals.
Martin-Gropius Bau
The facade of the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin.
This is the gallery that real Berliners love to visit. Designed in the neo-Renaissance style by Martin Gropius, the uncle of architect Walter Gropius, and built in the 1840s, the Gropius Bau's curators are people with a very entertaining breadth of mind, and that wow-factor brings in the Berliners. (To stay nearby, the hotel Lulu Guldsmeden, on Potsdamer Straße, is a good choice. With a back catalog of ever-changing artists and installations, the Gropius Bau has exhibited the Chinese dissident Ai Weiwei, Walker Evans and Paul Klee. The Berlin Wall ran literally around the back door of the museum, just including the building in the west, so that the Gropius Bau's curators have booked a group show called "Walking Through Walls" for the Wall-tumbling commemorations in fall 2019.
The Welt Balloon
The WELT balloon in Berlin.
Berlin is flat, with the exceptions of Prenzlauer Berg and Kreuzberg. And getting to the top of the Fernsehturm, the iconic TV tower, to see the town is underwhelming at best. So why not blow the carbon deposits out of the carburetor with a breezy quarter hour aloft in Air Service Berlin's quirky Welt Balloon? Yes, the ballon is tethered. But you do play out many hundreds of yards of cable and you'll see for miles. Die Welt—or The World newspaper—is a sponsor, but don't let that stop you. Get up there.
Back in the Pleistocene, at military school in the South, some of my dorm-mates and I started a mimeographed—remember mimeographs?—broadside called the Trusty Tribunal.
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Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center Celebrates Renovation and Reopening of Patient Apartment
Posted on May 2, 2019 in Uncategorized
Unique setting helps patients prepare for transition from rehab center to home
From left: Leslie Irwin, administrator, Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center; Mary Dillon, MD, medical director, PNRC; Colt Davis, president, Clayton Supply; Amber Krupacs, chief financial officer, Clayton; Jim VanderSteeg, president and CEO, Covenant Health; Keith Altshuler, president and chief administrative officer, Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center; Mike Belbeck, executive vice president, operations, Covenant Health
(Knoxville) – Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center is pleased to announce the grand reopening of its patient apartment, newly renovated through the generosity of Clayton and Fort Sanders Foundation.
The only one of its kind in the area, the apartment provides a unique opportunity for patients to practice the skills they will need to care for themselves at home after they are discharged from inpatient rehabilitation. It is located at PNRC within Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center and has been in use since the rehabilitation center opened in 1978.
The apartment’s kitchen, bedroom and living areas were fully accessible, but the last renovation was more than 20 years ago. The new renovation features a more contemporary look and design with adaptable features such as easy-turn faucets, drop-down kitchen cabinetry and grab bars.
PNRC medical director Mary Dillon, MD, calls the renovation “an incredible gift.”
“Clayton has helped us build a home within Patricia Neal to help our patients get back to their homes,” said Dr. Dillon. “We have been very blessed, not only by the materials Clayton gave us and the products that were installed, but also by their generosity of time and talents in building such a beautiful environment for our patients.”
While at the apartment, patients who are recovering from the effects of a serious stroke or injury learn how to cook, clean and live with their “new normal.” Patients stay in the apartment for an average 1-2 nights.
“Covenant Health puts the patient first – that’s one of their pledges,” said Amber Krupacs, Clayton chief financial officer. “At Clayton, it’s ‘make the world a better place.’ It really was a perfect partnership for us and it proved to be a very rewarding project for our team.”
Jim VanderSteeg, Covenant Health president and CEO, noted that PNRC plays a vital role in Covenant Health’s stroke hospital network, offering specialized therapies for patients who need rehabilitation after stroke. “Over and over again, I hear stories of the excellent and compassionate care patients have received at Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center,” he said. “I am most appreciative of Clayton and Fort Sanders Foundation for their support of this project and our patients.”
The renovation and reopening were celebrated with a reception at the rehabilitation center on May 1.
About Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center
Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center, a member of Knoxville-based Covenant Health, is a 541-bed regional referral center for neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, oncology, cardiology, obstetrics and rehabilitation medicine. For more information, visit www.fsregional.com.
Located within Fort Sanders Regional, the world-renowned Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center specializes in the treatment of traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, stroke and other debilitating conditions. For more information, visit www.patneal.org.
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(eBook) How to build a fire station
with Rick Markley
5 most exciting breakthroughs for the fire service
Here's my list of the outside world's best breakthroughs that have the most potential to change the fire service
“Horizon scanning for emerging technologies is crucial to staying abreast of developments that can radically transform our world, enabling timely expert analysis in preparation for these disruptors,” said Dr. Bernard Meyerson, chief innovation officer of IBM on the World Economic Forum’s site.
For the fire service, that horizon scanning includes both what’s coming within the service and what’s happening outside the service that can or should come our way.
Join the conversation about these selections and add your own. (Photo/UploadVR YouTube)
Related feature
Special coverage: Private-sector breakthroughs for firefighting
Here's a look at those breakthroughs that hold the most promise for being adapted to and adopted by the fire service.
While predicting the future is a fool’s errand, horizon scanning is key to fulfilling our mission to protect firefighters and our civilian populations. This special coverage section is devoted to that purpose.
In the 10 other articles in this section, you’ll find various experts scanning various horizons for ways to improve the fire service. To kick things off, here’s my list of top breakthroughs I hope to see crest the fire service horizon in the coming years.
Please use the comment section to join the conversation about these selections and add your own.
1. How the brain works
A few years ago, then-President Obama likened brain research to the space race of the 1960s. And rightly so, major, long-term research initiatives into mapping how the brain works were launched in Europe, Japan and the United States in the past several years.
Scientific American wrote in 2014, “Scientist and author Lyall Watson once remarked: ‘If the brain were so simple we could understand it, we would be so simple we couldn't.’” Regardless, our children will understand more about how the human brain works than we can even imagine.
For example, in the past decade or so, we’ve learned that cells once thought to be inactive stuff play a large role in memory and learning. We’ve learned that the brain doesn’t take in all that it sees and hears; rather, it plucks bits of information from the environment and fills in the gaps with things it makes up.
We know from brain imaging that some supposedly free-will decisions are made at the subconscious level before the conscious mind makes that decision. And we now know the adult brain is far more capable of learning and changing than previously thought.
All of this adds up to potential changes for how we train firefighters, how we train officers and how we view our own sensory information in the heat of firefighting.
2. Virtual reality
Driver simulation technology has been touted for years as a method for teaching firefighters to drive fire apparatus. But cost and physical size of the units have kept them out of many departments.
Virtual reality headsets are getting smaller, cheaper and graphically better. Headset versions are being used to train skilled workers in everything from medicine to welding, as well as training medics and soldiers.
It’s not a great leap to see this technology used for live-fire, mayday, self-rescue, RIT, search and rescue, alternative-fuel vehicle extrication, water rescue and any other number of critical skills that are difficult to simulate with props or acquired structures.
3. Stress management training
This broad-based term is something the U.S. military has been working with for years to find ways to both teach soldiers techniques for coping with stress and boost training stress to build resilience to stress. The end goals are to improve performance under stress and reduce the likelihood they will contract post-traumatic stress disorder.
Combining brain science and virtual reality technology is being used in both stress inoculation training and relaxation technique training. Some studies have used VR on combat medics with promising results.
I can see a day when this training becomes part of both fire academy and ongoing training as a method for preventing PTSD and suicides — and improving performance on fireground skills.
4. Open source research and sharing
What the computer software world learned long ago is now catching on with the scientific and business communities. And that is that open-source, open-access work-sharing projects have far more power to achieve results than do teams working in isolations.
The level of connectivity on social media platforms that allows people to share photos of pets and recipes ad nauseam, has matured enough to facilitate real work.
It won’t surprise me to see firefighters from around the world in the near future jumping on a single platform to solve big issues like understanding fire behavior, teaching fire prevention and improving firefighter safety together.
5. 2-D atomic material
For about 10 years or so, scientists have been tinkering with two-dimensional material that’s made up of a single layer of atoms. There are several variations of it, with graphene — made from carbon — as the most widely known.
These materials are described as a molecular mesh that is harder than diamond, flexible, nearly weightless, stronger than steel, and can conduct electricity and allow water vapor to pass. It’s being used now for wearable sensors and to improve battery life.
So far it’s been very costly to produce. But that’s coming down and it will likely find application in water and air filtration and in making existing material stronger and lighter.
Fire helmets, boots and turnouts will likely benefit from its low weight and high strength. It may make buildings less susceptible to collapse and firehose less likely to burst. The possibilities are seemingly endless.
There is exciting work afoot in the world outside firefighting and rescue. And when adapted into our world, it will have some profound consequences.
Rick Markley is the former editor-in-chief of FireRescue1 and Fire Chief, a volunteer firefighter and fire investigator. He serves on the board of directors of and is actively involved with the International Fire Relief Mission, a humanitarian aid organization that delivers unused fire and EMS equipment to firefighters in developing countries. He holds a bachelor's degree in communications and a master's of fine arts. He has logged more than 15 years as an editor-in-chief and written numerous articles on firefighting. He can be reached at
Private-sector breakthroughs for firefighting
Training Tip: Use Google Docs for firefighter training
Mich. FD drone crashes after a malfunction, lost near river
EMTs to fill Texas private EMS firm’s employment gap delayed for another month
Ohio FD trades old stretchers for Tri-C Fire Academy tuition credits
How to buy protective hoods (eBook)
The grant that saved his life
A Day With Firefighters
Chief Conversations: Mentoring in the fire service
Reality Training: Community outreach
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Angel Catbird Volume 1 (Graphic Novel)
Lauded novelist Margaret Atwood and acclaimed artist Johnnie Christmas collaborate on one of the most highly anticipated comic book and literary events of the year!
Margaret Atwood was born in 1939 in Ottawa, and grew up in northern Ontario and Quebec, and in Toronto. She received her undergraduate degree from Victoria College at the University of Toronto and her master's degree from Radcliffe College. Margaret Atwood is the author of more than forty volumes of poetry, children's literature, fiction, and non-fiction, but is best known for her novels. Her newest novel, MaddAddam (2013), is the final volume in a three-book series that began with the Man-Booker prize-nominated Oryx and Crake (2003) and continued with The Year of the Flood (2009). The Tent (mini-fictions) and Moral Disorder (short fiction) both appeared in 2006. Her most recent volume of poetry, The Door, was published in 2007. In Other Worlds- SF and the Human Imagination, a collection of non-fiction essays appeared in 2011. Her non-fiction book, Payback- Debt and the Shadow Side of Wealth was adapted for the screen in 2012. Ms. Atwood's work has been published in more than forty languages, including Farsi, Japanese, Turkish, Finnish, Korean, Icelandic and Estonian. Margaret Atwood currently lives in Toronto with writer Graeme Gibson.
Home » Books » Fiction & Literature » Comics & Graphic Novels » Superheroes
Graphic Novel Books
Graphic Novels Books
Margaret Atwood Books
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Twenty Ten
Album: Twenty Ten: Greatest Hits Guy Sebastian
1) Who's That Girl - (featuring Eve)
2) If I Really Loved You
3) Like It Like That [Radio Edit]
4) All to Myself [Radio Mix]
5) All I Need Is You
6) Angels Brought Me Here
7) Out with My Baby
8) Oh Oh
9) Taller Stronger Better [Radio Mix]
10) Cover on My Heart [Radio Mix]
11) Closer to the Sun
12) Elevator Love
13) Art of Love - (featuring Jordin Sparks)
14) Attention
15) Hold On! I'm Comin'
16) Climb Every Mountain
17) Kryptonite [Radio Edit]
18) Never Hold You Down
19) My Beautiful Friend
20) Take Me to the River
2) Like It Like That
3) All to Myself
4) Closer to the Sun
5) Kryptonite
6) Art of Love
8) Elevator Love
10) Oh Oh
Performer Notes
Recording information: Allan Eaton Studios, Melbourne; Ardent Studios, Memphis, TN; Chaos Theory, Encino, CA; Eargasm Studios; Guy's Place; Little Big Sound; Red Room Studios, Melbourne; Sing Sing Studios, Melbourne; Sony Music Studios, Sydney, Australia; Studios 301, Alexandria, Sydney; The Song Caf, London.
Conveniently released as his career comes full circle, Twenty Ten is the first greatest-hits collection from the original Australian Idol, Guy Sebastian, who has recently returned to his talent show roots, this time as a judge, on his homeland's version of The X Factor. Initially awarded a six-album deal, it's a testament to his vocal abilities and songwriting skills that, unlike many of his fellow winners, he's remained popular enough to see out his rather ambitious Sony contract, scoring five number ones since his victory in 2003. This comprehensive two-disc, 30-track collection, which reveals a subtle and natural progression with each album, explains why he's managed to survive once the show's publicity machine died down. Three tracks appear from his debut, Just as I Am, including first single power ballad "Angels Brought Me Here," the biggest-selling song of the decade, alongside a re-recorded version of his most well-received Idol performance, "Climb Every Mountain," all of which sound as formulaic and generic as you'd expect from an Idol winner. But like his U.K. counterpart, Will Young, Sebastian showed that he was more than just a pop puppet for album number two, the R&B-influenced Beautiful Life, which featured co-writes with the likes of Robin Thicke, Rahsaan Patterson, and his own idol, Brian McKnight. Its three singles, the funky "Out with My Baby," the jazz-fused "Oh Oh," and the acoustic slow jam "Kryptonite," are all included here, showcasing a more authentic soul voice that had previously been smothered in layers of MOR production. It's a sound that he surprisingly abandoned on third genre-hopping album Closer to the Sun, represented here by the melodic pop ballads "Taller, Stronger, Better" and "Cover on My Heart," the Kelly Clarkson-esque feisty rock number "Elevator Love," and the chilled-out orchestral title track, none of which really played to Sebastian's strengths. He returned to what he does best for follow-up The Memphis Album, a collection of Memphis soul covers produced by Booker T. & the MG's guitarist Steve Cropper, where he impressively more than held his own on heartfelt and passionate renditions of Al Green's "Take Me to the River" and Sam & Dave's "Hold On! I'm Comin'." Five tracks appear from his most accomplished album to date, Like It Like That, which was inspired by its predecessor's authentic classic soul sound, including "Art of Love," an emotive duet with American Idol Jordin Sparks and the brilliant Brill Building pop of the title track. Unfortunately, the Eve-featuring "Who's That Girl," one of two new tracks on the album, surrenders to the David Guetta-style electro-R&B sound that's become annoyingly ubiquitous of late, but the bluesy James Brown-esque "If I Really Loved You" and the bonus disc featuring acoustic reworkings of ten of his hits suggest this is just a momentary blip. Sebastian has failed to make any impact outside Australia, but as the consistent Twenty Ten proves, his joyous, effortless, and soulful vocal talents deserve to be heard by a much bigger audience. ~ Jon O'Brien
Home » Music » Pop
Home » Music » Pop » Pop Rock
Greatest Hits Music
Guy Sebastian Music
Guy Sebastian Books
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Mother charged in fatal stabbing of 4 children
Posted: 11:38 AM, Jul 02, 2016
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The mother of four children who authorities say were fatally stabbed in a suburban Memphis apartment complex has been charged in their deaths.
Citing a charging document, The Commercial Appeal reports (http://bit.ly/29bCLhx) that the woman has been charged with four counts of first degree murder associated with aggravated child abuse, four counts of first degree murder in association with aggravated child neglect, and four counts each of aggravated child abuse and aggravated child neglect or endangerment.
Deputies were called to the complex in unincorporated Shelby County shortly before 1 p.m. Friday. They took the mother into custody after finding the children's bodies. Officials have not released the ages of the children, but sheriff's office spokesman Earle Farrell said deputies responding to the scene called them "babies."
Authorities are planning a news conference later Saturday morning to update the public.
Shelby County Sheriff Bill Oldham said Friday that investigators did not know if she had mental health issues.
"This is an egregious act of evil that has shocked us to our core," Oldham said. "I will never understand how anyone can do this."
Oldham said the district attorney general's special victims' unit has been called in and Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell has promised all resources necessary for the investigation.
"One of the most difficult questions in any investigation is always, 'Why did this happen?'" the sheriff said.
County Commissioner Mark Billingsley also said the county would work to help the family of the children recover.
"It's just a very sad day," he said. "It's really beyond words, quite frankly."
Neighbor Sean Ahearn said he didn't know the family by name, but that he often saw the children, who all appeared to be under age 6, playing in the front yard. They liked to pet his dog when he was taking it for a walk, he said.
"From what I saw, they were very open and friendly kids," he said. "You never imagine that this kind of thing could happen."
The apartment where the stabbing occurred is in a gated community with a golf course called The Greens at Irene. On Friday afternoon, deputies were standing at the gate house questioning motorists as they drove into the neighborhood.
Resident Patricia Johnson spoke with reporters from her car. She said she wasn't allowed to leave for two hours as deputies investigated the scene.
She has a child, and said she burst into tears when she heard about the killings.
"I can't fathom that," she said. "What would babies do to make you do that?"
The state Department of Children's Service has offered its assistance to local law enforcement, but has no record of interaction with the slain children, said spokesman Rob Johnson.
"We've done an exhaustive search and we are not aware of any contact with this family," he said.
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Miami House race once seen as easy Dem pickup tightens
By Allie Raffa | Fox News
Nationally-watched Miami House race tightens before midterms
Florida’s highly-competitive 27th Congressional District seat, long held by Republican, Cuban-American Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, is up for grabs for the first time in almost three decades. The majority Hispanic district spans large portions of Miami, where cultural connections can impact elections.
MIAMI – For the first time in almost three decades, Florida’s highly competitive 27th Congressional District seat, long held by Republican, Cuban-American Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, is up for grabs.
Now all eyes are on the close race that, just months ago, Democrats considered the easiest midterm pickup in the country, after Hillary Clinton won the district in 2016 by a 20-point margin over Donald Trump.
“This will be the marker for, if and possibly when, the Democrats might pick up the House for the 2018 elections,” said Florida International University political science professor Kathryn DePalo. “If Democrats pick this up, then I think it’ll be a good night for Democrats in Florida and perhaps around the country.”
Despite widespread name recognition in her first run for office, Donna Shalala, the Democratic candidate, is in a surprisingly tight race against her lesser-known GOP opponent, Spanish-language journalist and political rookie, Maria Elvira Salazar, because of the makeup of the district, which spans across Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Key Biscayne and Little Havana.
Fox News’ Midterm Power Rankings sees the matchup, predicted to have national implications, as “Lean Democrat.” But a Mason Dixon-Telemundo poll released Thursday shows Salazar edging past Shalala by 2 percentage points, 44 percent to 42 percent.
"Salazar is certainly well-known in the district and is relating well with voters, a majority of whom are Hispanic," DePalo said. "[Many independents are Hispanic], so while they may have largely voted for Clinton in 2016, it is not surprising that many are supporting the Republican candidate, Salazar, this time around."
Shalala, who served as president of the University of Miami and was Health and Human Services Secretary during the Clinton Administration, got 32 percent of the vote in a five-way field in the August primary, while Salazar picked up 41 percent of the vote in a field of nine.
Shalala is campaigning on her knowledge of many key Democratic issues, such as the environment, immigration reform, healthcare and preventing gun violence, while Salazar is emphasizing her personal connection to the debate over immigration, sea level rise, education reform and economic growth.
The South Florida House district stretches across Miami Beach, Coral Gables, Key Biscayne and Little Havana. (Fox News)
The district is known to be tricky to win as over 70 percent of constituents are Hispanic and, in Miami, cultural connection can make a big difference.
“My opponent is an implant. She doesn’t represent anybody...she cannot connect because we have a cultural code that we share…we may speak Spanish, but it goes over and beyond that,” said Salazar, a Cuban-American Miami native who at one time was a contributor to Fox News. “You need to be part of this city in order to know how it works and how it feels and how it vibrates. If not, you can’t connect."
Although the area has become more Democratic through the years, Ros-Lehtinen’s loyal supporters—mostly conservative Cuban-Americans—re-elected her to a fifteenth term in 2016.
“I think identity politics are extremely important in this district…I think speaking Spanish matters and you see Shalala’s team trying to catch up on some of those things,” DePalo said. “But Shalala for sure has connected with Hispanic Democrats in the district who really relate to her on a lot of the issues that she is promoting.”
Democratic strategist Maurizio Passariello said Cuban-American voters are no longer as conservative as they used to be.
“It’s a very Hispanic district, but the problem is that once Hispanics begin to integrate and no longer consume Hispanic media or don’t speak Spanish in their daily lives at home, they begin to act more like the general voters in the population,” he said. “So, although there is a significant Hispanic component to this, they’re not necessarily moved because a candidate is of one ethnicity over another.”
The district is one-third Republican, one-third Democratic and one-third NPA (no party affiliation). That means, experts say, in the predominantly Hispanic district Latinos will be the "real wildcard." (Fox News)
Democrats said they are not worried about Salazar. They believe Shalala has a strong chance at picking up the seat.
“Washington’s unpopular agenda has forced Republicans to play defense across the country, making this open seat a top pick up opportunity for Democrats," said Cole Leiter, a spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. " And the matchup between Donna Shalala, a proven, independent leader who has made health care more affordable for millions of Americans, against a Republican whose loyalty is to President Trump and not South Florida, gives working families in Miami a stark choice this November.”
Both candidates have been endorsed by prominent political names—Shalala by Hillary Clinton and Salazar by the retiring congresswoman herself.
In a statement to Fox News, a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, or NRCC, said, “We couldn’t be more pleased with the striking contrast between Donna Shalala and Maria Elvira Salazar…We are working closely with the Salazar campaign and are excited about our chances to keep this seat in our column. In a district that Clinton won by 20 points, this is shaping up to be a devastating loss for Democrats.”
DePalo said Hispanics will be the wildcard in a district that is one-third Republican, one-third Democratic and one-third independent.
Early voting for the midterm elections in Miami-Dade County begins October 22.
Allie Raffa joined Fox News in 2016 and currently serves a multimedia reporter based in Tampa, Florida.
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Qatar backs Britain as May signs Brexit
LONDON/BIRMINGHAM: March 28, 2017. A day before Britain confirmed its formal departure from the European Union, the country signed an MoU with Qatar to increase co-operation in education and healthcare, science, research and innovation, tourism and culture, transport, energy, financial services and the development of small businesses.
Qatar has already invested US$43-US$50 billion in the UK and according to the country's finance minister Ali Shareef al-Emadi, his government plans to invest a further US$6 billion in energy, infrastructure, real estate and services.
Public and private Qatari investors already have stakes in the International Airlines Group, Heathrow airport, Harrods department store, Sainsbury's supermarket chain, the landmark Shard building in Central London and the former Olympic Village in East London.
Speaking at the joint UK-Qatar Business and Investment Forum on March 28, Britain's prime minister Theresa May acknowledged the strength and seniority of the delegations from both countries "are a testament to the importance we both place on our bilateral relationship and the scale of our shared ambition to develop it".
As a precursor to her later Brexit announcement she added: "My plan for Britain is not just a plan to leave the EU, but a plan to build a stronger economy...and a critical part of this plan is developing a modern industrial strategy that can help secure my vision of a high-skilled, high-paid Britain.
"As a global Britain, I am determined that we will be the most committed and most passionate advocate of free trade in the world," she declared.
Shareef al-Emadi added he was confident the UK would have a "good future" outside the EU.
The inaugural Qatar-UK Forum provided government ministers and business leaders from both countries with the opportunity to promote investment and trade opportunities in the UK and showcase best practice and areas of opportunity in support of Qatar's 2030 National Vision.
Forum delegates included Qatar Airways' Group CEO Akbar Al Baker who acknowledged his airline's investment in IAG and the 70-plus weekly flights linking Qatar with Heathrow, Birmingham, Edinburgh and Manchester as part of encouraging trade between the two countries.
Also participating in the Forum was the revolutionary Dearman Engine that uses the expansion of liquid nitrogen to produce zero emission cold and power. Last year Sainsbury's became the first company in the world to trial a refrigerated truck cooled by Dearman's liquid nitrogen-powered engine that eliminates all related emissions.
Noting there are few countries that appreciate the value of cooling more than Qatar, Dearman said it is developing a suite of applications for the transport, energy, retailing and data sectors for possible use in the Gulf state.
(Pictured left to right: Liam Fox, UK Secretary of State for International Trade, and Qatar Airways Group CEO Akbar Al Baker at the UK-Qatar Business and Investment Forum)
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Follow Autoextremist on Feedspot
Autoextremist
Autoextremist.com - an Internet magazine devoted to news, commentary and analysis of the auto industry.
THE EV DEBATE RAGES ON.
Autoextremist by Editor - 20h ago
By Peter M. DeLorenzo
Detroit. Last week's column - "The Biggest Bet in Automotive History" - stirred up a lot of reactions, both positive and negative. The ongoing rush to electrification by the automotive industry is fraught with challenges and opportunities. Some players are making clear bets on The Future of mobility being electric, while others are hedging their bets. I clearly stated my position last week, and ironically it's perfect timing then to introduce what I think is the most comprehensive consumer research study on EVs to date, entitled, "CONSUMER VIEWS ABOUT ELECTRIC VEHICLES 2019 – ALL THIS TORQUE AND STILL STUCK IN NEUTRAL." This study was conducted by AutoThink Research. The diverse, mobility savvy readership of Autoextremist.com makes up a large part of the survey sample. The best endorsement I can give to this new study is that its findings are not in lockstep with what I wrote last week, and in fact there are clear differences in its findings from my personal perspectives on the subject. To wit:
The biggest misperception identified by the survey is the widespread belief that EVs and the charging infrastructure are not ready for prime time. The experience of current EV owners refutes that.
Most of the people who think EVs aren't ready for prime time have exaggerated worries about EV battery capacity, driving range, charging speed, and public charging infrastructure.
As the study explains in the introduction, “The global transition from ICE vehicles to EVs has been assisted by improvements on a variety of fronts (e.g., the technology, management, production, and cost of batteries, vehicle charging speeds and infrastructure). Despite this progress, actual consumer demand for these vehicles is lagging and growing very slowly (especially in the U.S.). Many consumers appear to lack a basic understanding about how these various alternative propulsion vehicles differ (e.g., what’s the difference between hybrids, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, extended-range electric vehicles, and fuel-cell electric vehicles?). In addition, a variety of controversies and conflicting claims have emerged in the discussion of ICE and EV vehicles, and these have further promoted confusion and erroneous beliefs about EVs. Most research on consumer attitudes toward EVs has failed to take the confusion into account or to identify the effects of these confusions and erroneous beliefs on EV consideration.”
At the end of the report, there are seven recommendations (aimed at the auto industry) that are quite thought-provoking and provide a roadmap for gaining electric vehicle acceptance:
Continue organizing and coordinating the independent public charging networks to maximize their use and usefulness.
Automotive journalists and other EV commentators give too much attention and importance to the topic of public charging infrastructure and public charging stations. It’s a much smaller deal affecting fewer people and more infrequently than it has been made out to be.
Let’s fix how alternative propulsion vehicles are categorized and stop lumping extended-range electric vehicles (like Volt and BMW i3REx) in with plug-in hybrids (like Prius Prime and Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid).
Offer extended-range versions of EVs. Stop developing and offering Hybrids and Plug-in Hybrids, which are only prolonging the use of the internal combustion engine.
Stop putting promotional emphasis on the “environmentalism” of EVs. The survey suggests that the environment is not the big driver of EV consideration that everyone thinks it is. It's an unnecessarily politicized side argument that isn't really needed to promote EV consideration among consumers.
Promote EVs for their many practical, convenient, and fun advantages.
The public needs a better understanding of electric vehicles. The automotive industry needs to take greater responsibility for educating the public about EVs and the future of transportation but first, the auto industry needs to better educate itself.
Other points worth noting? The report asserts that a lack of understanding about automotive propulsion systems and erroneous beliefs about EVs are unnecessarily impeding the adoption of EVs. The actual EV ownership experience is more positive than non-EV owners are imagining. EVs are better – much less restricted and limited, with much less “hassle” – than most people are thinking.
Furthermore, the report suggests that EVs and the existing charging infrastructure are ready for long-distance trips (that's what the survey's EV owners report and what the study found when it looked at current charging infrastructure). The EV report also questions the idea that EVs need to be relegated to a second-car position. Forty-four of the 341 EV owners surveyed (13%) are getting by with an EV as their only vehicle.
There is one conclusion in this EV Report that perfectly lines up with my final point in my column last week when I had this to say about the future of electrification: "It’s also the biggest marketing challenge in automotive history as well, because creating demand on a massive scale for vehicles that people don’t even know that they want will be a monumental task."
Many of our readers participated in this groundbreaking study, so I would encourage you to download the report – caution: it's lengthy – and take your time to go through it. It's worth the read.
And that’s The High-Octane Truth for this week.
Download the 284-page report here, or go here to get a quick one-page summary and table of contents.
THE BIGGEST BET IN AUTOMOTIVE HISTORY.
Autoextremist by Editor - 1w ago
Detroit. Back in the fall of ’76, when my misguided experiment at getting into the retail side of the auto business in East Lansing went up in smoke, I realized then that my calling wasn’t dealing with upside-down “ups” and the churn and burn of a high volume auto store that operated on the premise of getting people into new cars, whether they could afford them or not (they usually couldn’t).
Not only did I not like it, I detested every minute of it. But the parting words to me by the General Manager before he let me go were classic, as he said that “I just marched to a different drummer.” (Truer words were never spoken, by the way. -WG).
From there my life adventure took me on a wild ride through advertising and ultimately this website, and though I have learned and experienced a lot over the years, I’m still savoring the ride. And why not? There’s still plenty to do and see and experience, and there’s no point sitting on the sidelines waiting for things to happen.
But as someone who was fortunate enough to witness Detroit’s Golden Age up close and from a front-row seat, it’s no secret that the looming transition to alternative propulsion is cause for a great deal of consternation. Make no mistake, electrified propulsion is cool and all that, but there is something decidedly missing from the equation. Yes, the instantaneous torque is indeed impressive, if the bragging rights of having blistering acceleration is all you’re after, but beyond that, what? There is simply no visceral appeal and no sound and fury. I loved slot cars a kid, but that was a long time ago.
The reality for most people is that in the coming transition to fully electric vehicles – unless confined to the urban slog – will only thrive as second vehicles. Yes, if you rumble around the city and that is all you demand from your vehicle you will certainly be able to do just fine with a fully electric vehicle as your only mode of transport. But if you venture out on longer trips, the notion of planning a trip around charging stations is not something that most people are going to want to put up with. Where’s my sense of adventure, you might ask? My sense of adventure is just fine, thank you, but stopping for extended periods of time on a road trip to recharge is not my idea of a good time.
And during the winter months, the effort to live with a fully-electric vehicle in frigid temperatures - with a reduced range by half - is simply unacceptable. Oh, you haven’t heard about range reduction in the freezing cold? You probably haven’t if you’ve only listened to electric car zealots bragging about the advantages of their vehicles. But make no mistake, in the cold weather parts of this country electric vehicle drivers are in for a rude awakening. Want to use that heater? The range goes down. How about those heated seats and that heated steering wheel, if you ordered those options? The range goes down.
That’s why I have to shake my head when I hear all of the rosy predictions about the coming Age of Electrification. I see global auto manufacturers dumping hundreds of billions of dollars on electrification, whether forced to by government regulations or in the blue-sky belief that it’s What’s Next, but the realities of this looming transition don’t exactly jibe with these massively aggressive plans. According to a report from the Manhattan Institute by Mark P. Mills, entitled “The New Energy Economy: An Exercise in Magical Thinking” those realities are sobering. In fact, they’re downright ugly. Here are just a few:
· Hydrocarbons supply over 80% of world energy: If all that were in the form of oil, the barrels would line up from Washington, D.C., to Los Angeles, and that entire line would grow by the height of the Washington Monument every week.
· A 100x growth in the number of electric vehicles to 400 million on the roads by 2040 would displace 5% of global oil demand.
· Renewable energy would have to expand 90-fold to replace global hydrocarbons in two decades. It took a half-century for global petroleum production to expand “only” 10-fold.
· Replacing U.S. hydrocarbon-based electric generation over the next 30 years would require a construction program building out the grid at a rate 14-fold greater than any time in history.
· Efficiency increases energy demand: since 1995, energy used per byte is down about 10,000-fold, but global data traffic rose about a million-fold; global electricity used for computing soared.
· Since 1995, total world energy use rose by 50%, an amount equal to adding two entire United States’ worth of demand.
· For security and reliability, an average of two months of national demand for hydrocarbons are in storage at any time. Today, barely two hours of national electricity demand can be stored in all utility-scale batteries plus all batteries in one million electric cars in America.
· Batteries produced annually by the Tesla Gigafactory (the world’s biggest battery factory) can store three minutes worth of annual U.S. electric demand. And, to make enough batteries to store two-day’s worth of U.S. electricity demand would require 1,000 years of production by the Gigafactory.
· Every $1 billion spent on data centers leads to $7 billion in electricity consumed over two decades. Global spending on data centers is more than $100 billion a year—and rising.
· Over a 30-year period, $1 million worth of utility-scale solar or wind produces 40 million and 55 million kWh respectively. $1 million worth of shale well produces enough natural gas to generate 300 million kWh over 30 years.
· It costs less than $0.50 to store a barrel of oil, or its equivalent in natural gas, but it costs $200 to store the equivalent energy of a barrel of oil in batteries.
· Over 90% of America’s electricity, and 99% of the power used in transportation, comes from sources that can easily supply energy to the economy any time the market demands it.
· Politicians and pundits like to invoke “moonshot” language. But transforming the energy economy is not like putting a few people on the moon a few times. It is like putting all of humanity on the moon—permanently.
· The common cliché: an energy tech disruption will echo the digital tech disruption. But information-producing machines and energy-producing machines involve profoundly different physics; the cliché is sillier than comparing apples to bowling balls.
· If solar power scaled like computer-tech, a single postage-stamp-size solar array would power the Empire State Building. That only happens in comic books.
· If batteries scaled like digital tech, a battery the size of a book, costing three cents, could power a jetliner to Asia. That only happens in comic books.
· If combustion engines scaled like computers, a car engine would shrink to the size of an ant and produce a thousand-fold more horsepower; actual ant-sized engines produce 100,000 times less power.
· About 60 pounds of batteries are needed to store the energy equivalent of one pound of hydrocarbons. At least 100 pounds of materials are mined, moved and processed for every pound of battery fabricated.
· Storing the energy equivalent of one barrel of oil, which weighs 300 pounds, requires 20,000 pounds of Tesla batteries ($200,000 worth).
· Carrying the energy equivalent of the aviation fuel used by an aircraft flying to Asia would require $60 million worth of Tesla-type batteries weighing five times more than that aircraft.
· It takes the energy-equivalent of 100 barrels of oil to fabricate a quantity of batteries that can store the energy equivalent of a single barrel of oil.
· A battery-centric grid and car world means mining gigatons more of the earth to access lithium, copper, nickel, graphite, rare earths, cobalt, etc.—and using millions of tons of oil and coal both in mining and to fabricate metals and concrete. And in case you’re wondering, China dominates global battery production with its grid 70% coal-fueled. EVs using Chinese batteries will create more carbon-dioxide than saved by replacing oil-burning engines.
Sobering realities indeed.
I am all for a visionary future (hell, I love thinking about flying cars as much as the next person). And I love the chances being taken and the ongoing explorations that are pushing the envelope of our transportation future. It’s part of the American fabric to dream big and imagine what could be, and I am all for it. And I am quite certain that discoveries and great leaps forward will be made to make batteries much more efficient and cheaper too. But I am also quite certain that the predominant form of vehicle power for oh, at least the next 25 years or so, will come from Internal Combustion Engines. (I can sometimes see myself with a fully-electric car as my principal vehicle for around town, but I would have to have an ICE-powered vehicle, too, preferably with rear-wheel-drive and a V8. That’s just…reality.)
What does this mean for these manufacturers going all-in on electrification (yeah, that means you, VW Group)? Let’s just call it for what it is: The biggest bet in automotive history. It’s also the biggest marketing challenge in automotive history as well, because creating demand on a massive scale for vehicles that people don’t even know that they want will be a monumental task.
And let’s remember one big thing - this isn’t Hollywood. And just because a company builds them doesn’t mean that people will come and buy them.
AMERICA WIDE OPEN.
Editor's Note: After several weeks of big issues (our 20th Anniversary, the Brand Image Meter and the 1000th issue of AE), Peter is taking a partial breather this week. (He has updated "On The Table," "Fumes," and "The Line.") So we're re-running his column from a year ago, one that resonates even more this year. -WG
Detroit. Since this week’s issue falls on Independence Day, I thought it might be appropriate to take a time out and think about this country of ours and what it means to be free. If you’re so inclined, you should take the time and read the Declaration of Independence, because it is a most remarkable document with uncomfortable parallels to where we, as a country, find ourselves today.
It’s quite obvious that too many of us have lulled ourselves into taking for granted what it means to be really free, and it’s not hard to see why. Our most solemn national remembrances are now distilled down to days on the calendar for retail sales events, as if all of the sacrifices of the millions of men and women who came before us are mere backdrops for a deal on a couch.
That this is unsettling for a lot of people across the country is no secret, but it seems that any efforts to quell the commercialism surrounding Memorial Day, Independence Day and Veteran’s Day are dismissed as being inconsequential and unwanted.
No, I am not throwing ice water on what now passes for tradition in this country when it comes to Independence Day - the backyard barbecues, family get-togethers and fireworks, but it concerns me that a large faction of this country goes about making plans for “the 4th” completely and conveniently ignoring what it all means.
So, let this be the slightest of reminders, that you might pause at least momentarily to think about what Independence Day really means.
Let’s start with independence of thought. In a country that was founded on the fundamental principles of freedom, I can’t think of a more essential privilege of living here than the freedom to intellectually explore without the threat of reprisal. Yes, this one essential ingredient causes this country myriad problems at times, but it’s who we are and it’s what we do.
Then there’s independence of beliefs. Whether it be political or religious beliefs, we have rights in this nation that other people in the world can only dream about. People still want to come here based on these two factors alone, just as the original settlers of this land did.
An independence to roam. Now, I know this is a quality of living here that most people have all but forgotten, but we live in a vast country that’s as distinctive as the multiple geographies that define it. And we’ve been free to roam and wander and take it all in for so long that we find it hard to believe that places still exist in the world where you simply can’t do that. Dismiss this fundamental freedom of mobility at your peril, because it’s essential to the American experience.
Things may feel a little grim right now, but I don’t believe for a moment that we, together, can’t rise above the current rancor and savor the independence we all enjoy every single day. And it’s important to remember too that it is our unending privilege to honor those that came before us because we are reveling in the fruits of their sacrifices.
I could go on, but I will leave the rest of this to your own thoughts. Think about the big things and the little things that surprise you and at times astound you about living here. We are so very fortunate to be able to call America our home, because it’s a 24/7 experience that’s simply a wonder to behold.
It’s America Wide Open, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
THE ESSENCE OF DRIVING WILL SURVIVE.
Detroit. As the global auto industry goes head-first into electrification and autonomous vehicle development, the concern has been growing among enthusiasts and people who just like the act of driving as in, what’s in it for us?
We are being inundated with press release after press release regurgitating the details about the latest autonomous development, and I have to admit that it’s leaving me stone cold. Yes, well off into the future I can see limited usage for AVs, but for most people who grew up with the desire to drive, and the accumulated experiences and adventures – not to mention the individual freedom of mobility – that came from hitting the road, blind fealty to the notion of AVs is about as compelling as leftover oatmeal.
Yes, of course, I appreciate the technology, and I can see that handing over the control of a vehicle in certain situations – abominable traffic congestion, chaotic city driving, I-80 in Nebraska, etc. – might be the most expedient course of action. But just checking out and becoming totally removed from the act of driving? I’m not interested, and I am quite certain that there are plenty of people out there who feel the same way.
So, I am encouraged by the news coming from BMW this week, because this company is recognizing the fact that there will be plenty of situations in the future where people will want to experience the act of driving for themselves, and it intends on building vehicles that will accommodate that notion.
BMW announced that in the future, its drivers will be able to choose whether they wish to be driven or do the driving themselves. According to BMW PR minions: “With the BMW Vision M NEXT, the BMW Group is revealing its take on how driving pleasure might look in future for those who enjoy taking the wheel themselves. It offers a foretaste of the BMW M brand’s electrified future by placing the focus squarely on the actively engaged driver. Intelligent technologies on board provide comprehensive yet carefully targeted assistance to turn them into the ultimate driver.”
(Images of the BMW Vision M Next from BMW)
According to BMW, “EASE” encompasses all the experiences during a journey when the vehicle assumes the task of driving. “Here, the vehicle is transformed into a living space on four wheels, where the passengers can feel safe and secure. From rest and relaxation, via talking, interacting and enjoying in-car entertainment, all the way to maximum concentration – the experiences on offer with the EASE concept are as varied as the occupants’ needs.”
“BOOST,” on the other hand, stands for the ultimate active driving experience. “The BMW Vision M NEXT provides a glimpse into the future of sporty driving,” says Adrian van Hooydonk, Senior Vice President BMW Group Design. “Where the BMW Vision iNEXT illustrated how autonomous driving is set to transform life on board our vehicles, the BMW Vision M NEXT demonstrates how state-of-the-art technology can also make the experience of driving yourself purer and more emotionally engaging. In both models, the focus is firmly on the people inside. Design and technology make the ‘EASE’ and ‘BOOST’ experiences more natural and more intense.”
The BMW Vision M NEXT concept features a Power PHEV drive system offering the choice between electric all-wheel drive and pure rear-wheel drive, with either all-electric propulsion or the power of a turbocharged four-cylinder ICE. System output of 441 kW (600HP) produces a top speed of 186 mph (300 km/h) and enables the BMW Vision M NEXT to sprint from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just three seconds. There is also a BOOST+ mode that puts extra power on tap at the push of a button. The maximum range when driving in all-electric mode is 100 km (62 miles). This allows the BMW Vision M NEXT to also be suitable for use in city centers where zero-emissions zones may come into force in the future.
That BMW is on to something here is worth noting. It is staunchly reinforcing its fundamental raison d’etre by emphasizing the driver and the act of driving. I would be thoroughly disappointed if BMW – of all automotive brands – decided to do anything else, even though they have been lost in the woods on more than one occasion of late.
But make no mistake, the other premium luxury-performance players on the automotive scene will offer something much like what BMW is promising. Because in the future, when it comes to mobility - which will be parsed into a million little subsets - brand image wrangling will take on an even more crucial importance.
Consider Porsche, for instance. That Porsche is working on the exact same philosophy as BMW for its future vehicles is no surprise. Why? Because without the pure and emotional essence of driving, why bother shelling out serious dough-re-mi for a Porsche? There will be no reason to, unless, of course, Porsche continues to offer the kind of driving experience Porsche has become known for.
And the same goes for Ferrari. That you will be able to enter a city center in full-electric mode will be a given, and then when you exit the city you will be able to engage the full thrust of the Ferrari driving experience. And you can bet that Aston Martin, Bentley, Cadillac (V-Series), Corvette, Jaguar, Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, etc., etc., will all do the same.
Going forward, two things will differentiate the luxury-performance players from the mere commodity cars: Design and Performance.
Design will continue to be the Ultimate Initial Product Differentiator of course, but the luxury-performance brands that adhere to their missions by emphasizing the pure essence of driving will enjoy the most success.
HUMMER REDUX.
Autoextremist by Editor - 1M ago
Detroit. The news that GM is investigating bringing the Hummer back, only this time with all-electric power, has been ricocheting around the Internet today ever since David Welch’s story about it first appeared on Bloomberg this morning.
I always considered the demise of Hummer to be one of the real tragedies due to the GM bankruptcy. (Well, that and Pontiac, which I had the distinct pleasure of working on early in my ad career, but that’s a subject for another column, or three.) People may only remember the political incorrectness of the Hummer image at the end of its life, because piling on the brand was all the rage back then, but the Hummer had rocketed on the scene and in short order established itself as the ultimate off-road vehicle. In fact, Hummer had made serious inroads into challenging Jeep’s image with a series of imposing products and exceptional – and memorable –marketing (my favorite from back then was the “Happy Jack” TV spot). And Hummer design clearly influenced Jeep designers long after the Hummer was shelved. (You only have to look at today’s Jeeps to see the lingering influence of Hummer.) In fact, momentum for Hummer was about to accelerate, as the brand was poised to unleash a hot, new, smaller product entry that would have really made its mark in the market.
The Hummer HX Concept, which I had the pleasure of seeing at GM Design even before it appeared at the auto shows (images below), was one of the most intriguing concepts – in any segment – that I had seen up until that point. A young group of talented designers at GM Design were given the design brief, and the result was the HX concept – it was whispered to be called the H4 if it had been produced – a machine that bristled with creativity and interesting features that still resonate to this day. And even though the concept was equipped with a V6, it was no secret that the base model would have a 4-cylinder, and a turbo-Diesel was part of the product plan too.
I strongly believe that the HX/H4 would have launched Hummer into an entirely new dimension, and it had “hit” written all over it. But then the economy blew up in the Great Recession, and for the Washington overlords assigned to “fixing” GM, jettisoning the “gas-guzzling” Hummer brand was an easy call.
But now, the fact that Mary Barra and Mark Reuss are seriously investigating bringing the Hummer brand back – in all-electric form – is really encouraging news. It’s ballsy and bold and suggests that good things – and thinking – are happening at GM at this very minute. It also underscores the internal push to electrification going on at GM right now. Mary Barra has openly stated that GM is building toward an “all-electric future,” but I don’t think people realize what that actually means, or how all-encompassing this new product push will be. GM is hard at work developing BEVs for every segment it currently competes in. Think about that fact for a moment. Yes, the transition from ICE vehicles will take time (and ICEs will still be available for years and years to come), but by 2025 we will see a significant BEV presence on our roads, and GM plans on leading the way with a full range of available BEVs, including, as rumors suggest, the return of Hummer.
Okay, it’s time to pour a giant bucket of realistic on the proceedings here, because the likelihood of seeing an all-electric Hummer on the streets and byways of America anytime soon is pretty much a nonstarter. I am guessing five years from right now is a realistic expectation for the Hummer product cadence to begin, but even so I believe the future for this resuscitated brand is definitely on an upward trajectory.
Brands come and go in this business. Some are jettisoned to the dustheap of automotive history never to return, while others are brought back to have another moment in the sun. That the Hummer brand was cut short due to the bankruptcy (and the hordes of pitchfork-wielding, politically correct zealots who wanted it to die) has been well-documented.
But Hummer was never just an ordinary brand that would go away quietly, or for good, for that matter. There were plenty of True Believers – both inside and outside of GM – who believed in the efficacy of the Hummer brand and considered its carefully crafted premise as the ultimate off-road vehicle to have barely scratched the surface and that there was much more to come. That GM is now considering bringing it back, with none of the lingering negatives previously associated with it, is indeed impressive.
The possibilities for visual and engineering creativity with a BEV Hummer should be exciting to contemplate in the coming years.
(GM Images)
BATTING 1000.
Detroit. After celebrating the 20th Anniversary of Autoextremist.com three weeks ago, this week marks another milestone for this publication – our 1000th issue. That’s quite a number and quite an achievement by any stretch of the imagination, and needless to say, we’re very proud to still be bringing AE to you every week.
As I’ve said repeatedly, this business is a swirling maelstrom, a kaleidoscope of the good, the bad and the ugly punctuated by fleeting moments of brilliance by the True Believers of all stripes. And this week is no different.
First of all, how crazy is the FCA saga getting? When the merger between FCA and Renault – you know, the one that everyone was so certain of – blew up after FCA Chairman John Elkann walked away from the deal, the hand-wringing was only just beginning. There are so many more dimensions to the story that it’s dizzying. There’s Renault, but then there’s the French government too. Those two players alone are enough to give any notion of a merger a stiff headache. And then there’s Nissan, whose nose seems to be permanently out of joint because, in the parlance of Rodney Dangerfield, they just can’t get no respect.
Now there are rumors of the talks being revived, with Nissan wanting a much larger cut of the action. One thing that hasn’t changed in all of this is that the clock is ticking on FCA. Beyond Jeep, Ram Trucks and its muscle/police cars the company is clearly not positioned for the future because it is woefully lacking in advanced technology. And the whole idea of merging with another automotive partner is designed to fix that.
Make no mistake, I believe a deal will be made, simply because FCA has no other choices – or interested partners – and time is running out. Any merger with any company will be fraught with problems and unforeseen challenges, and the sooner FCA can get a deal and set about figuring things out with its new partners, the better off it will be. That’s not to say things will go swimmingly well, because they rarely do with heavyweight corporate egos in play. But at this point FCA has no choice; the company must make a deal for its long-term survival.
But as if that weren’t enough, in the midst of all of this angst one of FCA’s top executives has thrown a giant wrench into the works. U.S. sales chief Reid Bigland filed a whistleblower lawsuit against FCA on June 5, suggesting that other top FCA executives were trying to make Bigland the scapegoat for its fraudulent sales reporting practices that embarrassed the automaker – and Sergio Marchionne – two years ago. FCA has withheld 90 percent of Bigland’s pay, according to the lawsuit, and deferred his 2018 annual bonus and stock share dispersal indefinitely in retaliation for cooperating with a U.S. Securities and Exchange investigation into FCA’s sales reporting shenanigans. That this dovetails with the usual chaos – which is standard operating procedure – out in Auburn Hills can’t be disputed, but even this is cause for alarm to the outside investor community. And one more reason that FCA needs a deal, even if it’s just to keep the Bigland lawsuit off of the news cycle for a while longer.
Oh, but that isn’t all of the bad news for FCA. As I suggested last week in my Brand Image Meter column, the writing is on the wall for the demise of the Fiat brand in the U.S. market. You remember Fiat, don’t you? The brand that The Great Sergio promised would set the table for dealers to accumulate vast riches, because it would lead to 75,000 in annual sales by 2013? Well, it seems that Fiat sales peaked at a little more than 46,000 five years ago, and at its present sales rate Fiat will be lucky to sell 10,000 vehicles this year. Or, if you’re counting, that is one-tenth of 1 percent of the U.S. market. The outcome of the Fiat sales adventure in the U.S. wasn’t a surprise to me in the least, but I do feel sorry for the dealers who were unlucky enough to buy into Marchionne’s pitch, hook, line and sinker. They’re crying the blues right now and lamenting the fact that they collectively lost a ton of money on Fiat. It sucks to be them, in fact.
As I said in the beginning of this column, there are fleeting moments of brilliance that punctuate the gathering darkness. And it appears that the True Believers at Toyota are about to unload some serious mojo on the efficacy of BEVs.
Lost in FCA’s non-merger news last week was the fact that Toyota is not only moving its corporate BEV strategy up five years, it announced that it is planning to unveil a solid-state battery before the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2020. Even casual observers of the electrification push that is happening around the world know that the weakest link of current BEVs are, in fact, the limitations of the battery technology. And the development of solid-state batteries would be a game changer. Why? Because they’re more powerful, safer and most important, lighter. This is serious breakthrough stuff, folks, and it may just be the jump start that the dawn of the BEV era needs.
It’s no secret that much of this industry remains consumed by controversy, conjecture, hand-wringing, bad decisions, rote behavior and the prevailing sense that the good times are about to end with a thud so, in effect, nothing really changes, right? This week would suggest that indeed, nothing ever really changes in this business.
But at the same time, when I hear of promising developments like the solid-state battery from Toyota, something that would transform the promise of mass electrification into a viable reality, well, I am happy to retain at least a shred of optimism.
And that’s the High-Octane Truth for this 1000th issue of Autoextremist.com.
THE AUTOEXTREMIST BRAND IMAGE METER VIII: THE THROW ME A FRICKIN’ BONE EDITION.
Detroit. Yes, it’s that time of year again, when Brand Wranglers throughout the Autoverse quake in their bespoke marketing boots dreading our annual Brand Image Meter ratings. I imagine that it’s like waiting for a root canal appointment: You know it’s coming but there’s not a damn thing you can do about it. As for the weasels and wankers who are riding a perpetually weak brand hand – you know who you are – it must be a particularly Bad Day. Ah well, who said life in the auto biz was going to be all bunny rabbits and rainbows, right?
But before we get started, I have been inundated by requests for my take on the potential FCA-Renault merger. As I said last week in “On the Table,” does FCA need a merger? Absolutely. It can’t subsist on Jeeps, Ram trucks and hot rods alone. Don’t think so? Jeep sales are already softening because of FCA’s relentless greed. The Jeep option list – which is an homage to Porsche marketers, the OGs of Greed – creatively gouges customers in the interest of considerable short-term profits, but long-term that pricing strategy will hurt the company. In fact, it already has. And sure, Ram trucks are hot and the muscle-flexing hot rods and police cars keep getting churned out, but beyond that, what?
While FCA has been basking in profits, the company is nowhere with advanced technology. As in, they got nothin’. So, in order to survive, some sort of merger or sellout was always in the offing. Let’s not forget the fact that Sergio was consumed with bamboozling another car company into making a deal with him. GM wouldn’t bite, and VW would only consider it on its terms, which didn’t interest the G.O.A.T. at all. But suffice to say, Sergio knew that FCA couldn’t survive long term in its present state.
But Renault? What sort of fresh Hell is this? Add the perpetual losers at Nissan and throw Mitsubishi into the mix, and you have a bouillabaisse of Not Good. I have read all of the gleeful hand-wringing about this deal, and I must say that most of it starts from the conceit that this deal is a done deal. Why that take is even out there, given the players involved, is beyond me. There are so many variables going into this deal that any shred of optimism should be tabled as soon as possible.
Yes, of course Nissan is crowing “What, us worry?” about the deal, seeing no problem whatsoever, but then again, what do you expect that company to say? After all, it is literally and figuratively on the ropes and completely out of ideas, so a merger sounds just wonderful to them. (Although everyone seems to be saying that Nissan has the technological component that will make the deal strong. Really? We’ll see about that.) And, Mitsubishi? It will go along for the ride too. But Renault has myriad problems that seem to be unending, and any cost slashing promised with this deal remains dubious.
So, the idea that this merger will be a walk in the park is naïve at best, especially given the players involved. There are just too many egos, too many loose ends and too many flies in the ointment to say the least. As I said last week, this is a giant “we’ll see” and let’s leave it at that.
Back to the subject at hand. There’s a reason our Brand Image Meter issue is one of our most-anticipated and widely read columns of the year. Brand image wrangling is the mystery science that brings out the best – and worst – in auto executives, with some being naturally savvy stewards of their brands, while others stumble around lost in the desert, achieving only fleeting success. The rest? Well, to say they well and truly suck at it is being kind.
If we were a certain kind of publication, our Brand Image awards would come complete with glittery trophies and massive publicity campaigns attached, and we would be Ka-Chinging a happy tune as auto companies advertised their success to the world, with the Autoextremist brand logo prominently displayed in those ads. But we’re not slimy purveyors of vacuous marketing streams, thank goodness. We are, however, confident in the knowledge that the AE Brand Image Meter column is in the top three in unique visitors and page views each and every year that we have presented it, garnishing loads of buzz and in some cases, voluminous and pitiful “woe is me” and "we're screwed" hand-wringing in executive suites throughout the industry. And beginning our 21st year of publication, that’s not about to change.
As I said when we first introduced our Brand Image Meter seven years ago, when it comes to the power of brands and the inescapable importance of brand image: “It’s the one thing that car companies – both good and bad – cannot escape. How a brand is perceived can make or break a car company, regardless of how long and illustrious a run that brand has enjoyed up until any given point in time, because one false move or one discordant note can be crippling in a matter of months.”
Not surprisingly, none of that has changed, and image wrangling is now the Number 1 priority in this business. Why? The democratization of technology and luxury has allowed auto manufacturers the world over to have access to the crucial ingredients that make automobiles desirable. And with supplier expertise greater than ever, any car company can dial up a witch’s brew of ingredients to compete in almost any segment they set their sights on. But does having the right cocktail of ingredients mean that success will be guaranteed? Not a chance, because the expertise of the rest of the organization in terms of design, engineering and product development comes into play. And even if the entire package is indeed thoroughly executed to the highest standards, the last and most meaningful ingredient – brand image – has to be there in order for the effort to come together.
Sounds easy enough, doesn’t it? Dial in brand image and everything will be good, right? Yes, but it is just not that easy. Far from it, in fact. This business is littered with strategic missteps, ham-fisted executions, an endless stream of miscalculations and that ever-present danger – rampant cluelessness – that can serve to impede a brand image from resonating in the market. Get it right and a manufacturer can live to fight another day. Nail it perfectly and a company may be able to build sustained momentum for a brand for years to come. Get it wrong and it will guarantee a life of misery for a brand as it flounders and sputters in the market.
Winning car companies understand that expert brand image wrangling can make or break their efforts. Having outstanding products is a fundamental requirement, of course, but knowing how to present those products and being able to expertly nurture a brand’s image completes the equation. And less-than-winning car companies, or car companies only intermittently able to be on their games for whatever the reasons (infighting, lack of talent, abject stupidity or all of the above), pay for their mistakes exponentially, compounding their troubles with each misstep.
Some of the people toiling away in this brand image wrangling pursuit are actually qualified and bring a certain sense of gravitas to the proceedings, but those executives are admittedly few and far between. Others are unfortunately assigned to the marketing function as part of a woefully misguided corporate effort to “round” executives’ experience resulting in ill-equipped operatives who stumble along, wreaking havoc on everything and everyone in their path while attempting to learn the business of marketing by “feel,” which translates into making a bumbling mess of things over the duration of their assignment.
That companies persist in this folly instead of recruiting and nurturing marketing talent remains one of the unsolved mysteries of this business. And unfortunately, the rest, of course, are flat-out poseurs who inevitably turn up lost in the marketing desert in search of a clue. That there is such a wide range of talent in the auto marketing ranks is no surprise, because it’s indicative of the general reality for the business as a whole. But this gaping disparity between a few star performers and the rest in the automotive marketing arena can have a devastating effect on a brand’s image, as you’ll see below.
Yes, some of the brands I’ll talk about today are blessed with auto marketers who actually get it and who know what their brands stand for (and almost more important, what they’re not), and the understanding that sometimes it’s better not to screw things up rather than set the world afire with their “I’m a genius, just ask me” brilliance. Other brands suffer the consequences of marketers who careen around throwing ideas and executions up against the wall to see what sticks, and their respective brand images pay dearly for it.
In this column I grade automotive brands on their fundamental raison d’etre, and of course, in turn, the people responsible for shaping what those brands stand for are directly or indirectly graded too. And believe me, no matter where these marketers fall on the competence spectrum, many of them believe that they’ve got it goin’ on, even though that isn’t even remotely the case.
Automotive marketing is a very big deal. And expert brand image wrangling is a crucial part of making all of the effort to design and engineer great products worthwhile. Billions of dollars are spent on brand image wrangling by the auto companies each and every year. Why? Because having the “right” brand image is absolutely essential for market success. As you’ll see in my following commentary when a company does it well, it shows, but if a company misses even by a little, it can be very costly. And if a company’s marketers screw up, the effects can not only be devastating, they can linger for years.
Executives at the underperforming car companies get into trouble because they actually start to think that they’re selling something they’re not, which leads them to deluding themselves into thinking that their products are something other than what they are. In other words, an incurable case of brand delusion.
And when the people running the company don’t know how and why the brand earned its chops to begin with and are confused as to what their brand stands for now, how can they possibly guide it properly? The painfully short answer? They can’t. And even worse, they allow the wrong products to creep into their portfolios, which ultimately will lead to a corrosive level of brand dilution.
Add to all of this the sobering fact that with the onslaught of electrification, some of these brands are going to suffer greatly. There’s no soul in BEVs to begin with, and subtract the distinctive sounds associated with some of these brands, especially the luxury brands, and you have a recipe for disaster. Generally, every brand should be on alert because of electrification, and the chances it could all go bad for some of them is very real.
On that jarring note, the difference between getting things right and getting them horribly wrong when it comes to this brand image wrangling business is the finest of lines. But then again people are paid very well to do these jobs, so it’s okay to expect them to know what they’re doing, even though some clearly don’t.
So, who is on their game right now when it comes to this business of brand image wrangling? And who doesn’t even have a glimpse of a clue? Who deserves a bone or two, and who will go to bed without a treat? Let’s do it, shall we?
Acura. You could ask the following question of every brand in this column: What is _____ and why does it exist? In Acura’s case, does it represent the best of Honda? As someone who remembers the cool Acuras, like the high-revving Integras and such, I want it to be, but is it really? No. Sure, the NSX seems to check all of the right boxes, but what does it have to do with the rest of the lineup? Not much, it turns out. Acura continues to operate on the fringes of the top-tier luxury-performance segment, and it remains an enigma. Its naming regimen – or lack thereof – isn’t helping. Will this ever really change? I seriously doubt it. The honchos at Acura seem to think that they’re on the right track there. They’re not of course, but unless and until they realize it, it’s more alphabet soup from Acura. And this situation may be enough for the overlords at Honda, but if I was associated with marketing Acura it wouldn’t be enough for me. Are Acura vehicles good? Yes, but you just feel that the brand is perpetually running in place, while lacking in overall juice.
Alfa Romeo. Yes, I really like my Stelvio, and I appreciate the fact that Alfa Romeo is officially the “march to a different drummer” Italian brand, but the painful reality is that Alfa Romeo is a niche brand that will always operate on the far edges of the automotive enthusiast spectrum. I used to think – albeit briefly – that this would be enough for the brand to survive here, but does Alfa Romeo really have a long-term chance in this market? I am beyond skeptical of that now. And if there is a merger between FCA and Renault, I have even less confidence that the brand will survive here.
Aston Martin. If you go by the press releases alone, Aston Martin seems to have to goin’ on. They’re churning out limited editions and special editions, working on their luxury SUV – the DBX – and working on a hypercar for the handful of people who would even entertain the thought of owning one. But is that enough? Fortunately for Aston Martin, the brand isn’t for everybody, and in the nose-bleed segment it operates in, the brand still has an image of speed, power and drop-dead gorgeous design. But will that continue as the brand makes the now-obligatory foray into BEVs? That is highly questionable. But in the meantime, as long as Aston Martin continues to build some of the most stunningly beautiful cars on the road, machines that unquestionably live up to the legacy of the brand, it will be fine.
Audi. Audi was chugging along, increasing sales month after month and year after year, and then wham, the bottom fell out. For reasons that still make no sense, despite Audi’s endless explanations, the lack of availability of its highest volume vehicle in this market – the Q3 – has devastated the brand. Dealers are rightly pissed off, but even more important, Audi intenders are wandering away from the brand because the new Q3 won’t be available in any quantity until fall. This should be a painful lesson for all manufacturers, because just when a car company’s operatives think that things are good and that it looks like it will continue indefinitely, the proverbial shit hits the fan. Audi has worked hard to ascend to the top tier of mainstream luxury brands here in the U.S. along with BMW, Lexus and Mercedes-Benz. But this episode has opened a very large can of worms for the brand. Upon closer inspection, it’s not only the lack of availability of the Q3, it’s the fact that Audi prices are just too damn high. When it was a happening brand it could get away with its own version of the classic German automotive arrogance, but now? Not anymore. Add to all of this the fact that the new Audi e-tron BEV SUV isn’t exactly – ahem – flying off the showroom floor, and Audi isn’t just a brand in flux, it’s in serious trouble. I am confident that the Marketing Meisters at Audi will still take themselves much too seriously and allow their “holier than thou” attitude to dominate the advertising, which results in smarmy and annoying work. But that isn’t going to do much to alter the perception of Audi right now. It’s no longer a happening brand, even though Audi operatives refuse to admit it. No bones for you, Audi.
Bentley. Okay, to me the Bentayga SUV is a giant waste of time and money, but this just in: Bentley can’t make enough of ‘em. Is the Bentley brand intact even after its foray into giant SUVs? Sort of. In fact, some would argue that the brand has been made even stronger. Not me. Bentley is teetering on becoming just another car company, and whether it can survive this latest chapter remains to be seen. I would still take a Continental GT V8, thank you very much, but if I see one more Bentayga on the road I am going to puke. Bentley’s raison d’etre is being seriously challenged here; the company just doesn’t know it yet.
BMW. The ubiquitous German brand, which once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away created its destiny with the funky little 2002, has shockingly become the Chevy of German luxury brands, the result of leadership teams over the years pushing the brand into every segment – both real and imagined – that seemed to make sense. This quest to be in every garage in every well-heeled community in America has delivered vast profits for the propeller brigade, but it has gutted its brand integrity. Yes, they still crank out “M” versions to remind everyone of what they used to be, but they’re not fooling anyone anymore. BMW is just another car company cranking out SUVs and Crossovers because, well, that’s what it is now and that’s what this business has become. Add to that the brand’s constantly increasing prices, and you have a giant wiener schnitzel of Not Good. BMW’s brand image is lost in a choking haze of profitability over integrity, and there’s no point wishing that somehow this will change, because whatever BMW’s brand image once was, it’s not coming back.
Buick. A fully engaged SUV and Crossover company now, Buick is even adding a slightly bigger Encore to the mix – the Encore GX – because, well, they sell so many Encores that another one can’t hurt, right? (It kind of reminds me of the Halcyon days of Oldsmobile when if one Cutlass was good, six of them would be even better.) The Encore has been so successful that it has basically saved Buick in this market. In fact, GM’s upper management actually believes that Buick has it goin’ on based solely on the sales performance of the Encore. What does it all mean? You can forget about all of those visually arresting Buick concepts from the last few years, because Buick is all-SUVs-and-Crossovers-all-the-time now. With a brand image as memorable as that old pair of socks that never leaves your sock drawer.
Cadillac. Cadillac just unveiled the new CT4 – the car formerly known as the ATS – and the new CT5, the car formerly known as the CTS. With V-Series versions of both (See “On the Table” -WG). The streamlining of the Cadillac model lineup is logical and a very good thing, with the CT4, CT5 and CT6 on the sedan side of the equation, and the XT4, XT5 and XT6 on the SUV side, along with the Escalade (the next-generation of which is rumored to be a showstopper). The fact that Cadillac is still offering sedans is refreshing, as not everyone out there is craving an SUV, and I believe Cadillac can make hay with that fact. I don’t care for Cadillac’s naming regimen, but they’re committed, apparently. But just a reminder, when it comes to the can’t-mistake-it-for-anything-else street cred worthy of the brand? The Escalade rules. And it’s the only Cadillac with a name. With the Cadillac lineup finally in place, what becomes the most crucial factor in Cadillac’s potential success? You guessed it, marketing. Cadillac marketers have the monumental task of creating that magic I want one for the brand. And that’s beyond making consumers take notice; it’s creating the desire for the brand that has been woefully lacking. Cadillac has a historical legacy unmatched by few automotive brands in the world, yet it doesn’t occupy nearly enough space in the luxury market, which is a giant wreath and crest of Not Good. No bones available. At least not yet.
Chevrolet. I see no reason to alter what I said last year about Chevrolet. No marketers have done less with more than the people charged with nurturing one of the most iconic American brands of all time. Think about that for a moment. These stumblebums have taken a larger-than-life brand that has thrived over the years with some of the most heroic, memorable car advertising campaigns of all time, and turned it into a slick version of marketing “small ball.” Chevrolet’s once-proud image has been reduced to a series of glorified retail spots that insult our intelligence and annoy with equal aplomb. Throw in the insipid “real people” advertising, and it’s a marketing cocktail that absolutely no one is interested in except the so-called “marketers” down at the Silver Silos. But then again, they are absolutely convinced that they have it goin’ on, so it’s to be expected. This just in: They don’t. (I will throw a couple of bones in the direction of the “Tailgates” spot for the Silverado, however, because it is the best spot to come from the brand in a long, long time.) Our resident local media homers regularly tout how wonderful, how smart, how enlightened and how visionary Mary Barra is in a cacophony of the usual blah-blah-blah. That’s all well and good, and at least somewhat deserved, but as long as she continues to ignore the blatant mediocrity on constant display by GM’s so-called marketing troops, Chevrolet will continue to languish in The Land That Time Forgot.
Chrysler. The “C” of the company formerly known as FCA is fading away, but it continues to hang on to the Chrysler Pacifica. That the Pacifica is part of the competitive set of minivans to consider if one is interested in those particular vehicles is still a given. And that’s about it.
Corvette. Once upon a time, the Corvette was the quintessential definition of a “halo” vehicle for Chevrolet. The notion that “there’s a little bit of Corvette in every Chevrolet” was used to great effect back in the day. Not so much today. Despite the fact that the Corvette is one of the best high-performance cars in the world, with an impeccable and accomplished record in racing, GM – and Chevrolet – really doesn’t do much with it. Oh sure, the enthusiast media and enthusiasts in general are well versed in the goodness of the Corvette, but you’d barely notice it exists at GM. That’s about to change, I hope, with the rollout of the eighth-generation mid-engine Corvette that will be introduced to the public in July. This new Corvette will be a milestone machine, one that represents the latest – and very best – thinking of GM’s True Believers. This new Corvette must attract new and younger buyers to the brand in order for it to succeed, and based on all the information I have, there’s no reason why it can’t. But – and this is still a giant “but” – GM marketers will have to get their shit together and not do their usual phone it in approach to marketing this new Corvette. That’s a tall order, and needless to say they can’t afford to screw this up. Despite the many previous GM marketing missteps, the Corvette name and image still shine through, and I expect that it will only be enhanced with the new mid-engine car. In fact, until further notice, the Corvette shares the top tier in our AE Brand Image Meter with five other brands.
Dodge. Muscle cars and cop cars are this brand’s thing. Is that enough to go on? Will Dodge survive the proposed FCA merger with Renault? With now-ancient chassis underpinnings and a ton of cash needed for a..
TWENTY YEARS.
By Peter M. De Lorenzo
Detroit. Twenty years ago, when I became tired of what the ad biz had become, tired of the ass kissers and the other two-bit players who had turned what was once a pretty interesting profession into a vapid wasteland, I knew I had to do something different. I had also grown tired of seeing the auto business – as practiced here in Detroit – sink further into the Abyss of risk-avoidance-driven mediocrity, and watching legions of so-called "executives" make horrendous, piss-poor decisions day after day on behalf of their respective auto companies.
As I watched the carnage unfold around me, I knew that something had to be said by someone who had firsthand knowledge of what was going on – someone who was in the trenches and on the front lines of the ongoing battle.
That someone turned out to be me. And Autoextremist.com became my forum to say it.
As some of you may recall, Autoextremist originally was a concept I had for a new car magazine back in 1986. The print version of Autoextremist was going to target hard-core enthusiasts, while telling it like it is with a distinctive, combative style. It would also be the first enthusiast car publication that wouldn’t accept advertising.
The state of the enthusiast car mags back then was a dismal parade of sameness that left me cold, and I was determined to breathe some life into the genre (and it is different today, how? –WG). But my ad career got in the way, and by the time I looked up it was the late spring of 1999, and I knew that if I didn’t do it then, I’d never do it – so the time was finally right for Autoextremist. The Internet, of course, would replace the print magazine idea, but the essence of my original manifesto written back in 1986 remained unchanged.
And that's how this publication and "The High-Octane Truth" came about, whether people were ready for it or not. A lot has changed about this business over the ensuing years, but as I am continually reminded, a lot hasn’t.
Over the course of the past 20 years, it has been The Best of Times, and it has been The Worst of Times. And it has been a journalistic rocket ride like no other. When we started this publication back on June 1, 1999, there was no real plan other than that I was ready to recount a lifetime of automotive history that began in Detroit’s heyday, combine that with my life’s work in the auto advertising and marketing trenches, and blow the lid off of the status quo in a business that had become petrified and jaded. I was going to tell the real stories and name the real names, and I wasn’t going to hide behind the usual journalistic chestnuts of “deep background” and “off-the-record” sobriquets. I was going to make people accountable in a business in which not being accountable had become a cottage industry.
Back when we started AE the car business as writ large here – this once-glorious, exuberant business that created The Arsenal of Democracy and made up the fabric of American industrial might – had become overrun with bloodsucking parasites and spineless weasels.
This industry that once boasted industrial giants who roamed the earth creating fabulous machines while leaving heroic legacies in their wake had been reduced to a mewling chorus of sycophants making excuses for what couldn’t be done and why “they” – aka Detroit – couldn’t compete, while churning out mind-numbing, rolling monuments to mediocrity that drove millions of consumers away, for good.
Watching Detroit’s collective market share do a pirouette into The Darkness was not so much sobering as it was frightening, and my writings took the fight to these purveyors of boneheaded excuses and feckless mediocrity and changed the conversation forever.
I challenged every single convention and blew the lid off of the excuse-making machines that the car company PR functions had become, and turned this business on its ear, which was, in reality, much harder to do than it sounds now.
But think about the relationship between the press and the auto companies back then. There was no news or opinion of any substance, just rote regurgitation of the auto company press releases with an occasional “tough” question thrown in for good measure. And if it was too “tough” an editor would get “the call” and be taken to the proverbial woodshed by the Chief PR minion because, well, you know, it just wasn’t done. And for their penance the offending scribes would be denied access to a top executive – especially the CEO – which at the time was akin to the death penalty. Without access they wouldn’t be able to distinguish themselves in the swirling maelstrom of predictability that the industry press corps had become. Without access, they were pretty much dead.
But the key differentiator for me was that I didn’t care about access, because I not only knew the Detroit auto executive mindset intimately, inside and out, I had it down cold. I knew what they thought and why they were thinking it. So much so in fact, that on more than one occasion – okay, make that more times than I can even count – I heard comments from top executives that went something like this: “I don’t know who you’re talking to, or where you’re getting your information, but it’s so uncannily accurate that it is scary.”
In fact, it was so disconcerting to the car company PR minions that it struck fear into their very hearts and kept them awake at night. And as they watched their digital clocks tick over with a sickening thud in the middle of the night, the prayers that could be heard in the darkness sounded achingly similar: “I hope he stops. Or starts writing about somebody else. Or gets hit by a truck, whichever comes first, Dear Lord.” But those prayers fell on deaf ears.
I am gratified to say that Autoextremist.com changed the tone and tenor of the media coverage of this business once and for all. Countless imitators and wannabes sprang up and are still springing up to this day. I have had writers attempt to copy my style while brazenly calling it their own, and I’ve even had Internet trolls blatantly steal my copy and post it on their websites thinking no one would notice.
But it didn’t really matter in the end, because the voice – and the impact – of Autoextremist.com rang loud and true and has been powerful for, as hard as it is to believe – 20 years – and the imitators and freeloaders slunk away from under the rocks from whence they came.
I walked away from car advertising because the relationship between the car companies and their ad agencies had become so polluted that it was too embarrassing for words, a sickening dance of egregious malfeasance that was an insult to the craft – on both sides of the ball. What had once been a pretty damn great way to make a living – one filled with bristling creativity and collaborative excellence – had deteriorated into a cesspool of go-along-to-get-along cowardice and “thank you, sir, may I have another?” bullshit. The profoundly inept were leading the spineless order takers, and the resulting chaos masquerading as marketing was devastating.
Is it better now? Well, let’s see, two of the three American car companies went bankrupt ten years ago, with one of those being gifted to a foreign car company because no one else had a better idea about to how to save it. But, let’s get back to the question – is it really better now?
Yes and no. The products are better, make no mistake about that. In fact, we are experiencing the finest machines in automotive history at this very moment in time. And that is no insignificant thing.
But the romance and art that once fueled this business, and the passion and willingness to do great things and strive for excellence that took it to lofty heights, are now confined to the thriving pockets of True Believers spread out among the car companies. These are the people who keep the passion of this business alive and who stay true to their beliefs against overwhelming odds. Because in reality this “new” auto business has been defined by the deal makers and the interloping carpetbaggers hell bent on maximizing their balance sheets while embracing commoditization and globalization. The art of the machine means less than zero to them and has become irrelevant, and the art of this business is dying with it. And it’s sad.
As I’ve said repeatedly, this business isn’t for the faint of heart. And though it seems that there are legions of recalcitrant twerps and two-bit hacks running around out there who add nothing of import to the discussion and who pump up their self-worth for reasons that remain a mystery, the real essence of the business remains unsullied.
When we first contemplated doing Autoextremist, I wrote a manifesto for what it was and what it was not. And I am proud to say it still resonates today.
I began with the premise that designing, engineering and building automobiles is one of the most complicated endeavors on earth. And to do it properly takes vision, creativity and an unwavering passion that makes other pursuits seem positively ordinary. Note that there is nothing in there about doing it just good enough to get by, engineering to the lowest common denominator, covering your ass or any of the other pillars of “standard operating procedure” that once dominated certain quarters of this business and have been, for the most part, purged.
Except that isn’t really true, unfortunately. All the bad old habits are still present and accounted for and then some, and as much as reasoned, logical and eminently bright executives in charge at these auto companies protest otherwise and insist that “we don’t do that stuff anymore,” that kind of bad behavior is just a bad product or marketing decision away from rearing its ugly head, and usually at the most inopportune time too.
From the very beginning we exposed the go-along-to-get-along, kick-the-can-down-the-road hordes on a regular basis, because the damage they cause can bring these companies to their knees in a heartbeat.
A key point in the Autoextremist Manifesto? Mediocrity – in any way, shape or form – isn’t bliss. Instead, it’s an insidious disease that has not only decimated this industry, it has screwed up life as we used to know it too.
At some point this business – and American life – turned down the wrong path. Pushing the envelope, getting knocked down and picking yourself back up and going at it again, battling to the buzzer, and striving for achievement were part and parcel of the upward trajectory of the automobile business – and country – we used to live in. Achieving greatness wasn’t just a goal, it was an expectation to shoot for, because anything less would be, well, ordinary. And even worse, boring.
Today this business has too often given way to an unspoken attitude of just doing enough to get by because when it comes right down to it, judging by the chorus of muttering I hear, doing more begs the question, “Does it really make all that much difference?” Fundamental accountability has been replaced by “It’s not my problem.” And “It’s okay, at least you tried” has become more than just an acceptable phrase, but a mantra that too many people live by. After all, when everyone gets a group hug and a trophy just for showing up, why bother extending effort to do better, or achieve greatness, or strive to be the best?
Why bother, indeed.
The result? Abject mediocrity. And it’s everywhere. It’s in this business and it’s rampant throughout the country. Some people have actually said to me (and with a straight face too), “Get over it, it’s the world we live in today.” But I’m not buying it and it is simply unacceptable to me, which is why I will continue to call people and companies out on it whenever and wherever I see it. It’s not a value-added path for this business, and it’s already proven not to be the answer for the country, either.
The stellar machines of our day – and we are living in the golden age of automotive greatness in case you haven’t noticed – aren’t the product of “it’s good enough.” Instead, these machines bristle with the passion, vision and commitment of the men and women who created them, those “True Believers” that I often write about. If it weren’t for them, this business would be riding on the Last Train to Nowhere, next stop, Oblivion.
To say that Autoextremist.com has been a labor of love doesn’t even begin to cover it. It has been my passion – and my life – for 20 years. And I’m not going to say that the time flew by either, because it hasn’t. I have lived every single moment of it and every bit of it is seared in my memory.
Suffice to say that you have no idea of the time, effort and energy that it has taken to deliver the Bare-Knuckled, Unvarnished, High-Octane Truth to you every week for two decades now. And if you knew, I mean really knew, you would be shocked. It has been an up-at-dawn, pride-swallowing siege – as Jerry McGuire once famously said – that few people can comprehend and even fewer will even begin to understand. (Actually, make that pre-dawn, as Peter starts writing at 3:00 a.m. most days. -WG)
It was our blood on these tracks. And it was our unwavering passion and unflinching standards amidst the torrent of mediocrity and just plain dismal behavior on the Internet that stood out. That’s not just us talking, that is the consistent refrain we hear from upper echelon auto executives, members of the media, and from a countless number of our readers out there, week in and week out.
The fact of the matter is that you can go anywhere and read anything about cars on the Internet, but we’re extremely grateful and proud to say that the best and the brightest came here.
I have been going back and forth for several years now about what would happen on the 20th Anniversary of Autoextremist.com. How I would feel about it, what would it all mean, and most important, how much longer would I do it? How much longer could I do it? And so on.
But the reality is, when faced with the real possibility of pulling the plug on Autoextremist.com, I have come to the conclusion that I am not ready to walk away from it. Yes, I will admit that it is a giant pain in the ass sometimes, because we’ve set a high standard here that isn’t conducive to phoning it in, or going through the motions in any way, thank goodness. And those high standards push me to keep bringing the High-Octane Truth to you every week.
And frankly, the days I have been sick over the last couple of years have helped me sharpen my focus and my thoughts even more and helped me realize that there are no free rides or guarantees in life. I am lucky in that I found something in Autoextremist.com that has kept me motivated and sharp for 20 years. And I truly appreciate the fact that I have it.
We’re very proud of what we achieved here, and extremely thankful for the support, for the kind words and for all of the True Believers we’ve met along the way.
It has been all-encompassing. It has been tough. And it has been, at times, soul-sucking exhausting. But if I had a do-over, I would do it all over again. Because even though it has been a relentless grind, I am very proud to say that we’ve made a difference and we’ve made a lasting impact. We set out to influence the influencers in this business and that is exactly what we did and will continue to do.
It has been one glorious ride.
WordGirl and I thank you for listening and, as always, thanks for reading.
And that’s the High-Octane Truth on our 20th Anniversary.
The Autoextremist. East Lansing, Michigan, March 1976.
Twenty years now
Where’d they go?
I sit and wonder sometimes
Where they’ve gone
- Bob Seger “Like A Rock”
THUNDERHEADS.
Detroit. For all of the creative thinking and instances of intermittent brilliance demonstrated by its talented True Believers, this business is plagued by an oppressive layer of rote thinking and lemminglike behavior that is beyond frustrating and that has routinely wreaked havoc on the proceedings over the decades.
Why, you might ask? Auto companies are obsessed with other auto companies when it comes to product and marketing and just about every other aspect of the business. Part of the reason is that this business is an inveterate gossipy sewing circle that ebbs and flows with the prevailing winds. Model intros, press events and auto shows are chock-full of news that flows through the media and out to the wider audience, which is, first and foremost, made up of the other auto executives and their minions who have an insatiable need for any and all information about their competitors. Throw in the fact that the suppliers are a hotbed of hearsay, and you have a kaleidoscope of rumors, conjecture, hard but inevitably garbled facts, advanced intel that is shockingly accurate (but gets lost in the fact that there’s a thread of disbelief associated with it), and everything else you can imagine swirling around at a furious pace. And thus, it was ever so.
The result of all of this is that eerie and just plain weird occurrences happen all the time. You see it most in design trends that appear and become the look of the moment spread across a wide spectrum of the business overnight. How does this happen, exactly? Especially when designs are created with crushing lead times in top secrecy? One reason is that young design talent is being trained with a new level of discipline and professionalism in this business, which is commendable. But there’s a sameness that develops in that indoctrination too. Similar perspectives, similar training and similar points of view rear their heads eventually. The other reason is that everybody talks in this business, especially designers who get together to shoot the breeze. It’s no wonder that trends and design “signatures” you see in the models developed and offered not only seem so similar, but they somehow arrive at the same time.
It doesn’t end there. Engineering and technical features are another hotbed of a kind of, “if Belchfire Motors is going with it, we’re not going to be left behind” type of behavior. Suppliers play a huge role in this, too, tipping off each other and their competitors alike about the latest gimmicks and come-ons that are on the way. And certainly, the explosion in AV and BEV research and development and the massive spend on new technologies has yielded, not surprisingly, similar pursuits – and results – with only subtle nuances to distinguish them from each other.
And then, of course, marketing isn’t left behind in all of this either. The strategic lingo used, the tone of the advertising, the executions, the national sales event advertising, the eerie similarities are all there right out in the open. And behind the scenes, trend words and industry jargon spread like wildfire because, after all, if you’re not on top of the latest marketing speak, you’re basically nowhere, which is a fate worse than death in this business, especially in the marketing arena. No other pursuit parses consumer information down to the last minutiae more than the auto business. The net result of all of this varies widely, because the genuine success of a marketing campaign ultimately hinges on hitting upon a compelling piece of creative, much to some marketing strategists’ chagrin. (After all, an accepted adage in this business – at least by clients – is that if a marketing campaign is a success, it’s because of the astute strategic thinking on the client’s part. If a campaign fails, however, it’s somehow always the ad agency’s fault.)
You only have the look as far as the new TV commercial for the Chevrolet Silverado called “Tailgates” to see what I mean. It’s more compelling and memorable than any of the launch advertising that was initially created for the new Silverado, and I’d be willing to bet that the idea didn’t originate on the client side, either.
But the largest and certainly most demonstrable lemminglike behavior in this business is model proliferation. It’s loosely based on the philosophy that if a car company utilizes its vehicle architectures efficiently to create more models, then the profits will follow and everyone will look like a hero. Except that it doesn’t really work that way.
The most strident proponents of the model proliferation philosophy are the German luxury auto manufacturers. There’s no question that they’re the OGs of this movement. They exist in a world of their own making that revolves around the credo that if model proliferation is a good thing, then even more model proliferation is an even better thing. The explosion of models from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz started to go off the rails about a decade ago, when they decided en masse to not only attack the SUV market while churning out even more variations of their coupes and sedans, but they then added performance variations to everything, whether they deserved it or not. All of this was fueled, of course, by the fact that the German luxury competitors have spent the better part of the last decade jumping at the slightest whiff of a rumor of a new product from one of their competitors to come up with an answer to that product of their own.
This is about the time we started seeing BMW doing homely “GT” versions of some of their sedans and countless versions of their “X” vehicles. And Mercedes and Audi launching product answers of their own that ended up stepping on each other within their own showrooms to a shocking degree. Do you even remember when BMW was just about the 3, 5, 7 and 8 Series? Or when Mercedes-Benz was about the C-, E- and S-Class? Or Audi was about the A4, A6 and A8? It barely registers on the memory meter now. (Just an FYI, right now BMW offers the following models: X1, X2, X3, X4, X5, X6, X7; 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Z4, M Models, i3 and i8. And that doesn’t even begin to cover the variations of each of those models).
And now, after chasing niche after niche – both real and imagined – the German auto manufacturers have come up for air to realize that they just can’t do it anymore. In the last few months the buzz across this business has been about cutting the number of models offered while reducing complexity. Coming up with all of these niche vehicles is one thing, but supporting them properly with marketing, advertising and dealer training is quite another. It has added costs upon costs, and the whole thing is about to come undone because with all of these companies investing billions in BEVs and other advanced driving technologies, they simply can’t afford to do it anymore. And the aforementioned German manufacturers aren’t alone, either, because Toyota, Honda and VW have launched similar initiatives.
But this is much more than the manufacturers wanting to reduce their own, self-induced internal chaos. It’s about the fact that the confusion for consumers in vehicle showrooms – as well as prices – have been escalating to an untenable level. It’s nice to have options when car shopping, of course, but when variations upon variations are offered – with subtle model differentiations on top of subtle model differentiations added for barely discernible effect – it doesn’t add to consumer confidence by any stretch. In fact, it creates just the opposite, turning off people by making their decisions wildly complicated and needlessly difficult.
To me the end of model proliferation for model proliferation’s sake is a very big deal. It has been such a part of this circus for so long that for the industry to now walk back from it is a measure of just how much the industry is in the throes of definitive change.
We’re not talking about a few wispy clouds in the industry’s coffee these days. No, these churning, 70,000-foot thunderheads are ready to unleash their fury on this business for decades to come.
NISSAN CRATERS.
Detroit. In the aftermath of the Carlos Ghosn rousting, it’s clear that the issues at Nissan run deeper than the fact that the Japanese executives just wanted to rid the company of its aggressively abrasive, megalomaniac of a CEO.
No matter where you come down on the side of the Ghosn situation, he was, after all, a distinguished graduate of Unctuous Prick University and an abusive dictator who lorded over his charges with impunity. But let’s not forget, the so-called Nissan executive management team at the time went along with his outsized demands and relentless goal-setting while approving his expenses because let’s face it, they didn’t have the first clue how to project a better idea or the backbone to do it. Until they apparently decided that they couldn’t put up with his runaway ego one more day.
But leaving that aside – I am not going to list the roster of the Japanese executives at the company who have distinguished themselves with serial incompetence – the fact remains that without Ghosn, Nissan is rumbling, bumbling and stumbling its way to a dark place.
It’s no secret that in many previous columns I have been less than flattering with the way Nissan has gone about its business here. The Nissan product cadence has been a recurring joke and its design executions have been repeatedly cringeworthy, but that’s only the beginning. Its marketing strategy basically revolves around laying massive incentives on the hood and turning out mediocre products to fill its dealer lots so that the “churn and burn” can continue. And when an automobile company conducts business this way it’s inevitable that it will lead to trouble. Needless to say, it has hurt the brand tremendously.
In my Brand Image Meter column last June, I had the following to say about Nissan:
“Nissan marketing is a dismal exercise in futility, and that’s on a good day. So, what is it, exactly? The only rational reason – and I am paraphrasing a hoary adage by H. L. Mencken here – is that no one ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public. As in, mediocrity, when it comes to automobiles, is bliss for most consumers, because at the end of the day too many of them don’t understand the difference and couldn't be bothered to care. Confounding and tragic, but there you have it. And despite Carlos Ghosn’s promises of global dominance, nothing has changed to alter my assessment. (Can’t auto CEOs just be content with doing well without veering into talk about dominating the market? Ha! What was I thinking?) For those who revel in abject mediocrity, Nissan is just the ticket.”
Not exactly a rousing endorsement, but it’s much deserved. Nissan is one of those car companies that has evolved into a Twilight Zone of irrelevancy. The brand’s claim to fame only extends to the fact that it is present and accounted for in the market, and if that’s not enough to dilute its image, the brand takes it one further by jamming rental car fleets and exposing its relentless mediocrity to a wider, dismissive audience.
This just in: This simply isn’t sustainable. And everything I see coming out of Japan is that Nissan executive leadership is in such turmoil that they’re unable to lead their way out of this quagmire, with or without merger partners.
But there’s a Bigger Picture to Nissan’s chaotic situation too. It speaks eloquently as to the basic fragility of this business. Nissan has been able to muddle along for a long time with its “churn-and-burn” strategy, perpetuating its mediocrity year after year to a faction of the consumer public that has reduced expectations when it comes to transportation. But it’s clear that this shallow strategy is running out of steam, and time.
There are no givens in this business and there are fewer guarantees. An auto company can be rolling strong for years to the point that it becomes an assumption – internally and externally – that it will go on forever. But those are dangerous assumptions.
Take Audi for instance. It has been piling up sales records with what looked like an unstoppable momentum. But guess what? Audi is now in the throes of big-time trouble. Its sales have slipped almost nine percent in the first four months of the year, and it’s caused, according to Audi, by a mismanaged product supply to the U.S. due to emissions testing requirements in Europe. Which means its hottest selling Q3 model is out of stock, with the new one not hitting dealerships until late this year. That’s a heaping, steaming bowl of Not Good, because even Audi loyalists are wondering off to competitive brands. Just ask Audi dealers.
But that’s not all that’s going on with Audi, and it is part of the general malaise going on in the market too. As I’ve said repeatedly in the last few months, affordability has become a serious issue. Prices are just too high, and even luxury-oriented buyers are giving pause. And the manufacturers aren’t blameless in this, far from it, in fact. Look at the softening in Jeep sales. I’ve heard all of the excuses, but the fact remains that FCA has gotten seriously greedy with its pricing – particularly with its Jeep options – and people are beginning to get the fact that Jeeps aren’t nearly the value that they once were. Those are self-inflicted wounds that this business has been long famous for, which points to the fact that there’s nothing really new under the sun, especially when it comes to short-term thinking and flat-out greed.
Back to Nissan. If Nissan’s Japanese executives actually believe they can extricate the company from this mess in a short period of time, they are sadly misguided. Because of product cadence, poor product execution and a vacuous marketing strategy, it will take the better part of a decade for Nissan to get back on track. Suffice to say, Nissan’s continued presence in this market is not guaranteed by any stretch.
In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the company is merged or absorbed, because it’s clear that Nissan’s Japanese executives spend most of their time searching for a clue. And in a business that runs on “what have you done for us lately?”, that’s just not going to cut it.
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Looking for information about the Good Food Conference, Sept. 4-6, in San Francisco, CA?CLICK HERE
Why Good Food?
2018 Ranking of Top Universities for Plant-Based and Clean Meat
Looking for information about the Good Food Conference, Sept. 4-6, in San Francisco, CA?
Replacing meat from industrial animal agriculture with plant-based and clean meat will lead to a more healthy, humane, and sustainable global food supply.
To accelerate this transformation of the meat industry toward better means of production, we need the involvement of the academic research community. The Good Food Institute has identified 24 universities worldwide – 12 for plant-based and 12 for clean – that have incredible potential to become leaders in plant-based or clean meat research.
Universities in each list are listed in alphabetical order, not rank order.
Top 12 Global Universities for Plant-Based Meat
Cornell University (US)
Peking University (China)
Pennsylvania State University (US)
Technical University of Munich (Germany)
Texas A&M (US)
University of California, Davis (US)
University of Minnesota (US)
University of Nebraska-Lincoln (US)
University of Queensland (Australia)
University of Tokyo (Japan)
Wageningen University & Research (Netherlands)
Top 12 Global Universities for Clean Meat
Harvard University (US)
KU Leuven (Belgium)
Kyoto University (Japan)
Lund University (Sweden)
National University of Singapore (Singapore)
Purdue University (US)
Seoul National University (South Korea)
Technion Israel Institute of Technology (Israel)
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (US)
University of Leeds (UK)
University of Melbourne (Australia)
University of Wisconsin-Madison (US)
Some of these universities are not yet working in these fields. However, each possesses the relevant technical expertise, research capabilities, and private-sector partnerships that are key to advancing plant-based or clean meat research.
We have seen examples of this already. USDA-funded research at the University of Missouri was key for the plant-based meat company Beyond Meat. Dr. Mark Post’s research at Maastricht University led to the first clean meat burger in 2013, followed by the formation of the clean meat company Mosa Meats. There are many more areas of research to explore!
Interested in transforming the trillion-dollar global meat industry? GFI is currently granting a total of $3 million in funding for plant-based and clean meat research: $2 million for plant-based and $1 million for clean.
Apply for research funding
Check out the following resources for more information on plant-based and clean meat:
Markets & Food Technology Will Save the World, video, TEDx
“Opportunities for applying biomedical production and manufacturing methods to the development of the clean meat industry”, article, Biochemical Engineering Journal
“Is the Future of Meat Animal-Free?” January 2018 cover story, Food Technology, the professional journal of the Institute of Food Technologists (join here)
Clean Meat Industry Mindmap
Plant-Based Meat Industry Mindmaps
Plant-Based Meat at the International Food Technologists Conference
For more information about GFI’s University Rankings, please contact Renee Bell at ReneeB@gfi.org.
For media inquiries, please contact Matt Ball at MattB@gfi.org.
Sign up to stay current on the work of GFI.
Powered by philanthropy, GFI is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, Tax ID 81-0840578
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CV Gordon Smith
Gordon Smith
Honorary Vice Chairman
gordon.smith@citroenwells.co.uk
Gordon is an Honorary Vice President of Geneva Group International having previously served as Chairman of its Accounting Division.Gordon is a consultant with Citroen Wells, Chartered Accountants, having been with the firm for over 42 years, the last eight serving as Senior Partner. He has a wealth of experience in Auditing, Taxation and Consulting services. Gordon retired as a partner in 2007.
Gordon serves as Trustee on a number of Family Trusts as well as National and International Charitable Trusts. Gordon is married to Judy and they have two children and six grandchildren. They have homes in London and Tel Aviv.
Gordon qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1968. On becoming a partner with Citroen Wells in 1974, he specialised in Authors’ contract negotiation, royalty, copyright and cross border issues including Trusts and international taxation. He also focused on Charity and not for profit accounts as well as business disputes, conciliation and Estate planning for high wealth individuals and families.Gordon was appointed a consultant with Citroen Wells on retirement and remains as trustee for a number of family and charity Trusts as well as dealing with international issues for a number of major clients.
Gordon qualified as an Associate of The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ACA) in 1968, obtaining his practicing certificate in 1974. He was made a Fellow of the Institute (FCA) in 1976.
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You are here: Home → News → 2004 01 26 → Article 50639
General News of Monday, 26 January 2004
Source: GNA
TUC Supports Korle-Bu Hospital Endowment fund.
Accra, Jan. 26 GNA - The Trades Union Congress (TUC) of Ghana, on Monday presented a cheque for 50 million cedis to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital Endowment Fund at a ceremony in Accra.
The 500 billion cedis Fund to be realized within five years was set up two years ago to mobilise local resources to provide basic infrastructural development and equipment for the hospital. Mr Kwesi Adu-Amankwah, Secretary General of TUC who presented the Cheque said they were thrilled by the efforts being made by the hospital authorities to mobilise funds locally to undertake their own developmental projects.
He said the presentation was in fulfilment of a pledge made by the TUC at a donor's conference organized by the hospital in 2002. The Secretary General, also commended staff of the hospital for their hard work and selfless dedication to duty. " Korle-Bu has played a unique role in health delivery in Ghana and with regard to the high demand of Ghanaian medical professionals overseas forcing most of them to leave, we should all assist to retain the personnel and sustain the hospital," he said. Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, Chief Executive of the Hospital, who received the Cheque, thanked the TUC for their kind gesture and said it was not common for the TUC to donate to state institutions like Korle-Bu.
He expressed appreciation to Ghanaian workers for donating to the Fund to support Korle-Bu.
He said about one billion cedis had been realized so far for the fund.
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Framing Hanley Guitarists Brandon Wootten and Ryan Belcher Talk New Album, 'The Sum of Who We Are'
Framing Hanley’s new album, The Sum of Who We Are, is an inspired collection of modern alternative rock infused with inescapable pop hooks.
Funded entirely by the band’s loyal fan base via a Kickstarter campaign, the new album also is the band’s boldest artistic statement to date. From the anthemic “Criminal” (Hear it below) to songs like “Twisted Halos," “Crooked Smiles” and “Crash & Burn,” the album takes the listener on a journey of struggle and triumph, weaving those feelings into every track.
Framing Hanley consists of Kenneth Nixon (vocals), Brandon Wootten (guitar), Ryan Belcher (guitar) and Chris Vest (drums).
I recently spoke to guitarists Wootten and Belcher about the new album and more.
GUITAR WORLD: It’s been four years since Framing Hanley released a new album. Why the long wait?
Belcher: It wasn’t something we expected. After our last album came out in 2010, we went through a lineup change and a few other things. But we’ve always been writing, recording and going out on the road. It’s an incredible feeling to now be able to put out an album we’re all proud of after all of this time.
Wootten: The long wait wasn’t the plan. We had a change of label and management, and with that came a little down period. We actually started recording the record in August 2012, but being the perfectionists we are, we kept writing and demoing tracks until we had the best record we could release.
Where did the idea for a Kickstarter campaign originate?
Wootten: While we were sitting idle, we realized we had tons of songs but no way to fund the recordings. So we looked into Kickstarter and fans for help. We have some of the best fans in the world, and the outcome was overwhelming. They really went above and beyond what we ever could have expected.
Why the title The Sum of Who We Are?
Wootten: It really is our lives the past few years. Every bit of it. We put everything we had into this album. It really IS the sum of who we are.
What was the writing/recording process like for this album?
Wootten: This album was a different process than usual for us. For our last album, A Promise to Burn, we had no downtime between touring in support of our debut (The Moment) and recording the new record. We went directly into the studio and started writing and recording. With TSOWWA, we got to record our demos and live with each song before we recorded it. When you record an album, it’s stamped in time forever. When we go back and listen to the previous records, we sometimes talk about how we would have done things differently. It’s a good feeling to know that The Sum of Who We Are is exactly how we wanted it to be.
Can you tell me the origin of the song and lyrics for “Criminal”?
Belcher: Nixon writes most of the lyrics. He draws from personal experiences and from all of us in the band and our lives. Most of our songs have to do with experiences we’ve had or with people who are close to us. They all generally hit close to home.
Wootten: That song’s origin is funny because originally Nixon wrote the chorus about his 4-year-old son’s obsession with Taylor Swift. He would always try to get his son to listen to Foo Fighters or Biffy Clyro or a rock band, but all his son would wanna listen to is Taylor Swift [laughs]. Then, when Nixon wasn’t around his son, he’d find himself listening to Taylor Swift’s Red album while driving alone in his car. So he was basically breaking the “law” he was laying down. Obviously, the song ended up going in a totally different direction, but that was the original inspiration behind those lyrics in the chorus.
When did you first start playing guitar?
Belcher: I have a few musicians in the family and grew up around my grandfather who played guitar. I’ve always had an interest in it but once I turned 13, I started listening to the Misfits, Jimi Hendrix and Metallica and that was it. It started out with me just listening to the radio and learning chords and I slowly taught myself the ground floor of music.
Wootten: I first started playing when I was 8. I remember I could hardly reach around the acoustic guitar my grandmother gave to me. I put it down until I turned 13 and got my first electric guitar. Once I got the electric, I formed my first band and started playing shows. My parents used to have to tell me to put my guitar down and get my homework done. I would even lie in bed late at night when my parents were asleep and just play guitar until I passed out.
What are you looking forward to now that the album is complete?
Belcher: I’m excited to get out and meet people and play this new music for them. It’s also fun to wake up in a different city every day. It’s a good feeling.
Wootten: For the fans that have been around since the beginning, we’re doing some songs we haven’t played live in a long time. We’re also going to be playing a bunch of new material to highlight our more mature sound. I’m really looking forward to it.
For more about Framing Hanley, visit http://framinghanley.com/">framinghanley.com and their Facebook page.
Brandon Wootten
Framing Hanley
Ryan Belcher
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A90 average speed cameras will improve safety
Published: 15 Aug 2017 16:10
Transport Minister meets with key stakeholders
The A90 Average Speed Camera (ASC) system between Dundee and Stonehaven is due to go live in October 2017.
Transport Minister Humza Yousaf met with stakeholders in Montrose to discuss the installation and explain how we expect the scheme will improve road safety.
The construction of the ASC system commenced in May 2017. It will replace the existing fixed and mobile camera enforcement currently taking place on this section of the route. The majority of engineering works are now complete and cameras are now visible along the 51.5 mile stretch of the A90, between Dundee and Stonehaven.
ASCs aim to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured, deter vehicles driving at excessive speeds, improve journey time reliability and reduce offender numbers. The ACS system between Dundee and Stonehaven contains 30 sites in total (15 cameras in either direction) with camera locations 5-7km apart. The system will cost approximately £2m to design, build and install.
Today, Humza Yousaf met with representatives from the North Safety Camera Unit, Tealing Community Council, Forfar Community Council, Stonehaven and District Community Council and the Federation of Small Businesses to discuss progress with the installation and to hear feedback from the local and business communities.
Transport Minister, Humza Yousaf said:
“We know the significant outcomes that average speed cameras can deliver from our experience on the A9 and A77, and we can expect the A90 system between Dundee and Stonehaven to realise a range of improvements, and most importantly fewer people being killed or seriously injured.
“Average speed cameras are about road safety, and these systems have been a proven success. Unfortunately, the A90 consistently features as one of the trunk roads in Scotland with the highest collision statistics. We know that more than three in every five vehicles between Dundee and Stonehaven are speeding with one in five exceeding by over 10mph.
“Eleven people have lost their life on the A90 between Dundee and Stonehaven since 2012. Any death on our roads is one too many, and I look forward to seeing similar results on the A90 as we’ve seen on the A77 and A9 in reducing casualties and improving driver behaviour. With the improved driver behaviour that Average Speed Cameras bring, we will also see a significant reduction in the number of drivers receiving fines and penalties.
“This was a good opportunity to update a range of local stakeholders on the development of this important road safety measure and it is clear there continues to be wide support for average speed cameras in this region.
“The Scottish Government is committed, through Scotland’s Road Safety Framework to 2020, to achieving safer road travel and working towards an ultimate vision of zero fatalities and reducing the number of serious injuries on our roads."
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DANILO WINS HISTORIC VICTORY!
News from the Dominican Republic.
By Reinhard Junghanns
With 61.74 % of the votes cast in favor of Danilo Medina (Party of Dominican Liberation – PLD) against 35.03 % for opposition candidate Luis Abinader (Modern Revolutionary Party – PRM) the incumbent was re-elected and reached the highest percentage of votes ever in a democratic presidential election, even more than the first democratically elected President Juan Bosch who won in 1962. Globalo had previously predicted this result.
The ruling PLD also dominated the congressional elections for the 32 Senate and the 190 Chamber of Deputies seats, and elections to the Central American Parliament (20 seats) which were held at the same time. While the PLD won 27 seats in the Senate, 2 seats went to the PRM and another 2 to its alliance partner the Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC); the regional Institutional Social Democratic Block (BIS) won 1 seat in Ocoa province.
Surprisingly, opposition candidate David Collado (PRM) with 57.28 % of the vote was elected mayor in the National District of the capital, delivering a humiliating defeat to incumbent Roberto Salcedo (PLD) who obtained only 36.45 %. At local level, in total 158 mayors and 1,164 council members were elected in what turned out to be the most conflicted ballot.
Despite procedural confusion and a deficient legal framework international Electoral Observation Missions (EOM) by the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Union of South American States (UNASUR) availed the electoral process and considered it transparent and participatory. Despite of long delays in the opening of voting centers, last minute resignations of more than 3000 technical support staff, inoperability of electronic equipment and, as a consequence, the unavailability of the electronic vote in around 30% of the polling stations, unclear or missing instructions by the Central Election Board (JCE), and evidence of buying of identity cards, observers concluded that the switch from electronic to manual vote during election day narrowly saved the elections.
The Chief of the OAS Mission, former Colombian President Andres Pastrana, recommended to introduce electronic voting on a more gradual basis in accordance with staff capacities, to clearly separate the congressional vote between senators and deputies and to adopt a Law on Political Parties and new rules on party financing in order to remedy the deficient legal framework before the next general elections.
The Presidential Elections
As had widely been expected President Danilo Medina (PLD) won the presidential election by a wide margin (2,653,052 vs. 1,505,358 votes) over the main opposition candidate Luis Abinader (PRM), although with 61.74 % vs. 35.03 % he fell short oft he 30% lead pollsters close to his campaign had predicted. The strong polarization between the two opposed political alliances (PLD-PRD vs. PRM-PRSC) did not leave much space for the other six presidential candidates on the ballot. Clearly, President Danilo Medina with all advantages of incumbency in his favor had emerged as the dominating figure during the campaign. As the frontrunner he represented a party which during the past twelve years has firmly entrenched itself in all institutions of the State and is well established in all strata of society. While Abinader´s campaign committed several strategic errors and gaffes (e.g. attacking the government of infringing on the freedom of expression on the eve of the International Press Society (SIP) Congress in Punta Cana and his evasive answers as regards his family´s wealth in a TV interview) in the end he succeded to establish himself as the future main opposition leader and to consolidate the PRM. It should be remembered that the PRM only recently was founded as an offspring of the traditional Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), and that initially Abinader´s leadership had been challenged by ex-President Hipolito Mejia.
Hopeful anti-corruption and environmental crusader Guillermo Moreno (Alliance for the Country – AP) could not establish sufficient momentum and portray his AP as a fresh alternative political force breaking with the vices of the traditionally clientelist Dominican political system. With 77,864 votes he came in third garnering a disappointing 1.81 % of the vote. However, he might remain a long shot at the 2020 elections. Preliminary results show that the ruling party´s alliance partner and former rival PRD which endorsed Danilo Medina as presidential candidate obtained 5.85 % of the vote and the PRSC in alliance with Abinader´s PRM got 5.61 % both maintaining their status as relevant political parties.
Medina´s result which assured him re-election for his second four-year term is indeed historic. Never before has a democratically elected President won more than 60% of the votes cast in the Dominican Republic. In his first term election in 2012 Medina was elected with 51.21 % of the vote after having lost a bid for the presidency against Hipolito Mejia (PRD) in 2000. Three times President Leonel Fernandez (PLD) won 51 % in 1996, 57.11 % in 2004 and 53.83 % in 2008. Hipolito Mejia (PRD) obtained 49.86 % in 2000. Danilo Medina´s result even surpassed that of the first democratically elected President Juan Bosch in 1962 following the end of the Trujillo dictatorship. Bosch who was the founder of the PRD (1939) as well as the PLD (1973) together with allies had won 59.53 % of the vote before he was ousted by a military coup d´etat in 1963.
The first foreign dignitaries to congratulate Danilo Medina on the occasion of his re-election even before the final result had been published were Medardo González, Secretary General of El Salvador´s Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), Spain´s Acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
The Congressional Elections
Elections of the bicameral National Congress confirmed the strength of the PLD which critics due to its omnipresence in all state institutions including the judiciary more and more compare with hegemonial „regime parties“ such as the former Mexican Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) until the election of Vicente Fox in 2000 or the Venezuelan United Socialist Party (PSUV) founded by Hugo Chavez following the 2002 coup d´etat.
In the 32 member Senate the PLD won 27 seats, while the PRM in El Seibo and Puerto Plata and the PRSC in San Pedro de Macorís and Valverde Mao provinces get two senators, respectively. In the coffee growing Ocoa province a regional group, the Institutional Social Democratic Block (BIS), won 1 seat. It was criticized by EOM and civil society that In the election of the bicameral Congress the ballot between senators and deputies is not separated and the former benefit from the number of votes cast for the latter.
Most notably Senator Felix Bautista (PLD), like Medina from San Juan province, with almost 70% of the vote is the most voted senator of the country. Neither the unsuccessful attempt by the General Prosecutor to accuse him of corruption and related charges, a case which was dropped by a Supreme Court judge in 2015, nor a global campaign undertaken by the Berlin based NGO Transparency International could prevent the astounding vote of confidence by „Sanjuaneros“ for their local son. Most of them consider Bautista a benefactor who awards scholarships to talented youths and grants to the poor and a kind of modern Robin Hood. Senator Cristina Lizardo (PLD), obtained more than 68 % of the vote in the National District. Also elected was Reinaldo Pared Pérez (PLD). In a still bitterly contested vote José Hazim (PRSC) seems to have won a seat for the opposition in San Pedro de Macoris province. In Puerto Plata the PLD incumbent conceded defeat to the youngest elected Senator José Ignacio Palizo (PRM).
Regarding the 190 member Chamber of Deputies which will also be dominated by a PLD majority, it is noteworthy that Danilo Medina´s sister Yomaira Medina was re-elected in San Juan de la Maguana. She is aspiring to become President oft he lower house. Several individual results might be interesting. If the trend is being maintained and the AP will stabilize its congressional vote above 1 % independent candidate Fidelio Despradel (77 years), a former revolutionary and member of the Movement 14 June (M14J), might be elected on the AP ticket. On the other hand, several former deputies who opted for a Senate race failed to win seats in the upper chamber and now lost everything, among them trade union activist Juan Hubieres (PRD), Ramón Rogelio Genao (PRSC spokesman) and Vinicio Castillo Seman (Progressive National Force – FNP).
The Municipal Elections
At municipal level 158 mayorships and 1,164 council members (regidores) were at stake. In particular, David Collado´s (PRM) surprising victory with 57.28 % over 14-year incumbent mayor Roberto Salcedo (PLD) with 36.45 % in the National District of the capital Santo Domingo brought the PRM an important victory and much more than a merely symbolic trophy. It was highly noted when Collado only days before the elections signed agreements with community leaders of impoverished and problematic „barrios“ like Cristo Rey which under President Leonel Fernandez had been strongholds of the PLD. Whether the new mayor can keep those pledges remains to be seen. Salcedo´s defeat is being attributed by analysts, on the one hand, to a lack of involvement and closeness to the social sectors, and, on the other hand, to internal disputes within the party during the primary process. Due to the much criticized pact which in 2015 had been concluded to facilitate Danilo Medina´s re-election and which insured incumbents their bid at re-election an open and democratic intra-party selection process of candidates was curtailed. This probably prevented the candidature of a popular and hopeful internal challenger who might have been the better choice for the PLD. In East Santo Domingo Alfredo Martínez (PLD) was elected in a contest against Manuel Jimenez (ex-PLD deputy) after former mayor Jesus de los Santos (PLD) had been shot dead last year.
In the second biggest and crime-ridden city Santiago de los Caballeros former President of the Chamber of Deputies Abel Martinez (PLD) was elected mayor against José Enrique Sued (PRSC). In San Pedro de Macoris hopeful former mayor, Sergio Cedeno (PRSC), had a fair chance to oust the incumbent local PLD administration. However, at the time of writing the result remains in dispute as, among others, do those in La Romana, Barahona, Bonao, and Pedro Brand. In San Juan de la Maguana Hanoi Sánchez (PLD) was re-elected. Well known „bachatero“ Raulín Rodríguez was elected mayor for the PLD in a newly established municipality in Montecristi province.
Controversial situations in several municipalities either led to protests or post-electoral violence (e.g. North and East Santo Domingo, Santiago, La Romana, Barahona, Bonao, Higüey, Bani, Pedro Brand, Mao) and/or to the preventive deployment of Military Police to protect the polling stations and the on-going manual count (e.g. Barahona, Pedernales, Pedro Brand, La Vega, San Francisco de Macorís). Impugnations of results were filed in Barahona.
Shortcomings, Difficulties and Irregularities
The Central Election Board (JCE) and its President Roberto Rosario can be established as the big losers of the day as they are held responsible for the shortcomings and disorder which affected the civic exercise in which more than 65 % of registered voters participated. It became evident during the electoral process that the JCE has not been able to fully guarantee fair and transparent elections. Whether the JCE will be tenable and survive until its mandate will expire in August 2016 seems doubtful. Opposition leaders have called for the resignation of the Board.
By stubbornly trying to impose the ill prepared electronic voting the JCE put at risk the entire democratic exercise. In around 30 % of the polling stations voters who showed up at 6 a.m. had to wait sometimes for more than two hours or to come back later during the day in order to exercise their right to vote. In most cases the delays were due to the last minute resignation of technical support staff who did not show up or to obsolete technical equipment (e.g. scanners for fingerprints, missing or malfunctioning USB sticks with the voters´ register). At times, presidents and members of the local election colleges were not informed or did not know how to operate the contingency manual vote. Due to the delays caused by this situation and a demand by the independent civil society organization Citizen Participation (PC) the JCE extended the vote for one hour from 6 p.m. until 7 p.m. However, this instruction was not transmitted to all local election boards.
JCE-President Rosario personally contributed to the confusion and disorder when he did not clearly give instructions that in case of inoperability of electronic equipment the manual vote had to be applied. Consequently, political opposition parties in a joint document that accused the shortcomings of the electronic voting process demanded that final results at all three electoral levels only be established based on the manual count of the vote, and that no results be published beforehand. With a view to the imminent collapse of the voting exercise President Danilo Medina also spoke out in favor of the manual count. In addition, according to the Electoral Law the manual count prevails as the method to determine the final results. Consequently, Rosario´s early decision taken on 15 May 2016 at 7:05 hrs p.m. to successively make public the incoming provisional computed results caused more confusion among local electoral boards which in part stopped to perform the manual count as well as among the electorate itself. According to JCE member Eddy Olivares the JCE President´s decision had not been consulted or agreed with board members. Rosario tried to justify it with the long delays that would be caused by the manual counting of votes. Those would result in an increase of tensions between desperate party militants and lead to post-electoral violence including violent deaths. Olivares and other board members also claimed not knowing about the last minute hiring, training and subsequent resignation of technical support staff.
Other irregularities denounced by the media and civil society organizations such as PC which rendered three reports, consisted in buying or renting of voters´ identity cards, traditionally a widespread practice in the Dominican Republic, double voting and the provision of funds for transport of voters to their places of origin. Political parties also did not respect the ban of political propaganda in and in front of polling stations. In addition, isolated violent incidents and six deaths related to election day were reported.
The EOM Assessment and Recommendations
Statements by international election observers the day following the ballot confirmed that the electoral process must be considered a tightrope ride which due to disorder caused by the JCE barely crossed the finishing line. Finally, the EOMs deployed by the OAS, UNASUR and the Permanent Confederation of Latin American and Caribbean Political Parties (COPPAL) gave their avail to the elections which they considered transparent and highly participatory despite of the long delays in opening around 30 % of the polling stations, the last minute resignation of more than 3000 technical support staff, inoperability of technical equipment, unclear or missing instructions by the JCE, major confusion as regards the electronic and manual vote and the publication of provisional results, evidence for the buying of identidy cards and isolated violent incidents includig six deaths. However, despite of the detected shortcomings and irregularities the Head of the OAS EOM, former Colombian President Andres Pastrana, emphasized in his press conference that the switching from electronic to manual vote was the decisive point that had saved the electoral process.
The list of key recommendations which will be elaborated by the OAS and UNASUR EOM in more detail in their final reports will in the first place address the necessity to overhaul the deficient legal framework for the electoral process including a reform oft he Electoral Law and secondary rules adopted by the JCE. In particular, former Colombian President Andres Pastrana, in his press conference recommended to adopt a Law on Political Parties and new rules on political party financing including limitations for private party financing, to separate the congressional vote into ballots for senators and deputies, and, finally, to introduce electronic voting only gradually and in function of capacities of trained technical staff. The measures to be adopted should be in place by the next elections.
In general, it can be said that the presence of international EOMs significantly contributed to de-escalate the tension between the rival political camps caused by the conflictive issue of electronic vs. manual count of the vote. In order to follow up on the forthcoming EOM recommendations international donors should provide funds and technical assistance to conceptualize and implement electoral and political party reform in cooperation with the National Congress and the electoral authority.
Reaction of Opposition Parties
In a press conference on 17 May 2016 opposition leader Luis Abinader accused President Medina and his PLD of having „kidnapped“ the elections and „imposing“ his re-election and the desired results also at congressional and municipal levels by means of buying of votes. On election day nine political opposition parties supporting five presidential candidates in a joint document had already insisted that the JCE must not publish provisional results and had outlined the deficiencies of the electoral process including the buying of votes. They considered JCE action a plot against the democratic system resulting in a serious retrocession of Dominicans´ fundamental political right to freely exercise their vote. However, the document prepared under PRM stewardship which was presented to international observers was not signed by Guillermo Moreno´s AP. With tensions throughout the country growing, in particular in contested municipalities, the language used by opposition leaders got stronger and more and more inflammatory.
Subsequently, PRSC chairman Quique Antún accused the PLD of imposing „by force“ electoral results at congressional and municipal levels and like Abinader displaced himself to the provinces in support of beleaguered local candidates. Guillermo Moreno (AP) and marginalized female presidential candidate Minou Tavarez (Alliance for Democracy – AFD) qualified the electoral process as corrupt and fraudulent accusing the JCE of having perpetrated an „electoral coup d´etat“ (Tavarez), or considered the next Medina government as „illigitimate“ (Moreno).
While in the context of defending the vote against post-electoral alterations making noise is a well established practice in the Dominican Republic, the new opposition leader Luis Abinader would be well advised not to continue to threaten with ingovernability and to lure opposition candidates and their supporters to the barricades and into rebellions. As well known (pro-Medina) political analyst and professor of constitutional law Belarminio Ramírez Morillo put it in a post-election commentary, Abinader would rather grow in political stature by conceding defeat and displaying responsibility and maturity.
Dominican Republic, election
Reinhard Junghanns
Political analyst living in Bonn, at present based in Santo Domingo. Reinhard Junghanns has worked as head of cooperation at the Delegations of the European Union to El Salvador and to Venezuela, and head of the State of Law Program for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean of the Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation in Mexico-City. Among others, he held posts at the European Commission, Directorate-General Development and Cooperation, EuropeAid - Office of Cooperation, and various Departments of the German Federal Government including the Foreign Office. He studied law at the universities of Goettingen, Lausanne and Bonn and holds the degree of Master in Public Administration (MPA ´94) of Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
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Britain Needs a Full Public Inquiry into Libya War
If the 2005 London bombings were blowback from Iraq, then the 2017 Manchester bombing was probably blowback from Libya
By Mark Curtis
Middle East Eye 14 June 2018
Region: Europe, Middle East & North Africa
Theme: History, Media Disinformation, Terrorism, US NATO War Agenda
In-depth Report: NATO'S WAR ON LIBYA
Seven years on from the British-led NATO war in Libya in 2011 to remove leader Muammar Gaddafi, the country remains riddled with conflict and lacks effective governance. And one year on from terrorist attacks in the UK whose perpetrators are linked to that war, major questions remain about the links between British foreign policy and terrorism.
Rather than simply marking the terrorist attacks with a minute’s silence and solemn pledges of defiance, what is really needed is a full public inquiry into the British role in that 2011 war and what has flowed from it.
The case for holding such an inquiry is overwhelming. The principles under scrutiny – whether the government violated international law, told parliament the truth and colluded with extremist forces – are as serious as over the invasion of Iraq.
There are three main cases for the government to answer. First, British bombing in Libya, which began in March 2011, was a violation of UN Resolution 1973. This authorised member states to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya and to use “all necessary measures” to prevent attacks on civilians. What it did not authorise was the use of ground troops or regime change. Yet then prime minister David Cameron promoted both.
General David Richards, then chief of the defence staff, told a parliamentary inquiry in 2016 that Britain “had a few people embedded” with rebel forces in Libya, saying that they were “in the rear areas” and “would go forward and back”. He also repeatedly told the inquiry that British policy amounted to regime change.
Indeed, British bombing clearly went beyond preventing attacks on civilians. Three weeks after Cameron assured parliament in March 2011 that the object of the intervention was not regime change, he signed a joint letter with US President Barack Obama and French President Nicolas Sarkozy committing to “a future without Gaddafi”.
That these policies were illegal is confirmed by Cameron himself. He told Parliament on 21 March 2011 that the UN resolution “explicitly does not provide legal authority for action to bring about Gaddafi’s removal from power by military means”. This is, if anything, an even clearer-cut case than Iraq of a British government violating international law.
Collaboration with extremists
The second case to answer is over Britain’s collaboration with Islamist extremists in the war. Britain saw such forces as its boots on the ground when it was prevented from, and didn’t want to, openly deploy forces of its own.
Two militants who had fought in Afghanistan led the military campaign against Gaddafi’s forces in Derna, to the east of Benghazi. Abdel Hakim al-Hasidi, an influential Islamic preacher who spent five years at a jihadist training camp in eastern Afghanistan, oversaw the recruitment, training and deployment in the conflict of around 300 rebel fighters from Derna.
Both Hasidi and his field commander on the front lines, Salah al-Barrani, were former members of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), the Islamist force that Britain covertly funded in a failed attempt to assassinate Gaddafi in 1996.
Image on the right: Salman Abedi and Ramadan Abedi
In April, in answer to a parliamentary question, Alastair Burt, the British Foreign Office minister for the Middle East, revealed that the British government probably had contacts with the LIFG during the Libya war. The information is especially significant in that Salman Abedi, the terrorist who blew up 22 people in Manchester last year, and his father, Ramadan, had both fought with the LIFG in 2011. Ramadan Abedi is believed to have been a prominent member of the LIFG, which he joined in 1994.
As Middle East Eye revealed last year, the British government operated an “open door” policy that allowed Libyan exiles and British-Libyan citizens living in the UK to join the 2011 war, even though some had been subject to counterterrorism control orders. These dissidents were members of the LIFG, and most were from Manchester, like the Abedis.
Journalist Peter Oborne subsequently revealed that they were “undoubtedly encouraged” by MI6 to travel to Libya to oust Gaddafi. Indeed, after the Libyan leader was overthrown, these fighters were allowed back into Britain “without hesitation”.
Arms embargo
The third case to answer relates to the arms embargo imposed on Libya in 2011. Resolution 1973 called on UN member states to ensure the “strict implementation” of this embargo. A Foreign Affairs Committee inquiry concluded that the international community, without mentioning Britain, turned a “blind eye” to the supply of weapons to the rebels. This was a generous way of putting it. We might ask what those “embedded” British forces were actually doing in Libya, and whether they were involved in supplying arms to opposition forces.
Moreover, a massive $400m worth of arms was provided to the rebels by Britain’s ally, Qatar, much of which went to Islamist radicals. It is inconceivable that this military support was not known to British ministers, and backed by them, as they consistently supported Qatar’s prominent role in the campaign against Gaddafi.
The Chilcot inquiry into the invasion of Iraq was launched in 2009 and reported in 2016. The key questions it addressed were:
“whether it was right and necessary to invade Iraq in March 2003 and whether the UK could – and should – have been better prepared for what followed”.
These are also key questions for the Libya war of 2011, so why has no such inquiry been launched in this case?
A key answer is that the Libya war is not regarded as so controversial or disastrous as Iraq in the mainstream media or politics. But this is wrong. Libya has also been plunged into chaos and has also seen the emergence of terrorist groups. If the 2005 7/7 bombings in London were blowback from Iraq, then the 2017 Manchester bombing was likely blowback from Libya.
The real reason for failing to hold an inquiry is that the government simply does not want to shed any light on this dirty, murky episode, which involves not only Cameron but also Theresa May, who was home secretary at the time. Did May in 2011 know about or authorise the despatch of Libyans living in the UK to Libya, and were Salman or Ramadan Abedi specifically part of this process? Did the LIFG receive UK assistance to fight in Libya at this time? Why were the Abedis allowed to return to the UK after fighting in Libya with no questions asked?
The Labour opposition should commit to holding a public inquiry into the Libya war if it attains office.
Mark Curtis is a historian and analyst of UK foreign policy and international development and the author of six books, the latest being an updated edition of Secret Affairs: Britain’s Collusion with Radical Islam.
The original source of this article is Middle East Eye
Copyright © Mark Curtis, Middle East Eye, 2018
Articles by: Mark Curtis
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Canada’s “Maple Spring”: From the Quebec Student Strike to the Movement Against Neoliberalism
By Socialist Project
Global Research, December 31, 2012
https://www.globalresearch.ca/canadas-maple-spring-from-the-quebec-student-strike-to-the-movement-against-neoliberalism/5317452
by Ingar Solty
The 2012 student strike in Quebec is a lesson in successful struggle against austerity policies. The strike was sparked by the announcement by the governing Parti Libéral du Québec (PLQ) of Premier Jean Charest that tuition fees would increase 75 per cent, from $2168 per year to $3793 by 2017. This was not the first time a liberal government decided on such an increase. During the neoliberal high point of 1994, the PLQ pushed through a drastic increase. Tuition fees had been frozen at $540 since 1968. Now at a stroke they rose to $1668. Subsequent attempts to raise tuition fees in 1996 and 2005 failed in the face of resistance from students, but there were nevertheless smaller increases in tuition, most recently by the Charest government in 2007.
[Photo by Brian Lapuz/flickr]
In the latest attempt, the government argued universities were underfinanced and that Quebec’s global competitiveness required increased funding through a tuition increase. This argument set the students against the government. The fact that the government justified the increase by referring to a budget shortfall added a new quality to the matter. This made it clear that the government’s actual aim was to shift the costs of the economic crisis onto the students.
Resistance emerged mainly out of two groups. The first group consists of the students who saw a long-term neoliberal agenda at work in the tuition increase. This agenda’s aim is the lasting transformation of education into a commodified service and the reorientation of universities and colleges toward the interests of the private capitalist economy.[1] However, these students argued that education is a social right and that democracy requires free access to education. They counterposed a “humanistic education” to a “commercialized” one.[2] In doing so, the students could point out that Canada had ratified the 1976 United Nations “International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,” in which the right to tuition-free education is anchored.
This first group does not accept that future wage earners should indebt themselves to cover the costs of qualifying their labour power as a commodity. They represent an anti-neoliberal, indeed, an anti-capitalist perspective.
Yet even for the students from the second group, who are not fundamentally opposed to neoliberalism, the government’s argument was not valid. For if education, as neoliberals gladly emphasize, is the key to social mobility in the “knowledge society,” then it should not be dependent on the pocketbooks of parents, and even under the logic of the neoliberals, investment by “labour power entrepreneurs” in their education is no longer worthwhile. Years of stagnation in the incomes of post-secondary graduates has contributed significantly to the emergence of an academic precariat. In the face of declining opportunities for well-paying jobs, even these students see no point in paying more for an education just to indebt themselves.
The Relationship Between Student Debt and Precarisation
This relationship is particularly dramatic in the United States. In the U.S., tuition fees increased by 1120 per cent between 1978 and 2011; since 2000 in particular, the curve shoots steeply upwards.[3] At the same time, real wages for 25-34 year olds with a bachelor’s degree fell dramatically: for men by 19 per cent since 2000, for women by 16 per cent since 2003.[4] This is also related to the fact that only 21 per cent of those jobs lost in the crisis, but 58 per cent of newly created jobs, are found in the low-wage sector.[5] In the meantime, the student debt bubble has grown to a total level of more than one trillion U.S. dollars and is already being treated by economists as potentially the next mortgage crisis.
Even in Canada, where tuition is not nearly as high, almost sixty per cent of graduates leave college or university with debt. The average level of debt is about $28,000, and repayment requires 14 years.[6] Given the immense cost of education, half of all students under thirty still live with their parents. In Germany, in contrast, the share is still “only” about a quarter.
That conservatives also see an urgent need for action in view of student debt is related to its effects on the economy and to the crisis of social reproduction. According to Canada’s most prominent conservative newspaper, The Globe and Mail :
“A mix of a weak economy, changing tastes and shifting demographics has been cited in the U.S. to explain a decline in home and car buying by twenty- and thirtysomethings. Student debt is likely to ensure this trend continues. You can’t become a fully functioning player in the economy if a big piece of every paycheck goes toward student debts. We need today’s students to become tomorrow’s big earners, and it’s not just to support the housing market, keep the retail sector afloat and supply customers to the financial services industry. Someone has to pay the taxes that fund social programs for the aging baby boom generation.”[7]
The government has constantly pointed out that tuition fees in Quebec are the lowest in North America, and in point of fact, as the media never tires of emphasizing, tuition fees and debt levels here are “only” half the national average.
Evidently the government in Quebec City nevertheless failed to realize that the population considers these circumstances to be the basis of a more democratic access to higher education. Indeed, in every age cohort, the number of degree holders is ten per cent higher in Quebec than in Canada overall. The CÉGEPs (community and vocational colleges) are particularly important with regard to the training of skilled workers. As a result, the government’s argument failed to catch on – either in Quebec or in the other Canadian provinces. In an opinion poll, 62 per cent of Canadian students indicated that they would also likely participate in a student strike in their respective provinces.[8]
The Organizations Behind the Student Strike
Against this backdrop, protests against the government’s measure began shortly after its announcement. On February 13, 2012 the student organizations went on strike. The students formed strike committees, held general assemblies, organized alternative education events, and built alliances with organizations and social movements outside of the post-secondary institutions. By the middle of March, out of an entire student body of 400,000 in Quebec, 300,000 were on strike.
Of particular importance was the fact that strike participation did not remain passive. Massive demonstrations took place regularly. The biggest occurred on March 22 when over 200,000 people marched through the streets of Montreal, the largest ever in Quebec’s history.[9]
Nevertheless, the dynamic of the student strike did not represent a spontaneous outbreak of protest. Without the support of democratic student associations it would have never come into existence. The crucial organization was the Coalition large de l’Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante (CLASSE), whose local organizations initiated the strike. The three other student organizations – Fédération étudiante collêgiale du Québec (FECQ), Fédération étudiante universitaire du Québec (FEUQ), and Table de concertation étudiante du Québec (TaCEQ) – only decided to participate in the strike three weeks later.
CLASSE emerged out of the anti-globalization movement in 2001 (under the name of ASSE) and represents, within the self-management structures of the eighteen post-secondary institutions, about 44,000 students, or eleven per cent of all students in Quebec. The Coalition is not only the most active but also the most democratic student association. While FECQ and FEUQ function according to the principles of representative democracy and ascribe comparatively little importance to local plenary assemblies, CLASSE operates on the principle of grassroots democracy. Decisions are taken in local plenary assemblies and then coordinated through the national delegate assembly as an imperative mandate. The strategic approach of the organization can be characterized as such:
“CLASSE rejects lobbying, as it perceives the interests of the state as irreconcilable with those of the students; it believes in creating leverage against the government through grassroots mobilization and various means of escalating pressure.”[10]
Behind this approach lies the realistic understanding that the state under capitalism does not represent the common good. In the name of global competitiveness, the neoliberal state cuts taxes for capital and firms, privatizes the services necessary for social reproduction (education, child-care, health and senior-care, etc.), and shifts them onto (working-class) families – in particular onto women. From this perspective, the goodwill of the government is not to be expected, and only resistance and countervailing power can be used to oppose these policies.
The success of the Quebec student strike resulted not least from the lessons of previous conflicts, above all from the failure of the 2007 attempt to organize a general strike against tuition fee increases. The movement drew two conclusions from that time: First, for success to be achieved a unified movement was needed, and second, broader alliances would have to be organized. In order to facilitate the collaboration of smaller local student associations, the main association reorganized itself as a coalition.
In addition, the success of the 2012 student strike rested upon the “Red-Hand-Coalition.” This coalition was formed in 2009 after finance minister Raymond Bachand announced an austerity budget, which – in the words of student leader Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois – was the first budget that “clearly attacked public services, to terrify and privatize.” The Red-Hand-Coalition functioned as an alliance to resist the crisis and struggled against “not only the specific measures but also the vision of society and state that is inside this budget” and remained “the main coordination place for the social movements.”[11]
Altogether 125 organizations – trade unions from the healthcare and education sectors, municipal policy campaigns, anti-poverty initiatives, and environmental organizations – affiliated with the “Red-Hand-Coalition.” This alliance also benefitted from a new willingness on the part of the trade unions to fight back. At the convention of the CSN, the second largest trade union in Quebec with 300,000 members in the public and private sectors,[12] a clearly militant position emerged and was accompanied by demands for a “social strike” against the neoliberal Charest government. In Montreal, the CSN regional organization also supports the left-wing Québec Solidaire party, founded in 2006. The alliance which ASSE sought with the trade unions – and the cooperation it invested for years prior to the strike – finally paid off.
The National Teachers Union (FNEEQ), as well as the CSN, CSQ, and FTQ came out against the tuition increase right from the start, though the trade unions were legally restricted in terms of what they could offer beyond symbolic support. As part of the new strategies for struggle, post-secondary teachers organized themselves into the alliance Profs contre la hausse, with 674 professors and teachers signing this group’s proclamation. Being a part of this alliance allowed the trade unions to support the strike more openly and flexibly, but it also conferred a greater legitimacy in the media, since it was not “the trade unions” taking action but rather a “citizens’ coalition” of actual post-secondary teachers. With these organizations behind them, the strikers also benefited from spontaneous solidarity, as from the “mères en colères et solidaires“ (angry mothers in solidarity).
The Failure of the Peace Talks
Confronted with massive resistance, the government found itself forced into talks with student representatives. In an age of austerity, as CLASSE itself realizes, the aims of the government and the protest movement are fundamentally antagonistic. While the government seeks to push the costs of budget cuts onto the lower classes, the protest movement strives to thwart the very same cuts from taking place at all.
The aim of the government was, therefore, to take the wind out of the movement’s sails by signaling a willingness to talk. Prolonged talks, or rather, “negotiations,” can make confrontational escalation, on which the protest was based, more difficult and could have led to a step-by-step demobilization of the movement. The prospects for this strategy’s success were, indeed, quite sound. In contrast to CLASSE, FECQ and FEUQ pursued a strategy of lobbying aimed at persuading the government to adopt a policy more congenial to students. For this reason, the latter associations were invited to talks by the government during the 2005 strikes but ASSE was not.
Yet FECQ and FEUQ learned from the mistakes of the past. They withdrew from negotiations with the government and, in this way, maintained unity on the strike front. An apparent concession by the government – its plan to raise tuition by 80 per cent over seven years instead of five – fell flat. More so, the students took this proposal as an affront. From that point on, large demonstrations took place in Montreal every night. At the beginning of May, severe confrontations occurred between students and police outside the PLQ convention in Victoriaville; two students were seriously injured and 106 taken into custody. As a result, Pauline Marois, leader of the opposition Parti Québécois (PQ), criticized the government’s “authoritarian” tactics.
At the same time, representatives of all the associations had restarted negotiations. Though the government offered to eliminate some special fees within the scope of the tuition hike, the central demand of the students, a permanent tuition freeze, fell by the wayside. When the result of negotiations was put to a vote, the negotiators distanced themselves from the preliminary agreement, and the vote ended in a catastrophe for the government: the deal was defeated at all post-secondary institutions. On May 14, four days after the defeat, the minister of education, Line Beauchamp, was forced to resign.
Instead of respecting the students’ democratic decision and returning to the negotiating table with the will to respond to their legitimate demands, on May 18, literally overnight, the government passed – together with the votes of the right-wing populist party Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ, founded in 2011 by the billionaire Charles Sirois and François Legault, the former head of Air Transat) – “Loi 78,” an emergency law designed to be valid for one year. It ended the current academic year by means of a directive and limited freedom of assembly. By making the most meager reference to “national security,” this law enabled the police to forbid events and enacted a complete ban on assemblies at universities. In addition, it severely limited university workers’ right to strike. All in all, the law aimed to paralyze the main actors and organizations taking part in and driving the resistance; contravention of the law was to be punished with high fines.
This course of action divided the population into two camps. The law was welcomed by Yves-Thomas Dorval, president of the employers’ association, and by some sections of the population. On the other hand, it was denounced by (some) opposition political parties, the trade unions, and the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT). The Quebec Bar Association repudiated the law and demanded the government return to the negotiating table. Louis Masson, head of the Quebec Bar Association, described the law as unconstitutional.
Student leaders called for civil disobedience. On the night following the adoption of the law, police clashed violently with demonstrators. A website with the motto “Arrêtez-moi, quelqu’un!” caused a sensation by publishing, eventually, 5304 photographs of individuals or groups willing to engage in civil disobedience.
From Student Strike to Anti-Neoliberalism Movement
Emergency Law 78 boomeranged on the government. Many citizens who originally did not approve of the strikes now supported the protests. The demonstration against the increase in tuition fees, planned for the 100th day of the student strike on May 22 in Montreal, turned into a massive protest against the government. CSN, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), as well as the left-wing Québec solidaire (QS) and Option National all supported the protest. The demonstration was by far the largest in Canadian history. Over 400,000 people – more than five per cent of Quebec’s population – marched through the streets of Montreal. Quebec became the symbol for student and anti-austerity protests worldwide. Prominent artists such as Michael Moore and the rock band Arcade Fire expressed their support publicly; demonstrations in solidarity took place across Canada and in New York, London, and Paris.
However, according to opinion polls, a majority still supported the law and the tuition increases. Ultimately it was the repressive impacts of the emergency law that tipped public opinion. On the night of May 23 alone, police arrested 513 demonstrators in Montreal, 150 in Quebec City, and 36 in Sherbrooke. In total between February and September, 3387 people were taken into custody. The government, which had been struggling for a long time with several corruption scandals, now appeared to many Québecois as repressive and illegitimate.[13] The number of participants in the nightly mass protests, which occurred simultaneously in several locations across Quebec, multiplied by the thousands.
With this, the character of the movement changed fundamentally. Out of the student strike emerged a mass popular movement. Correspondingly, the demands also broadened; the increase in power of the financial elite, social inequality, and the dismantling of the public sector became issues. The political science professor Anna Kruzynski aptly noted after May 22:
“The tuition hike is part and parcel of a neoliberal agenda […]. It’s not isolated from other measures that aim to privatize public services […]. What the student movement has managed to do is to bring this debate into the forefront beyond the question of tuition fees.”[14]
The “hardest-fought student strike in Quebec (and Canadian) history”[15] resulted in the “most powerful challenge to neoliberalism on the continent.”[16] The movement was now increasingly referred to as the “Printemps érable”, the Maple Spring (a simultaneous reference to the national symbol of Canada, the maple leaf, and to the Arab Spring).
In the weeks after the massive demonstration of May 22, the protest expanded to almost all districts of Montreal. Institutions of self-governance emerged in several city districts in the form of the Assemblées populaires autonomes de quartier. On May 31, with the student strike itself still 150,000 strong, the government finally withdrew from negotiations.
Early elections held on September 4 resulted in the increasingly unpopular PLQ’s expected defeat. Premier Jean Charest was defeated in his own electoral district and stepped down as party leader as a result. With 32 per cent of the vote and 54 out of 125 seats (an increase of seven), the PQ became the largest party in the National Assembly of Quebec. Student leader Leo Bureau-Blouin was also elected on this party’s ticket. Québec Solidaire also profited from the Maple Spring. In contrast to 2008, the left-wing party increased its share of the vote from 3.8 to 6 per cent, thus becoming the fourth strongest force. In three (separatist orientated) working-class districts of Montreal, they achieved a vote share of over 20 per cent. In the wake of the Maple Spring, the party doubled its membership to 13,000.
Yet a big landslide failed to materialize. Though the PLQ clearly lost, the CAQ made gains, with the result that the new PQ minority government will depend on the right-wing opposition for votes. On September 20, the new government froze tuition fees. In addition, it announced the abrogation of “Loi 78” (which, however, was only possible with the PLQ’s and CAQ’s cooperation).[17]
Lessons From the Movement
First off, it can be stated that the student movement achieved a victory in the “Maple Spring.” The dramatic increase in tuition fees sought by the government is off the table. Even more so, the protests share responsibility for ultimately chasing the government out of office. Because of this, it seems unlikely in the short-term that a renewed attempt at a drastic tuition increase will be attempted. Even if the success was undoubtedly based on specific circumstances, some conclusions can nevertheless be drawn that are also relevant for movements outside of Quebec.
“Resistance to austerity policies can be quite successful when it is based on the protection of essential social-welfare achievements from which a large majority of the population benefits. ”
First, the Maple Spring makes clear that resistance to austerity policies can be quite successful when it is based on the protection of essential social-welfare achievements from which a large majority of the population benefits. This applies particularly when the population considers these achievements to be part of their “identity” and the identity of the country, and the movement defends them as such.[18]
Second, in the context of increasing labour market competition and individual strategies for survival, the knowledge that solidarity and collective struggle are worthwhile is of immense importance. Every success shows that the prevailing policies are by no means without alternatives. Because these protests make the state budget a political issue, they prove that alternatives always exist – as long as one fights for them. The best evidence for all this are the (in total) nine student strikes that have taken place since 1968, which have resulted in tuition fees in Quebec being the lowest in North America. At the same time, the successful struggle for free education is a refutation of the theory of immiseration. The successes of the Quebec student movement over the decades show that it is not the “maximum misery” of high tuition fees that led to the movement but rather – at least in this case – the open spaces created by low fees which encouraged the movement. Additionally, those with high levels of educational (or other) debt – and facing increasing fears of job loss – are also less likely to mount a defense against deteriorating working conditions.
Third, the chances for successful protests are considerably greater if they are not based solely on spontaneity but rather on long-term organization. “This strike did not spring from some spontaneous wave of revolutionary romanticism. It was organized over a long period of time by activists who mobilized support among their local CÉGEP and university student associations.”[19] Furthermore, the Quebec student strike would not have proceeded so successfully without the Red-Hand-Coalition’s networking of social struggles. Here again: a spontaneous protest only becomes fully effective if a strong organization and a broad alliance of social forces have prepared the ground for its emergence.
Lastly, the reference by the “Printemps érable“ to the “Printemps arabe” was an important factor in the success of the movement. Before the Arab Spring, political conditions seemed to be fossilized – and not only in the Arab world. Since then, mutual references to movements and the internationalization of symbols and forms of political action have invigorated social struggles. Petrified relations have started to move – it’s time to make them dance. •
Ingar Solty is at York University in Toronto, an editor of Das Argument , and co-founding member of the North-Atlantic Left Dialogue. Since 2004, Solty has been publishing on the political economy of the United States in journals such as Prokla , Das Argument , Capital & Class , Socialism & Democracy , as well as daily newspapers such as Neues Deutschland and Junge Welt .
Translated from the German by Sam Putinja. This article first appeared on the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung website.
Endnotes:
1. Eric Martin and Simon Tremblay-Pepin, “Québec Students Teach the World a Lesson,” Canadian Dimension , May 2012, p. 21.
2. Louis-Philippe Véronneau, “De l’éducation humaniste à l’éducation marchande,” Presse-toi à gauche! , November 13, 2012.
3. “Cost of College Degree in U.S. Soars 12 Fold: Chart of the Day,” Bloomberg , August 15, 2012.
4. Tyler Cowen, “Graduates’ Pay Is Slipping, but Still Outpaces Others,” New York Times , March 2, 2012.
5. Wall Street Journal , November 5, 2012.
6. Financial Post , September 5, 2012.
7. Rob Carrick, “Why we should all care about student debt,” The Globe and Mail , August 29, 2012.
8. Tamara Baluja, “Students’ fee fears shared across the country,” The Globe and Mail , May 7, 2012.
9. Andrea Levy and Fanny Theurillat-Cloutier, “Le Printemps érable: An Education in Dissent,” Canadian Dimension , May 2012, p. 20.
10. Martin Robert, “The Organizations Behind Québec’s 2012 Student Strike,” Canadian Dimension , Sept. 2012.
11. Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois, “Student Strike, Popular Struggle,” People’s Voice , June 1, 2012.
12. In 1980 CSN officially renounced class struggle but maintains a reputation as being the most left-wing trade union. Since 1990 it is openly “separatist,” and advocates for Quebec’s independence from Canada.
13. Sabine Friesinger, “Reporting the Strike: Campus Television Embeds Itself in the Student Movement,” Canadian Dimension , Sept. 2012.
14. Cited in Democracy Now , May 25, 2012.
15. Levy and Theurillat-Cloutier, ibid., p.19.
16. Guardian , May 5, 2012.
17. Richard Fidler, “Quebec’s Election: An Initial Balance Sheet,” The Bullet No. 695, September 12, 2012.
18. David Camfield, “Quebec’s Red Square Movement,” The Bullet No. 680, August 13, 2012.
19. Robert, ibid., p. 28.
Copyright © Socialist Project, Global Research, 2012
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Is Trump Unable to Discharge the Duties of High Office? Should He be Impeached?
Global Research, September 23, 2018
https://www.globalresearch.ca/deputy-attorney-general-rosenstein-a-fifth-column-threat/5654942
Rosenstein is part of Washington cabal, wanting Trump impeached and removed from office – for the wrong reasons. True enough, The Donald is bombastic, a racist, a serial liar and a misogynist.
Philosophy Professor Kate Manne says the later trait isn’t about male hostility or hatred toward women. It’s about wanting to control and punish them for challenging male dominance – “because they’re women in a man’s world, a historical patriarchy” in America and most other societies.
There’s plenty about Trump to criticize, mainly his endless wars of aggression, exclusive support for privileged interests, and advancing the nation toward totalitarian rule – major high crimes which his critics ignore.
Throughout the 2016 presidential campaign, ‘dark forces” plotted against him, wanting him prevented from being elected.
Pre-inauguration, a slow-motion coup d’etat against him began, continuing throughout his tenure, wanting him impeached and removed from office, Pence a convenient puppet in waiting to replace him.
No president in US history was ever removed from office by impeachment.
Under the Constitution’s Article II, Section 4, impeachment and conviction require proving “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.”
The Constitution’s Article I, Section 2 empowers House members to impeach a sitting president. Senate members alone are empowered to try them.
Like most of his predecessors, Trump is guilty of crimes of war and against humanity and other serious offenses – unmentioned by critics. No legal basis exists, however, for charging him with obstruction of justice.
No evidence suggests it. Nothing indicates he or his team colluded improperly or illegally with anyone in Russia.
Anything related to his private sex life isn’t an impeachable offense. Nor are his views on any issues – no matter how extreme, offensive and unacceptable.
Trump’s deputy AG Rosenstein is his sworn enemy – in cahoots with other forces in Washington, wanting him impeached and removed from office.
On Friday, the anti-Trump NYT said he
“suggested last year that he secretly record (the president) in the White House to expose the chaos consuming the administration, and he discussed recruiting cabinet members to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Mr. Trump from office for being unfit.”
It provides procedures for replacing the president or vice president in case of death, removal, resignation, or incapacitation.
Abuse of power and other high crimes are impeachable offense, not unfitness, illness or emotional disorders.
Lincoln was elected president despite suffering from lifelong depression.
Washington, John Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Chester Arthur, Woodrow Wilson, FDR, JFK and Reagan were affected by illnesses during their tenure, hampering their ability to govern – none targeted for removal from office by impeachment, Kennedy removed by state-sponsored assassination.
Trump is accused of narcissism, likely applying to most seekers of high office in America and elsewhere. It’s not an impeachable offense.
Section 4 of the 25th Amendment states:
“Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.”
No evidence suggests Trump is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.” Unlike many of his predecessors, he’s not too ill or otherwise unable to serve.
Claiming otherwise is all about plotting a coup to remove him from office. Section 4 was never invoked against sitting presidents unable to perform his duties because of illness, no matter how serious.
Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, Kennedy, William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, James Garfield, William McKinley, and Warren Harding died in office – Section 4 never invoked to remove them from office before death.
Rosenstein is a fifth column threat to an elected president, ample just cause to remove him for coup plotting.
In cahoots with undemocratic Dems and special counsel Robert Mueller, he’s involved in the diabolical Russiagate witch-hunt to delegitimize Trump for the wrong reasons – waging political war to remove him from office, along with falsely accusing Russia of meddling in the US political process.
An administration member plotting against its leader should be sacked straightaway. Rosenstein opposed Trump’s summit with Putin to improve relations.
Forces in Washington, including the deputy AG, want them kept implacably hostile, serving the interests of the military, industrial, security, media complex.
World peace, stability, and cooperative relations with all nations defeat their diabolical aim for unchallenged global dominance by whatever it takes to achieve it – endless wars of aggression their favored strategy.
According to the Times,
“(n)one of Mr. Rosenstein’s proposals apparently came to fruition,” adding he told deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe “he might be able to persuade Attorney General Jeff Sessions and John F. Kelly, then the secretary of homeland security and now the White House chief of staff, to mount an effort to invoke the 25th Amendment” against Trump.
“A Justice Department spokeswoman also provided a statement from a person who was present when Mr. Rosenstein proposed wearing a wire. The person, who would not be named, acknowledged the remark but said Mr. Rosenstein made it sarcastically.”
The Times claimed unnamed other DOJ officials said his proposal was serious, wanting the FBI involved in secretly wiretapping Trump.
Whether the Times-reported scenario is partly or entirely true or fabricated is unknown. Unnamed sources are always suspect.
Rosenstein denied the Times’ report. AG Jeff Sessions recused himself from the Russiagate probe over legitimate contacts with Russia’s envoy to Washington Sergey Kislyak when serving as a US senator.
At the time, his spokeswoman Sarah Flores said he had over 25 conversations with foreign ambassadors in the past year, including from Australia, Britain, Canada, China, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, as well as Russia – part of his job as a Senate Armed Services Committee member.
Numerous other Republican and undemocratic Dems also met with Kislyak, Sessions alone unjustifiably criticized over nothing.
His recusal and national security advisor Michael Flynn ousting was all about bashing Trump and Russia.
Undemocratic Dems, other forces in Washington, hostile media and Rosenstein’s hostility toward Trump are part of a plot to remove him from office for the wrong reasons.
Succeeding will drive another stake into the heart of the republic, things on a slippery slope toward full-blown tyranny.
The way things are going, whether Trump survives or is ousted, it’s just a matter of time.
Note to readers: please click the share buttons above. Forward this article to your email lists. Crosspost on your blog site, internet forums. etc.
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected].
His new book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”
http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html
Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.
Copyright © Stephen Lendman, Global Research, 2018
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Wikileaks Reveals that NATO Troops Operate inside Syria
By Global Research
Prensa Latina 10 March 2012
https://www.globalresearch.ca/wikileaks-reveals-that-nato-troops-operate-inside-syria/29683
Damascus, Mar 9 (Prensa Latina) Recent revelations by Wikileaks on the presence of NATO troops in Syria coincide with rumors in journalistic and academic circles here about the alleged arrests of British and French agents in the city of Homs.
An information in the newspaper Islam Times and quoted by Cham Press assured that U.S. and NATO secret troops operate within Syria against the government of President Bashar al-Assad, according to Wikileaks, which made headlines for having revealed private matters of U.S. politics.
This time, Wikileaks released a message from an information analyst who works for Stratfor, a U.S.-based firm that specializes in strategic and intelligence analyses, and who said that he had attended a meeting at the Pentagon with several NATO officials from France and the United Kingdom last December.
In his letter, the specialist pointed out that he learned that members of the military alliance were already on Syrian territory at the time, training armed gangs of extremists.
Teams of special operation forces, presumably from the U.S., UK, France, Jordan and Turkey, are already on the ground, carrying out reconnaissance missions and training opposition forces, assured the analyst in his message.
Copyright © Global Research, Global Research, 2012
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Trevali Announces Closing of $15-Million Private Placement
July 14, 2011 10:40 ET | Source: Trevali Mining Corporation
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwire - July 14, 2011) -
NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES
Trevali Mining Corporation ("Trevali" or the "Company") (TSX:TV)(FRANKFURT:4TI)(OTCQX:TREVF)(BVLAC:TV) is pleased to announce the closing of the CDN $15,000,000 non-brokered private placement financing (the "Offering") announced on July 7, 2011 (TV-NR-11-20), consisting of the sale of 10,000,000 common shares at a price of CDN $1.50 per share.
In connection with the closing of this private placement, Trevali has paid CDN $127,500 in cash and issued the following securities in payment of finders' fees:
(a) 415,000 finders' shares; and
(b) 500,000 finders' warrants, each entitling the holder to purchase one common share at a price of CDN $1.80 until January 11, 2013.
All of the securities issued in connection with the closing of this private placement, including the securities issued in payment of finders' fees, are subject to a hold period in Canada until November 12, 2011.
The proceeds from the Offering will be used to advance the Company's Halfmile and Santander mine development projects, and for general working capital purposes.
Trevali also announces that Tocqueville Asset Management, L.P. ("Tocqueville"), on behalf of one or more investment funds and managed accounts (collectively, the "Accounts"), acquired ownership of all of the 10,000,000 common shares issued pursuant to this private placement. As a result of the purchase of these shares, Tocqueville, on behalf of one or more Accounts, now has authority to exercise control or direction over 10,000,000 common shares of Trevali, representing 9.88% of the 101,237,014 common shares of Trevali currently issued and outstanding. Tocqueville is a New York-based investment management firm.
ABOUT TREVALI MINING CORPORATION
Trevali is advancing two polymetallic (zinc-lead-silver-copper) deposits to production in Canada and Peru – the Halfmile and Santander projects respectively. In Canada, Trevali has the Halfmile and Stratmat polymetallic deposits near Bathurst, New Brunswick, and the Ruttan copper-zinc deposit in northern Manitoba. Mine development is underway at Halfmile with a proposed production rate of 2,000-tonnes-per-day anticipated to commence in 2011. In Peru, the Company has the Santander zinc-lead-silver mine project and the formerly-producing Huampar silver mine, both located in the Central Peruvian Polymetallic Belt.
At Santander, in conjunction with Glencore International A.G., mine commissioning and production is anticipated to commence at 2,000-tonne-per-day in late 2011 with full production to follow immediately thereafter. Additionally through its subsidiary Trevali Renewable Energy Inc., Trevali is undertaking a significant upgrade of its wholly-owned Tingo run-of-river hydroelectric generating facility along with transmission line upgrades and extensions to allow, in addition to supplying power to the mining operation on the property, the potential sale of surplus power into the Peruvian National Energy Grid.
The common shares of Trevali are listed on the TSX (symbol TV), the OTCQX (symbol TREVF) and on the Lima Stock Exchange (symbol TV). For further details on Trevali, readers are referred to the Company's web site (www.trevali.com) and to Canadian regulatory filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors of
TREVALI MINING CORPORATION
Mark D. Cruise, President
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States private securities litigation reform act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Statements containing forward-looking information express, as at the date of this news release, the Company's plans, estimates, forecasts, projections, expectations, or beliefs as to future events or results and the company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation to, update such statements containing the forward-looking information. Such forward-looking statements and information include, but are not limited to statements as to: the accuracy of estimated mineral reserves and resources, anticipated results of future exploration, and forecast future metal prices, anticipated results of future electrical sales and expectations that environmental, permitting, legal, title, taxation, socio-economic, political, marketing or other issues will not materially affect estimates of mineral reserves. These statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies.
These statements reflect the Company's current views with respect to future events and are necessarily based upon a number of assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the company, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and contingencies. Many factors, both known and unknown, could cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from the results, performance or achievements that are or may be expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements contained in this news release and the company has made assumptions and estimates based on or related to many of these factors. Such factors include, without limitation: fluctuations in spot and forward markets for silver, zinc, base metals and certain other commodities (such as natural gas, fuel oil and electricity); fluctuations in currency markets (such as the Peruvian sol versus the U.S. dollar); risks related to the technological and operational nature of the Company's business; changes in national and local government, legislation, taxation, controls or regulations and political or economic developments in Canada, the United States, Peru or other countries where the Company may carry on business in the future; risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining (including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected geological or structural formations, pressures, cave-ins and flooding); risks relating to the credit worthiness or financial condition of suppliers, refiners and other parties with whom the Company does business; inadequate insurance, or inability to obtain insurance, to cover these risks and hazards; employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities and indigenous populations; availability and increasing costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, including the risks of obtaining necessary licenses and permits and the presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining,; diminishing quantities or grades of mineral reserves as properties are mined; global financial conditions; business opportunities that may be presented to, or pursued by, the Company; the Company's ability to complete and successfully integrate acquisitions and to mitigate other business combination risks; challenges to, or difficulty in maintaining, the Company's title to properties and continued ownership thereof; the actual results of current exploration activities, conclusions of economic evaluations, and changes in project parameters to deal with unanticipated economic or other factors; increased competition in the mining industry for properties, equipment, qualified personnel, and their costs. Investors are cautioned against attributing undue certainty or reliance on forward-looking statements. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated, described or intended. The Company does not intend, and does not assume any obligation, to update these forward-looking statements or information to reflect changes in assumptions or changes in circumstances or any other events affecting such statements or information, other than as required by applicable law.
The TSX has not approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release.
Steve Stakiw
Manager - Corporate Communications
sstakiw@trevali.com
www.trevali.com
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US names red knot bird a threatened species
A rust-colored shorebird known for a nearly 20,000-mile migration will now receive federal protection.
US names red knot bird a threatened species A rust-colored shorebird known for a nearly 20,000-mile migration will now receive federal protection. Check out this story on hattiesburgamerican.com: http://hatne.ws/1AcUfiD
MICHAEL CATALINI, Associated Press Published 8:02 p.m. CT Dec. 9, 2014
In this file photograph, a red knot, center, feeds among ruddy turnstones and sanderlings along the Delaware Bay shoreline in Middle Township, N.J. The federal government has ruled that the rust-colored shorebird known for its long migration is a threatened species. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the red knot as threatened after a 14-month review.(Photo: DALE GERHARD, AP)
TRENTON, N.J. — A rust-colored shorebird known for a nearly 20,000-mile migration will now receive federal protection, setting the stage for states to coordinate preservation plans for the dwindling species.
After a 14-month review, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the rufa subspecies of the red knot as threatened today. Under the Endangered Species Act, the ruling prohibits killing, shooting, hunting or otherwise harming the bird.
The threatened status means a plant or animal is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future. Endangered means the species faces extinction.
"We've been — my wife and I — have been working hard to protect the animal with a group of people for 15 years now," said Larry Niles, a wildlife biologist and red knot expert with Conserve Wildlife N.J. "This status will give it a structural protection we've been seeking for a long time."
New Jersey already protects the bird, ruling the red knot endangered in 2012.
The bird has pencil-thin legs and a slender beak and migrates nearly 10,000 miles from South America to the Arctic every spring, reversing the trip in the fall. The birds can fly nearly 1,500 miles without rest.
One of those stops is along the Delaware Bay, where the birds' numbers have fallen from 100,000 to about 25,000.
The birds feed on clams and mussels. They also eat horseshoe crab eggs, which are rich in the nutrients that allow the birds to double their weight and make the trek.
"Imagine if you are driving across the country and there are only two or three pit stops to fuel up and get food and if you don't, it's all or nothing. Either you make it or you don't," said Eric Stiles, president of New Jersey Audubon.
The Fish and Wildlife Service links the decline to climate change and rising sea levels, which affect the bird's habitat and the availability of food.
"Although historic threats in the Delaware Bay area have been ameliorated thanks to the actions of federal and state partners, our changing climate is posing new and complex challenges to the red knot's habitat and food supply," Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe said in a statement.
Because New Jersey already listed the bird as endangered, conservation efforts likely won't change drastically in the state, Stiles said. The bay is already a protected habitat, law enforcement helps protect the bird from harassment and funding for research is in place, he said.
The main advantage of the federal listing is cross-state coordination, Stiles said.
The bird is an incredible voyager. One earned the nickname Moonbird because researchers calculated it had flown enough miles to reach the moon and about half the way back, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Read or Share this story: http://hatne.ws/1AcUfiD
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About HCGHR
Women and Children
Change of Mind: Vaccines Now to be Used for Cholera Control in Haiti
Contributing Writer | January 31, 2012 | 0 Comments
By Mathieu Maheu-Giroux
The cholera epidemic in Haiti is currently the largest in the world with more than 515,699 reported cases and 6,942 dead (as of 11/30/2011). Since the beginning of the outbreak the bulk of relief efforts has been concentrated on timely case management, the distribution of oral rehydration salts, improving water security, and extensive hygiene education campaigns.
Banners displayed during last October 19th demonstration marking the one-year anniversary of the start of the Haitian cholera outbreak. (Photo credit: Ansel Herz 2011. http://www.flickr.com/photos/mediahacker/6261079587/)
Immediately after the outbreak was detected in October 2010, an emergency response team was created. Mass immunization with Dukoral, the only cholera vaccine approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) at the time was considered but this option was quickly dismissed. It was felt that the enormous logistical issues associated with setting up an immunization campaign could not be overcome. There was widespread civil unrest and, in the aftermath of the earthquake, the Haitian governance structure was still too weak. More importantly, however, is the fact that the worldwide stockpile of vaccine was only 200,000-300,000 doses at that time – enough to immunize only a fraction of Haiti’s population.
In December 2010, a WHO meeting was convened that revised its recommendations. It called for a small-scale pilot vaccination program with Dukoral as the situation in the country stabilized. The Haitian government, which was in election mode, wanted immediate scale-up of the program, as it feared a backlash and riots from citizens that would not be targeted by the immunization campaign.
With the WHO’s approval of the Sanchol vaccine on September 29th, which at 1.85$ per dose is substantially cheaper than Dukoral, there was renewed interests in immunization. Newly elected president, Michel Martlelly, also backed targeted immunization. On October 20th, Dr. Gabriel Timothée, director general of the Ministry of Public Health and Population, announced a pilot immunization campaign to be started in January of 2012.
Boston-based NGO Partners in Health also announced last October the purchase of 200,000 currently available doses of the Sanchol vaccine in the hope of immunizing 100,000 Haitians living in high-risk areas. “What we’re calling for, a year into the epidemic, is a prompt integration of these prevention and care and treatment measures” said Paul Farmer, founder of Partners in Health and University Professor at the Harvard Medical School during a recent press conference (10/19/2011). “There’s no argument that this wouldn’t save many thousands of lives and prevent many, many times more new cases”. Cholera vaccines are no magic bullets, though. Efficacy was shown to be only 70% in a trial in India and immunity generally wanes after 2.5 years. Still, results from a mathematical model developed by Jason Andrews from Harvard School of Public Health showed that achieving 10% coverage could avert 63,000 cases and 900 deaths.
After a century of absence on the island of Hispaniola, officials are recognizing that cholera is now there to stay. Improving water security might be the only long-term measure that will permanently reduce incidence but cholera vaccines might contribute by saving lives in the short term.
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Q&A: How the Military Can Help Secure the Border
COMMENTARY Homeland Security
Oct 25th, 2018 2 min read
David Inserra
Policy Analyst for Homeland Security and Cyber Policy
David Inserra specializes in homeland security issues, including cyber and immigration policy as well as critical infrastructure.
Central American migrants hitchhike on a truck along the highway as they continue their journey in Tapachula, Mexico October 22, 2018. UESLEI MARCELINO/REUTERS/Newscom
President Donald Trump is considering the option of sending U.S. troops to help close the southern border.
The only branch of the military with broad law enforcement authority is the Coast Guard.
They might help improve the number of border-crossers apprehended, but the Department of Homeland Security would still be releasing many of them.
With a so-called “caravan” of several thousand individuals trekking through Mexico and bound for the U.S., President Donald Trump is considering the option of sending U.S. troops to help close the southern border.
Here are the basics of how the military can and can’t be used at the border.
What laws govern the use of the military in the U.S.?
The Posse Comitatus Act prohibits the Army and Air Force from being used to enforce the laws of the U.S. with only select exceptions. Additional statues and Department of Defense policy directives have further applied Posse Comitatus to the Navy and Marine Corps. The only branch of the military with broad law enforcement authority is the Coast Guard.
Other specific exceptions where the military can enforce laws include:
Emergency authority in the event of “sudden and unexpected civil disturbances, disasters, and calamities”
Protection of federal property and functions
Insurrection or rebellion
When the execution of state or federal laws are obstructed or prevented, such that the rights of citizens are denied or the course of justice is impeded
The National Guard when acting under authority of the state governor.
Under what authority can troops be deployed to the border?
The National Guard can carry out law enforcement missions when it remains under the control of the governor, avoiding the restrictions of Posse Comitatus. This can happen in two ways:
State Active Duty: The National Guard are called up by, and remain under the control of the governor. They are deployed at the expense of the state.
Title 32: Similar to State Active Duty, Title 32 of U.S. law allows a governor to call up and control that state’s National Guard, but the guardsmen are paid by the federal government.
The Trump, Obama, and George W. Bush administrations all deployed National Guard to the border under these provisions. Even though they are allowed to carry out law enforcement activities, as a matter of policy, these deployments have always been in a supporting role, such as aiding in logistics and reconnaissance, rather than front-line apprehension duty.
If the National Guard is called up under the control of the federal government, known as Title 10, then they generally cannot carry out law enforcement duties.
Will deploying the military stop these caravans?
The U.S. needs strong border security, and there are many active measures the U.S. can take to ensure that individuals cannot sneak across our border. These include barriers, technology, and personnel deployed in ways that maximize efficiency.
But unfortunately, the U.S.’s problem right now isn’t finding and stopping those who cross the border illegally. The U.S. has actually gotten quite good at that.
The real problem with the U.S. immigration system is a weak asylum system, as well as loopholes that prevent proper enforcement of U.S. laws. Because of these loopholes, if an individual comes across the border illegally with a child, they are generally released into the U.S., as current law and court decisions require.
If more troops are deployed to the border, they might help improve the number of border-crossers apprehended, but the Department of Homeland Security would still be releasing many of them.
Border security is only as good as the enforcement that backs it up. Only when U.S. laws are well enforced will they deter more illegal immigration.
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Saint Paul II (CA-73)
Boats-Ships--Cruisers
Image (gif, jpg, tiff)
Caption: Saint Paul (CA-73) underway in the early 1950's. She has been little modified since her first completion, except for new search and fire-control radars and twin 3-inch gun mounts in place of her original 40-millimeter antiaircraft battery. Her airplane catapults were removed in the late 1940s when fixed-wing airplanes were replaced by utility helicopters for use in battleships and cruisers.
(CA-73: dp. 13,600; l. 673'5"; b. 70'10"; dr. 26'5"; s. 32 k.; cpl. 1,700; a. 9 8", 12 5", 48 40mm., 22 20mm., 4 ac.; cl. Baltimore)
The capital of Minnesota. The first Saint Paul retained her mercantile name in United States service.
The second St. Paul (CA-73), ex-Rochester, was laid down on 3 February 1943 by the Bethlehem Steel Co., Quincy, Mass.; launched on 16 September 1944; sponsored by Mrs. John J. McDonough; and commissioned on 17 February 1945, Capt. Ernest H. von Heimburg in command.
After shakedown in the Caribbean, St. Paul departed Boston on 15 May 1945 and headed for the Pacific. From 8 to 30 June, she underwent training out of Pearl Harbor and sailed on 2 July to join Task Force 38. This fast carrier striking force completed replenishment at sea on the 23d and then proceeded to launching points for strikes against Honshu, Japan's largest island. Between 24 July and 10 August, St. Paul screened the carriers as they delivered heavy air strikes on Kure, Kobe, and the Tokyo area in southern Honshu, then at Maizuru and various airfields in northern Honshu. During this period, St. Paul also bombarded industrial targets: first on textile mills at Hamamatsu during the night of 29 July, and then on 9 August at iron and steel works in Kamaishi, firing the war's last hostile salvo from a major ship. Typhoon warnings cancelled air operations on 11 August until the 14th. Then those launched that morning were recalled, after peace negotiations gave promise of Japan's surrender. On the 15th, all offensive operations against Japan were stopped.
St. Paul, with other units of the 3d Fleet, retired to the southeast to patrol the coast while awaiting orders. On the 27th, she steamed into Sagami Wan to support United States occupation forces. On 1 September, she entered Tokyo Bay and was there during the formal surrender ceremony the next day.
St. Paul remained in Japanese waters for occupation duty until she was ordered to Shanghai on 5 November to become flagship of TF 73. She navigated the Whangpoo River, anchored off the Shanghai Bund on 10 November, and remained there until late in 1946.
Returning to the Naval Shipyard, Terminal Island, Calif., on 1 October, she was overhauled to prepare for additional Far East duty. From 1 January to 15 February 1947, she conducted refresher training at San Diego.
Following her return to Shanghai in March, St. Paul resumed operations as flagship for CTF 71 until returning to the United States in November. Next came training operations along the west coast including cruises for Naval Reservists during April and May 1948. From August to December of that year, she deployed to the western Pacific, serving in Japanese and Chinese waters. Back in the United States, she was converted from catapult to helicopter configuration before serving again in the Far East from April through October 1949.
When hostilities broke out in Korea in June 1950, St. Paul was conducting a midshipman training cruise from San Francisco to Pearl Harbor. She disembarked the future naval officers and proceeded late in July to the western Pacific where she joined Task Group (TG) 77.3 on patrol in the Formosa Strait. St. Paul remained on patrol between Formosa and mainland China from 27 August to 1 November. She then moved north into the Sea of Japan to join carrier TF 77, and commenced combat operations off the northeast coast of Korea on 9 November. On the 17th, she provided gunfire support to the United Nations troops advancing on Chongjin. That day, shrapnel from a near miss by a shell from a Communist shore battery injured six men at gun mount stations. The cruiser destroyed the enemy emplacement with counter-battery fire and continued her support mission.
As the Chinese Communists began massive attacks late in November, United Nations forces commenced a general withdrawal to consolidate and hold south of the 38th parallel. St. Paul provided close support for the Republic of Korea I Corps on their east flank as they withdrew from Hapsu, and along the coast, as they retired from Chongjin. On 2 December, she moved north again; conducted night harassing missions above Chongjin; then moved south to support the withdrawal of the Republic of Korea Capital Division to Kyong-song Man. She entered the harbor at Wonsan on the 3d to provide a curtain of shellfire around that city as United Nations forces and equipment were moved to Hungnam; then followed the forces there, and remained to cover the evacuation of that city and harbor between 10 and 24 December.
From 21 to 31 January 1951, St. Paul conducted shore bombardment missions north of Inchon where, on 26 January, she was again fired upon by shore batteries. On 7 April, in special TF 74, with destroyers Wallace L. Lind (DD-703), and Massey (DD-778), Fort Marion (LSD-22) and Begor (APD-127), St. Paul helped to carry out raids on rail lines and tunnels utilizing 250 commandos of the 41st Independent Royal Marines. These highly successful destructive raids slowed down the enemy's resupply efforts, forcing the Communists to attempt to repair or rebuild the rail facilities by night while hiding the work crews and locomotives in tunnels by day.
St. Paul returned to the United States for yard work at San Francisco from June to September; then conducted underway training before sailing on 5 November for Korea. She arrived off Wonsan on 27 November and commenced gun strike missions. During the following weeks, she bombarded strategic points at Hungnam, Songjin, and Chongjin. In December, she served as an antiaircraft escort for TF 77; and, following a holiday trip to Japan, returned to operations off the coast of North Korea. In April 1952, St. Paul participated in combined air-sea attacks against the ports of Wonsan and Chongjin. On the 21st, while the cruiser was engaged in gun fire support operations, a sudden and serious powder fire broke out in her forward 8-inch turret. Thirty men died. Before returning to Japan, however, she carried out gunstrikes on railroad targets near Songjin, during which she captured nine North Koreans from a small boat. Following a brief stay in port and two weeks on the gun line, she headed home and reached Long Beach on 24 June.
On 28 February 1953, St. Paul departed the west coast for her third Korean tour and was in action again by April. In mid-June, she assisted in the recapture of Anchor Hill. With battleship, New Jersey (BB-62), she provided close support to the Republic of Korea army in a ground assault on this key position south of Kosong. The cruiser was fired upon many times by 75 and 105-millimeter guns, and observed numerous near misses, some only ten yards away. But on 11 July at Wonsan, she received her only direct hit from a shore battery. No one was wounded, and only her 3-inch antiaircraft mount was damaged. On 27 July, at 2159, she conducted her last gunstrike and had the distinction of firing the last round shot at sea in the war. The shell, autographed by Rear Admiral Harry Sanders, was fired at an enemy gun emplacement. The truce was effective at 2200. St. Paul then commenced patrol duties along the east coast of Korea.
St. Paul returned to the western Pacific again in May 1954; and, later that year, she was on hand when the Chinese Communists were threatening the Nationalist Chinese islands of the Quemoy group. Between 19 November 1954 and 12 July 1955, she operated with the 7th Fleet in Japanese and Chinese waters, particularly between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland, playing a major role in protecting United States interests in the Far East. She returned to Long Beach for repairs and overhaul, but was back in the western Pacific from 15 August 1955 to 10 January 1956, serving as flagship for the 7th Fleet.
St. Paul returned to Long Beach in February and subsequently moved to Bremerton, Wash., for upkeep and overhaul. In September, she became flagship for the 1st Fleet and entertained the Secretary of the Navy during a fleet review at Long Beach. She departed that port on 6 November; and, after refresher training at San Diego, arrived at Yokosuka, Japan, on the 29th to relieve Rochester as flagship of the 7th Fleet. She spent most of her time in Keelung or Kaohsiung, Taiwan, with periods of training in the Philippines and port calls at Buckner Bay, Hong Kong, Manila, and Sasebo. On 26 April 1957, she headed home.
St. Paul arrived at Long Beach on 21 May and subsequently cruised along the west coast, as far north as Seattle, until she sailed once more on 3 February 1958 for the Far East. She made an extensive cruise, beginning at Pearl Harbor. Thence she steamed to Wellington, New Zealand; proceeded past Guadalcanal and north through the Solomons to New Georgia; visited the Carolines; and ended at Yokosuka on 9 March. She repeated her past WestPac deployments with duties as flagship, and exercises in the Philippines, before returning to Long Beach on 25 August.
Sailing from Long Beach on 4 May 1959, St. Paul became the first major United States Navy ship to be homeported in the Far East since pre-World War II days. Based at Yokosuka, she did not return to Long Beach until 39 months later. Then, she assumed duties as 1st Fleet flagship and did not return to WestPac until 1965. From that year, she made five successful deployments with the 7th Fleet in operations off North and South Vietnam providing gunfire support to allied troops. Reminiscent of her Korean operations, St. Paul was hit on 2 September by a shell which struck her starboard bow, near the water line. None of her crew was injured; and her engineers repaired the slight damage, enabling her to continue her mission. For her splendid record of service in helping to combat Communist aggression in South Vietnam, St. Paul earned the Navy Unit Commendation and two Meritorious Unit Commendations.
At San Diego on 7 December 1970, St. Paul began inactivation procedures. She sailed to Bremerton, Wash., on 1 February 1971 where she was decommissioned on 30 April and was placed in reserve with the Puget Sound Group of the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
St. Paul earned one battle star for World War II service, eight battle stars for Korean service, and eight battle stars for Vietnam service.
Published: Wed Sep 02 07:48:50 EDT 2015
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It Ain't So Awful, Falafel
by Firoozeh Dumas
Zomorod is eleven and originally from Iran, but please, call her Cindy. From a New York Times bestselling memoirist, a humorous, voice-driven debut novel about growing up Iranian in Southern California during the Iranian Revolution and hostage crisis of the late 1970s.
Zomorod (Cindy) Yousefzadeh is the new kid on the block . . . for the fourth time. California’s Newport Beach is her family’s latest perch, and she’s determined to shuck her brainy loner persona and start afresh with a new Brady Bunch name—Cindy. It’s the late 1970s, and fitting in becomes more difficult as Iran makes U.S. headlines with protests, revolution, and finally the taking of American hostages. Even puka shell necklaces, pool parties, and flying fish can't distract Cindy from the anti-Iran sentiments that creep way too close to home. A poignant yet lighthearted middle grade debut from the author of the best-selling Funny in Farsi.
Firoozeh Dumas
New York Times bestselling author Firoozeh Dumas was born in Abadan, Iran, and moved to Whittier, California at the age of seven. After a two-year stay, she and her family moved back to Iran and lived in Ahvaz and Tehran. Two years later, they moved back to Whittier, then to Newport Beach. She lives in Munich, Germany, with her husband and three children.
Today’s Sunday and we’re moving, again. Not everything fit in the moving truck, so our huge light blue Chevrolet Impala, or “land yacht,” as the used-car salesman called it, is filled to the brim with boxes, pillows, and kitchen appliances. The back window’s rolled down so the vacuum cleaner handle can stick out.
I am eleven years old, and this is my fourth move. I haven’t met anyone who has moved so many times before sixth grade. Normal families move once or twice because they find a house with a swimming pool or more closet space, in the same town. Every time we move, it’s to a new city or a new country.
I was born in Abadan, Iran. When I was in second grade, we moved to Compton, California. We stayed two years. For fourth grade, we moved back to Iran. Fifth grade, back to Compton. Now we’re moving to Newport Beach. The two cities are only an hour apart, but they might as well be in different galaxies. In Newport Beach, there’s no graffiti on the walls or overturned shopping carts on the sides of freeways. You don’t see any stores with broken windows. There are trees everywhere and the city looks like it has just come back from a visit to a beauty salon. Where are the rusty cars with missing tires? Not in Newport Beach. There are a lot of those in Compton, usually on people’s front lawns.
If our crazy nomadic life has taught us one thing, it’s this: Don’t buy stuff that breaks easily. Everything has to be packed sooner or later. Even our plants are made of plastic. Wherever we live, we have our fake red roses in the living room and the fake yellow daisies in our kitchen. They’re ugly and don’t look real at all; they look like those plants in horror movies that come to life and eat people. But they’re one of the few constants in my life. At least they’re always there.
The only time a kid came to my house after school in Compton, we were walking to my room when she suddenly stopped in front of the plants and asked what they were for. I thought that was a stupid question. I mean, how many possible uses could there be? They’re just plastic flowers. But later, I realized that they are so big and ugly that they look like they should do something, maybe catch flies or squirt air freshener.
As we pull up to our new home in Newport Beach, I cannot believe my eyes. Our house has two stories and is surrounded by a huge lawn made of real grass.
“Do we have to take care of the whole lawn, Baba?” I ask, trying to figure out where our part of the grass begins and ends. There is no chainlink fence between the houses, so it looks like everyone’s living in a huge park.
“No,” my dad says. “There are gardeners.”
I look at my mom to see how relieved she must be to hear this, but she’s busy using the mirror on the side of the car to reapply her pink lipstick.
Our house in Compton had a small patch of grass in the front and back. By the time we figured out how often we were supposed to water it, it was all dead. Some of our neighbors had fake lawns. From far away, they looked good—better than our real, dead lawn, anyway.
As we get out of the car, I see an older lady standing in the driveway, and she seems way overdressed for daytime. She reminds me of Mrs. Thurston Howell III on Gilligan’s Island. My mother introduces herself as my dad tries to unload the vacuum cleaner, which by now is sticking so far out the window that it almost hit the tree next to the driveway when we pulled in.
“I am Nastaran Yousefzadeh,” she says, making the whole sentence sound like one word. “Dees eez Zomorod Yousefzadeh,” she adds, pointing to me.
I smile. I can tell the lady’s getting nervous. She has no idea what my mother just said. She has this strained expression, like she’s trying to smile but only half her face is cooperating. My father, holding the vacuum cleaner, joins us, and the lady finally says, “I’m Mrs. Mavis, your landlady. Hello, Mr. You—You—Yous . . .” Her voice trails off, which is fine, since we never expect anyone to get past the first syllable of our last name. Two points for trying, Lady Mavis.
Then she gives him a key and shouts, “DO NOT LOSE THIS POOL KEY!” She pauses, looks at each of us, and continues, “If you do, you must pay fifty dollars, that’s FIFTY DOLLARS, for a replacement.” Then, for reasons I cannot understand, she repeats herself, but this time, loudly and slowly, “DO. NOT. LOSE. THIS. POOL. KEY.”
I so badly want to ask her, “ARE. WE. ALLOWED. TO. LOSE. THIS. POOL. KEY?” but I don’t. My mom stands there smiling like a statue. My dad, still clutching the vacuum cleaner, keeps nodding his head and repeating, “Yes, yes.” He does that when he’s nervous, which is often. I just roll my eyes and walk through our new front door.
Our home is a “condo,” short for condominium. I figure this out when the landlady gives us a binder, Rules for Condominium Living, which we also have to return when we move out. Apparently there is no fine for losing the binder.
“Zomorod,” my dad says to me, “read this and tell your mom what it says.” My mom hasn’t learned much English. I always encourage her to try, but she says, “Az man gozasheh.”
It’s too late for me.
That’s the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard, and I tell her so. This always makes her mad. She says I should be a nicer daughter. But I am a nice daughter! I just don’t want to be her translator for the rest of my life.
The rulebook begins with a “Welcome to Condominium Living!” page that shows a happy, good-looking blond family standing with another happy, good-looking blond family next to a barbecue, the fathers holding trays of hamburgers and hot dogs. We do not look anything like the people in the picture, but for once it doesn’t matter. If there is one thing the Yousefzadehs love, it’s grilling. My dad calls himself the King of Kebabs. I can almost imagine having a party with our new neighbors, just like in the picture—except that one of the families will be standing apart, holding a tray of bright orange, almost glow-in-the-dark chicken that everyone looks at but no one tries. This is what happens when you use saffron marinade instead of barbecue sauce.
"Insightful, sobering, and hilarious."
"Filled with humorous touches and authentic cultural references, Dumas’s story will resonate not just with young immigrants but with any readers trying to adapt to new situations."
* "Dumas’ semi-autobiographical novel is both funny and affecting...Readers will be thoroughly invested in Cindy’s story, whether holding their breath or laughing out loud, and always hoping that the Yousefzadehs will come out on top."
* "[A] fresh take on the immigrant experience—authentic, funny, and moving from beginning to end."
—Kirkus Reviews, STARRED review
"[It Ain't So Awful, Falafel] is funny, affecting, and nuanced...The novel doesn’t sugarcoat the issues, but it balances these serious notes with preteen antics and melodramas that Blume would be proud of; Cindy’s voice will undoubtedly draw in readers from all backgrounds."
—Horn Book
"...keeps readers engaged with the very real and relatable difficulties of finding friends after moving, dealing with family issues both domestic and abroad, and discovering one’s own identity in middle school."
“Firoozeh Dumas’s unique gift is her ability to use her wry, bold, but always gentle wit to tell serious stories about family, heritage, and loss. . . . In this era of suspicion and paranoia, [this book] offers a tender and compassionate glimpse into the immigrant experience.” —Khaled Hosseini, bestselling author of The Kite Runner
"This book is a sheer delight—rambunctious and rich. . . . Firoozeh Dumas writes with the perfect light touch that makes us wonder once again: Who is running the big world and why not this person, please?" —Naomi Shihab Nye, novelist and poet
"[A]n honest, witty, and moving portrayal of what it means to be an Iranian immigrant in the late 1970s, during the Iran hostage crisis."—Scholastic Teacher Magazine
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[News24Wire] Cape Town -Nico Bell triumphed in his own backyard when he took two of the three stages to sprint to victory in the Jock Classic road cycle race in Nelspruit this past weekend. […]
[News24Wire] Cape Town -Team Dimension Data for Qhubeka has announced that as part of their celebration of Mandela Day , Thursday, July 18, the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation will be joining them at the Tour de France. […]
[News24Wire] Pretoria -Wiehahn Herbst will start at prop, and flanker Marco van Staden will play off the bench when the Blue Bulls take on the Free State Cheetahs at Loftus Versfeld on Friday night. […]
[News24Wire] Cape Town -On Thursday, July 18 to celebrate Mandela Day , WP Currie Cup team, Cape Town City FC and the Cape Cobras will collectively give 67 minutes of their time to help the Langa Cheshire Home for the Disabled. […]
[News24Wire] Bloemfontein -The Cheetahs on Tuesday confirmed the signing of four new players for the upcoming PRO14 season. […]
[Nyasa Times] Minister of Sports, Youth and Culture Francis Phiso on Monday brought MK10 million cash at Football Association of Malawi (FAM) Mpira Village at Chiwembe in Limbe and presented MK5 million each to Nyasa Big Bullets and Mighty Be Forward Wanderers as an honour to the pledge President Arthur Peter Mutharika made on July 6 during the Independence Day celebrations at Kamuzu Stadium. […]
[Ghanaian Times] How does one describe a Sunday on which (1) England defeats New Zealand to become Cricket World Champions; (2) Djokovic beats Federer to become Wimbledon Champion; (3) World Motor Racing Champion Lewis Hamilton wins his sixth Silverstone race; (4) Algeria and Senegal beat Nigeria and Tunisia respectively to reach the final of AFRICON 2019? […]
[Ghanaian Times] A section of baseball coaches, trainers and players have called for the immediate dissolution of the executive of the Ghana Baseball and Softball Federation (GBSF). […]
[Ghanaian Times] The second edition of the Ghana Centre of the World golf tournament was held on Saturday at the Tema Country Golf Club. […]
[Monitor] The She Cranes are determined not to repeat mistakes. […]
[Monitor] Uganda Cranes players, fresh from the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) had an incredible reunion at the Serena Hotel Kampala on Friday. […]
[The Herald] Zimbabwe's bid for a semi-final berth at the ongoing 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup suffered a huge setback when they lost their first game in Group F of the Preliminaries Stage Two to New Zealand at the M & S Arena in Liverpool, England, yesterday. […]
[The Herald] Black Rhinos coach Herbert Maruwa is becoming worried with his Castle Lager Premiership football team's apparent lack of winning instincts in recent duels after his troops posted their third straight draw against Dynamos, albeit in controversial circumstances at the National Sports Stadium on Saturday. […]
Zimbabwe: Mighty Warriors Racing Against Time
[The Herald] Exactly two weeks before Zimbabwe play Angola in the COSAFA Women Championships opening match in Port Elizabeth, South Africa,the Mighty Warriors are yet to get into camp to begin their preparations for the tournament. […]
Zimbabwe: Measly Support for Netball Team
[The Herald] Zim Netball Association chairperson, Barbra Siyachitema, is happy with the way the Zimbabwean community in England has been rallying behind the Gems at the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup currently taking place in Liverpool, England. […]
Ethiopia: Walias to Commence CHAN Preparations
[Reporter] After the honor of hosting the 2020 African Nations Championships (CHAN) was transferred to Cameron from Ethiopia, the Walias are set to commence their preparations in the coming week. The Ethiopian national team coach Abraham Mebrhatu has called-up 25 players. […]
[The Herald] Zimbabwe international striker Nyasha Mushekwi has left his Chinese Super League football club -- Dalian Yifang -- to play in the lower tier league there. […]
[Foroyaa] A Gambian player has been left bereft after thinking he'd achieved his long- harboured dream of playing in a top league only to be signed and released in 24 hours, Foroyaa Sport can report. […]
Ethiopia: The 2018/19 EPL Season Review
[Reporter] After a season filled with various hindrances starting from political unrest to hooliganism to financial struggles of clubs to forfeiting matches; the Ethiopian Premier League (EPL) 2018/19 season concluded last week. Amidst all this, Mekele 70 Enderta has won the EPL title after seeing-off visitors Dire Dawa City 2-1. […]
Gambia: Boy Niang: 'Appealing Depends on My Staff'
[Foroyaa] Boy Niang insists he is deserving of victory instead of the draw result against Lac2 Guier. […]
Gambia: LAC2: 'I Won the Fight, It's Clear to Everyone'
[Foroyaa] Lac2 Guier claims he clearly won Saturday's wrestling combat against Boy Niang. […]
[Algerie Presse Service] Algiers -Head of State Abdelkader Bensalah sent Sunday a congratulation message to the national team and supporters following the Desert Foxes' qualification for the final of the African Cup of Nations CAN-2019, in a match played against Nigeria in Egypt, reiterating the State's commitment to continuing its efforts to create all appropriate conditions so that this victory will be crowned with other successes at the continental and international levels. […]
Kenya: Kiambu's Ian Njoroge Wins Muranga Golf Day
[Nation] Despite the tough condition of the nine-hole Kiambu Golf Club course, handicap 21 Ian Njoroge still managed to post 37 points made up of 17 and 20 to emerge the overall winner of the Muranga Golf Day, sponsored by Royal Media chairman S.K. Macharia and other sponsors. […]
Malawi: Malawi Queens Beat Northern Ireland 47-43 in World Netball Cup
[Nyasa Times] Malawi Queens stayed third in Group F table on Monday after seeing off Northern Ireland 47-43 in the ongoing World Netball Cup at M&S Arena in Liverpool. […]
[Nation] The story that refuses to go away here in Kigali is that of Gor Mahia's reported interest in Burundian striker Jules Ulimwengu. […]
[RFI] To celebrate his last minute winner, Algeria's Riyad Mahrez showed a turn of speed unseen during the match against Nigeria. Senegal and Tunisia seemed to be running scared. They both fluffled penalties. […]
[Nairobi News] A video has emerged online of journalists from Senegal and Tunisia engaging in a fist fight during the African Cup of Nations semi-final match pitting the two countries. […]
[Capital FM] Cairo -Malkia Striker's hopes of reclaiming the Africa Women Volleyball National Championship title fell off after losing to holders Cameroon 3-2 in a scintillating final in Cairo, Egypt on Sunday night. […]
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Africa News Headlines
Much more in news section!
One of South Africa's best-known musicians and anti-apartheid activist dies at the age of 66. […]
Former president Sepp Blatter says the decision to appoint secretary general Fatma Samoura as the 'Fifa General Delegate for Africa' is a throwback to colonialism while also flouting Fifa rules. […]
They were kidnapped by pirates - reportedly for ransom - although eight managed to escape. […]
Uber drivers are striking in Kenya have gone on strike over poor working conditions. […]
Clarence Seedorf is sacked as Cameroon coach and leaves along with former Dutch team-mate Patrick Kluivert. […]
Hodan Nalayeh prize: Somalia to honour journalist murdered by al-Shabab
Hodan Nalayeh relocated to Somalia last year to help rebuild the country of her birth. […]
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Tom Hiddleston Got Quite "Testy" When He Was Asked About Taylor Swift
He's officially over it.
By Mehera Bonner
Mar 7 2017, 10:30 am EST
Due to the fact that they a) made out atop a rocky outcrop in front of paps, and b) frolicked gleefully in the ocean during July 4th weekend, the rise and fall of Tom Hiddleston and Taylor Swift's relationship was the subject of much public scrutiny. But Tom Hiddleston is officially over it.
During an interview with The Telegraph, the British actor was once again asked about his relationship with Swift (specifically if he has any regrets) and was simply not on board. To quote the British, he seemed "miffed."
"What should I regret, in your mind?" Hiddleston said in what The Telegraph described as a testy manner, before adding "I would rather not talk about this if that's alright."
But then, after a "long pause with his hand on his chin" he said: "I'm just thinking about this. Everyone is entitled to a private life. I love what I do and I dedicate myself with absolute commitment to making great art and great entertainment, and in my mind I don't conflict the two. My work is in the public sphere and I have a private life. And those two things are separate."
In other words, leave poor Tom Hiddleston and his "I Heart T.S." tank top alone!
From: Marie Claire US
Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston Go on a Date in Nashville
Tom Hiddleston Cannot Escape Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift Reportedly Thinks Tom Hiddleston Is "The One"
Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston Break Up
How Taylor Swift Got Tom Hiddleston to Dance at the Met Gala
Tom Hiddleston Opens Up About Dating Taylor Swift
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Home » Biographies » Emerson’s Friends in Concord
Emerson’s Friends in Concord
Posted on March 21, 2014 by Emily Mace
The Living Legacy of Ralph Waldo Emerson
The Emerson home was warm and inviting.
Courtesy of the Emerson House in Concord.
Emerson lived in Concord during an extraordinary time, when some of the greatest writers and thinkers gathered there. They were committed to social reform, spiritual truth, and literary innovation. They committed what many have called a second, and quieter, revolution. All of them met regularly in Emerson’s graciously appointed front parlor. They included:
Ellery Channing, the nephew of Boston’s leading Unitarian minister, William Ellery Channing, who was a poet with life-long financial difficulties which Emerson helped to alleviate. Emerson considered Ellery Channing “the incomparable companion” on his rambles in Concord and once wrote about him, “he is grown an accomplished Professor of Walking, and leads like an Indian.”
George Ripley, who served as the minister of Boston’s Purchase Street Church until he resigned to set up a commune he called “Brook Farm” where, he believed, that “work necessary to support a community could be distributed in such a way as to match people’s tasks with their individual desires and ability to do them.” He saw this as a first step in the reformation of the competitive and selfish society he saw America becoming. He was a central figure in the Transcendentalist movement, a writer, and editor.
Henry David Thoreau,
Courtesy of the Concord Free Public Library
Henry David Thoreau, whom Emerson first met when Thoreau was a young Harvard student. Thoreau lived in the Emerson home for two years in 1841, doing handywork in exchange for board, and he was a favorite of the Emerson children. In 1845, he went to live at Walden Pond in a small house he had started building on the lot Emerson purchased a few years earlier. Thoreau’s book, Walden, broke new ground in environmentalism and for Transcendentalists. Other writings would follow, but Thoreau was also an inventor, civil engineer, social critic, activist, and philosopher.
Sarah Alden Bradford Ripley, a regular visitor to Emerson’s childhood home in Boston, who knew languages, literature, science, and philosophy, and tutored boys for entrance to Harvard College. Years later, when she married Emerson’s grandfather, the Reverend Samuel Ripley, and moved to the Old Manse in Concord, Emerson and his family spent Thanksgivings there and the Ripleys joined the Emersons the following day. “The remarkable Mrs. Ripley,” as Emerson called her, was a regular Sunday afternoon visitor and Emerson, in turn, took new friends out to the Old Manse to meet her.
George Partridge Bradford, Sarah Ripley’s brother, who participated in George Ripley’s “Brook Farm” experiment to create a “community of likeminded souls.” As one of Emerson’s favorite friends, George Bradford was a regular travel and walking companion, and he moved to Concord to be part of the informal community of friends that Emerson hoped to create there.
Elizabeth Hoar, Courtesy of the Concord Free Public Library
Elizabeth Hoar, who would have married Emerson’s brother, Charles, but for his early death. Emerson always considered Elizabeth his sister, and was close to her family. Elizabeth was an early Transcendentalist and a close intellectual friend to Emerson whose daughter, Ellen, described Elizabeth’s “Greek mind” as a model for her own educational pursuits.
Nathaniel Hawthorne of Salem, Massachusetts, who boarded, with his wife Sophia Peabody, at the Old Manse for three years and enshrined his experience in his 1846 Mosses from an Old Manse. Emerson’s son later wrote, “Mr. Hawthorne always interested my father by his fine personality, but the gloomy and uncanny twilight atmosphere of his books was one in which Mr. Emerson could not breathe, and he could never read far.” Hawthorne and his family moved back to Salem briefly where he worked in the Custom House, but once his Scarlet Letter was published he became famous. He published additional works, accepted a consul post in Liverpool, and returned to Concord in 1852 and again in 1860 when the Emersons welcomed them home with a strawberry party.
Margaret Fuller, who had heard Emerson speak long before they met and was strongly affected by his powers. He, in turn, was stimulated by her brilliance and she helped him develop his early thoughts on idealism and nature. Margaret was a leader in the Transcendentalist movement and served as an editor of The Dial. Between 1839 and 1844, she held her famous “Conversations” at Elizabeth Peabody’s bookstore which attracted the most progressive women, and then men, in Boston. Her 1845 Woman in the Nineteenth Century was a groundbreaking early feminist work that influenced her friend Emerson. He thought of her as his “new Corinne.”
Elizabeth Palmer Peabody of Salem, whom Emerson had tutored Greek in 1821, and who had been an instructor in Bronson Alcott’s Temple School in Boston. Emerson read her account of the Temple School, Record of a School, noting how it “aims all the time to show the symbolic character of all things to the children.” Elizabeth Peabody was another founding Transcendentalist, a leader in the kindergarten movement in America, served as a publisher of The Dial, and hosted the “Conversations” led by Margaret Fuller in Peabody’s Boston bookstore.
Bronson Alcott.
Bronson Alcott, the philosopher, writer, and innovative educator whose progressive methods eventually led the parents of Boston’s Temple School to withdraw their children. In debt, Alcott was forced to close and he moved his family to Concord. Emerson consistently admired Alcott as a modern prophet. He was a founding member of the Transcendental Club, and initiated the failed utopian experiment in Harvard, Massachusetts, called “Fruitlands.”
Louisa May Alcott, Bronson’s daughter, who as a girl attended Concord Academy where she was taught by Henry Thoreau and his brother. Louisa Alcott brought world-wide fame to her family home, Orchard House, when she published Little Women. She also worked as a nurse during the Civil War, as a teacher, and domestic servant. Through her writing and connections to her friends in Concord, she was a strong advocate for women’s suffrage and their right to earn a living. As a girl, Louisa Alcott visited Emerson’s study and library and was profoundly influenced by her father’s dear friend.
“The marble walk that leads up to his door has been trodden by the feet of many pilgrims from all parts of the world, drawn thither by their love and reverence for him. In that famous study, his townspeople have had the privilege of seeing many of the great and good men and women of our time, and learning of the gracious host the finest lessons of true courtesy. I have often seen him turn from distinguished guests, to say a wise or kindly word to some humble worshipper sitting modestly in a corner, content merely to look and listen, and who went away to cherish that memorable moment long and gratefully.” —Louisa May Alcott
Other visitors to the Emerson home included members of the Transcendental Club (Frederic Henry Hedge, George Putnam, James Freeman Clarke, Convers Francis, Orestes Brownson, and Theodore Parker); Caroline Sturgis, Charles Lane, William Henry Channing, and many others. Conversation and hospitality were the hallmarks of Emerson’s home.
Series Navigation << Emerson’s Divinity School AddressEmerson at Work >>
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Recipients of 2016 Gruber Cosmology Prize Announced
iau1602 — Press Release
Subscribe to the IAU e-Newsletter.
The 2016 Gruber Foundation Cosmology Prize recognizes Ronald Drever, Kip Thorne, Rainer Weiss, and the entire Laser Interferometer Gravitational‐Wave Observatory (LIGO) discovery team for the first observation of gravitational waves, ripples in space‐time predicted by Einstein a century ago.
The Cosmology Prize honours leading cosmologists, astronomers, astrophysicists or scientific philosophers for theoretical, analytical, conceptual or observational discoveries leading to fundamental advances in our understanding of the Universe. This year’s prize will be presented to Drever, Thorne and Weiss in a ceremony on July 12, during the 21st International Conference on General Relativity and Gravitation, held at Columbia University, New York.
“Many years of hard work by teams of dedicated scientists and engineers have culminated in this truly momentous discovery. With this observation, they have not only added further support to Einstein’s theory of gravity, but also opened up a new field of observational astronomy”, said Robert Kennicutt, Chair of the Selection Advisory Board to the Gruber Foundation Cosmology Prize.
One hundred years ago, Einstein’s theory of general relativity reimagined Newton’s conception of gravity. Rather than treating gravity as a force acting across space, Einstein’s equations revealed gravity to be a property of space and time. Einstein realised that gravity would manifest as waves traveling at the speed of light, and those waves would be passing through the Earth all the time. But they would be so weak that it would be impossible to detect them — or so it was thought.
The LIGO team’s announcement of the detection of gravitational waves on 11 February this year electrified the physics community and captured the imagination of media outlets around the world. LIGO had detected one of nature’s truly exotic events: the collision of two black holes.
That detection, which took place in 2015 and which provided support for a key prediction of Einstein’s general theory of relativity, was itself a technologically and scientifically herculean achievement. But the detection also open the door on a new means of studying the universe — a first glimpse into the strong‐gravity regime of Einstein’s theory of general relativity, the part of the theory that governs the dynamics of the most powerful phenomena in the universe.
Now that the LIGO team knows the experiment works, they’re confident that strong‐gravity detections will become more or less routine. Promising candidates for future study include exploding stars known as supernovae, spinning, and even colliding, neutron stars and the powerful phenomena known as gamma-ray bursts.
In addition to a cash award of $500 000, to be shared equally between Drever, Thorne and Weiss, each of the three will receive a gold medal and a citation that reads: The Gruber Foundation proudly presents the 2016 Cosmology Prize to Rainer Weiss, Kip Thorne, Ronald Drever, and the entire LIGO team for pursuing a vision to observe the universe in gravitational waves, leading to a first detection that emanated from the collision of two black holes. This remarkable event provided the first glimpse into the strong‐gravity regime of Einstein's theory of general relativity that governs the dynamics of black holes, giving direct evidence for their existence, and demonstrating that their nature is consistent with the predictions of general relativity.
The IAU is the international astronomical organisation that brings together more than 10 000 professional astronomers from almost 100 countries. Its mission is to promote and safeguard the science of astronomy in all its aspects through international cooperation. The IAU also serves as the internationally recognised authority for assigning designations to celestial bodies and the surface features on them. Founded in 1919, the IAU is the world's largest professional body for astronomers.
The Gruber Foundation honours and encourages educational excellence, social justice and scientific achievements that better the human condition. For more information about the Foundation’s guidelines and priorities, please visit www.gruber.yale.edu.
The Gruber International Prize Program honours contemporary individuals in the fields of Cosmology, Genetics, Neuroscience, Justice and Women's Rights, whose groundbreaking work provides new models that inspire and enable fundamental shifts in knowledge and culture. The Selection Advisory Boards choose individuals whose contributions in their respective fields advance our knowledge, potentially have a profound impact on our lives, and, in the case of the Justice and Women's Rights Prizes, demonstrate courage and commitment in the face of significant obstacles.
In 2000, the Gruber Foundation and the International Astronomical Union (IAU) announced an agreement by which the IAU provides its expertise and contacts with professional astronomers worldwide for the nomination and selection of Cosmology Prize winners. Under the agreement, The Gruber Foundation also funds a fellowship programme for young astronomers, with the aim of promoting the continued recruitment of new talent into the field. Since the spring of 2011 The Gruber Foundation has been established at Yale University.
For more information on the Gruber Prizes, visit www.gruber.yale.edu
Media materials and additional background information on the Gruber Prizes
The IAU and the Gruber Cosmology Prize
The Gruber Foundation Fellowship in Astrophysics
A. Sarah Hreha
The Gruber Foundation, Yale University
New Haven, CT, USA
Tel: +1 203 432-6231
Email: sarah.hreha@gruber.yale.edu
Lars Lindberg Christensen
IAU Press Officer
Cell: +49 173 38 72 621
Email: lars@eso.org
PR Image iau1602a
Black holes ringing in space
PR Image iau1602b
Ronald W. P. Drever, recipient of the 2016 Gruber Cosmology Prize
PR Image iau1602c
Kip Thorne, recipient of the 2016 Gruber Cosmology Prize
PR Image iau1602d
Rainer Weiss, recipient of the 2016 Gruber Cosmology Prize
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Armed groups and intra-state conflicts: the dawn of a new era?
30 June 2011 Arnaud Blin
Have the various profound changes that have affected the world, and particularly its geostrategic dimensions, since the end of the ColdWar radically altered the nature of conflicts? Twenty years after the collapse of the Soviet Union and ten years after the destruction of the twin towers in New York, there is an apparent degree of continuity in the resilience of former centres of unresolved conflicts and of armed groups involved in them. Nonetheless, whereas most armed conflicts can today be classified as 'intrastate', the general context has changed to the extent that reference is now made to the phenomenon of 'new wars'. Increasingly inacceptable economic and political imbalances along with globalization, environmental damage and its consequences or the emergence of large-scale conflicts triggered by organized crime are some of the perils already affecting the nature of today's conflicts or potentially defining those of the future. As the period dominated by jihadist groups with a universalist vocation possibly draws to an end, the current trend seems to be towards a new generation of guerrilla fighters who stand to benefit, in particular, from the erosion of the nation-state and from geopolitical convulsions arising from the post-colonial legacy as the starting point for intensely zealous and violent long-term ventures. The impact of globalization could cause a flare-up of some existing conflicts that are currently limited in scope while the international community struggles to redefine other rules and to adapt them to the new dialectic of war and peace.
Arnaud Blin
Research fellow at the French Institute of Strategic Analysis
Arnaud Blin is a research fellow at the French Institute of Strategic Analysis and Co-ordinator of the Forum for a New World Governance.
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Help us continue to fight human rights abuses. Please give now to support our work
May 30, 2019 11:00PM EDT
Pakistan: Investigate North Waziristan Deaths
Uphold Rights of Region’s Pashtun Population
Pakistani President Arif Alvi, center on a military vehicle, reviews a military parade to mark Pakistan National Day, in Islamabad, Pakistan on Saturday, March 23, 2019.
© 2019 AP Photo/Anjum Naveed
(New York) – Pakistan authorities should impartially investigate the deaths of at least three people during violence between Pashtun activists and the army in North Waziristan on May 26, 2019, Human Rights Watch said today.
Both the army and supporters of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM), which campaigns for the rights of ethnic Pashtuns in the former tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, accuse the other of initiating a clash at a military checkpoint at Khar Kamar. In addition to the deaths, several people, including soldiers, were injured.
“The uncertainty surrounding the deaths at Khar Kamar requires a prompt, transparent, and impartial investigation by Pakistani authorities,” said Brad Adams, Asia director. “Upholding the rule of law is critical for maintaining security and protecting human rights in North Waziristan.”
The incident arose during a protest at the checkpoint by local residents following the arrest of two men after a military search operation. The search operation was in response to two attacks on army personnel, on May 6 and May 24, that killed one soldier and injured three others.
A key PTM leader, Mohsin Dawar, told the media that as the group’s elected representative, he and his supporters had gone to meet the demonstrators at the checkpoint. Dawar said that while he was meeting with the protesters, soldiers opened fire without provocation.
After the incident, the army issued a statement that a group led by Dawar and Ali Wazir, another leader of the Pashtun group, attacked the military checkpoint to force the release of a suspected terrorist facilitator. “In exchange of fire,” the statement said, “three individuals who attacked the post lost their lives and 10 got injured.” The prime minister’s office endorsed the military’s statement. The authorities registered a criminal case against Wazir and eight other PTM members who have been arrested. On May 27, the army issued a statement that five more bodies were found close to the area where the clash occurred.
The PTM says that it represents the Pashtuns of the region previously known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The tribal areas were governed by colonial-era regulations that allowed collective punishment for entire communities, including property destruction and denial of access to courts. In recent years, the area has experienced attacks by the Taliban, government military offensives, and US drone strikes. In May 2018, Pakistan’s parliament passed a constitutional amendment merging the tribal areas with the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province and extending the constitutional protections previously denied to the people of the tribal areas.
The PTM has organized protests against the government to demand accountability for extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and casualties due to landmines. The government has cracked down on PTM members and supporters, using arbitrary arrests, intimidation, and surveillance as instruments of coercion. On May 28, authorities arrested a journalist, Gohar Wazir, for reporting on the group’s demonstrations and interviewing its leaders.
PTM activists have accused the authorities of arbitrary arrests and intimidation. On May 22, a criminal case for inciting violence and defaming state institutions was registered against Gulalai Ismail, a leader of the group. The case was initiated following a speech she made at a protest demonstration against the rape and murder of Farishta, a 10-year-old girl in Islamabad. Ismail has since gone into hiding.
On February 2, several Pashtuns protested the death of another leader of the group, Arman Luni, in Balochistan province’s Lorelai district. The police said that Luni died of a heart attack following clashes between police and protesters, but his supporters alleged that he died from torture in police custody.
Law enforcement, including the military, should provide security during anti-government demonstrations in accordance with the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms. The principles provide that whenever the lawful use of force is unavoidable, security forces need to use restraint and act in proportion to the seriousness of the offense. Law enforcement officials should not use firearms against people except to protect against the imminent threat of death or serious injury. Protest organizers should take steps to deter their supporters from committing violence during demonstrations.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has been vocal about the plight of the residents of the tribal areas throughout his political career, and has said that he would address many of the PTM’s grievances, such as the need to ease checkpoints in the former tribal areas and to remove landmines. In January, he approved a draft law criminalizing enforced disappearances – another key demand of the Pashtun group that would benefit all Pakistanis.
“The recent incident at Khar Kamar is just the latest violence involving the military and Pashtun activists,” Adams said. “Local authorities should ensure that basic rights and freedoms are respected and that genuine efforts are made to address the plight of the people in the region.”
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The Forbidden Mates: Bane Werewolf Colony
Dahlia31 4 stories
Danag guessed luck was on his side after all. He found Addison long before Pierce did. She stayed in an abandoned building out of town. She sat alone eating a sandwich and drinking a small carton of milk. This was almost too easy. She sighed. A look of defeat was present on her face. Danag crept into the building. He had her right where he wanted her. He needed to act fast in case Pierce came for her again. Tonight was the night. Tonight, he would make her one of them. Danag emerged from the shadows. He made sure she could see him. He wanted her to know she had nowhere to run. She stiffened at his presence. A squeak escaped her lips. She dropped the sandwich and milk.
“Hello, my pretty,” Danag said. “Nice to see you’re a solo act now.”
“Danag, please,” she said. “I don’t want to die.”
“You won’t, my little flower. You won’t. I just can’t wait another minute to taste you. Your blood has been calling out to me. It’s irresistible you know.”
She ran. Danag laughed. This was going to be so much fun. He walked slowly and watched as she tried to find a way out of the building. He made sure to lock all the exits. She ran up the broken steps.
“Nowhere to run, Addison,” Danag said. “Accept your fate. You belong to me.”
Addy didn’t know why she was so careless. She should’ve gone further out of town. The reason she stayed close was Pierce. She wanted him to find her in case he came looking for her. From his reaction when Victor kicked her out, she hadn’t seen the last of him. Addy wasn’t tooting her own horn or anything but Pierce was in love with her. After learning of this revelation, she had to rethink her position where Sid was concerned. She loved Sid but her feelings for Pierce had a chance to grow from the weeks she spent with him. Sure, she was around Sid longer and she spent more time with him but there was something about Pierce she couldn’t walk away from.
There was something about him that made her want to belong to him. Love grew stronger if it was forbidden. Maybe she was drawn to Pierce because they were forbidden to be together. He was rich, she was poor. He was handsome, she was ugly. Pierce was a werewolf and she was human. Pierce wanted her and she wanted him. Addy wished she told him how she felt. Now, she wasn’t going to get the chance. Danag would kill her. Pierce would never know her feelings. Addy slumped down near the door. Tears sprang to her eyes at the unspoken words still lodged in her throat. Danag grabbed her leg and pulled her from the door. He threw her down the broken steps. Addy landed in a corner. Danag came down the stairs after her. Addy closed her eyes. Well, she’d probably meet Sid sooner or later. When he was close enough to her, Danag mounted her. He brushed a thumb over her cheek, wiping away her tears.
“Don’t cry,” he whispered. “I promise it won’t be painful.”
“Just get it over with,” she said. “I’ve got one foot in the grave anyway.”
Danag brushed the hair from her neck. He hissed as his fangs retracted. Addy swallowed. She wished she said goodbye to Pierce properly. She wished she had fought harder to try and convince Victor she was no threat to him. As Danag leaned down and sank his teeth in her neck, she thought about the life she could’ve had if she hadn’t met Randy. She thought about the dreams she had once she got back on her feet. Danag groaned and pulled her closer to him. Addy closed her eyes. There was no escape from this hell. It was a lie they told themselves. They’d be fine. It’ll all work out in the end. Too bad it never did.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Goodbye Pierce where ever you are.”
Danag was thrown off her with incredible force. Addy gasped. It was Pierce it had to be. He found her. A sigh of relief escaped her lips. Pierce’s eyes landed on her. Addy smiled at him before she passed out.
Pierce growled. He knew it would come to this. He would make Danag pay for attacking her. Danag got to his feet and wiped her blood from his mouth. Pierce wanted to rip his throat out. This was all Victor’s fault. Pierce could’ve protected her. Danag charged with a shriek. Pierce didn’t bother to shift into his wolf. He dodged Danag’s attack. Danag lost his footing and fell to the ground.
“You’ll pay for that,” Pierce said. “You’ll pay for hurting Addison.”
“Hurt her?” Danag glanced at him. “I could never do that, Pierce.”
Pierce didn’t want to hear any more. He wasn’t going to waste any more time. Danag got to his feet. Pierce watched as he went over to Addison. She had passed out. Danag grabbed her up by the hair. He held her in front of him like a shield. He kissed her jaw. Pierce began to shift. It hurt like hell. Pierce figured his anger had something to do with it. He growled when his change was complete. Danag began to step back as Pierce walked towards him.
“You don’t want to risk it,” Danag said. “Back off!”
Pierce didn’t listen. He attacked. He was able to maneuver around her which was a surprise to Danag. Danag screamed when Pierce got ahold of his arm. He tried to get him off. Addison slipped from his grip. Danag was able to shake him off but not for long. Pierce ran after him as he climbed the broken stairs to the roof of the building. Pierce snarled. Danag had nowhere to run. Blood dripped from the gash on his arm. He peered over the roof’s edge and laughed.
“This isn’t over, Pierce,” he said. “You’ll pay for thi-"
Pierce took him down in one fell swoop. Danag gasped for air. Pierce placed a big paw on his throat and pressed. He relished the sight of Danag writhing and kicking under him. Danag’s eyes rolled in the back of his head. He was fading fast. Pierce leaned down, ready to rip his head from his shoulders.
One distraction from Addison was all it took. Danag pulled a knife from his belt and stabbed Pierce in the paw. Pierce screamed. Danag shoved him away. Pierce didn’t have time to nurse his injury. Before he could take Danag down again, Danag leaped from the roof. Pierce ran to the edge and peered down at the streets. He was gone. Pierce shifted back into human form. He frowned at the stab wound on his hand.
“Bastard,” he muttered, licking the wound.
Addison called out to him. He hurried down the stairs. He found her at the foot of the stairs. She glanced up at him. Pierce went to her side.
“I’m so sorry, honey,” he whispered. “I should’ve searched this place sooner.”
“It’s alright,” she panted. “I’m glad you found me.”
“We should get out of here before he returns.” Pierce lifted her in his arms. She rested her head against him and closed her eyes. Pierce made his way through the building and outside. He rolled his eyes at the car that was parked beside his own. Bryce emerged with Victor in tow. They were the last two people he wanted to see right now. Pierce ignored them. He went to his car.
“Pierce,” Victor called.
Pierce put Addison in the car. He sighed at the two puncture wounds on her neck. She would turn now. It wouldn’t change how he felt about her. Victor grabbed his arm when he tried to leave.
“Pierce, listen to me.”
Pierce jerked away from him. “Why? Are you going to tell me to walk away from her again? Is this your idea of making sure no one harms her? Look what happened to her.”
“Pierce, we didn’t mean-” Bryce started.
Pierce cut him off. He ignored him and addressed Victor. “My Addison was bitten by a vampire. In 24 hours or less, she’ll turn! This is all your fault. Don’t ask me to understand why you did what you did. You didn’t try and understand I was in love with her and I still am. Don’t try to make excuses and tell me this is the reason you kept her away from me. If I was here protecting her or better yet, if you let her into the colony, this wouldn’t have happened. She’d be with me and in my arms where she belongs.”
“I know you’re upset but that gives you no reason to disrespect me,” Victor said. “I’m still the alpha and you better remember that.”
“I don’t give a damn about you being the alpha!”
Victor stared at him in shock. Pierce didn’t care if he stepped over the line a million times. He was so tired of Victor using his position to keep him in line. He was tired of Victor using the fact that he was the oldest and demanded respect as a way to control his life. Pierce wouldn’t have it anymore. He couldn’t take it.
“I don’t give a damn about your position,” Pierce screamed. “Take responsibility for turning Addison into one of them. If you think this will keep me from pursuing a life with her, forget it! I’ll choose her over the colony any day. She means more to me than the colony. She means more to me than you and Bryce! I won’t ever leave her again.”
“That’s not your call,” Victor said. “Once she’s back on her feet, I’ll make sure you never see her again.”
“You can’t kill her,” Bryce said. “That’s not how we do things, Vic.”
“I’m not going to kill her but I won’t accept her. I’ll take her somewhere Pierce can’t find her.”
“Go ahead,” Pierce said. “I’ll search the ends of the earth until I find her. The only way you’ll keep me away from her is if you kill me.”
“This is nonsense,” Bryce said.
“Kill me if you want to stop me,” Pierce said. “You’re strong enough to, Vic. Kill me where I stand. I won’t stay away from her!”
Victor sighed. “You know I can’t do that.”
“Then stay away from us. Don’t come near us again!”
Pierce climbed into the car. He wiped the tears that streamed down his cheeks. He cranked up and glanced at his brothers. They watched him with a forlorn expression. Pierce sped away from them. He glanced in the rearview mirror. He saw Victor fall to his knees before he rounded the corner and disappeared into the night.
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Live Blogs, Medals and Results Tables
The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) launched its Development Programme in 2009 with the aim of giving support to its national, continental and regional federations.
The main objectives of the programme are to organise, control and develop the sport on an international scale and to assist all federations in their activities.
Federations have the possibility to develop their organisational, coaching, training, educational and anti-doping activities or improve in any other areas they might feel need for, with the assistance of the IWF.
A deadline is set for sending applications, which must be sent to the IWF Secretariat
The IWF Secretariat collects and processes the applications
The IWF Development and Education Commission proposes the allocation of funds or goods
The IWF Executive Board approves the proposal made by the Development and Education Commission
In the case of financial contribution, a maximum of 50 per cent of the allocated funds may be provided in advance
After the project, a duly documented summary report has to be presented, including invoices, receipts etc.
The IWF has the right to monitor and check the utilisation of the allocated funds or goods at the relevant organisation
Federations that can make applications are those which have no outstanding debts with the IWF, have no valid sanction(s) in force and are compliant with the IWF Constitution, Technical and Competition Rules and IWF Anti-Doping Policy.
Pan America
A technical administration and management course was organised by the Uganda Weightlifting Federation (UWF), under the auspices of the IWF Development Programme, in Kampala in September 2018.
The event attracted 16 participants, including coaches, referees, technical officials, administrators and managers, from all across the country.
Professor Milan Mihajlovic, President of the Serbian Weightlifting Federation and an IWF Technical Committee member, was among those present.
He worked alongside UWF President Salim Musoke Ssenkungu, an international technical official and chairman of the Weightlifting Federation of Africa Coaching and Research Committee.
The opening ceremony took place on September 11 at the Uganda Olympic Committee (UOC) headquarters, under the guidance of Ssenkungu and facilitator Mihajlovic.
UOC President William Blick was also in attendance along with David Ssemakula Katende, assistant secretary general of the National Council of Sports.
The topics of discussion included preparation of an international event, the presentation of new IWF technical rules, the introduction of the new bodyweight categories that came into effect on November 1, 2018, management skills and best practices.
The officials also visited a weightlifting club and witnessed how the athletes were training.
The course ended with a competition, where all the skills obtained by all participants were put into practice.
The closing ceremony included the awarding gala of the competition, while Ssenkungu expressed his thanks to IWF President Tamás Aján for supporting and funding the event geared towards the development and prosperity of weightlifting.
In December 2018, the Chinese Weightlifting Association (CWA) held a five-day seminar for technical officials and coaches in Wuzhishan City.
The organisers, working under the leadership of CWA President Zhou Jinqiang, made use of the Wuzhishan Sports Training Base - a modern, well-equipped training hall for Chinese athletes, with 50 platforms - as the venue for the event.
The 200 participants, who travelled to the island of Hainan from all provinces of China for the seminar, welcomed the professional environment and valuable lessons taken from the lecturers.
Several well-recognised international professionals made presentations, including IWF Anti-Doping Commission chairman Patrick Schamasch, who brought attention to the challenges being faced in that field.
Reiko Chinen, an IWF Technical Committee member, explained the latest technical rule changes to the audience.
IWF director general Attila Adamfi spoke about the Olympic Movement and weightlifting’s challenges, including the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games qualification system.
The IWF was also represented by vice-president Nicu Vlad and Executive Board member Maxim Agapitov at the opening ceremony.
This was on the invitation of the CWA.
In November 2018, the Norwegian Weightlifting Federation (NWF) organised a seminar within the framework of the IWF Development Programme.
The seminar was spread across a weekend with both internal and external speakers.
A total of 18 participants spent the two days working towards the goal of improving the framework and development of weightlifting clubs in Norway.
The first day started with an introduction from educational consultant Tiril Tøien and NWF President Hilde Næss.
The political framework was presented by Næss and there were informal discussions around club development.
Furthermore, Tøien presented the organisational work that lies behind club development and demonstrated the electronic registration system used in Norwegian sport.
Day one came to an end with a workshop, to which participants contributed.
The Educational Committee was represented by Lars Espedal and Eirik Mølmshaug, who introduced a new model for club development.
The seminar continued the following day with a speaker from the Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee and Confederation of Sports (NIF).
Åsmund Sæbøe gave an insight into the NIF’s activities related to club development.
He created several workshops where representatives from regions and clubs could work in groups to discuss strategies for club development and the practical implications of those strategies.
The seminar ended after a workshop called "Sports for All".
Solomon Islands’ Jenly Wini, who at Gold Coast 2018 became the first athlete from her country to win a Commonwealth Games medal by finishing third in the women’s 58 kilograms category, conducted an Oceania Talent Identification Programme (OTIP) in August 2018 to help inspire young students to pursue weightlifting in the future.
The OTIP, organised by Oceania Weightlifting Federation through funding from the IWF, took place at Koloale Community High School, Hips School and Mbokonavera Community High School.
Following the three-day event, Wini selected one student to attend a training camp and watch elite weightlifting events the following month.
"I was impressed to see there were a lot of students that attended the programme at Koloale Community High School," the Gold Coast 2018 bronze medallist was reported as saying by Solomon Star News.
"The school hall was fully packed with students who were keen to learn about weightlifting sport."
Students at Mbokonavera Community High School were given the opportunity to lift weights of 2.5kg and 5kg.
Jenly Wini became the first athlete from the Solomon Islands to win a Commonwealth Games medal by finishing third in the women’s 58kg category at Gold Coast 2018 ©Getty Images
In October 2018, the Peruvian Weightlifting Federation (PWF) organised a training camp in Lima for athletes aged 17 and below, under the auspices of the South American Weightlifting Confederation (SAWC), the IWF and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Athletes from 10 countries in Pan America were able to train with their coaches for 15 days in the sports complex of Peru’s National Sports Village.
All the costs were paid through resources granted by the SAWC, IWF and IOC.
Thirty athletes and their coaches had the opportunity to train four hours a day while housed in double rooms.
Seminars were also conducted for them on anti-doping, the Olympic Movement and the Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG).
Among the athletes that participated in the training camp were Mexico’s Yesica Yadira Hernández Vieyra and Mauricio Cristofer Canul Facundo, the Buenos Aires 2018 Summer YOG girls’ 48kg gold medallist and boys’ 69kg bronze medallist respectively.
They were joined by the likes of Colombia’s Yineth Milena Santoya Ortiz and Kely Valentina Junkar Acero, the Buenos Aires 2018 girls’ 48kg and 53kg silver medallists respectively.
William Peña, President of the Colombian Weightlifting Federation, expressed his gratitude to the IWF, PWF and SAWC for the training camp in helping athletes improve their performance.
Rosalio Alvarado, President of the Mexican Weightlifting Federation, added that these type of activities not only enhance techniques, but also strengthen the Olympic spirit of young athletes.
Back to Weightlifting Home
FairSport slams CAS decision to uphold Mutko appeal against lifetime Olympic ban
TOP STORY: insidethegames is reporting LIVE from the 2019 Pacific Games in Samoa
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Privacy Policy of www.summitbenefit.com
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Google Ads Remarketing (Google Inc.)
Google Ads Remarketing is a remarketing and behavioral targeting service provided by Google Inc. that connects the activity of this Application with the Google Ads advertising network and the DoubleClick Cookie.
Users can opt out of Google's use of cookies for ads personalization by visiting Google's Ads Settings.
Receive their Data and have it transferred to another controller. Users have the right to receive their Data in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format and, if technically feasible, to have it transmitted to another controller without any hindrance. This provision is applicable provided that the Data is processed by automated means and that the processing is based on the User's consent, on a contract which the User is part of or on pre-contractual obligations thereof.
The User's Personal Data may be used for legal purposes by the Owner in Court or in the stages leading to possible legal action arising from improper use of this Application or the related Services.
The Owner reserves the right to make changes to this privacy policy at any time by giving notice to its Users on this page and possibly within this Application and/or - as far as technically and legally feasible - sending a notice to Users via any contact information available to the Owner. It is strongly recommended to check this page often, referring to the date of the last modification listed at the bottom.
Information collected automatically through this Application (or third-party services employed in this Application), which can include: the IP addresses or domain names of the computers utilized by the Users who use this Application, the URI addresses (Uniform Resource Identifier), the time of the request, the method utilized to submit the request to the server, the size of the file received in response, the numerical code indicating the status of the server's answer (successful outcome, error, etc.), the country of origin, the features of the browser and the operating system utilized by the User, the various time details per visit (e.g., the time spent on each page within the Application) and the details about the path followed within the Application with special reference to the sequence of pages visited, and other parameters about the device operating system and/or the User's IT environment.
The individual using this Application who, unless otherwise specified, coincides with the Data Subject.
The natural or legal person, public authority, agency or other body which, alone or jointly with others, determines the purposes and means of the processing of Personal Data, including the security measures concerning the operation and use of this Application. The Data Controller, unless otherwise specified, is the Owner of this Application.
This Application
The service provided by this Application as described in the relative terms (if available) and on this site/application.
Small piece of data stored in the User's device.
This privacy policy relates solely to this Application, if not stated otherwise within this document.
Show the simplified Privacy Policy
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